About Us


The Museum of the History of Polish Jews

The Museum of the History of Polish Jews will open in 2013 on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. This multimedia narrative museum and cultural center will present the history of Polish Jews and the rich civilization they created over the course of almost 1000 years. Initiated by the Jewish Historical Institute Association in Warsaw in 1996, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews will be a unique institution. Not only is it the first and only museum to focus on the history of Polish Jews, but also it is a truly 21st-century institution in every regard.
The Core Exhibition is the heart and soul of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Eight galleries, occupying more than 4,000 m² of space, will present 1000 years of history of the largest Jewish community in the world, settled on Polish land. The exhibition will show this presence in the manner that has never been shown before. Instead of artifacts locked in dusty display cabinets, visitors will participate in an interactive tale about Jewish history, culture and religion based on source materials – drawings, photographs, films and articles of everyday use.
The Museum of the History of Polish Jews and Handshouse Studio began the execution of a unique educational project: a series of workshops devoted to building a replica roof of the old synagogue in Gwoździec. This project is an unprecedented undertaking owing to both – its historical and educational character, and its international reach. 

The Museum is currently under construction and will be open in 2013
  To learn more about the Museum and their efforts please visit their website






Handshouse Studio 

Handshouse Studio is a not-for-profit, innovative, educational organization that creates adventurous hands-on projects through community-service, building projects with non-profit partners around the world and is a Cooperating Institute with the Massachusetts College of Art and Design Professional and Continuing Education Program. Handshouse creates projects outside of the traditional classroom that energize history through the reconstruction of large historical objects. Handshouse collaborates with educational organizations and institutions providing faculty and students the opportunity to work with scholars, educators, historians, architects, engineers, anthropologists, archeologists, artists, craftsman, and builders in a wide range of historical subjects. Our intense workshops create a dynamic learning experience where everyone contributes to the process and everyone learns.

Handshouse was co-founded by Rick Brown and Laura Brown in 2002. In its few years of operation it has gained international recognition for its pedagogical method of connecting institutions and organizations to carry out bold and complex educational built projects. Handshouse reaches large audiences regionally, nationally, and internationally through exhibitions, lectures, films, workshops, and publications in magazines such as National Geographic, Archeology Today, Smithsonian, Fine Homebuilding, Timber Frame Magazine, South Shore Living, and through local and national news media. Handshouse has collaborated with film companies such as PBS’s NOVA, Discovery Channel, England’s Channel 4, Frances Channel 5, Czech television, and BBC.
 
Handshouse Studio, Norwell, MA
Rick & Laura Brown, the co-founders


To learn more about Handshouse Studios and their projects please visit their website