The history of the Jews in Florida is a long and complex one. Sometimes it's tragic; other times, celebratory. Through permanent and traveling exhibits as well as outreach programs, lectures, readings and arts programming, the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU in Miami covers 250 years of Florida Jewish life: the diasporic emigration, settlement, discrimination, acculturation and survival of a people no one else wanted.
Best and worst time to go to the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU
The museum is open to the public year-round on Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. For parking reasons, the best times to go are right when it opens, before the beach crowd sets up for the day. Then you can spend a couple of hours with the exhibits and go have a nice lunch in the neighborhood, or even head to the beach yourself, which is only a couple of blocks away. The worst time to try to visit is mid-afternoon, when parking is impossible to find and/or you will run into school tour groups. For perhaps obvious reasons, avoid planning a trip to the museum in the early fall during the High Holidays and in spring during Passover, as the museum will be closed.
Must see/do at the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU
The buildings that comprise the museum -- a restored synagogue from 1929 and an Art Deco synagogue from 1936, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places -- are the first must-see items here, with more than 75 stained glass windows, a marble bimah and Art Deco chandeliers. Their location was dictated by the fact that Jews were only allowed to live in Miami Beach south of Fifth Street. Under their joined roofs, more than 100,000 items are catalogued in an ever-growing exhibit called Mosaic: Jewish Life in Florida. This enormous compilation, which continually takes donations of memorabilia, is inventoried and displayed according to themes: Immigration; Family/Synagogue/Institutions; Community Relations; and Contributions. Thus items may range from a centuries-old ketubah (marriage contract) to a Flapper-era Purim dress designed and sewn completely from Florida seashells. Oral histories and three short films depicting the buildings' restorations, Jewish settlement in Florida and Jewish holiday traditions are also worth listening to and watching.
Admission to the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU
Individual tickets for adults are $6; seniors/students are $5; children under 6 are free, as are museum members. Family groups pay a round number of $12. For school groups, it's $2.50 per child, and for large groups of adults (20 or more, reservations required), it's $5 each. Visit the website to download a discount coupon.
Parking and public transportation to the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU
Because this museum is located on South Beach, expect parking to be difficult –- unless, of course, it's a cold, rainy day. Then you may get lucky with a metered street space. (Be very careful and pay attention to street signage indicating where you might need a residential permit to park. South Beach is notorious for towing.) Several municipal pay lots and garages are within walking distance, and if it's early enough in the morning or afternoon before the sun worshippers are out en masse, you should be able to find a spot. A couple of private lots are also available, although these can be pricey. Otherwise, taxis are in abundance, and the Metrobus does service the area.
Food at the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU
For food like Bubbe used to make –- or still makes –- stop in at Bessie's Bistro. Located in the space between the two historic synagogues that make up the museum, the Bistro was named after Bess Myerson, the first (and only, so far) Jewish-American girl to be crowned Miss America. After facing down the discrimination that resulted, she became an activist for civil rights. Myerson donated the money to build the café in honor of her parents, who lived in the neighborhood where the museum stands.
Insider tip for visitors to the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU
Although the museum itself is open on Saturdays (the Sabbath), Bessie's Bistro and the Orovitz Museum Store are closed, so don't expect to find food, drinks or souvenirs on the premises. However, admission is free then, so there's an added incentive to visit even if you can't score a nosh.
Author's bio: Jen Karetnick has been writing about Miami since she moved there in 1992. The author of 12 books, most recently the cookbook Mango (University Press of Florida) and the poetry book Brie Season (White Violet Press), she lives in Miami Shores with her husband, their two teenagers, three dogs, three cats and fourteen mango trees.