The Jewish Military Museum was a museum located in Hendon, Barnet, North

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, which featured exhibits about Jews serving in the British armed forces from the 18th century to the present day. It has now closed and the collection was moved to the

Jewish Museum London The Jewish Museum London is a museum of British Jewish life, history and identity. The museum is situated in Camden Town in the London Borough of Camden, North London. It is a place for people of all faiths to explore Jewish history, culture, ...

in Camden in 2015.

History

The museum was founded by the

Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women The Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women (AJEX; prior to 1939, the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen, and from 1928 to 1939, the Jewish Ex-Servicemen's Legion) is a non-political charitable organization that focuses on issues affecting ...

(Ajex) in 1996, as an outgrowth of a memorial room at the Association's headquarters in Stamford Hill. The idea for the museum originated with Henry Morris, who saw it as a way of remembering those who had died in active service, and of countering the mistaken belief that Jews have avoided fighting in the armed forces. Morris worked with Ajex's archivist Martin Sugarman to expand the collection, which necessitated a move to a larger space. The museum moved to a location on Harmony Way in Barnet in 2004. It was granted accreditation from the

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) was until May 2012 a non-departmental public body and registered charity in England with a remit to promote improvement and innovation in the area of museums, libraries and archives. Its function ...

in 2010. In January 2015, the Museum amalgamated with the Jewish Museum in Camden and as a result far less material is on display but researchers may still access it by appointment in the archives of the Jewish Museum's Military Section.

Collections and exhibitions

The museum held a range of items relating to Jewish people who have served in the British armed forces, including uniforms, medals, photographs, letters and official documents. The collections cover conflicts from the 18th century to the present day, including Trafalgar, Waterloo, the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

, the

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and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

s, the Falklands War and the modern-day conflict in Afghanistan. Among these, there was a particular focus on the two World Wars. The museum digitised the service records of all British Jews who served in the Second World War, and these records can be accessed via an interactive "Record of Honour" database. Between November 2010 and January 2011, the museum loaned some of its artefacts for an external exhibition at Cardiff Castle. This was the first touring exhibition from the museum, and was intended as a trial to test the viability of a nationwide tour.

References

External links

*{{official, http://www.thejmm.org.uk/ Museums in the London Borough of Barnet Defunct museums in London Military aviation museums in London Army museums in London Naval museums in London Jewish museums in the United Kingdom Museums established in 1996 1996 establishments in England Museums disestablished in 2015 2015 disestablishments in the United Kingdom