Answers to questions regarding donating artifacts to the Museum's collection.

Please note: due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are unable to accommodate in-person appointments except on highly limited basis. Write to collections@mjhnyc.org for more information or to begin the donation process.

How do I donate an artifact to the Museum?

Thank you for your interest in donating to the Museum’s collections. Our collecting policy focuses on Jewish life during the periods immediately before, during, and after the Holocaust. We collect documents, photographs, textiles, artworks and other objects made, owned, or used by Jewish people during this time period, especially those objects with a substantial connection to Holocaust history. We do not collect contemporary artworks made by Holocaust survivors.

Please contact collections@mjhnyc.org with the subject line Object Donation Inquiry and include the following information:

  • Description of the object(s)
  • Date and place the object was made, if known
  • Biographical information about the original owner of the object, if known
  • Provenance (Who was the original owner of the object? How did you obtain the object?)
  • Images of the object(s)
  • Your contact details, including phone number and email address

Do not send any items to the Museum without first speaking to our Collections staff to make appropriate arrangements.

I have a collection of papers to donate which includes letters, family photographs and other documentation produced immediately before, during or immediately after the Holocaust. How do I proceed?

Thank you for considering the Museum of Jewish Heritage for your donation. Please email collections@mjhnyc.org with a list of items, the owner and their relationship to correspondents/original owners of items. Also important are date range of items, languages used in the correspondence and if translated into English, and any other relevant information about their creation and provenance. If accepted we would also need from you a full history of the primary correspondents/original owners especially as it pertains to their experiences in the Holocaust.

How do I donate books to the Museum’s library?

Please compile a list of the book(s), including title and author. Contact us at collections@mjhnyc.org with the subject line Library Donation Inquiry. Please include the list and any additional information that helps describe the books and photographs showing condition and any interesting features.