Helen Goldsmith Menschel Director – Jewish Museum, New York, NY

The Jewish Museum, one of New York’s most celebrated museums and the only one of its kind dedicated to the intersection of art and Jewish culture in the United States, is renowned for its world-class collection, critically acclaimed exhibitions, and leading educational programs serving both onsite and online audiences. Founded in 1904, the Museum is one of the oldest Jewish museums in the world, one that serves over 200,000 visitors of all backgrounds a year. The only museum in the United States with this vision, the Museum has occupied a unique place in the cultural landscape of New York and the global museum community for generations of visitors. Combined, its initiatives promote inclusion and illuminate the breadth and diversity of Jewish culture, generating new pathways for understanding multicultural heritage, strengthening inclusion and diversity, and promoting universal accessibility for all.

Located at the heart of New York’s Museum Mile, the Museum maintains and showcases an internationally recognized collection of nearly 30,000 objects reflecting global Jewish identity across all media; its outstanding collection of thousands of objects of Judaica, reflecting the global Jewish experience over more than 4,000 years, is widely viewed as the most significant in the United States and one of the most important worldwide. Through an active acquisitions and commissions program that ensures the collections remain timely and relevant, the Museum embraces new research, scholarship and thinking into the many facets of Jewish culture and history, welcoming a diverse range of artists and thinkers to share ideas, provoke dialogue, and promote understanding. In addition to its recently renovated collection galleries, the Museum also presents approximately four temporary exhibitions a year in the galleries of its historic Fifth Avenue mansion, providing visitors with a visually inspiring and intellectually stimulating experience that both showcases the visual arts as well as tells stories about the diversity of Jewish culture. The Museum is a trusted and frequent partner on international loans and for special exhibitions across the globe.

To ensure that people of all backgrounds can be engaged by this work, a wide range of tailored public, school, family, and access programs helps diverse audiences experience the Museum, contextualize its exhibitions, and create spaces where audiences can learn from each other and find common ground through art. In this way, the Museum provides an ever-changing and dynamic range of opportunities for exploring multiple facets of the global Jewish experience, and for educating current and future visitors.

With an operating budget of approximately $24-27M, a $107M endowment, a staff of nearly 200, and a 37-member Board of Trustees, the Museum provides an ever-changing and dynamic range of opportunities for exploring multiple facets of the global Jewish experience, and for educating current and future visitors.

The Jewish Museum is engaged in an international search for candidates. This is a permanent, full-time position in New York City with a starting salary range of $500,000-$600,000. Review of applications will begin immediately, although nominations and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. It is anticipated that the Director will be appointed with a start date during Summer 2023. References will be contacted only with permission from the candidate. To ensure full consideration, inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications should be directed in confidence to:

Sarah James, Partner, Rebecca Swartz, Partner

Claire Hennessey, Managing Associate

Isaacson, Miller

https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/jewish-museum/helen-goldsmith-menschel-director

The Jewish Museum is committed to diversifying its staff and encourages individuals of all abilities and ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds to apply for this position. The Museum is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic prohibited by applicable law.

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