Sign of the Cross, Greg Weight 2011, 61st Blake Prize

"I'd sat down and the prayer song began, and I found it extremely moving. I don't practice a religion and I'm not a believer in that sense, but I've always believed in the spiritual." - Blake Prize joint winner Fabian Astore, on his work The Threshold, inspired by a girl in a Turkish mosque.

The Blake Prize is a study in community, tribes, and the human condition. These fascinating and beautiful works of contemporary art will inspire you, and engage you in conversation about spirituality and religion. This wonderful exhibition must close on 28 July 2013. Don't miss out!

The Jewish Museum of Australia is proud to be one of the 111 participating buildings in Open House Melbourne on 28 July! This is your chance to visit the Museum (free!) and find out what happens behind-the-scenes.

There will be regular tours of the curatorial area, St Kilda Synagogue, and an expert librarian will be on-hand to answer your questions about our rare texts and the Kalman Katz Coin Collection.

Plan your Open House weekend by visiting the website.

We never tire of hearing the endless positive feedback about our volunteers, be it through TripAdvisor (where we're ranked as the number one attraction in St Kilda), visitor surveys or our guest book. The Museum is supported by over 250 volunteers whose duties range from guiding, school education, to wrapping your presents in the Shop. Visit our website if you'd like to discover how you can get involved.

Feeling the winter blues? Well, spring is just around the corner, and so is In Season, the exciting exhibition designed specifically for children and families. We launch the exhibition with our free Open Day on Sunday 25 August. With lots of kids' activities happening all through the day, have a taste of what’s to come throughout the life of this playful and interactive exhibition about the four seasons.

The Bathers, Anne Zahalka, 1989, 6096

There's still time to book one of our short courses starting in July. As a special treat for the under 30s, you can attend the fantastic 7-week course, Jews pursuing justice in a broken world with Joel Lazar for just $100. Through multimedia and some heated debate, this course will illuminate some of the chief social justice challenges faced by humanity today. This course can be booked online here. Otherwise please visit our website to see the other fabulous courses on offer.

Boxing boots, Italy 1970s donated by Henry Nissen, 10598

Tisha B'Av, (literally “the 9th of Av”), is the most solemn event in the Jewish year. On this day both the First and Second Temples were destroyed – in 586 BCE by the Babylonians and in 70 CE by the Romans. Tisha B’Av is a day of mourning and fasting, which commemorates all the tragedies endured by the Jewish people throughout history. For more information please visit us or click here for the Museum's enlightening exhibition trail.

Jug, Israel, Iron Age I (1200-930 BCE) donated by Miriam and Israel Blankfield, 1872
Jug, Israel, Iron Age II donated by Carl and Suzi Shipman, 4790
Bowl, Canaan, Middle Bronze Age donated by Carl and Suzi Shipman, 4786

Caroline O’Connor, star of Chicago, returns from Broadway to create the role of Rose for The Production Company.  Gypsy was inspired by the memoirs of the famous burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee. For your chance to win a double pass to see the show on Saturday 6 July at 7.30pm, email marketing@jewishmuseum.com.au with Gypsy in the subject line, and tell us in which musical you'd find the Sharks and the Jets.

'We've driven around Australia, how about we drive around the world?' Sandy Khazam and Danny Rosner Blay wrote a book about their experiences driving around the world. They will be giving an author talk on Sunday 4 August from 3-4pm at the Museum. To celebrate, the Museum is giving away two copies of their recently released book, Drive Around the World – One Family. One Car. One Year. One Planet. For your chance to win, email marketing@jewishmuseum.com.au with Drive in the subject line, and tell us what your favourite road-trip destination is.

 

Please note giveaways are for Museum members only and winners will be notified.