The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia is being considered as a potential new member of the Smithsonian museum network, with members of a new congressional commission sworn in on Tuesday set to study the matter.
As reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Philip Darivoff, a former longtime chair of the Weitzman and current chair of the new commission, and Dara Horn, a writer serving as vice chair, “said that the Weitzman joining the Smithsonian would send a powerful message that Jews are a crucial component of the history of the country.”
Darivoff told the JTA, “It’s a different statement that our country makes when it says that the study of Jewish American history and culture is important to this nation,” and both commission members hope possible inclusion in the Smithsonian network could help stem what they called an “epidemic of ignorance” about Jewish history and culture.
The prospect of the Weitzman joining the Smithsonian dates back to legislation passed by the Biden administration in 2024 to establish the congressional commission. Now, after having been sworn in, the commission has two years to study the matter—“though Darivoff said he hopes to finish the work well before the deadline,” according to the JTA.
The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History was founded in 1976 and is currently a Smithsonian affiliate, which means it can share resources with other museums in the network. Current offerings there include a new “immersive family experience” called Colors of Creation, an exhibition titled “The First Salute: An Untold Story of the American Revolution,” and a core exhibition covering history dating back to the 1600s, “when the first permanent Jewish settlers came to the New World from Brazil.”