Celebrating
Freedom
A new museum explores three
and a half centuries of the
American Jewish experience
How do you tell a comprehensive story about a
population defined by disparate stories? That’s
the elaborate puzzle curators and researchers
faced when they began planning the National
Museum of American Jewish History’s core
exhibition. Visitors will get their first glimpse
of the curatorial team’s choices when the
museum opens Nov. 14 on Independence Mall,
just steps from the Liberty Bell and National
Constitution Center. The location is perfect
for the only museum in the world dedicated to
the American Jewish experience.
“The story of the American Jews is a very
particular story, but it’s also quite universal,”
says Josh Perelman, director of programming
ave
Date
KENNET T SQUARE
the
Chrysanth-
emum
Festival
Through
Nov. 21
Longwood Gardens’
indoor conservatory
and outdoor gardens
are ablaze with more
than 20,000 chrysanthemums, including
the country’s largest
Thousand Bloom.
longwoodgardens.org
OLD CI TY
First Person
Festival of
Memoir and
Documentary
Art
Nov. 8–14
The ninth annual festi-
val celebrates first-per-
son storytelling through
film, one-person theater
performances, stand-up
comedy and more.
firstpersonarts.org
CITY GUIDE
For additional event, attraction,
restaurant and hotel information,
visit arrivecityguides.com
Philadelphia
and chief curator. “At its core, it’s a story
of freedom.”
That story begins on the museum’s fourth
floor with the 1654 arrival of Jewish refugees
from Recife, Brazil. The next 350 years unfold
as visitors make their way through exhibits
that wrap down and around a five-story glass
atrium, exploring the social history of immi-
grants, the Holocaust from the viewpoint of
American Jews, suburban life and summer
camp. The ground floor’s “Only in America”
exhibit is one curators didn’t have to worry
about—they left the choice of the 18 featured
individuals to the public. The choices, from
Barbra Streisand to union leader Rose Schnei-
derman, show how American Jews made the
most of the freedom they found. nmajh.org.
Designs of a Lifetime
The Philadelphia
Museum of Art
may look like a
Grecian temple,
but it has one sandaled foot planted
firmly in the 20th
and 21st centuries.
In addition to its
impressive hold-
ings of modern
and contemporary
American art, the
museum has a
new expansion by
Frank Gehry under
way and a modern-
design committee,
Collab, that lures a
different luminary
to the city every
fall to accept its
annual Design
Excellence Award.
AVENUE OF THE ARTS
South Pacific
Nov. 23–28
This Tony award–
winning production by
Lincoln Center Theater
scares away the autumn
chill with a 26-member
orchestra accompany-
ing cast members in
“Some Enchanted Eve-
ning” and “I’m Gonna
Wash That Man Right
Outta My Hair.”
kimmelcenter.org
AVENUE OF THE ARTS
Xmas Philes
Dec. 8–12
Fresh from celebrating
its 40th anniversary,
celebrated homegrown
dance company Phila-
danco performs its
program of holiday
favorites. philadanco.org
NORTHERN LIBERTIES
Running of the
Santas
Dec. 18
Join revelers dressed
as Santa for the annual
holiday pub-crawl that
started in Philadelphia
and is now a tradition
in 25 cities. The Santas
start at the bar Finni-
gan’s Wake, and parade
to the Electric Factory
for live entertainment.
runningofthesantas.com
