Council of American Jewish Museums
In This Issue
Conference Thanks
Ben Uri Chagall
Israel & the Arts
Professional Development
At CAJM.net
Join Us: CAJM 2010
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Don't miss important contributions from Rabbi David J. Wolpe, museum scholar Selma Holo, and others with insights to share. Register for the CAJM conference in L.A.

What We Do
Through training of museum staff and volunteers, information exchange, and advocacy on behalf of Jewish museums, CAJM strengthens the Jewish-museum field in North America.
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JANUARY E-NEWS | 2010
Conference Countdown ... and Thanks!
As we anticipate our upcoming annual meeting in Los Angeles, and four days of stimulation, conversation, and inspiration with our Jewish museum peers, we acknowledge the support of those who are making the 2010 conference possible. The Skirball Foundation has generously supported this event co-hosted Skirball Noahby the Skirball Cultural Center (whose Noah's Ark exhibition is pictured). In doing so they have been joined by numerous local L.A. agencies and individuals:  The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and its Tel Aviv/Los Angeles Partnership, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, and the Consulate General of Israel, as well as Dr. Catherine Glynn Benkaim, the Ruby Family Foundation, Peachy and Mark Levy, Susanne and Paul Kester, Rina Scott Cowan, Jean and Jerry Friedman, and the James and Ada Horwich Family Foundation.  CAJM is equally grateful for national support from the David Berg Foundation and philanthropists Carol Spinner, Virginia Bayer and Robert Hirt, and Albert Small.  The Mizel Museum, a CAJM member institution, and Nextbook, a Jewish cultural initiative, are also generous contributors. 
CAJM Member Unveils Chagall Masterwork  
Through serendipity and fortuitous circumstances, Ben Uri Gallery, The London Jewish Museum of Art, has acquired a rare and previously unknown painting by Marc Chagall.  The masterpiece, a rBen Uri-Chagallesponse by the artist to the Holocaust, merged with grief over his wife's death, is entitled "Apocalypse en Lilas, Capriccio." The gouache on paper was probably painted in the spring of 1945 and is part of a tiny body of Chagall works, created in the late '30s and early '40s, and also  represented in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Musee d'Arte Moderne in Paris, and the Israel Museum, in which Chagall employs a Jewish Christ as a metaphor for persecuted Jewry.  Chagall kept the work for himself, and it was subsequently sold to a private collector after his death, where it remained unknown until brought to auction in Paris last year.  David Glasser, Ben Uri Chairman, discovered the artwork in the auction catalogue and immediately mobilized significant support from private donors and Britain's Art Fund to enable the museum to bid on it.  The painting is on public view for the first time at an exhibition kickstarting Ben Uri's search for a new building in Central London.
International Exchange
One highlight of the upcoming conference will be a focus on Israel and the Arts.  At a special Sunday evening program, the Consul for Culture from the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles will join leaders from the Jewish Federation's Tel Aviv/Los Angeles Partnership, which fosters relationships between arts professionals and institutions in the two cities, to discuss models and ways to showcase Israel's vibrant arts scene in the United States.  Although they are separated by more than 7,000 miles, both Tel Aviv and Los Angeles are coastal cities, homes to large and etPereg, Santa Monicahnically diverse populations, and  major business and cultural centers.  Since 1997 the Partnership has sponsored cultural, educational, economic, health, and human services programs, bringing together expertise and talents from the two cities. The Israeli Consulate will also introduce its new Facebook clearinghouse for artists and venues, a valuable networking opportunity to connect American Jewish museums with Israeli artists and exhibitions.  The evening will include a screening of Israeli artist Nira Pereg's Shabbat 2008 video project (above), currently featured at the Santa Monica Museum of Art.
Professional Development Initiatives
As outlined in CAJM's 2007 Strategic Plan, an important aspect  of our organization's mission is to recruit and educate new talent in the Jewish museum field and to equip Jewish museum professionals at all levels of experience with the competencies needed to excel at their work.  CAJM's website, populated with extensive resource materials, contributes to this effort.  Annual conference sessions and activities offer additional opportunities for teaching and  leading.  Through the generosity of several foresighted donors, CAJM's ProfessionaFellowsl Development Initiative offers competitive CAJM Fellowships to the annual conference, (2006 cohort at right) fostering the development of emerging professionals who are positioned to succeed the current generation of senior-level museum personnel.  At the 2010 conference, a new Mentorship Program will also be initiated. It is intended to welcome CAJM Fellows and first-timers to the conference by pairing them with "veteran" professionals who can facilitate introductions and connections. Those interested in
serving as a "mentor" or "mentee" should contact [email protected] by January 18, indicating areas of special interest or expertise.
Here's What You Will Find
... on CAJM's website:   What you can see at CAJM museums and galleries across the United States and Canada, news on colleagues' activities and accompMayyimlishments, a roster of Jewish museums around the world, a collections showcase featuring objects from the holdings of more than 85 member institutions, traveling exhibitions available for rental, a library and links to more than one hundred online resources ... and lots more reasons to visit, join and support Jewish museums like the one above: Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters: Community Mikveh and Art Gallery in Newton, MA.
See you in LA!