Note June 2025: On indefinite hiatus since December 2024...plans to reopen, but currently unknown. -margot.seeto sfo14 & pk-sfo-10
Enter the blue-steel box miraculously balancing on one corner, and your ideas about art and religion may be totally upended. Original CJM shows offer fresh perspectives on Jewish art, history and ideas, from Rube Goldberg's mysterious machines to Jay Blakesberg's iconic SF rock-concert photos. Architect Daniel Libeskind repurposed a 1907 brick power station into this cutting-edge museum, adding blue-steel elements to form the Hebrew word l’chaim (life). True to form, exciting CJM events and contemporary-art commissions bring this museum to life.
Rotating exhibits offer compelling explorations of Jewish ideals and visionaries such as writer Gertrude Stein, rock promoter Bill Graham, cartoonist Roz Chast and filmmaker Stanley Kubric. Stick around for events such as desert filmmaking with Star Wars set designer Erik Tiemens, Youth Voices with teens sharing thoughts about roots and migration, and hands-on textile labs to continue Jewish textile traditions. Artistic and theological debates are further fueled by respectable pastrami, served on-site from 11am to 2pm during the week, and to 3pm on weekends, by SF's own Wise Sons deli.
