My Visit to the Jewish Museum of Washington

Bet you didn't know it exists, did you? That's because it operates under a different name: the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, located just off North Capitol Street near the Catholic University campus.

The main exhibit floor is the third floor. The first (below ground level) floor has the children's center, three movie studios, an exhibit on religious tolerance, and the similarities of religious thoughts across denominational lines (actually a nice exhibit, interactive and all), and a cafe (spacious, light, airy and with indoor and outdoor seating.

The first floor has the entrance way and vestibule space, a photography exhibit hall (now showing old religious prayer cards), a chapel, and a room devoted to John Paul.

The third floor is, as I have said, the main exhibit space. There are two exhibits. First, there are the 105 etchings (I think they are etchings) that comprise the Chagall bible series. There were 275 signed copies of a book of the etchings, and 100 sets of etchings, each signed by Chagall. The set on exhibit (no. 65) is on loan from the Marquette University museum. Chagall's bible is strictly O.T. No Jesus here.

The other exhibit, compliments, it is said, of Benjamin Adelman (who he?) consists of models of the Tabernacle, Solomon's Temple, the Second Temple, and Herod's Temple, built by an English modeling company (York Modelmakers) to the desigsn of a Leen Ritzmayer. No Jesus here, either.

In fact, Jesus is fairly absent from the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center (a/k/a Washington Jewish Museum).

By the way, having looked at all of the renditions and photos of John Paul (or as he signed his name Johannes Paulus, in case you were interested), I must conclude that he was one cute guy. At every stage of his life.

The only religious figure I know who can compete with him in cuteness charisma was the Lubavitcher Rebbe (a/k/a "maybe the Messiah"), Menachum Schneerson.

Too bad they could not have really got together. As a team, they would have been unstoppable.