Friday, December 11, 2009

Manchester Jewish Museum

Manchester Jewish Museum is one of those little gems that many people, even born and bred Mancunians, are unaware of. I heard yesterday that it is in serious financial difficulty and could close in the spring of 2010. The BBC cover the story here.

I came across the museum a few years ago when I was doing some research into the history of fascism in the Manchester and Salford area. They have a tremendous oral history project chronicling the history of Manchester's Jewish community, their archive holds hundreds of interviews with people who arrived in Manchester early in the twentieth century, and many with those who stood up to the British Union of Fascists in the 1930s when Manchester and Salford were a particular stronghold for Mosley.

To lose this treasure would be terrible and I would urge anybody visiting Manchester to visit and support the museum. If not I am sure they would appreciate a donation so that the museum can be saved for when you do one day visit Manchester.

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