Musée d'art et d'histoire du judaïsme

About the museum

The Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme is the heir of the Musée d’Art juif de Paris, founded in 1948 on the rue des Saules. Its present project was launched in 1985, after the exhibition of Isaac Strauss’s collection at the Grand Palais, on the initiative of Claude-Gérard Marcus, Victor Klagsbald and Alain Erlande-Brandenburg, together with the City of Paris and the Ministry of Culture. The aim was to give Paris a major museum of Jewish cultures and to present national collections that were mostly kept in storage.

The museum moved into the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan, a town mansion built from 1644 to 1650 by Pierre Le Muet for Claude de Mesmes, Count of Avaux. The City had acquired it in 1962 as part of the safeguarding of the Marais, after which it had various uses, including workshops for Jewish craftsmen. Its restoration recovered the building’s original appearance, and the museum opened in 1998.

The permanent display presents religious and everyday objects, manuscripts, works of art from antiquity to the present day, including paintings of the École de Paris, as well as archives of the Dreyfus affair. The museum also holds temporary exhibitions, concerts and lectures in its auditorium, and runs a library and a bookshop. It lies at the heart of the Marais, the historic quarter of the Jewish presence in Paris.

Highlights

• 17th-century Hôtel de Saint-Aignan in the Marais
• Collection of objects, manuscripts and works of art from Jewish cultures
• Archives and spaces devoted to the Dreyfus affair
• Works of the École de Paris
• Free audio guide and digital guide in many languages

Permanent exhibition

• Parcours permanent du mahJ – An overview of Jewish cultures from antiquity to the present day, with objects, manuscripts, works of art and archives on the Dreyfus affair.

Founded

1998

Visitors per year

approx. 124,860

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Saturday of the month from October to June: free access to the permanent collection and the foyer exhibition

The ticket gives access to the permanent collection and the exhibitions; it includes the audio guide in French, English and Spanish. Free admission with proof for many categories: Friends of the mahJ, job seekers, recipients of social minimum benefits, refugees, teachers with the Pass Éducation, journalists, ICOM members, holders of the Carte Culture and visual artists. The Paris Museum Pass gives free access on presentation at the ticket desk. The contemporary gallery is free to access.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description

Access via a paved courtyard with a very steep ramp and manually opened doors; staff can help. Lifts to all levels, free wheelchairs, accessible toilets on level -1. Induction loops at the ticket desk and on the audio-phones, magnifying glasses, sensory backpacks for autistic visitors, tactile boards and tactile devices in the Dreyfus affair section. Booklets in easy-to-read language. Regular visits in French Sign Language and with audio description. Accessible parking spaces on rue de Braque, rue des Haudriettes, rue des Archives and rue Beaubourg. The museum holds the Tourisme & Handicaps label for hearing and intellectual disabilities.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

Activities for children from 18 months to 12 years: creative workshops, family trails and cooking workshops on Sundays. Family case from age 3, a children’s trail with texts at child height, activity booklets and treasure hunts (for example on the Dreyfus affair from age 7), free of charge. Birthday parties with a trail-and-workshop format and a snack. Small strollers are allowed; changing tables on levels -1 and 1.

Getting there & parking

The quarter is difficult to reach by car. Entrance through the Cour d’honneur of the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan, via the archway at 71 rue du Temple. Vélib’ stations and bike racks nearby.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Bookshop open to all without a ticket (more than 6,000 titles). Free cloakroom with open-access lockers for coats and small bags; no left-luggage service for suitcases. Free hot and cold water dispenser and paid hot drinks in the bookshop. Free public Wi-Fi for using the digital guide.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 850 guests.

Auditorium with 190 seats, vaulted stables, vestibule; the Cour d’honneur from May to October (850 guests for a reception, 300 for a seated dinner) and the stables courtyard (200 guests for a cocktail). Religious ceremonies are excluded. Filming is possible.

Plan your visit