Harbin Museum of Jewish History and Culture () is a museum commemorating the

Jewish diaspora The Jewish diaspora ( ), alternatively the dispersion ( ) or the exile ( ; ), consists of Jews who reside outside of the Land of Israel. Historically, it refers to the expansive scattering of the Israelites out of their homeland in the Southe ...

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

, China from early 1900s to 1950s. It is located at the former site of the New Synagogue of Harbin (). The museum features documents, photographs, films, and personal items documenting the lives of some of the more than 20,000 Jewish residents in Harbin.

Exhibitions

The first floor of the museum shows photographs, paintings of several buildings in

constructed by Jews in the first half of the 20th century. The exhibitions on the second and third floors present education, industry, art and music of Jews in Harbin.

Architecture

Built in 1918 as Harbin New Synagogue after Harbin General Synagogue, which is now the Harbin Old Synagogue Concert Hall, the new synagogue was the largest of its kind in China. The synagogue was closed in 1950s as Jews in Harbin were leaving and heading for destinations such as Israel, the United States and Australia. In 2004, Harbin municipal government restored the synagogue to its original architectural style and transferred the building into the current museum.

References

{{Reflist Jews and Judaism in Harbin Tourist attractions in Harbin Museums in Heilongjiang Jewish museums in China Buildings and structures in Harbin Synagogues in China Synagogues preserved as museums Jewish history organizations