CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood, which advertises itself as “The Museum of Diversity and Tolerance” on its electronic billboard, believes its mission has become more relevant since the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
This week, following Trump’s executive order on Friday restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, the museum added “Immigrants Refugees WELCOME” to its sign, which also features messages about current exhibitions and programs.
“We wanted to make a statement about our values,” museum director Ellen Rudolph said Wednesday morning in an interview. “We wanted to make a safe space where people could come and express their opinions.”
Rudolph said the museum, founded in 2005 and located at 2929 Richmond Road, features a core exhibit about Jewish immigration to Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.
“It’s the story of so many Americans,” Rudolph said.
Changing messages on the Maltz Museum’s electronic sign on Richmond Road in Beachwood advertise the institution as devoted to diversity and tolerance.Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer
The museum’s mission, stated on its website, is to introduce visitors to Jewish heritage in the context of the American experience.
The museum “promotes an understanding of Jewish history, religion, and culture and builds bridges of tolerance and understanding with those of other religions, races, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds, serving as an educational resource for Northeast Ohio’s Jewish and general communities,” the statement says.
Programs at the Maltz include the annual $100,000 “Stop the Hate” essay contest for Northeast Ohio students in grades 6-12.
The current special exhibition, on view through May Supertotobet 14, is “This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers from the Civil Rights Era.”
Rudolph said that issues raised by Trump’s election have added new dimensions to the show and the museum’s mission.
For example, she said, a panel discussion entitled “Activism: Then & Now,” scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, was designed to address issues raised by last summer’s protests in many American cities over the police use of force in black communities.
The rise of new protests around the country in response to Trump’s policies, however, has changed the context, Rudolph said.
Ellen Rudolph at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage shortly after becoming its director in 2014.Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer
Future programs may delve into connections between the past and the present.
“We’re looking at historical parallels with the way our government is acting now,” she said.
The museum’s goal is not simply to reach out to its core audience, but to engage visitors with a broad range of views, including those that differ on issues that are now dividing Americans.
“That is going to be our ongoing challenge,” Rudolph said. “It’s incumbent on us to bring in other voices.”
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