Exhibits and Events

Learn about how the Jews acted on their own behalf in this panel exhibit from Yad Vashem

"Preparing for the Sabbath"

From the Cradle to the Grave

Shaarei Zedek Synagogue (Conservative and Egalitarian)

2024 Events

We are working on plans for 2024 events – check back for details or contact the Museum for more information.

Monday, May 6, 2024

Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) Observance

The Holocaust Memorial Day Program will be held in the Shaarei Zedek Synagogue on Monday, May 6^th beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The programme will feature the personal testimony of Shimon Walt, of Halifax. He was born in Vilna, Lithuania after the war ended. He grew up thinking there were only five people in his family: him and his brother, his parents, and his grandmother, a fortunate few amongst the five per cent of Lithuania’s Jews who survived the Holocaust. When his wife Peggy asked for names of family members who had been killed, he couldn’t reply; what happened to them in Vilna, the "Jerusalem of Lithuania", was never spoken about after the war.

In the summer of 2023, Shimon reluctantly agreed to return to his birthplace, meeting cousins for the first time, and visiting killing sites in Estonia and Lithuania where his family had been murdered. To pay tribute, he borrowed a cello and played at Ponar. The couple then travelled to Israel to share their experiences with Bela, Shimon’s 95-year-old mother. Their journey will make up part of Peggy’s forthcoming memoir: Mine to Tell: Finding My Jewish Family.

Members of the local Jewish community will light memorial candles, share music and photographs of family members impacted by the Holocaust. 

This programme is made possible with financial assistance from The Atlantic Jewish Council.

For further information please contact Katherine at the Saint John Jewish Historical Museum: (506) 633-1833 or sjjhm@nbnet.nb.ca

June to Sepember, 2024

Artist in Residence / Beginner and Intermediate Art Classes with artist, Roslyn Harrush

The Saint John Jewish Historical Museum is pleased to announce that Roslyn Harrush will be our Artist-in-Residence from May to September 2024.

A meet the artist evening will be held on Thursday, May 16, 2024 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Saint John Jewish Historical Museum. All are welcome to join for an informal evening to chat with Roslyn Harrush and view a variety of acrylic, watercolour and print works that will be on display.

During her residency, Roslyn Harrush will teach several art classes for youth and adults and hold a number of open studio days on the second floor of the Museum.

Classes will be held on Sunday afternoons from May 26 to September 15:

·         Finger Painting for Adults!

·         Finger Painting for Youth!

·         Explore Drawing Mediums for Youth

·         Explore Drawing Mediums for Adults

·         Introduction to Printmaking for Youth

·         Painting with Watercolour for Adults

·         Acrylic Painting for Adults

More information on the classes can be found in the attached brochure. Registrations are now being accepted for students.

All are welcome to visit Roslyn in our temporary studio space where she will share the stages of her creative process.

Roslyn Harrush moved to the Saint John area in 2021 after living in Stratford, Ontario for 17 years. She is originally from Montreal, but had lived in Alberta for 24 years where she raised a family, worked and volunteered. In 1997, Roslyn had the opportunity to return to school and pursue her passion for the arts. She graduated with a B.F.A., majoring in Printmaking in 2001. During that time, she took a watercolour elective which changed her artistic path, and painting became her main focus. Roslyn has enjoyed travelling and has lived in Israel and Columbia. This experience has opened up a new way to see other cultures, meet the people and reflect on their history. Colours and texture play an integral role in her paintings. Roslyn works with different mediums and enjoys playing with the still life genre. Roslyn discovered the art of gardening in Stratford and finds the nature of plants and birds the perfect subject for her paintings.

Support for this Artist-in-Residence program comes from a generous grant from the Saint John Community Arts Board.

For further information, please contact the Museum at 506-633-1833 or sjjhm@nbnet.nb.ca.

October 2024

The 11^th Annual Saint John Jewish Film Festival

This is the main fundraiser for the Saint John Jewish Historical Museum. The Saint John Jewish Film Committee selects six films from a broad range of categories which reflect on Jewish experience. This event relies on the generosity of our sponsors for its success and the opening film on Saturday evening is reserved for festival sponsors to thank them for their support. There are five levels of sponsorship: Editor ($100), Director ($250), Associate Producer ($500), Producer ($1,000) and Executive Producer ($2500) Tickets for general admissions are available for the films shown from Sunday to Thursday ($10 / film or $40 for a reel pass).

The line-up of films will be announced in August 2024.