This is by far the greatest Jewish Heritage Museum I've ever visited! I like how they don't focus on the bad stuff, although it is addressed because it needs to be. The staff was very nice and friendly and accommodating to me and my service dog. They explained how the order of the exhibits went and it was all very interesting. You start with the history of Judaism and the artifacts are amazing. There are TVs playing throughout the exhibits with history videos and people's personal memories and there are plaques on the walls and at each exhibit explaining everything. Then you move on to the more recent history and current events and I appreciate the history of all the donated artifacts. I am not from Cleveland but they do an outstanding job of honoring the area Jewry. I thought that was great. The Holocaust part of the exhibits was not as overwhelming as most other places and I respect that quite a bit. It's something that needs to be forever remembered but many places only focus mainly on that and there is more to being a Jew than that! I spent several hours there and although I am a bit of a historian I learned quite a bit so I loved that! I can't say enough great things about this place. The parking is free, the admission rates are very reasonable, everyone is so nice and friendly, and the gift shop had a lot of great things ranging in price. I would give this museum 10 stars if I could and I hope to visit again sometime! read more

See all

My husband, daughter, and I stopped over here after lunch since I've been anxious to visit this museum. They have free parking on the premises. The museum wasn't too busy when we arrived. The staff greeted us warmly, gave us a map after we paid our admission and told us about a docent tour that would be starting in an hour which we were welcome to join. We started off with the artifacts sections. Although they were replicas I was literally blown away by some of the pieces. Among those pieces was a replica of the statue of Moses by Michelangelo and a miniature of a beautiful ark you would find in a synagogue. We then went on the docent tour which was entitled "Israel now and then". We first saw a brief movie and then got to learn about the Jerusalem and the people of the Holy Land. This area mostly had pictures and videos telling you how Israel became an independent state. The last section we visited was the permanent exhibition. Since our tour ran overboard we couldn't stay here to take everything in. Most of it deal with the Jewish history in Cleveland and as I went through most of the exhibits I noticed quite a similarity to what the immigrants faced here to what they faced in New York. I did get to learn about the origins of the May company as well as American Greeting cards as well as the struggles they faced. This section takes about 2 hours to see everything but we just skimmed it and took in the highlights. The museum has a small store with all types of gifts and right now the focus is on Passover since we are in the middle of the holiday. We had a great visit and a great way to tour one of the many museum Cleveland has to offer. Located on Richmond Road in Beechwood it is an easy drive to I 271. read more

See all

Fabulous. Trends, history and stimulating displays made my visit so nice that I encourage others to visit. The displays are not stuffy or boring. The rooms are set up with the visitor's best interests and a pleasant mind set. School age children may enjoy the museum as a few activities are for them. Another room has beautiful religious artifacts with signs describing each, including fabric wall hangings. People we know as our contemporaries, from actors to media folks and baseball and war heroes are recognized. A large timeline showing Cleveland's Jewish businesses and accomplishments is wonderful. A small Holocaust display is nIcely done. Special exhibits are in a room that changes throughout the year. The museum is handicapped accessible. The parking lot is large. Check it out. read more

See all

Very nice exhibitions that rotate at this location. We attended the recent Bernstein exhibit and it was a wonderful 2 hour adventure. The volunteers are all attentive and helpful. Place is worth a visit and the admission cost is reasonable. read more

Day three of the Staycation...Maltz Museum. I love that the tone of this museum is celebrating success and community. It is not a somber, sad place. The exhibits do cover Holocaust information but there is a much more uplifting message of success through shared community and faith. Cleveland is one of the largest Jewish communities in the country and can boast many and varied success stories. Much of the cities success is owed to the industriousness and support of our Jewish citizens. The first section I toured was filled with beautiful and sacred objects symbolizing the worship of the Jewish faith. From items used in Temple celebrations to every day objects used to practice faith at home the artistry and heritage is beautifully displayed. You gain a picture of religious based celebrations as well as life events such as birth, marriage and funerary practices. Many objects are donated by local Jewish families whose names you may recognize The second area of exhibits open to tour covers the Jewish history and heritage from prewar Nazi escapism to present day success. I learned many facts about the community development of Cleveland and how difficult the immigration process was for people of faith at that time. Hollywood, music industry, clothing manufacture, law firms and banking endeavors are all areas of strength in the community. This was a nice, interesting and educational day. There is a lot to read and see. Give yourself several hours or go in two trips, one for each section. Admission is just $10 for summer months, usually $12. Parking is free and close to the museum. Staff was helpful and informative. read more

Maltz Museum - Museums Near Me - Beachwood, Ohio

Very impressed by the breadth of exhibits and their use of space. Entering in, there is a wonderful selection of Jewish history right here in Cleveland. I loved looking at the old photos and learning about some if the immigrants that first came to the area. The rest of the museum had informative videos and a great mix of local stories and world tragedies. The special exhibit that was there when I went through was about nazi propaganda. It put perspective when you think "how could this ever happen" It was overall an emotional experience. Very worth the trip. (And if you have kids, unwind at Preston's Hope just on the other side of the J.) read more

Maltz Museum - Entrance - Museums Near Me - Beachwood, Ohio

Whenever I travel to the Cleveland area, I try to visit the Maltz Museum. The exhibits are always changing, so there's always something new to view. The Museum is family friendly, so the children always enjoy visiting this place. The shoppers in our family like the unusual items in the gift shop, and the drivers in our family like the big free parking lot. Highly recommended for both children and adults. read more

For the price ($10) I expected a bit more. We did get to see an exhibit of the dead sea scrolls which was incredible (this was a temporary installment which has since left). However, the rest of the museum is disappointing. It felt like such a tease to see amazing artifacts and then read that they were reproductions. The dead sea scrolls were so amazing, partly because it is fascinating to stand before something that is so old and so important and think about the people so long ago who may have held or touched or seen those items. After this, the rest of the museum feels a bit fake because almost everything is a replica, not the real deal. One very interesting exhibit contained WWII era postcards. Interesting, but the museum only has a few. I could have stood there and read these all day if they had more, but there was only a handful so I moved on. You can probably see the whole museum in about 30 minutes. For the price tag, it's really not worth a trip (in my opinion). Check out the section on Judaism at your local library instead (for free!). read more

I always glean important ideas from the exhibits at this museum. I have also attended some very interesting and meaningful community discussions held in the auditorium on topics like income and health. Maltz is dedicated to education and engagement. I appreciate reading about the annual essay and drawing contests for students on topics such as tolerance and immigration. The gift shop is also really worth a peek. They sell both affordable trinkets and unique art. The prices are the exact same for the items which are also sold online, and this way you can support a special Cleveland institution. read more

This is a great museum! Small enough to get an overview of the topic--Jewish life in Cleveland from the 1800s to the present and Judaism generally--but still thorough. I would recommend this for someone Jewish or Gentile, the former for the Cleveland stuff and the latter for the overview part, which included a description of the religion itself, the main kinds of religious practices in the US, etc. There was a fun film on Jewish entertainers, with a focus on those from Cleveland, an exhibit on hate and the holocaust, and Israel (the latter was a weaker part of the exhibit in that it was a bit superficial). My wife's mother's family is from Cleveland and there was a reference to one of her ancestors in the local section ... that was quite exciting. There was also a temporary exhibit about nuns in the US. Quite a contrast to the main theme of the museum and I liked that. That exhibit was only OK though; it focused on the work that various sisters do (I was shocked at how many different orders there are!), but omitted some of the psychological reasons that draw a young woman into a life of service, contemplation, and sacrifice and it avoided all discussion of the dwindling numbers these days and the second class status of women in the church. read more

This is a wonderful museum for people of all faiths. The current special exhibit features Leonard Bernstein and has artifacts of his conducting career. The permanent collection of the museum is especially interesting for its information about the influence of Jews in the Cleveland area. read more

We stopped in here to see what it was about, didn't have time to look but glad we didn't-why pay to see reproductions? I checked out the gift shop and was puzzled to see so many books on Christianity and the Pope. I would assume since there is so much intermarriage and assimilation, maybe they felt this type of reading material would sell? I was also mystified to find that a Jewish museum was open on SATURDAY (it was Friday when we were there but still...)The ladies at the admissions desk, while pleasantly enduring my husband's banter, had no clue what a baal tshuvah was. I would say a better name for this place would be the Maltz Museum of Everything But Jewish Heritage. read more

This museum easily requires 4 hours to do it right. What a legacy of heritage (not just for those of Jewish faith) but also learning about the early history of Cleveland and the surrounding area / as well as their European history. The heritage center is made up of traveling and short-term exhibits as well as the permanent ones. This is for anyone who wants to know more about Judaism, and their widespread contributions to the world, as well as the hardships and sacrifices of the past and present. read more

This is a really great museum!! They have some beautiful collections! I am Jewish I am interested in the holocaust and Israel. I really enjoyed my visit. I loved their permanent exhibit with lots of very pretty jewish items. They have Dead Sea scrolls that are amazing. The tour I went on was very good. The gift shop is really fun they have some very nice things there. I would defiantly recommend visiting this museum even if you are not Jewish. I went with my family and we all really enjoyed our visit. read more

Maltz Museum - From their gift shop!! - Museums Near Me - Beachwood, Ohio

We visited this museum in 6/08. Although I wouldn't say it's worth going out of the way to visit, we thought the building was lovely and the exhibits were fairly interesting. read more

As someone who's neither religious nor Jewish, this place wasn't exactly on my must-visit radar, but I enjoyed a visit here. We came for the Nazi propaganda exhibit but stayed for the permanent collections, which include some great Chagall prints, wonderful Middle Eastern torahs, Talmuds and biblical artifacts, and an extensive array of information and material covering Jewish history and culture. One big highlight was the focus on Jewish history in Cleveland. The special exhibit was well done too. I can't imagine being a frequent flyer here, but it was much more interesting on a whole than I anticipated. read more

My wife & I visited this Museum on Labor Day Sunday and it was open. Despite it being on 1 floor only we spent over 3 hours visiting the displays. It was packed with useful information about Jewish citizens of Cleveland and Israel and how Clevelanders have supported the Jewish state since before its Independence.It also had an extensive exhibit on the customs & traditions followed by the Jewish people. Immigrants to the Cleveland area were also highlighted. We would recommend this museum to all religions read more

This was a frustrating, exhausting and annoying experience and I am not yet sure why. Reasons could include that the special exhibit (Pope John Paul II) was in it's final week and there were guided tours going on. Regardless I have never had a museum visit like this in my entire life and I have been in huge museums all over Europe, museums where motor coaches just dropped groups off, and museums with tons of kids. The special exhibit was a maze connecting four rooms. All the people on the tours and those who did not want the tours had to walk through the hallways of this maze following the same path into one of the four rooms. There were two tour groups in front of us and two behind us and more forming. We didn't particularly want a tour group, but there was really not a way to avoid it. The female tour guide in front of us had a very large group and spoke very softly. I could not always hear her above the loud male tour guide behind me and the random sound effects (e.g., plane bombing noises) throughout the exhibit. My suggestions include making the exhibit a bit more spacious, limiting the size of the various groups a bit more strictly and eliminating sounds that add no value. Aside from all that the content of the museum's special exhibit was good and arranged in a chronological story form making understanding it and piecing other bits of history together with it not terribly difficult. I have driven past this museum quite often for a long time now and finally decided to go because of this special exhibit. The special exhibit area is larger than the permanent collection so I would recommend watching to see if a special exhibit interests you before making a trip out here. And if you get here and the entire front parking lot is full, before going to park by the nearby school/temple, just turn around and come back another day. read more

This is a great place to learn not only about Jewish heritage but to understand religious tolerance and diversity. It needs to be understood that antisemitism is not just in the past but in the present. The Maltz museum does a great job exhibiting that. 5 stars all the way !!! read more