Jewish museum is a top draw in Miami Beach

The museum is in a former synagogue that housed Miami Beach's first congregation. Built in 1936 and on the National Register of Historic Places, the building - which underwent a two-year restoration of $1.5 million -- boasts Art Deco features, a copper dome, a marble bimah and 80 stained-glass windows.

The museum mounts and hosts its own and traveling exhibitions, sponsors cultural and educational programs and houses a Collections & Research Center reflecting more than 237 years of Florida Jewish history.

The museum started with the traveling exhibit, "MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida," depicting the Jewish experience in the state from 1763 to present. The exhibition -- a massive statewide undertaking that included gathering photographs, artifacts and oral histories from descendants of pioneer families, as well as paying tribute to the state's more recent arrivals -- traveled to 13 cities from 1990-1994. So much interest was generated by the exhibit that by 1995, MOSAIC evolved into the Jewish Museum of Florida.

MOSAIC is now a permanent exhibit at the museum, though other traveling and temporary exhibits are also interesting draws for visitors.

The museum is at 301 Washington Ave. in the South Beach district of Miami Beach. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays and Jewish holidays). Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students and $10 for families.

For more information on the museum, including a schedule of upcoming exhibits and programs, visit the museum web site at http://www.jewishmuseum.com.

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