The Cleveland Museum of Art presents~ American Synagogues"Jewish Ceremonial Art From the Jewish Museum of New York~ All details Below

 The exhibition of Jewish Ceremonial Art on loan from of  curated ritual objects of art is interesting and open to all. 

The Cleveland Museum of Art Presents Furnishing American Synagogues: Jewish Ceremonial Art from the Jewish Museum, New York New philanthropic support advances research and curatorial expertise in Jewish visual culture Torah Ark from Adath Yeshurun Synagogue, Sioux City, Iowa, 1899. Abraham Shulkin (American, b. Russia, 1852–1918). Pinewood, paint; 364.2 x 243.8 x 76.2 cm. The Jewish Museum, New York, Gift of the Jewish Federation of Sioux City, JM 48- 56a-s © Courtesy of the Jewish Museum, New York

CLEVELAND (October 29, 2026) — The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA), in partnership with the Jewish Museum, New York, presents Furnishing American Synagogues: Jewish Ceremonial Art, a new installation of Jewish ritual objects on view in two of the museum’s permanent collection galleries from November 1, 2026, through October 24, 2027. In observance of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, these loans feature Jewish ritual objects used in synagogues and daily life in the United States since its founding. The works range from an early 1900s silver Torah crown, or an adornment for a closed Torah scroll, to contemporary mixed-media works such as an alms (donation) container. A monumental Torah ark from a synagogue in Sioux City, Iowa, carved in 1899 by a Jewish immigrant, offers a striking example of the history of Jewish life and artistic expression in the United States. The third installation of Jewish ceremonial art from the Jewish Museum at the CMA, Furnishing American Synagogues builds on the long-standing relationship between the CMA Director, William Griswold, and James Snyder, director of the Jewish Museum, New York. This relationship paved the way for the Jewish Museum, New York, and the CMA to form a shared interest in expanding the representation of Jewish art and Jewish cultural history in the broader artistic, geographic, and faith tradition contexts in which it developed. Following work from earlier in the decade, the CMA launched its Jewish Arts Initiative in 2024 to advance this commitment through exhibitions, acquisitions, research, and public engagement. In 2024, a striking Etrog Box by Ilya Schor (American, b. Galicia [now Ukraine], 1904–1961) became the museum’s first intentional acquisition of Jewish ceremonial art. Prior to this, several newly identified artworks by the CMA curators as Jewish ceremonial art or made by Jewish artists––as well as key loans from international museums and Congregation Mishkan Or, a local synagogue––were featured in the exhibitions Stories from Storage (2021); Africa & Byzantium (2024); Arts of the Maghreb: North African Textiles and Jewelry (2024–25); In Vino Veritas (In Wine, Truth) (2025–26); and in a permanent collection gallery as a long-term loan. Support for the Jewish Arts Initiative The program’s growth is supported by significant philanthropic investment. The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation has provided three years of comprehensive funding, including support for two new grant-supported curatorial positions. In addition, Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded the CMA a $2.5 million endowment grant through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. This gift moves the museum halfway toward its goal for funding a Jewish Arts Endowment. Together, these investments establish a powerful foundation to increase and sustain this important work. “The support of the Mandel Foundation and Lilly Endowment is empowering us to build the expertise and resources to deepen the CMA’s work in Jewish ceremonial art,” said William M. Griswold, Sarah S. and Alexander M. Cutler Director. “Our collaboration with the Jewish Museum has opened new possibilities for bringing Jewish art into conversation with the CMA’s encyclopedic collection.” Support from the Mandel Foundation strengthens the CMA’s curatorial capacity through the addition of two new roles. Rachel Richman joined the CMA as assistant curator for the Jewish Arts Initiative in September 2026, and Itamar Sitbon joined as curatorial fellow for the Jewish Arts Initiative in August 2026. Coleaders of the current projects around Jewish visual culture at the CMA, curators Ada de Wit and Kristen Windmuller-Luna, supervise the new hires. Richman is responsible for assisting in the care, research, gallery display, digital presentation, and development of the museum’s holdings of Jewish ceremonial art and objects related to Jewish faith and culture. Sitbon supports research and future exhibitions, as well as the expansion of the museum’s holdings of art from Jewish communities, with a particular emphasis on the diversity of Jewish artistic expression. Together, these four members of the curatorial team collaborate across institutional departments in support of the Jewish Arts Initiative Furnishing American Synagogues: Jewish Ceremonial Art is on view November 1, 2026, through October 24, 2027, at the Cleveland Museum of Art, in the Cleveland Foundation Gallery and the Betty and Max Ratner Gallery (galleries 208 and 224A). Staff Biographies: Rachel Richman, Assistant Curator, Jewish Arts Initiative Rachel Richman earned a doctorate from Princeton University. Her dissertation, “Women’s Labor and Property in the Cairo Geniza,” utilized documentary sources and material culture to uncover the history of Jewish women’s work and property holdings in medieval Egypt. She received her MA from the Ohio State University and her BA from the University of Chicago. Having been interested in incorporating Jewish stories into broader narratives for more than a decade, Richman has pursued museum internships at Spertus Institute, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), the Museum of Moroccan Judaism, and the Princeton University Art Museum. Her English language labels have made the Museum of Moroccan Judaism more accessible for visitors since 2015. At the Princeton University Art Museum, she assisted in the acquisition of Judaica for the first time in the museum’s history. She hopes that supporting the acquisition and display of art from across time and space sparks curiosity and conversation about the diversity of Jewish life. Itamar Sitbon, Curatorial Fellow, Jewish Arts Initiative Itamar Sitbon is the curatorial fellow for the Jewish Arts Initiative at the CMA. A recent graduate from the Bard Graduate Center’s MA program in decorative arts, design history, and material culture, he has worked in museum collections specializing in Jewish culture of both Europe and North Africa. Most recently, he was part of the 2025 Summer Institute cohort at the Jewish Museum in New York, where he provided curatorial support for the exhibition Modernity and Opulence: Women of the Wiener Werkstätte, highlighting the role of Jewish women designers in early 20th-century Vienna.   Sitbon’s research interests include Jewish culture at the intersection of modernism, as well as the relationship between Jewish ceremonial objects and the fine arts. During his fellowship at the museum, he supports curators who are preparing future exhibitions and the expansion of the museum’s holdings of art from Jewish communities, with a special emphasis on the diversity of artistic expression of Jewish craftspeople. ###   About the Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 68,000 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The museum is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, and performing arts and is a leader in digital innovation. One of the leading encyclopedic art museums in the United States, the CMA is recognized for its award-winning open access program—which provides free digital access to images and information about works in the museum’s collection—and free of charge to all. The museum is located in the University Circle neighborhood with two satellite locations on Cleveland’s west side: the Community Arts Center and Transformer Station.  The museum is supported in part by residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and made possible in part by the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. For more information about the museum and its holdings, programs, and events, call 888-CMA-0033 or visit cma.org.  \n\n\n\n\n