HOURS

Reading Room & Genealogy Institute
Mon-Thurs: 9:30am-4:30pm

Exhibit Spaces
Mon-Wed: 9:30am-4:30pm
Thurs: 9:30am-8pm
Fri: 10am-3pm
Sat: Closed
Sun: 11am-5pm

Make sure to check our holiday closures prior to visiting.

Last entry to the Center for Jewish History Exhibitions, Reading Room, and the Genealogy Institute is 30 minutes before closing. The last call to page items in the Reading Room and Genealogy Institute is 3pm.

Learn About the Richness of Jewish Heritage and Culture

The Center offers specially designed tours that allows visitors to view the exhibitions of the Center’s distinguished partners as well as enjoy the exhibitions of one of the leading Jewish museums in New York City.

Tours

There are two parts to the Center’s tour, each led by a different docent. The length of the tour is approximately 2 hours.

  • A tour of the facilities and exhibitions of American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the Collection Management and Conservation Wing, the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, and the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute.
  • A highlight tour of the Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibitions.

Group tours are led by trained, experienced docents from the Center and the Yeshiva University Museum.

Please visit cjh.org/exhibits/exhibitions for a list of current exhibits.

How to Schedule a Visit and Fee Structure

Julie Kaplan, the Center’s tour manager, can be reached at (917) 606-8226 or jkaplan@cjh.org.

  • A group is defined as a minimum of 10 people. Smaller groups may take the Center’s regularly scheduled free public tours on Thursdays at 2 pm. (The public tour does not include the Yeshiva University Museum.)
  • Groups of 10 people or more:  $12 per person.
  • Groups of 25 or more will be divided into two separate groups with two tour docents.
  • The fee can be paid on the day of your visit.  We accept credit card or a check made out to the Center for Jewish History.

Please note: You may schedule a tour of the Yeshiva University Museum or the Center for Jewish History only. For a tour of the Center only, at a cost of $6 per person, please email jkaplan@cjh.org. For a tour of the Yeshiva University Museum only, please email ibenson@yum.cjh.org.

Add-ons

Genealogy Workshops

Your group can schedule a 30- to 45-minute introductory session on family history research at the Center’s Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute at no additional charge. The session will be led by Genealogy Institute staff.

Refreshments/Meetings

If a room is available, you may rent it for a meeting or meal in conjunction with your tour (rates may vary depending on the length of your visit). Groups that do a joint tour can break for lunch between the Center and the Yeshiva University Museum segments of the tour. A kosher box lunch menu is available for groups of 15 or more.

Room rental fees:
  • Seminar Room (up to 12 guests) = $150
  • Rennert Chapel (up to 25 guests) = $250
  • Kovno-Shavl Room (up to 35 guests) = $500

Please note: The Center requires that clients submit a certificate of insurance or purchase event insurance for the rental period. The Center will provide all necessary information and assist in acquiring insurance.

Public Tours

The Center offers free public tours on Thursdays at 2 pm that allows visitors to view the exhibitions of four of our distinguished partners, American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The tour lasts 1 to 1 ½ hours and includes a tour of the facilities and exhibitions, the Collection Management and Conservation Wing, the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, and the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute. Tours are led by trained, experienced docents. Advance registration recommended here.