“Building History:

The New National Museum of American Jewish History”

Dr. Josh Perelman

Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at 5:30 p.m.

University of Louisville, Shumaker Research Building Room 139

What did it take to create a new, national organization dedicated to three hundred and fifty years of Jewish life in America?  Dr. Josh Perelman, of the National Museum of American Jewish History will provide an inside look at how the Museum tells the story of the history and traditions of the Jewish people and their relationship to the broader history of the United States, highlighting how and when Jews came to America, the opportunities they found, and the challenges they confronted. 

JOSH PERELMAN is the Deputy Director for Exhibitions, Programs and Collections at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.  He has over a decade of experience working in museums, historical institutions, with various Jewish organizations.  He earned his doctorate in both Hebrew and Judaic Studies and in American History at New York University, and has been a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Perelman has lectured and written widely about history museums, as well as about the intersection of politics, performative culture, and ethnic identity.