Located in the magnificent 17^th-century Hôtel de Saint-Aignan in the Marais neighborhood of Paris, Museum of the Art and History of Judaism (Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme — known as “mahJ”) is one of the leading history and art museums in Paris.

Since its opening in 1998, mahJ devotes itself to showcasing major artwork from influential Jewish artists and sharing the history of Judaism in France, as well as throughout Europe and the Mediterranean.

© The Museum of Art & History of Judaism in Paris

The mahJ collection comprises more than 12,000 works, from antiquity to the present day, and a wealth of archival materials. The museum also provides a number of educational programs to younger generations on Jewish art and culture, and hosts a variety of events and activities for all ages throughout the year.

Upcoming exhibitions include Pierre Dac. King of Lunatics (through Aug. 27), the first exhibition devoted entirely to French humorist Pierre Dac (1893–1975). More than 250 archival documents and excerpts from film, television and radio programs highlight the life and work of this master of the absurd, one of the founding figures of contemporary French humor. After fighting in World War I, André Isaac (birth name) devoted his time to the cabaret and French comedy, declaring himself “king of the absurd.” The exhibition reveals his creative forms of expression, from music to media, along with icons that inspired him along the way like Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco and Roland Dubillard.

The exhibit Yosef Joseph Yaakov Dadoune. The Cry of Flowers (through Nov. 5) on the occasion of Nuit Blanche, mahJ invites artist Yosef Joseph Yaakov Dadoune to take over spaces of the museum with works emblematic of his career and questioning.

In October 2023, mahJ presents Joann Sfar, La Vie Dessinée, the first retrospective devoted to French comic book artist and author Joann Sfar. The exhibition showcases nearly 250 plates and drawings, most never shown before, in addition to notebooks, photographs and films. Sfar has written or collaborated on more than 100 books, including the bestselling Little Vampire Goes to School, as well as The Rabbi’s Cat and a graphic novel adaptation of The Little Prince. The exhibition showcases the ways in which Sfar put Jewish culture at the heart of all his stories, drawing from the history of Judaism and alerting his readers to the rise of antisemitism. This exhibit runs Oct. 12–May 12, 2024.

“The Rabbi’s Cat” © The Museum of Art & History of Judaism in Paris

The mahJ also continues to host walking tours of the Marais neighborhood to help visitors discover the Jewish history, food and culture surrounding the museum. This tour showcases Parisian Jewish culture in its past and present form by following in the footsteps of Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi immigrants who settled here in the 1880s and the Sephardic North African Jews who reinvigorated the Marais after the Holocaust. The next tour will be held Aug. 20.

Museum access is €10 (about $11) and free every first Saturday of the month, October–June. Guided tours in English (€ 14 or about $15) include tours of the permanent collection, and walking tours of the Jewish Marais neighborhood. The museum is closed Mondays.