The Montreal Jewish Museum (MJM) will become a welcoming space where members of different Montreal communities can come together, learn and enjoy themselves, after an investment of more than $3.2 million from the federal government through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program.
This was announced by the Honourable Rachel Bendayan, Member of Parliament for Outremont and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, and Zev Moses, Executive Director at the MJM.
Today's investment will enable the renovation of the building that houses the MJM, which has been closed to the public for almost 30 years.
Once renovated, the Museum will be open to the public and will offer a variety of flexible, multipurpose spaces. The ground floor will feature an event space, a café-restaurant, and a gift shop. The second floor will house a gallery for exhibitions, screenings, and events. The third floor will include a food lab, spaces for creative workshops, and administrative spaces for the Museum and community members.
The Museum is located at 5220 St-Laurent Boulevard, where the Jewish community first settled in Montreal at the beginning of the last century. The building was built in 1914 as a garment factory and has housed a synagogue as well as a Jewish school. From 1984 to 1996, the building was home to Le Lux, a restaurant and bar that also sold magazines and candies.
This project will allow visitors of all ages and backgrounds to access the entire museum building. This new space will offer community members the opportunity to help create innovative experiences centered on Montreal's Jewish heritage and identity-building through art, culture, language, cuisine, and history.
