Plans are afoot at Manchester Jewish Museum, and JLife’s Laura Sefton spoke to CEO Max Dunbar and Sir Howard Bernstein to find out more.
A change is coming to Manchester Jewish Museum, with plans in the pipeline for new facilities and a fresh look. In recent months, the focus has shifted to incorporate a series of fun events, including comedy nights and Bollywood Brass Bands, in addition to continuing to be a centre for local Jewish artefacts. This is a deliberate move by the team, as Max Dunbar, CEO of Manchester Jewish Museum, and Sir Howard Bernstein explained when JLife spoke to them recently.
Fundraising Challenge
Sir Howard Bernstein has been chief executive of Manchester City Council for 17 years and has always supported the museum. Last year he was approached by the museum to help raise funds for its capital project and he is now chair of the museum’s Development Committee, alongside Jack Livingstone.
You have been involved in fundraising for the museum. What is it for?
The majority of project costs will be funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) but the museum still needs to raise additional match funding. To do this, we set up the Development Committee and we’ve already raised £1 million. This year we need to raise a further £1.1 million to reach our target.
Funds will be used to build a new museum extension housing new state-of-the-art galleries and spaces for education and events, enabling the museum to become a vibrant Jewish cultural centre that will host theatrical performances, musical events and shows. The museum’s historic synagogue building will also be fully restored.
What is planned for the next stage of the appeal?
We are now planning a series of fundraising eventsthroughout the year and we are due to submit the round two HLF application later this year. If successful, the project’s delivery phase is planned to begin in April 2017. During this time we expect the museum site to be temporarily closed but the museum is currently looking at alternative sites so it can continue its educational work. The new museum is planned to open in 2019.
What has been the highlight of your work with the museum so far?
Receiving a HLF development grant of £426,900 last year was a major milestone for the museum. With this support, we can now progress to the next phase.
A New Look
Max Dunbar, Manchester Jewish Museum’s CEO, was born and raised in the city and, having gained an MA in Museum Studies followed by working at the National Portrait Gallery and Christie’s auction house, he returned to Manchester. He has been working for the museum for almost five years.
What’s coming up for the museum?
If all goes to plan, we’ll see the museum transformed by 2019. The museum itself will be wrapped around the restored old synagogue. However old will meet new as contemporary exhibition spaces and facilities will be added.
We’re keen to transform the museum into a cultural centre. Manchester has the largest Jewish community outside of London but there is no culture centre here…yet.
Can you tell us about the Object Project and how this fits with these plans for the future?
As we’re planning to build a new Manchester Jewish Museum, we’re keen to fill it with as many pieces as we can. We launched the Object Project in January this year as an appeal to the community to have a look in attics and cellars to see what’s out there. Unlike mainstream museums, we are not after priceless items but more community pictures, recordings and trinkets.
The museum formed in the 1970s when academic, Bill Williams, worked with the Jewish community at the time to see what it had. He was amazed by what was out there and there was a real need for a museum, based on the artefacts discovered. Now, over 30 years on, we know there is likely to be even more to be found so we want community members to see what they have that might be able to help form the story of Jewish Manchester.
What is the best thing about being CEO of the museum?
I think seeing schoolchildren coming in and learning about the faith, culture and what it means to be Jewish is the best thing about working here. We’re educating future generations of different faiths and backgrounds. It lasts as well – we have so many visitors saying they remember coming here with their school years before. It’s so important to get out of the classroom and see local history first-hand.
