San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum announced it will be taking a “sabbatical” for one year starting this December 15th. In a press release and with posts on their social channels CJM Executive Director Tom Kasten & Board Chair Tom Kasten wrote, “The Museum has been weathering a challenging financial landscape, compounded by attendance and general support that have not fully recovered since the pandemic.”

There will also be a reduction of staff over the next several months to “preserve the organization’s financial stability and allow time to develop a sustainable operating model for the future.” The CJM’s Board has emphasized that “this is not a permanent closure of the institution but rather a strategic pause to ensure The Museum’s longevity.”

The CJM will remain open, and all of its current exhibitions will be on display with FREE entrance to all, until December 15th.

This all comes as a bit of a shock to us, The CJM has provided some excellent programming over the years, we covered their exhibit for Rockstar photographer Jay Blakesberg last summer, and it was one of the most entertaining, most interesting collections of photography I’ve seen in recent memory.

I personally saw it twice, and the wonderful crowds of music lovers and musicians from every generation in the Bay Area that attended made the experience special. It really felt like part of the fabric of our city’s history was on display.

Outside of the excellent programming they’ve been putting on since 1884, the architecture of their current building in the middle of downtown San Francisco is simply stunning. The Daniel Libeskind-designed museum is incredible from the outside, but perhaps even more incredible is the Yud Gallery inside the top of the cube.

The iconic building may be part of the budgetary problem given the museum is currently paying off a pricey loan connected to the gorgeous building’s construction, adding to their $8.5 Million annual operating budget.

CJM Executive Director Kerry King told KQED this week that, “everything is on the table during the closure. They’ll be looking at scale, programming, and funding sources. What won’t change, King said, are the museum’s core values”

The CJM’s announcement concluded:

In Judaism, Shabbat—or the Sabbath—is a time of rest, an essential moment carved out of the week for restoration and renewal. Throughout Jewish culture, there are myriad references to moments of pause as a means to rejuvenation. The CJM’s sabbatical will allow for innovative ideation and experimentation, as well as exploration of new ways to reach wider audiences. This temporary closure will enable The Museum to thoroughly evaluate its financial framework and engage in intense planning and organizational assessment, with the clear goal of emerging as a more resilient organization.

The CJM plays a singular role in San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area, and given the increase in antisemitism over recent years, our mission to foster appreciation of and pride in Jewish culture, to enrich the communities we serve, and to counter intolerance is more crucial than ever. As an organization, we remain committed to continuing this important work, and to staying in touch with you as we do so.

In recognition of this chapter, The CJM invites all visitors to experience its current exhibitions free of charge through December 15, 2024. We hope you will find time to enjoy our galleries with friends and family over the next month. If you are not already a subscriber, please join our mailing list to stay informed about future updates.

You can read the announcement in full on the CJM website.

Currently on display at CJM
Nicki Green: Firmament

Sep 5, 2024–Feb 2, 2025

Transdisciplinary artist Nicki Green’s first museum solo exhibition delves into questions of identity, transformation, and reinvention of Jewish traditions through new and existing artworks in ceramic, installation, fiber, and more. Inspired by the concept of the firmament—a dividing form referenced in the Torah that separated the earth from the heavens—Green reimagines the gallery space as an environment of welcome and liberation centering trans and nonbinary bodies. Artworks rendered primarily in clay feature motifs that invoke fermentation, mycelium, and reinvented ritual as metaphors for regeneration, transformation, and resilience—concepts that have informed Jewish thinking and practice for thousands of years. By reclaiming parts of her Jewish upbringing, reinventing functional forms of ceramic objects, and reimagining ways of embracing different genders and sexualities, Green challenges and expands the binary limits of our society. 

Leah Rosenberg: When One Sees a Rainbow

Jun 6, 2024–Apr 27, 2027

Marking the first time the space has been activated in this way since the building’s opening, Bay Area artist Leah Rosenberg transforms The CJM’s Yud Gallery through light and color, creating a welcoming environment for visitors to reflect, rest, and wonder. In When One Sees a Rainbow, Rosenberg fills the gallery—a space itself created to celebrate light and its connection to Judaism—with new hues, exploring how the wondrous natural phenomenon of rainbows connects to our lives, light, and meditative practice. Inspired by the Jewish tradition of reciting a blessing upon seeing a rainbow, visitors will also be invited to create their own responses to the colors on view in the gallery. Enter a kaleidoscopic world of color and rediscover a familiar symbol of hope and awe.

L’Chaim: Celebrating Our Building at 15

Feb 16, 2023–Dec 20, 2024

The Contemporary Jewish Museum’s celebrated building, designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, has served as an artistic, community, and cultural generator since its opening fifteen years ago. This exhibition delves into the deep symbolism imbued in The CJM’s iconic building. Inspired by the Hebrew phrase l’chaim (“to life”), used most often as a toast to mark moments of togetherness and celebration, the architecture of The CJM’s building embodies the values, traditions, and ideas The Museum explores within its walls. L’Chaim: Celebrating Our Building at 15 explores the multitude of symbols layered in the space we inhabit, unlocking the meaning behind its dynamic energy and allowing all who visit to experience the space anew.