Jewish Museum London

What to see at the Jewish Museum London

This is a fascinating small museum with four permanent galleries plus a programme of interesting temporary exhibitions.

The museum’s permanent galleries start with The Mikveh, a medieval ritual bath that was discovered in a building site in the City of London in 2001. It is believed to date from the medieval Jewish community that lived in London between 1066 and 1290.

The Judaism: A Living Faith gallery has displays of Jewish ceremonial art and its highlights include a 17-century Venetian synagogue Ark along with silver Hanukah lamps and Passover plates.

The History: A British Story gallery chronicles Britain’s Jewish history from 1066 to the present day and includes exhibits about the Jewish community in London’s East End, the important role of Jewish bankers in Britain’s rise as an economic power in the Victorian era and the refugees fleeing the Nazis including the 10,000 children who arrived in Britain on the Kindertransport programme prior to the outbreak of the Second World War.

The Holocaust Gallery tells the story of Leon Greenman, a British-born Auschwitz survivor who was living in the Netherlands when the Second World War broke out. This gallery also features short videos of four Holocaust survivors who have settled in Britain.

The Jewish Museum also has two galleries that host a programme of temporary exhibitions about specific aspects of Jewish culture and history.

Visiting the Jewish Museum London

The Jewish Museum London is located in a residential street close to the heart of Camden Town in north London. It is a four-minute walk to Camden Town tube station.

Admission is free with the London Pass and the National Art Pass.

You should allow between one and two hours to see the museum.