Plans for the development of Manchester Jewish Museum – funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund – are underway.
Manchester Jewish Museum has received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a major museum development project.
The project will result in a new museum extension that will house new galleries, learning and event spaces, while the site’s historic synagogue building will be fully restored. Development funding of £426,900 has also been awarded to help the museum progress their plans to apply for a full grant of £2.8 million at a later date.
The museum plans to create a new visitor experience, exploring themes in its collection, such as immigration, integration and identity. New galleries will tell the story of Manchester’s Jewish community, including a dedicated gallery about the many Holocaust survivors that settled in Manchester.
Volunteers will also help catalogue and digitise the museum’s collection in a new archive room and new spaces will be developed with local Cheetham Hill communities to explore and celebrate Manchester’s diverse cultural heritage.
The museum’s chief executive Max Dunbar said: “We’re delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given us this support. Over the past 30 years we’ve welcomed thousands of visitors, educating them about Jewish faith, heritage and culture.
“With the announcement, we can now build on this to create a new 21st Century Jewish museum, showcasing more of our collections, educating more people and working with more communities to ensure Manchester’s Jewish heritage is preserved for generations to come.”