Jews in Space: Members Only Private Visits
The JMM is pleased to invite Members to visit our Jews in Space exhibit, before it flies off to its next destination. Our first priority is the health and safety of our staff and guests, and to that end we have implemented safety protocols, limited hours, reduced capacity, and enhanced cleaning procedures. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact tmakowsky@jewishmuseummd.org or (443) 873-5164 and we will be happy to assist you.
This is a living document, and these procedures are not set in stone. As we update our policies, we will work to keep our guests informed of any changes. Thank you for being flexible as we work to navigate our member visits together.
Hours
At this time we are offering our members reserved, advance tickets only, during limited timeslots. You must reserve tickets at least 48 hours in advance. The Museum will not be open if tickets are not reserved 48 hours in advance, and we will be unable to accommodate walk-ins. Each timeslot is first come, first serve, an only one group will be permitted to reserve in slot; reserve your tickets now!
April 22nd – June 10th
Thursday: 10 am – 12 pm and 1 pm – 3 pm
Sunday, June 6th and June 13th: 10 am – 12 pm and 1 pm – 3 pm
Please note, we are closed 12 pm – 1 pm to facilitate cleaning times and staff breaks. Guests will be asked to leave at this time, if this is the end of their time slot.
How to reserve tickets
We are offering all JMM members advanced, reserved tickets for designated time slots. We strongly encourage our members to reserve their tickets via our website here. You can also reserve tickets by contacting the Visitor Services Coordinator at tmakowsky@jewishmuseummd.org or at (443) 873-5164. Due to the limited nature of these timeslots, tickets reserved on our website will have priority choice for timeslots, rather than those who reserve over the phone.
All tickets must be reserved 48 hours in advance. If no tickets are reserved within 48 hours of the selected date and time, the Museum will not be open.
We are not offering tickets onsite. We are only doing credit card purchases for the Museum shop. We are not taking cash purchases.
When reserving your ticket, please choose either the AM slot or the PM slot, and let us know the number of guests you plan to bring with you. Once a timeslot is reserved, it will no longer be available to other members. We are only allowing groups of up to seven into the Museum at once.
Note, your ticket is for the full time slot that you choose. If you reserve tickets for the AM timeslot, you can check in any time after we open at 10 am. However, we will ask all visitors to leave at the end of that timeslot, to allow for cleaning. Keep this in mind as you plan your visit.
What to See and Do
To help us maintain a clean, safe, and socially-distant environment, we are limiting the number of open spaces. We will update this section as needed.
In the Galleries:
Jews in Space: Members of the Tribe in Orbit: From ancient astronomers to today’s space scientists and astronauts, Jewish people have often exhibited an interest in “looking up.” Outer space has also inspired Jewish artists, writers, comedians, and thinkers, both religious and secular, to boldly imagine realms beyond our Earth. Explore these outer reaches and how Jewish people have explored them with our exhibit, before it closes this summer!
Voices of Lombard Street: A Century of Change in East Baltimore: The area surrounding the Jewish Museum of Maryland was the center of immigrant Jewish life in Baltimore in the early 1900s, but today only a few remnants of its Jewish past survive. Voices of Lombard Street tells the story of this historic neighborhood from then until now.
Pop-Up Exhibits in the Lobby:
Carved Expressions: Handwork of Rabbi Benjamin Szold: In the last years of his life, Baltimore’s Benjamin Szold (1829-1902) – renowned rabbi and devoted family man – took to wood carving to keep his hands busy. From practical items like boxes and yads to more whimsical statues and figurines, the creations of Rabbi Szold delighted friends and family alike. Thanks to the generosity of several Szold descendants the JMM has over 40 of his works in our collections, which will be on display in this lobby exhibit along with photos, a book on wood carving given to him by his daughters, and one of the rabbi’s pocketknives.
The Lloyd Street Synagogue at 175: In celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Lloyd Street Synagogue, we have brought out some of the artifacts, documents, and photographs from our collection that tell stories of the people who have contributed to the building’s long life and history.
Esther’s Place:
Esther’s Place, the Museum shop, is open to guests during this time. We ask that guests follow direction arrows located on the floor and keep masks on during browsing. Shop items are not cleaned daily so handle any items at your own risk. For those interested, we can offer rubber gloves for use when handling items in the shop. All purchases should be brought up to the front check-in desk where the purchase will be completed. We will only offer credit card purchases. We are not accepting cash purchases at this time.
We ask that you refrain from handling the items as much as possible to ensure safety for all future guests.
If you are looking for a particular item and don’t want to enter the shop, we encourage you to visit our gift shop website, contact our Shop Manager, Chris Sniezek at csniezek@jewishmuseummd.org, or leave a message on the shops voicemail at (443) 873-5179. We can arrange for curbside pickup to avoid extended contact.
Please note, the Lloyd Street Synagogue, The Synagogue Speaks, B’nai Israel Synagogue, and the research library are closed to the public at this time. We are not offering tours of the historic synagogues.
Please note that while we have removed or disabled many of our exhibit interactives, there are still some interactive elements available. We will provide individual-use styluses to operate any touchscreens, and staff will monitor and clean hand-on materials and other touchpoints as frequently as possible throughout the day. If something is marked “do not touch,” those surfaces will not be considered touchpoints and will not be cleaned regularly. Please use your best judgement for you and your family when choosing whether to use our interactives.
Guest Policies
- Health Screenings
If anyone in your household is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or has been exposed to someone with confirmed COVID-19, please stay home. (A full list of symptoms can be found on the CDC website). Symptoms may include a cough, a fever, and fatigue. On the day of your visit, we encourage you to do a self-health screening to see if you or anyone in your household has a fever or any other symptoms before you come to the Museum. We reserve the right to turn away guests who are experiencing visible COVID-19 symptoms.
If you are experiencing symptoms and decide to stay home, we are happy to or reschedule your ticket. Please contact Talia at tmakowsky@jewishmuseummd.org for arrangements.
- Ticket Policies
Reserved tickets are either for the morning slot (10 am -12 pm) or the afternoon slot (1 pm – 3 pm). Guests are not permitted in the building from 12 pm – 1 pm or after 3 pm. Guests will be asked to leave at the end of their time slot. We will not be opening the Museum early or keeping the Museum open late for any guests. This is to support staff schedules, including cleaning and break time.
If you reserve a ticket but miss your timeslot completely, you have a full business week to reschedule your ticket. You must do so by contacting the Visitor Services Coordinator at tmakowsky@jewishmuseummd.org or (443) 873-5164 (please leave a voicemail message). After a week, we cannot guarantee your preferred timeslot.
We cannot transfer tickets between timeslots, and so you must inform us ahead of time if you want to reschedule.
- Contact Tracing
As part of our efforts to keep people safe and informed, we will use contact tracing in the case of an outbreak at JMM. If we do experience a positive case from someone who has been in the building, we will reach out to our guests to inform them, so that you can take steps to protect yourself and loved ones. Any personal information will be kept anonymous and only used by the JMM to send out these communications.
- Face Masks
Everyone on JMM property is required to wear face masks for the duration of their visit. Face masks must cover the nose and mouth completely, without any gaps, and should be made of two layers. JMM bandanas and/or disposable masks will be made available to those who need one. The mask must be worn the whole time during a visit.
We will ask visitors to leave if they do not wear a face mask during their whole visit.
- Social Distancing
Please maintain six feet distance from anyone not from your household. This is required in all spaces in the building. Markings and signs will assist in this effort.
- Cleaning
The staff are regularly cleaning as much as possible, with CDC approved cleaning materials. We perform cleaning routines multiple times a day, throughout the Museum, including in the lobby, in the bathrooms, and in the exhibits.
Hand sanitizer stations and wipes will be available at various points throughout the building. Staff will monitor and clean touchpoints as frequently as possible throughout the day, and both the midday and midweek closures will be used for thorough cleaning of public spaces.
- Restrooms
We will have only a single-stall, family restroom available at this time. (This restroom includes a changing table.) This policy helps to promote social distancing and allows the staff to more easily clean and sanitize the space. Wipes are provided for guests, to encourage sanitizing the space before and after they use the restroom. The restroom will be monitored and cleaned during open hours, and will be thoroughly cleaned during the midday break.
- Accommodations
If guests are unable to follow the outlined policies at this time, we encourage you to connect with us online instead! JMM provides content and materials online for guests to visit, including online exhibits. We also offer online tours of our exhibits, an online shop, and more. To learn more about our offerings, visit our website. If guests onsite choose not to follow these policies, they will be asked to leave JMM.