About Project Judaica Foundation

A Brief Profile

The Project Judaica Foundation was established by Mark and Jill Talisman in 1983, to initiate and execute projects related to the rescue, rehabilitation, dissemination, and exhibition of Judaica. Now in its 25th year, the long list of achievements is consistent with those original goals.

Project Judaica Foundation has left its impression on the world of Judaica, developing new forms for the home and synagogue. It has furthered Jewish and Holocaust education and mounted exhibitions which have been lauded for everything from curatorial innovation to viewer breakthroughs.

Check any Judaic auction catalog and see the many references to the Precious Legacy and Library of Congress exhibitions. The Foundation, in partnerships with the Smithsonian Institution, The Israel Antiquities Authority, and twice with the Library of Congress' Hebraic Section, has successfully mounted major world-class museum exhibitions. The first, The Precious Legacy: Judaic Treasures from the Czechoslovak State Collection, traveled to ten cities in the United States and Canada. This groundbreaking exhibit set new attendance records for any Judaic themed exhibition. From the Ends of the Earth: Judaic Treasures of the Library of Congress was the second major exhibition for the Foundation. From the Ends of the Earth broke all previous exhibit attendance records at the Library of Congress in its over 200 year history. The most recent exhibition, Scrolls from the Dead Sea, visited Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, the Vatican, and Jerusalem. The opportunity to exhibit the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Vatican was only possible with the newly established relations between the Vatican and the State of Israel.

Large scale exhibitions are only some of the many diverse projects in which the Foundation is involved. An intensive college level program is conducted at the newly renovated 19th Century Jewish property in Cracow, Poland. The Foundation supported the renovation with the assistance of the U.S.-Poland Joint Commission for Humanitarian Assistance. This Joint Commission was created by Amendment to the Aid to Eastern Europe Program by Senator Barbara Mikulski in 1988. The Joint Commission is chaired by the Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Warsaw with three U.S. and Polish governmental and non-governmental members to provide assistance for health, education, welfare, economic and agricultural assistance. The President of the Foundation, Mark Talisman, is one of the non-governmental members of the Joint Commission.

The early effort on the internet to encourage new artists and new forms of Judaic art has produced an abundance of various Judaica pieces for home and community use which probably would not have come into existence without such encouragement by this foundation.

The Foundation is involved in the college study program in Cracow, Poland; as well as other projects in the Czech Republic, Israel, and the United States.

In the Foundation's second decade, the world has become a relatively open neighborhood with emerging opportunities around every corner. It is the intention of this Foundation to continue to be fully engaged in meeting the challenges unfolding. These will include active discovery of hidden Judaic treasures, conservation and preservation, documentation and education. The massive dissemination activities we have developed through museum exhibitions and study materials will continue. The prospects for continuing breakthroughs as Eastern and Central Europe continue to open their doors are so extensive and exciting that the next decade looks more exciting for our work, than has the previous twenty five years.

The Project Judaica Foundation is featured in the article “Delivering the Goods” by Joseph Hoffman, in the May 9, 1997, issue of The Jerusalem Post. Click here to read the article

For more information about Project Judaica Foundation or any of our vast endeavors, please visit us online at www.judaica.org, call us at (202) 554-3600, fax at (202) 338-4393, or email to: info@judaica.org.