Rabbi Jennifer Ossakow Goldsmith to lead the Museum’s educational initiatives, which will serve more than 85,000 students and teachers annually
New York, N.Y.—The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust today announced that Rabbi Jennifer Ossakow Goldsmith has joined the institution as the new Vice President for Education and Visitor Services. Beginning this fall, Rabbi Goldsmith will lead the Museum’s groundbreaking Holocaust Education School Tours program for all 8th-grade students in New York City public and charter schools, funded by the Gray Foundation and championed by New York City Councilmember Julie Menin. She will also oversee the Holocaust Educator Student Partnership (HESP) student internship program, teacher trainings and workshops, curriculum development, family programming, the Speakers Bureau of Survivors and Descendants, and programs with second and third generation survivors. In addition to the 8th-grade initiative, she will manage the Museum’s work with thousands of students ranging from 4th-grade through college, and oversee the Museum’s adult and corporate tours.
“Since its founding nearly 30 years ago, the Museum has been a crucial resource on the Holocaust and Jewish life throughout history; and as the specter of a historic, violent antisemitism has crept into the consciousness of Jews across the world, our focus on education has never been more important. We are building up our education department with the hiring of Rabbi Goldsmith and the addition of two new staff members who will report to her. With this growth, the Museum is well positioned to provide comprehensive Holocaust and antisemitism education to meet the moment,” said Jack Kliger, President and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
“It is my great honor to join the Museum of Jewish Heritage to help build on the incredible work this New York institution has contributed to Holocaust history, memory, and education. Throughout my career, I’ve focused on relationship building, leadership development, and educational innovation; and I look forward to harnessing my areas of expertise to help impact our programs, engagement strategy, and partnerships at the Museum,” said Rabbi Goldsmith, Vice President for Education and Visitor Services at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
In addition to hiring Rabbi Goldsmith to lead the education department, the Museum has also created two new positions: Museum Educator Manager, who will ensure high quality, rich educational content for tour programs; and Associate Manager for School Outreach, who will work directly with schools to ensure robust engagement. These new positions will be funded by the Gray Foundation as part of their $2.5 million grant to serve more than 85,000 New York City public and charter school students in the next three years.
Rabbi Goldsmith’s first project, in addition to the program for 8th graders, will be to introduce an updated Antisemitism FAQ this fall. She will also manage and expand the HESP program beyond New York City, shepherd educational initiatives for Courage to Act, and oversee the Speakers Bureau. And, she will manage the launch and implementation of the new Survivor Stories: An Interactive Dialogue, in November.
In this role, Rabbi Goldsmith will represent the Museum among and grow relationships with community partners, funders, and other key stakeholders, including New York City Public Schools as well as survivors and their families. She is part of the senior leadership team at the Museum, reporting directly to President and CEO Jack Kliger and with responsibility for coordinating quarterly Education Committee meetings of the Board of Trustees.
About Rabbi Goldsmith
Rabbi Jennifer Ossakow Goldsmith was most recently the Managing Director, Professional Learning and Growth at The Jewish Education Project in New York. Prior to her time there, Rabbi Goldsmith was the Director of Life-Long Learning at Larchmont Temple, where she helped engage families at every age and stage of their Jewish journeys. Born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she received her BA from the University of Michigan and rabbinic ordination and MA in Religious Education from HUC-JIR.