By COLlive reporter
A Kohen walks into a museum…
It’s not the beginning of a joke. Kohanim are barred from visiting many museums because they are forbidden from entering areas where human remains may be present, like cemeteries and morgues, and often—museums.
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, located at 145 Brooklyn Ave in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, has been under doubt due to the presence of human skeletal remains on the premises.
In response to these concerns, a team of Rabbis from AsktheRav, under the auspices of the Crown Heights Beis Din, began an investigation. Sara Leah Bronstein, a member of the staff at the Jewish Children’s Museum and a local resident, initiated the contact.
After a Zoom meeting between the rabbis and the museum’s leadership that was arranged to gather pertinent information, the Rabbis conducted an on-site inspection to verify that any human remains were sealed off in a kosher manner.
The team, led by Rabbi Yosef Braun, an executive member of the Beis Din, included Rabbi Menachem Mendel Rotenberg and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Vaisfiche. Rabbi Vaisfiche, a Kohen himself, remained outside throughout the inspection and joined the team inside only once an all-clear signal was given.
The museum staff, represented by Hana Elwell, Vice President of Exhibits and Education, and Kate Mirand Calleri, Director of Education, played a vital role in facilitating assistance throughout the inspection.
Following the collaboration and the visit, rabbis deemed the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the first children’s museum in the United States, as kosher for kohanim – both parents and children – to enter.
As a parent who’s children are cohanim thank you.
Would be helpful to include an explanation of where human remains are found in the museum and what steps the rabbonim took to make it kosher for kohanim
It is all written up in the Hebrew halachic analysis.
Would be nice if they would include us in their cultural exposure activities. I’ve seen so many activities and attractions that pop up there but never anything Jewish related.
You have a true point but unfortunately Jews are not included in the DEI framework
Can anyone answer what this is about>
It’s a museum, so it’s completely normal and expected to have human remains there. Due to the current political climate these remains are not on display but are stored in a locked closet, in a room that is not accessible by the general public, as described in the Hebrew psak din at the bottom of the article.
It’s a kids museum, why would there be human remains??