Jewish Museum Milwaukee

What Jewish Museum Milwaukee does

Jewish Museum Milwaukee is a nonprofit museum and archive founded in 2008 from institutional roots dating to the Milwaukee Jewish Archives in 1986. Operating from 1360 N Prospect Avenue with 17 employees, it serves the general public, tourists, K-12 schools, community and corporate groups, genealogists, academic researchers, and other visitors through physical exhibits, school and group tours, virtual tours, cultural events, archival research, event-space rentals, membership, and a gift shop. Its core collection includes more than 300 oral histories, more than 1,500 photographs, and archival indices documenting Jewish life in Wisconsin since the 1840s.

The museum operates both a physical venue and the Virtual Jewish Museum Milwaukee, a digital platform providing thematic access to collections, oral histories, biographies, and exhibits. Its revenue model combines recurring membership dues, donations and contributions, event-ticket and sponsorship income, and gift-shop sales. Program tickets are listed at $5 for members and $8 for non-members, with a $5 gallery-access add-on for non-members; membership pricing is not publicly disclosed. A $1 million endowment gift from the estate of Jacob Bernheim in 2007 also supported institutional continuity.

Name

Jewish Museum Milwaukee

Legal name

Jewish Museum Milwaukee

Website

https://jewishmuseummilwaukee.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jewish Museum Milwaukee is a nonprofit museum and archive serving visitors, students, researchers, and community groups through exhibits, tours, events, research services, and digital access to Jewish history and culture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

Keywords

• Jewish heritage museum
• Cultural education programs
• Historical archival collections
• Holocaust education resources
• Genealogical research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership program offering free museum access, special discounts, and private events. Dues directly support the museum's mission to share Jewish history, culture, and values.
2. Donations and Contributions: Individual donations, tribute and memorial gifts, planned gifts, and general fundraising to support museum operations and mission.
3. Event Tickets and Sponsorship: Revenue from event tickets (e.g., $5 members / $8 non-members for programs) and program sponsorships (e.g., 'Program generously sponsored by Tracy Teweles').
4. Shop Sales: Museum gift shop offering merchandise through jewishmuseummke.company.site

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Jewish Museum Milwaukee operates a physical museum and a virtual museum platform dedicated to preserving and sharing Jewish history, culture, and values in Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin. It offers rotating exhibits, permanent archival collections, oral histories, school and group tours, virtual tours, genealogical research services, and educational programming including events such as SPARK! and "Values in Action: Jewish Women Shaping a Just World."

Product overview

Jewish Museum Milwaukee operates as a dual-institution museum complex combining a physical museum with a digital/virtual platform. The core offerings include the physical Jewish Museum Milwaukee (opened 2008) featuring rotating and permanent exhibits such as the current 48 Jews: Layers of Identity, alongside the Virtual Jewish Museum Milwaukee digital platform providing online archival access. The museum's collections service offers searchable digital archives, genealogical research tools (death/burial indices, marriage records, obituary indices), and physical artifact collections. Educational services encompass school tours, group tours, and virtual tours. Additional offerings include event space rentals, membership programs, traveling and virtual exhibits, and archival donation/research request services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jewish Museum Milwaukee (Physical Museum) Physical museum institution dedicated to sharing Jewish history, culture, and values in Milwaukee through exhibits, educational programs, tours, and community events.
• Virtual Jewish Museum Milwaukee Digital platform that taps into the museum's permanent archival collection to tell stories about Jewish community history in Wisconsin since the 1840s, organized by themes and individual collections.
• 48 Jews: Layers of Identity (Special Exhibit) Special exhibit featuring Milwaukee changemakers Lizzie Black Kander and Helen Daniels Bader, exploring the role of Jewish women, identity, and values in tikkun olam (repairing the world).
• Collections & Archives Digital and physical archival collections including documents, photographs, objects, oral histories, and ephemera documenting Jewish life in Wisconsin since the 1840s, with searchable digital collections and archival indices.
• School Tours Guided educational tours designed for K-12 school groups, providing students with interactive learning experiences about Jewish history, culture, and values.
• Group Tours Guided tours for groups visiting the museum, offering curated experiences through exhibits and collections.
• Virtual Tours Online tour experiences allowing remote visitors to explore museum exhibits and learn about Jewish history and culture.
• SPARK! Program Special events program featuring Jewish women leaders and community discussions on topics related to social justice and values.
• Virtual Exhibits Online exhibit experiences accessible remotely, allowing visitors to explore Jewish history and culture through digital storytelling.
• Traveling Exhibits Portable exhibits that can be shared with other institutions, extending the museum's reach beyond its physical location.
• Archival Records Indices Death & Burial Index, Marriage Index, and Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle Obituary Index providing genealogical and historical research resources (over 15,500 deaths recorded since 1921).
• Research Requests Custom research services for individuals and families seeking information about Jewish ancestors and connections in Wisconsin.
• Event Space Rental Rental of museum facilities for private events, including meetings, celebrations, and community gatherings.
• Membership Program Annual museum membership offering free access, special discounts, and private events for members who support the museum's mission.
• Donate Materials Program allowing individuals to donate historical materials to the museum's archives, helping document Jewish life in Wisconsin for future generations.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Milwaukee Jewish FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Milwaukee Jewish Federation supported the museum's development and continues as a key organizational partner. The museum is located in the Helfaer Community Service Building owned by the federation.
• Jewish Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJewish Community Foundation provided support for museum operations and endowment, including a $1 million endowment gift from the estate of Jacob Bernheim in 2007.
• Wisconsin Jewish Genealogical SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Penny Deshur and the Wisconsin Jewish Genealogical Society for the ongoing Death and Burial Index project.
• Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Holocaust Education Resource Center for speakers and Holocaust education programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center: Skokie, Illinois-based Jewish heritage and Holocaust education museum. Most directly comparable peer as a Midwestern Jewish history institution with strong educational programming and Holocaust education partnerships.
• Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust: NYC-based Jewish heritage museum dedicated to educating about Jewish life and the Holocaust. Direct peer in mission and educational programming; larger in scale but operates in the same niche.
• Skirball Cultural Center: LA-based Jewish cultural center with museum exhibits and educational programming. Direct peer combining Jewish heritage with contemporary social justice themes, mirroring JMM's programmatic approach.
• Holocaust Museum Houston: Houston-based Holocaust and Jewish heritage education institution. Direct peer with similar scale, educational focus, and reliance on donations and memberships.
• National Museum of American Jewish History: Philadelphia-based museum documenting the American Jewish experience. Direct peer as a Jewish history museum with educational programming and special exhibitions.
• Yiddish Book Center: Amherst, Massachusetts-based Jewish cultural organization preserving Yiddish literature and heritage. Direct peer in cultural heritage preservation, archival work, and educational programming for Jewish history.
• Cincinnati Skirball Museum: Cincinnati-based Jewish history museum at Hebrew Union College. Direct peer as a regional Jewish heritage museum with educational programming and archival collections.

Regional players

• Milwaukee County Historical Society: Local Milwaukee historical society operating in the same geographic market. Regional peer with comparable scale, archival holdings, and local community educational programming.
• Wisconsin Historical Society: State-level historical organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. Regional peer operating in the same Wisconsin market with overlapping archival, research, and educational missions.

Others

• Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center: Milwaukee-based Holocaust education organization. While an existing JMM partner, it operates adjacent educational programming serving the same Milwaukee Jewish community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jewish-museum-milwaukee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Jewish Museum Milwaukee