Digital Exhibits
The Washington Jewish Museum is an online museum dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of Jewish life in Washington State. It serves as a platform to explore the Jewish community’s past and present through oral histories, photographs, and other archival materials. As the first Jewish museum of its kind in Washington state, it is dedicated to honoring the stories, lives, memories, and events that continue to shape Jewish identity and experience in the state.
Agents of Change
This exhibit features women who have made their mark in a wide array of fields, including arts, activism, athletics, education, business, diplomacy, law, politics, religion, and philanthropy. Agents of Change shows the breadth and depth of the contributions Jewish women are making every day in our state and our world.
Bikur Cholim: Then & Now
Established more than 100 years ago, Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath Congregation is Seattle’s oldest congregation. BCMH is the largest Ashkenazic Orthodox synagogue in the greater Seattle area. Congregation Bikur Cholim—Machzikay Hadath began with the founding of Chevra Bikur Cholim in 1891. The congregation moved to Seward Park in the early 1960s, and merged with Congregation Machzikay Hadath in 1971. On January 22, 1972, Congregation Bikur Cholim—Machzikay Hadath celebrated the official opening of its newly constructed Seward Park building with the bar mitzvah of a fourth generation member of the original Bikur Cholim.
Brenner Brothers
Brenner Brothers Bakery is featured in the WSJHS exhibit Shalom! Open For Business. It was a landmark business in the Jewish community located on Yesler Way and Cherry Street, nicknamed Kosher Canyon.
Confronting Hate Together
Confronting Hate Together is produced in partnership between The Black Heritage Society of Washington State, The Wing Luke Museum, and WSJHS as a unified response and community call to action against the bias and bigotry that sow seeds of division and hate across our communities.
Discover Seattle’s Sephardic Story: A Guided Walking Tour
The Seattle Sephardic Walking Tour, offered by the Seattle Sephardic Network in partnership with the Washington State Jewish Historical Society, explores the rich history and culture of Seattle's Sephardic Jewish community. It focuses on the Central Area, where this community once thrived, highlighting its synagogues, schools, and businesses. The tour features community members as guides who share their personal stories and experiences. This page is an extension of the Shalom! Sefarad exhibit.
Soviet Jewish Experience: Washington State Stories
The Soviet Jewish Experience: Washington State Stories" looks at four Seattleites whose lives were impacted by the Kremlin's restrictive emigration policies prior to the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Shalom! Sefarad
Shalom! Sefarad is a collaborative project of WSJHS and the University of Washington León Center. This exhibit was created to introduce Seattle's Sephardic life continues to flourish in the diaspora more than 500 years after Jews were expelled from Spain.
Haggadah: Telling Your Stories in the Time of Coronavirus
We've all lived through significant historical events, and this serves as a record of our experiences and actions — a Haggadah of our time. Haggadah loosely translates to TELLING. In 2020, the community shared their stories with us. What changes did you make in your everyday lives, and how did they impact your plans for the year? How did you stay connected with friends and family during social distancing? How were your education or business affected? How was that year different from any other year? The bonds that connected us as a society changed, but our Jewish values provided a framework that helped us persevere.
Kline Galland
This project is a collaboration with the Washington State Jewish Historical Society, its Washington Jewish Museum (WJM) and the Washington State Jewish Archives at the University of Washington Special Collections Libraries. Exhibits in the Washington Jewish Museum will be an extension of the existing Kline Galland Collection page at the Jewish Archives. These exhibits will be able to live on in the WJM and have room to grow. Current exhibits will showcase Faces of the Summit, Kline Galland Living History, Kline Galland Past Presidents, and special pages from the scrapbooks of Josh Gortler.
Kline Galland Collection
The Kline Galland Center is a nonprofit organization that provides nursing services, assisted living, and retirement residences in Seattle. This collection offers a look into the growth of Kline Galland, the people involved, and its successes as a major installation of Jewish Seattle.
Samis Foundation: Life & legacy
During his lifetime, Samuel Israel believed in giving back. Born in 1899 in the Sephardic community of Rhodes, then part of the Ottoman Empire, he and his family immigrated to Seattle in 1919. Sam had apprenticed as a shoemaker prior to emigrating to the US and, shortly after arriving, founded a series of successful shoe repair businesses in downtown Seattle, eventually landing a contract to repair shoes for the United States Army. Sam invested his earnings in real estate, amassing a significant portfolio of properties and assets currently valued at approximately $180 million.
Please Note: Our team is actively working to digitize our exhibits. Check back soon to explore the full collection, and stay updated by joining our mailing list or following us on Facebook and Instagram.