Museum

Founded in the 1980s, the AM Rosenblum Jewish Museum showcases the Great Synagogue's outstanding collection of Jewish artefacts including textiles, ritual silver and paintings. Exhibitions change periodically.

The collection includes embroidered vestments, illuminated addresses, a portrait gallery of former rabbis and presidents, crafted silver rimonim and other ritual objects, photographs and much more.

The museum is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays as part of the synagogue tour at 12 noon.

For more information email us at the museum.

Cultural Gifts Program

In its mission statement, the AM Rosenblum Jewish Museum is entrusted to collect, conserve and display objects that illustrate the full richness Jewish life and experience, particularly those objects with a direct connection to The Great Synagogue Sydney.

Our policy and guidelines also direct that additions to our collection will only be considered if offered by donation or bequest.  This means we must depend on the generosity of donors to expand and enhance the material culture of our collection.

However donations can be of mutual advantage as The Great is a “Deductible Gift Recipient”.  The Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program encourages Australians, through tax incentives, to donate items of cultural significance from private collections to public museums, libraries, and archives. Gifts can range from paintings, books, sculptures, manuscripts, and personal papers to jewellery, ceramics, and even scientific equipment.  Donors are eligible for the following tax incentives under the program:

• The market value of the gift is generally fully tax deductible.
• Donors can elect to spread the deduction over a maximum of five income years.
• Gifts are exempt from capital gains tax.

Donors may also claim a tax deduction for the cost of valuations obtained specifically for this program.

If you are interested in making a cultural donation to The Great Synagogue, please contact our Curator Britanny Freelander either by email (museum@greatsynagogue.org.au) or by phone on 9267 2477.

If you are able to contribute in this way, your generosity will be appreciated and valued by generations to come.

Exhibitions

Our current exhibition is Treasures of The Great Synagogue.

The exhibition, professionally curated by Brittany Freelander, features some of the exquisite works on paper, in silver, in embroidery and much more from our collection.

For more on the Treasures exhibition, see News/Great News elsewhere on this site.

Pictured is State Library senior curator Paul Brunton with Rabbi Lawrence and Brittany Freelander.

Records

The Great Synagogue holds copies of records of births, deaths and marriages from the early days of the Colony of NSW. In many cases the originals are held by the Mitchell Library in the State Library of NSW and permission must be sought from the Great Synagogue in order to consult these records. Many of the records, both older and more recent, have been microfilmed and copies are held both at the Synagogue and at the Australian Jewish Historical Society. The Society has a microfilm printer which makes consulting the records much easier. The AJHS can be consulted at ajhsinc@bigpond.net.au or on +612 9518 7596.

The Great offers searches of our own records for $35. Our volunteer archivist will find your family records if available and can copy and certify them should that be necessary. Please email the office.