An old song went “oh what a night.” For the Museum it went OH, WHAT A YEAR!! So far. While numbers aren‟t everything, I do have some startling numbers. So far this year we have had approx 2400 visitors with whom we have had interactions. This number includes attendance at our programs at the museum, speaking engagements and programs off site, visitors from out of town and new and old visitors from Tucson. This far exceeds our entire year last year (1400) and this centennial year still has four and a half months remaining.

The numbers reflect some exciting trends at the Museum-most important of which is the increased number and quality of programs provided as well as the increased mix of visitors from both Tucson and especially out of town visitors. Those visitors are particularly interested in the size of the Jewish community and the mix of Jewish congregations and if there is a JCC and other Jewish entities such as the day school and Handmaker. And they are fascinated by the Jewish history of Tucson and how it fits in with the history of the West.

Our major programs so far this year have been:

STORY TELLING FESTIVAL
The only Jewish Story Telling Festival in the United States, the 2010 festival featured a segment on stories for children, a wonderful review of Jewish western history, fascinating stories about living Jewishly and a workshop on how to collect your own story. The festival recently became an affiliate of the National Story Telling Festival and programming for our 4th year in 2011 will be greatly expanded to include Jewish Western Storytelling, a competition for youth storytellers, traditional Jewish legends and more children‟s events.

KETUBA EXHIBIT< br />The exhibit displayed incredible variety this year. Wedding head pieces from the 1400‟s through 2000 and dresses and ketubot from as early as the 1800‟s were featured. This year the records of Rabbi Marcus Breger listing the weddings he had officiated at with the names of many local congregant families were on exhibit. Another especially poignant part of the exhibit was a group of German love letters preceding a marriage in the 1800s. A beautiful wedding hat was donated to the museum to be exhibited as part of the JHM permanent collection.

BERGEN BELSEN - REBIRTH AFTER THE HOLOCAUST
The National traveling exhibit received city and statewide visitations due to the power of the story. The southern Arizona Holocaust Survivors were the honored guests at the by invitation opening reception. On April 15, the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp, museum volunteers and visitors said Kaddish all day and into the evening for those who had perished at the concentration camp, a very solemn and moving event. Especially encouraging was the attendance at this exhibit by groups of school children from as far away as Phoenix. The Jewish History Museum was selected as the inaugural venue of the shows new five year tour because the Jewish History Museum„s Story Telling Festival was named the most innovative program of 2009 by the Council of American Jewish Museum.

The Museums Jewish Tucson Oral History Program has collected several histories on film this year and the Museum will soon be able to provide screenings of the videos in the museums new intimate “Kitchen Theatre”. Additionally our genealogy research and assistance program has expanded, thanks to volunteers and the expert assistance of Genealogist Alfred Lipsey.

This past spring the inaugural tour of the Jewish pioneer gravesites with appropriate history was held, with many more tours to follow this fall.

Overall a very ambitious and rewarding year---and more to come next year. Add to the programs the continued care of this historic building, the preservation of the Museums collections and the teaching of our Southern Arizona Jewish history are why we need and appreciate your continued support.

Happy and Healthy New Year to all.
Barry A. Friedman