An exhibition created in collaboration with Jeffrey Shandler (Rutgers University), a leading figure in the study of modern Jewish culture. The Inventory Project centered on Shandler’s research on the creation of "lists" and inventories as a "defining practice of modern Jewish culture, although seldom recognized as such," and offered an unconventional look at The Magnes […]

Sound Objects combined the study of Jewish material culture with the emerging field of Sound Studies and investigated the role of objects that emit sound during synagogue rituals. Some objects used in synagogue rituals are designed to produce specific sounds, such as the shofar horn blasted on the High Holy Days, and the noisemakers used […]

With Global India, curated in collaboration with Barbara Johnson (Ithaca College), The Magnes unveiled its extensive holdings documenting the history of the Jewish community in Kerala, South India, collected in the 1960s and 70s. The exhibition centered on the community’s deep connections with India’s society and cultures and with the global Jewish Diaspora, across the […]