The Oregon Jewish Museum was founded in 1989 to promote and preserve Jewish art and heritage.& In the mid 1990s the Museum came together with the 150-year old Jewish Historical Society of Oregon. Its extensive archive now forms part of the Museum's permanent collections. Initially the museum had various temporary homes but is now housed in Portlandis Old Town.
The museum is the only Jewish museum in the Pacific Northwest ,and is acquiring artifacts and records from all over the region. The exhibitions features the Aber collection that includes traditional Jewish head coverings, candelabras silver brooches, pins and pendants. Other artifacts include Miriam Cups and matzoh covers. The museum houses a collection of portraits of prominent Jewish people from Oregon, alongside Jewish art and personal belongings from Jewish families. These include hanukah lamps, Torah scrolls and hand-washing cups. On temporary display are photographs depicting scenes from the Yiddish Theater in New York and the birth of Israel in 1948. The museum has in its possession a visual history of nearly 3,000 images depicting Jewish life in Oregon.
The Oregon Jewish Museum has an archive of documents and records relating to local Jewish families, and also the immigration records of Jews fleeing Germany, plus an oral history archive of interviews and accounts.
The Museum organizes various events through the year including an annual reading by Jewish poets and writers, an annual fundraising gala, and audiences with immigrants who fled Nazi Germany. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10.30am — 3.00pm and Sunday 1.00pm — 4.00pm. Admission for non-members is $3.00.
