Melton, Jewish museum to split

AS part of a plan to increase its focus on education, the Jewish Museum of Australia (JMA) will begin running a new, independent adult education program early next year.

Maximising the resources within the museum and drawing on the expertise of local scholars and educators, the new courses will cover a broad range of topics, from culture and history to religion and art.

“There is a real thirst for Jewish education in our community. People are looking to connect and engage with Jewish culture, and the Jewish museum is ideally positioned to address this need,” JMA director Rebecca Forgasz said. “Museums today are not places of static exhibits and dusty old artefacts, but places that promote discussion of ideas and active participation in culture and community.

Education is one of the most important ways in which we can fulfil that purpose.”

In addition to its own eight-week, short course program, the museum has been running classes for the Florence Melton Adult Mini School, bringing the Hebrew University program to Melbourne in 1996.

The new model will see JMA stop offering the two-year undergraduate Melton program, opting instead for a more flexible structure in response to survey feedback. Melton organisers will release information about future courses in Melbourne, run outside the JMA structure, next year.

“Anyone interested in Jewish learning may now enrol directly into our adult education program,” the museum’s adult education coordinator, Leah Justin, said, adding that the classes will be run from the museum itself to draw on the exhibitions, permanent gallery, library, art and artefacts on hand.

Among the educators of the program will be lecturers from the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University.

Associate professor and director of the centre at Monash Mark Baker said the faculty had always been supportive of the museum’s education program and will continue to do so in a “collaborative capacity”.

Details and course information will be available next month, with the program set to begin in February 2011.

Enquires: education@jewishmuseum.com.au;
(03) 8534 3625.

DALIA SABLE