A Museum With a Story of Its Own
From Miami Beach’s first synagogue to a statewide museum.
The Museum occupies the historic former Beth Jacob Synagogue campus in Miami Beach. The congregation’s original building opened in 1929; as the community grew, a larger sanctuary followed in 1936, designed by noted Art Deco architect Henry Hohauser.
The 1936 building remains one of the Museum’s defining artifacts, with 80 stained-glass windows, a copper dome and a marble bimah. Today, the two historic buildings are joined by the Bess Myerson Gallery.
1929
Miami Beach’s first permanent synagogue building opens at 311 Washington Avenue.
1936
Henry Hohauser designs the larger sanctuary at 301 Washington Avenue.
1995
MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida, originated by Marcia Zerivitz, Founding Executive Director of the Jewish Museum of Florida, evolves into the Jewish Museum of Florida.
2026
The Museum begins a new era of independent nonprofit leadership and institutional growth.
MOSAIC & the Collection
100,000+
items in the collection
A grassroots project became a permanent home for Florida Jewish memory.
MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida was originated by Marcia Zerivitz, Founding Executive Director of the Jewish Museum of Florida, as a statewide grassroots effort to document and preserve the Jewish experience in Florida. Beginning in the 1980s, photographs, artifacts, documents and oral histories were gathered from pioneer families and more recent arrivals across the state.
The exhibition traveled to 13 Florida communities from 1990–1994 and generated such enthusiasm that the project ultimately evolved into the Jewish Museum of Florida in 1995.
That collecting effort became the foundation of an extensive archive documenting the people, communities and institutions that have shaped Jewish life in Florida.
A New Chapter
Independent again — and looking forward.
In 2026, the Jewish Museum of Florida returned to independent nonprofit leadership, opening a new chapter centered on expanded programming, deeper community engagement, stronger philanthropic support and long-term institutional growth.
The next generation of the Museum builds on a nationally accredited legacy while embracing contemporary art, digital accessibility, education, civic dialogue and statewide storytelling.
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Museum maintains professional standards in collecting, preservation, conservation, research and interpretation.
