My Secret Find: The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

When I travel I am always reading, researching, and asking about the most interesting places to go. I was really proud on my recent San Francisco trip when I found a wonderful afternoon activity that even my local friends didn’t know about. My secret find was the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life. As it is associated with the University of California, Berkley, the quality you expect is there.

My Secret Find: Planning your visit

The Magnes isn’t located directly on campus, so don’t look for it there. It is on Allston Way about a 5-minute walk from the edge of campus. Be sure to plan your visit in advance because their schedule does follow the semester schedule. By that I mean, they are open during Fall and Spring semesters, but they are closed during winter break and summer break. Admission is always free. Can you feel me smiling?

The exhibits rotate, though the places isn’t huge. So, how long it takes to see will vary depending on the visitor and the current exhibits. I was there roughly 90 minutes and didn’t quite finish seeing the last exhibit.

In Twilight by Ori Sherman

His representations of the seven days of creation from the Book of Genesis. Remember to click on the artwork to enlarge those images.

Photographs by Roman Vishniac

Roman Vishniac is an icon in the world of photography. He was one of the most famous photographers in history, not just one of the most famous Jewish photographers. The Magnes Collection at Berkley owns one of the largest archives of his work anywhere because in 2018 his daughter, Mara (age 92), gave a huge collection of his work to the Magnes.

Jewish Influence Around the World & Through History

Here are just a couple of the facts in this exhibit that blew my mind.

There were two other small exhibits on view when I was there as well. Berkley is well-known for having a “gourmet ghetto.” This is how their collection of high-quality, delicious restaurants are known. The term led a Berkley student to research food and identity in daily life. There was a collection of kitchen items, linens and tableware used in Jewish rituals on display. The second exhibit was about Jewish identity in all corners of one’s life. To illustrate this a doctoral student had put together a display of household items such as menorahs, torah arks, furniture and more.

My secret find of the Magnes Collection is likely only a secret to me. I hope this is true because, though small, it is not to be missed when you are in Berkley. It’s strength, in my opinion, lies in its diverse exhibits that were contemplative and still easy to understand.

The Residence Inn is a 5-minute walk around the corner. For us it was the perfect homebase during our explorations. It was convenient, very new, and vibrant with well-behaved students coming and going.