To our Friends, Shalom!
Shalom is a Hebrew greeting used to express the sentiment of total wellbeing and harmony, a word that translates to mean hello, goodbye, and peace. In Judaism, the dove is a symbol for peace. The dove first appears in the Torah during the story of Noah’s Ark when Noah sends out the dove to find out if the rain has stopped. When the dove returns with an olive branch in its mouth signifying safety, it becomes a symbol of peace and healing for the future of humanity.
The Maltz Museum has spent the last year considering its own future. With fifteen years of audience data to mine, we launched a comprehensive strategic initiative to consider what the next fifteen years might look like. Working with a New York – based branding and marketing firm with a specialty in museums, we facilitated a multi-day workshop with key stakeholders that included both board members and community partners. The outcome was a unanimous statement of purpose: The Maltz Museum exists to Stop the Hate.
Through much discussion and deliberation, and with the invaluable wisdom and guidance of a project task force that includes Reneé Chelm, Rabbi Jonathan Cohen, Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis, James Gomez, Ken Liffman, Darrell McNair, and Dan Zelman, working together under the leadership of Board Chair Grant Dinner, and Director of External Relations Dahlia Fisher, we continue to evolve as an institution rooted in the Jewish value of respect for all humanity.
We proudly unveil to the community our new logo, which incorporates the dove as a symbol of peace and healing for the future of humanity. The rainbow represents all humanity — all faiths, races, cultures, and identities lifting together. And by calling ourselves by the name the community uses in reference to us colloquially — Maltz Museum rather than Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage — we invite with open arms those who may not otherwise believe they are welcome to join us in exploring the stories told in our galleries — courageous stories from history and today that carry universal messages of hope.
This change comes at a critical time. We are entering another voting year, another opportunity to stand up and speak out, using our votes as our voices. But this is an opportunity that has historically not been offered to everyone equally.
Please join us on October 26 for the highly anticipated return of the special exhibition This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement, with a newly added section on voter suppression then and now.
In collaboration with our special exhibition, we are proud to announce the simultaneous launch of the Interactive Biography of Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr., whose legendary activism as a civil rights leader has been recorded using state-of-the-art technology for future generations to engage with in perpetuity.
With a spectacular line-up of thematic programming for adult enrichment and student learning, we are excited to see you soon at the Maltz Museum!
With gratitude,
David Schafer
Managing Director
Maltz Museum
