HUC-JIR Skirball Museum Docents Were Honored

The annual Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Skirball Museum Docent Recognition Day was held on May 8, 2002 at a luncheon in Mayerson Hall Auditorium. Each year dedicated volunteer docents lead tours of the Skirball Museum, the S.H. and Helen R. Scheuer Chapel, the Dalsheimer Rare Book Building, and The Archaeology Center. Docents were presented with HUC-JIR pins designating their years of service to the museum-from one year to 29. President David Ellenson extended his appreciation in writing, "their dedicated efforts enable us to disseminate the richness and treasures of Jewish tradition to a wide audience, thereby promoting tolerance and understanding."

Special recognition was given to Cecile Stone for leading the most docent tours this year and also to Pat Passer, Vera Sanker, Polly Stein, and Sue Teller who was each recognized for over 20 years of service to the museum. The exhibitions installed in the Skirball Gallery, Ruth Weisberg: The Open Door Haggadah and Karen Gunderson: Moral Courage, attracted special attention this year and resulted in over sixty-five docent led tours to school groups, synagogues, churches, and other organizations. Teachers commented that "handouts were fantastic, the group felt welcome and information was appropriate." Among the significant visiting groups was the Council of American Jewish Museums (CAJM), whose annual conference was hosted by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion with Judy Lucas, as the host chair.

HUC-JIR faculty and community leaders present continuing education classes for the docents throughout the academic year. This year's classes, organized by Rachel Komerofsky, director of outreach education at HUC-JIR and Judy Lucas included: Comparative Judaism, Anti-Semitism, Separation of Church and State, Political Situation in Israel, Teaching Dilemmas in Jewish History, Jewish Communal Life in America, Egyptian Life and History, Reform Responsa, Leo Baeck, The Koran, Interfacing Judaism with Other Faiths, and Children's' Literature in the Museum.

Other activities are organized for the docents such as lectures at the Cincinnati Art Museum and travel to other museum exhibits. This year, docents attended a lecture entitled "Egypt in the Age of the Pyramids" presented by Glenn Markoe, CAM curator of Near Eastern Art. And, docents as well as museum members traveled to the Huntington Museum of Art in West Virginia to see "The Perpetual Well," an exhibition organized by the Jewish Museum of New York.

The museum is grateful to its docents and members as it relies on membership funds to bring traveling exhibitions and programs to the Skirball Museum. For more information about becoming a volunteer docent or museum memberships contact the museum office at (513) 221-1875 ext. 358.

HUC-JIR's Skirball Museum, Cincinnati, is open to the public Monday through Thursday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, Sundays 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm, and by appointment. Docent guided tours can be arranged for groups of ten or more by calling the museum office at (513) 221-1875, ext. 358. The Skirball Museum is located in Mayerson Hall, 3101 Clifton Avenue, on the campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Admission and parking are free of charge. The museum is handicap accessible.