Past Events

For the 20th edition of Nuit Blanche à Montreal, join us at the Museum of Jewish Montreal for an evening to celebrate art and music in our city! Stop by to view our ongoing exhibition Public Intimacy by Berlin-based artists Sophia Hirsch and Johannes Mundinger. A bar stocked with refreshments (paid by card only) will be available for all visitors. Local DJs Rafa Aslan and Michele Azur will be setting the mood throughout the evening. Admission is free and all…

Thinking of hosting a Passover Seder but don’t know where to start? On March 5, join us with Rosie and daph for a hands-on workshop that will help you create your own personalized Haggadah and plan a Seder that feels right for you and your community, whether that means family, friends, organizers or strangers. Facilitators Rosie Long Decter and daph ben david will go over the history of the Haggadah, their own personal experiences putting Haggadahs together, and provide examples and…

From Buenos Aires, through São Paulo, and into Montreal, join us for a musical journey through waterways. Saxophone player, improviser and composer, born in a Jewish family in Buenos Aires, Damián Birbrier comes from a family of travelers and immigrants: each generation of the Birbrier family has lived in a different country. In each location, a river has been central to their lives. Aguas - meaning waters - is a musical and visual tribute to his family and its history. This musical passage finds…

Join KlezKanada and the Museum of Jewish Montreal for a Sunday full of Yiddish music and songwriting. You can choose to attend one of the workshops below, a jam session, and a concert taking place in the evening at Casa del Popolo. For more information about this special Sunday, keep reading: WORKSHOP (1:00pm at the Museum of Jewish Montreal) Yiddish Song Smuggling This workshop, taught by Detroit-born, Hamburg-based troubadour and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Kahn, will focus on polyglot performance, traditional subversion, tradaptation (translation + adaptation), multi-musical…

 “Can anyone find the ability to build a house in the air?” – Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania In fall of 2020, Rach Klein began to sort through their father’s archive. They pulled out dusty boxes from the furnace room, and found themselves among hundreds of slides, hours of film, notes, and letters, all showing the lifework of master glassblower, Toan Klein. Born 1949 in Long Island, Toan went on to photograph farmland in Ohio, glass factories in Mexico, and the…

Back by popular demand, we're hosting another papercutting workshop with Iso Setel for a special Shavuot edition! This creative workshop that will delve into the Jewish folk art tradition of papercutting. With artist and researcher Iso E. Setel, participants will learn about the significance of this delicate art form, from its religious uses in homes and synagogues, its ties to Shavuot, as well as its presence in numerous contemporary artists who are redefining the medium. The relationship between papercutting and Shavuot…

Join us in welcoming back Professor Karen Herland for a special walking tour of Montreal’s historic Red Light District! Sex work, especially in its most visible forms, tends to be recognized as a problem, requiring intervention and eradication. As a major transportation hub and port city, many sectors of Montreal’s economy were intertwined with the sex trade, even as police and politicians manipulated social responses (positive and negative) to the presence of a thriving Red Light District. From Maimie Pinzer…

“What are they saying, Those far distant voices, That whisper and echo in accents so clear? List' as they tell us of days long departed, When others rejoice o'er Byng's name so dear.” – Lyrics from Echoes of Byng, anthem of Baron Byng High School Open from 1922 to 1980, Baron Byng High School has become “something of a legend” in Montreal history. Immortalized as “Fletcher’s Field High School” in alumni Mordecai Richler’s novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Baron Byng holds…

The Museum of Jewish Montreal and Rabbi Adina Lewittes invite you to take part in a special evening that combines spirituality and care for nature along the trails of Mont-Royal. Long before God was locked up in temples, synagogues, churches and mosques, people encountered the holy in the awesome outdoors: by the side of a river, on top of a mountain, in a lush valley, or in a shaded forest. Long before prayer books and hymnals, people prayed from their…

Join us for an evening steeped in culture, comedy, and introspection with the premiere screening of Sultanna is A Moroccan Jew Who Makes A Moroccan Rug by filmmaker Sultanna Krispil. Sultanna is A Moroccan Jew Who Makes A Moroccan Rug is a personal documentary created by filmmaker Sultanna Krispil, which offers an exploration of her multifaceted heritage, her unusual upbringing, and her complex relationship with Judaism. This is an invitation to experience the world through Sultanna’s eyes, where heritage and heart converge in…

Though Leonard Cohen is easily Montreal's most recognized Jewish representative at home and abroad, who could grace Montreal's buildings, stamps, and daydreams instead of the Plateau poet? Perhaps Samy Elmaghribi, the father of Jewish Moroccan music? Or Maimie Pinzer, the radical turn-of-the-century Montreal activist, sex worker, and writer? Or how about Léa Roback, a pioneer of Quebec feminism, a polyglot, and union organizer? Or maybe Ethel Stark, violinist and conductor and founder of Montreal Women's Symphony Orchestra? Come decide for yourselves at this soirée dedicated…

Do you have a creative project in the works, or want to build your skills as an emerging artist or cultural creator? On Sunday, July 9, we are excited to present the first of four sessions of the newly-announced Montreal Jewish Arts Collaborative! This will be an afternoon of “pick your own learning” workshops (more details on the four individual sessions below). Each 90-minute session will be offered twice, first from 1:15pm–2:45pm, and again from 3pm – 4:30pm. You're welcome to…

Join us for Imagining A Queer Eruv: A Walking Conversation with artist and researcher Iso E. Setel. Starting at Parc St-Viateur in Outremont, this guided conversation will take us through the Mile End by way of the neighbourhood's back alleys and looping paths, ending in Champs des Possibles with complimentary snacks and beverages. Along the walk, Iso will be sharing their research and the work that went into creating their book, Eruv: Queer Installations of Jewish Space, while inviting attendees to reflect…

Join us in welcoming Professor Karen Herland for another special walking tour of Montreal’s historic Red Light District! Sex work, especially in its most visible forms, tends to be recognized as a problem, requiring intervention and eradication. As a major transportation hub and port city, many sectors of Montreal’s economy were intertwined with the sex trade, even as police and politicians manipulated social responses (positive and negative) to the presence of a thriving Red Light District. From Maimie Pinzer to…

***PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT OF ADVANCE TICKETS. A very limited number of tickets will be available at the door.*** Have you ever wanted to learn how to play mahjong, but there’s no one around you to play with or learn from? Now is your chance to learn to play the iconic Chinese game that has an unlikely and generations-long bond within Jewish communities. On Thursday, August 17, we are excited to host our first-ever mahjong night…