Partner Spotlight:
The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History
A Jewish Museum Empowers Youth to Engage in Democracy
Situated at the intersection of democracy and American Jewish history, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History is dedicated to telling and teaching the stories of American Jews in service of advancing a diverse and pluralistic democracy. As Rebecca Krasner, Director of Education at the Weitzman, explains,
"Both physically and philosophically, the Weitzman sits at the intersection of democracy and American Jewish history. Being on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, across the street from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, it's baked into our mission - to where we sit physically – to tell these stories.”
Weitzman recognizes that allyship and understanding of diverse cultures are essential components of a health democracy:
Strategic Priorities: Civic Learning; Ideological Pluralism
Network Commitment: The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History commits to hosting events as part of the 'Shine a Light Initiative,' which promotes ideological pluralism and unity. Families will have the opportunity to participate in many immersive activities, including letter writing to the President, and activities that promote allyship, belonging, and collective empowerment. Additionally, The Weitzman museum commits to developing opportunities for Philadelphia-are high school students to engage with the documentary film “Citizen Power,” with a particular focus on civic engagement and civil discourse.
Partner since: 2023
Krasner has appreciated the Jewish Partnership for Democracy and the opportunities it has provided to center conversations about what it means to be both Jewish and American. She finds this focus - the Jewish community's responsibility to engage in democratic processes - to be often overlooked in Jewish education. She notes that the Jewish Partnership for Democracy is unique in its approach, as few other organizations, aside from Civic Spirit, have made democracy a central theme in their work on Jewish American identity.
Weitzman also sees a need to empower young people to use their voices to engage with democracy and issues that are important to them. By providing a platform for diverse voices and experiences, the museum aims to inspire and equip the next generation to actively participate in their communities and democratic processes.
Through initiatives like 'Shine a Light!' and the "Citizen Power" documentary screenings, Weitzman hopes to foster a stronger sense of community, empowerment, and civic engagement in the Jewish community and among diverse populations. By serving as a gathering place for various communities to come together, learn about each other, and celebrate their roles in a democracy, the museum aims to contribute to a more united and engaged society.
"Knowing about each other's cultures, knowing about one another's traditions - it's part and parcel of celebrating the diversity of what it means to be an American," Krasner states.
Get Involved: For information about how your organization can work with A More Perfect Union,
contact our team at commitments@jewishdemocracy.org.
Dig into our argument for democracy.
To help you understand our argument, approach, and evidence, we’ve published this brief white paper on the Jewish Imperative to Protect and Strengthen American Democracy.
What is transpartisanship?
We believe that protecting and strengthening American democracy is not a partisan issue.
That's why we pursue our work in a spirit of transpartisanship, which rejects the "us vs. them" mindset that characterizes so many political conversations.
We believe that whatever issues we care about individually – from religious freedom to climate change to fair elections – we all have a stake in American self-governance. Engaging effectively in self-governance requires respect and compromise, and we can only exercise these muscles when we focus on what brings us together rather than what sets us apart.
Ultimately, transpartisanship is both an approach and a commitment – to ourselves, to each other, and to future generations.
