For almost half a century, the Judah L. Magnes Museum devoted its efforts to welcoming visitors by offering a wide array of exhibitions and public programs on the history and the cultures of the Jews in the Global Diaspora and the American West in its beloved location situated in the Elmwood residential neighborhood of Berkeley.  

The gift of the collection to the University of California, Berkeley and the establishment of The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life at The Bancroft Library, is enhanced by the development of a new facility, located in downton Berkeley, near the UC Berkeley Campus and public transportation. The new building, designed by Peter Pfau of PfauLong Architecture (San Francisco), is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2011. Until then, the Magnes will remain closed to the public and researchers. 

Please see our Calendar for a list of upcoming exhibitions and programs sponsored by the Magnes in other locations.

During the transition to the new facility, visitors are encouraged to make full use of this website, as well as of a variety of online tools that provide access to thousands of collection images and descriptions: 

• The Magnes collection database, with detailed descriptions and images of thousands of collection items
• The descriptions for many of the collections in the Western Jewish Americana archives
• A variegated online presence through an innovative use of social media, including over 8,000 collection images on Flickr 
• The advanced search functions of this website

We look forward to resuming exhibitions and programs after the new facility opens in the Fall of 2011.