Philly’s Weitzman Jewish museum continues its path to the Smithsonian

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An effort to transfer Philadelphia’s Jewish museum to the Smithsonian Institution  passed its first hurdle in Washington last night.

On Monday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would commission a study to determine the feasibility of naming the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History as the 22nd museum of the Smithsonian.

The Weitzman, located on the edge of Independence Mall, will likely remain in Philadelphia if it becomes part of the Smithsonian.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Florida, introduced the bill and found more than 100 House members to co-sponsor the bipartisan measure. If it passes a Senate vote, the study could take two years to complete.

During the vote, several lawmakers stressed the importance of including Jewish American life at the core of Smithsonian, citing a dramatic increase in antisemitic attitudes and incidents over the last several years.

“According to the American Jewish Committee, nearly two-thirds of American Jews feel less secure in the U.S. than they did a year ago,” Schultz said. “We cannot address the root causes of anti-Semitism without awareness and education.”

Some Representatives tied the necessity of the Jewish museum to the current battles Israel is fighting in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

“Israel is in a fight for its very existence from the terrorist threat of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran,” said Rep. Bryan Steil, a Republican from Wisconsin. “I strongly support our ally Israel and our Jewish friends.”

In his support of the Weitzman coming into the Smithsonian, Rep. Joseph Morelle, a Democrat from New York, noted the many historic accomplishments of America’s Jewish population, including the economic rescue of the city of Rochester, N.Y., by the Jewish garment industry after the financial Panic of 1857.

“So it pains me to see that anti-Semitism in the United States has surged to what the FBI director has described as historic levels,” Morelle said. “This hatred has been fueled by the villainization of Jewish Americans after the Oct. 7th terrorist attacks as well as the alarming growth of racism, extremism and white supremacy across the nation.”

The Weitzman has struggled with its finances in the past, in part for the debt it assumed to build its building. The museum entered bankruptcy proceedings in 2020, from which it has since emerged.

Trustee and former board chair Phil Darivoff is “elated” by the vote in the House, saying its bipartisan support “demonstrates to all Americans the significant role that Jewish Americans have played in our nation and how critical it is to teach these stories to counter antisemitism, bigotry, and hate.”