The Hats I’ve Worn for the Mission
From the Desk of Ori Tsameret, Programming & Education Director
Dear TJMHC community,
Over the past two and a half years, I've been privileged to work as the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center's Programming & Education Director. I'm nervous and excited to say that next month I'll be leaving ahead of my move to Sweden and matriculation into Lund University's social anthropology master's program.
Working as Programming & Education Director has been a challenging and engaging experience, to say the least. I moved to Tucson for the job, having never spent any time in Tucson, or Southern Arizona prior, and knowing little about the area. Throughout my time at TJMHC, I've had to learn to balance various "hats," working as part volunteer coordinator, museum educator, curator, cultural programs specialist, and archivist. I've also managed other roles, from facilities management to onboarding, that are necessarily shared in all small-but-mighty operations like ours.
I’ve been lucky enough to meet and engage with organizations and colleagues locally, nationally, and globally in my time here. I’ve attended the Association of Holocaust Organizations conference, spoken on a panel on the Remembering Sites of Internment conference, attended and even took a role in some Council of American Jewish Museums activities, and witnessed other museums like the El Paso Holocaust Museum & Study Center. I’ve helped train educators and built professional relationships with others working in Tucson’s culture & heritage sector, such as the University of Arizona Musuem of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson, Sosa-Carillo House, Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón Museum.
Throughout my tenure at the museum, I’ve also had opportunities to work on various projects and programs that have been both memorable and enriching. One of my first projects was our year+ run of our Banned Book Club, including moderating our opening panel on Art Spiegelman’s Maus and bringing in author Sandra Cisneros to talk about her exceptional work, The House on Mango Street. I’ve been fortunate enough to work on several exhibits, as well, curating our community artifacts for our Judaism: An Intimate Perspective exhibit which filled a gaping hole in how we educate our broader audience. I researched and wrote Witnessing Violence: Help or Harm, our current Allen & Marianne Langer Contemporary Human Rights Gallery Exhibit, which investigated the way we traffic in, and engage with, violent imagery. Collaboration with other staff and community members on exhibits, like Tucson Hebrew Academy, the University of Arizona’s Special Collections and Law Library, Tucson Jewish Community Center, and Odaiko Sonora helped share the mission and build community more broadly. Perhaps the most memorable program for me, however, was our collaboration with Safos Dance Theatre who performed a moving conceptual dance touching on choreographer and director Yvonne Montoya’s converso heritage and brought our historic synagogue to life in such a tangible way.
As I look ahead to my academic pursuits, I’ll be sure to keep these experiences close and learn from them in any way I can. I’ve been tremendously lucky to have my colleagues, and our beloved volunteer docent community support me along the way.