Description

The Jewish Museum of Australia: Gandel Centre for Judaica has been located at 26 Alma Road for over 30 years in 2025. Nestled within the residential area of St Kilda, the building was originally an office block that was converted and extended to house the Museum and its collection of over 25,000 items.

At the museum, Jewish life is illuminated. At the intersection of art and Jewish culture, the museum is a place for all people to share in the Australian Jewish experience. Through a vibrant calendar of onsite and online exhibitions and events, the Jewish Museum is recognised as one of Australia’s leading community museums.

Celebrating global Jewish excellence and everydayness through an Australian prism, the Museum inspires curiosity, conversation and play—with engagement and connection at its heart. Guided by a strong belief in the power of museums to change lives, the Museum team creates world-class exhibitions and events that give voice to the stories of a diverse community and promote social cohesion.

What's On

Come explore the Jewish Museum of Australia through guided and self-guided access to selected gallery, education and community spaces. Staff and volunteers will be on site to share insights into the building’s adaptation for museum use, its role within the local community, and how the Museum supports contemporary exhibitions alongside education and public programs.

Visitors can expect to learn about the Museum’s history, its evolving approach to exhibition design, and the ways the building functions as both a cultural institution and a gathering place. Informal talks and opportunities for conversation will be available throughout the day, with time for questions and reflection. Additional interpretive materials will be provided to support independent exploration.

During your visit, explore two major exhibitions currently on display. ZAHALKAWORLD: an artist's archive, a Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) touring exhibition, presents a major survey of acclaimed artist Anne Zahalka's four-decade career, bringing together celebrated photographic works alongside personal photographs, objects and archival material. This special presentation at the Jewish Museum of Australia highlights Zahalka's family history and explores themes of memory, migration, identity and belonging.

Also on view is Through a Jewish Lens, an exhibition drawn from the Jewish Museum of Australia Collection featuring works by Angela Lynkushka, Sue Saxon and Anne Zahalka. Through photography and personal histories, the exhibition reflects on the experiences of Jewish refugees and migrants who rebuilt their lives in Australia after the Second World War, offering a complementary perspective on family, community and Jewish-Australian identity.