I had made arrangements with the Museum Curator to deposit my great aunt's papers and artifacts. this was the second time I Wad visited and I am amazed at the progress that has been made in the last 4 years. The £6 million redevelopment of a new museum including a new gallery, café, shop and learning studio & kitchen as well as the complete restoration of the stunning Spanish and Portuguese synagogue has been well worth it. It was marvelous the way the curator was able to put my aunt's life story into context as well as how the whole museum works. it is interactive. People have recorded their lives and these are set into the historical context. Schools are coming for learning days, the cafe has excellent vegetarian options. My visit coincided with a visit by Andy Burnham the Mayor of Manchester whom I happened to recognise. I came away enthused by the telling of stories of immigrants who contributed to Manchester's prosperity. A very positive visit.

I was very impressed by the new facilities and I was made very welcome when arrived by the friendly and informatve (volunteer) staff. After an enjoyable light snack (soup and tea) in the small but immaculate cafe I took my time browsing through the museum exhibits at my own pace. There are explanatory details alongside each of these with further information available from the Stewards who were keen to add their personal anecdotes when prompted. The old Iberian Synagogue is beautifully preserved - a joy to behold. In all, iI had a most enjoyable, interesting and informative visit. Thank you to all the people who contributed to this. Peter

The staff, volunteers, food and atmosphere can't be faulted. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. The volunteers had a wealth of knowledge and connection to the community and material. Cafe and shop also great. Food/coffee good and everyone was so pleasant.

Wow an amazing museum, so much history with friendly knowledgeable volunteers, we had 2 lovely ladies that explained everything to us they were warm, friendly and answered any questions we had. On arrival they came out helped us with the doors , a lovely friendly welcome, explained where everything was . We enjoyed vegetarian chocolate cake made there and locally sourced pop and coffee. They explained that we could return for as many times as we wished for 12 months and were put onto a mailing list as they have alot of events over the year. Thank you for your warm welcome and such kindness.

Highly recommended- so fascinating to hear people’s stories of how they came to Manchester and where from, and the life they had here. The strength of Jewish community life was impressive and inspiring. The new building of the museum is attached to a beautiful old synagogue, with wonderful stained glass. The museum design is very attractive and very well designed as a space - it’s open and light. Lovely cafe area - we just had a drink as we had eaten a big breakfast earlier, but food choices looked lovely and interesting, and very reasonably priced. Small shop for books and gifts. Excellent value visit, friendly welcome. This museum deserves success.

I took my children to the museum as it was a teacher strike day so we wanted to learn about local culture. I needed to contact the museum regarding an issue beforehand and Rick replied almost immediately with a helpful, polite and welcoming greeting. Unfortunately the cafe wasn't open on the day we visited but Rick had also contacting me to inform us so we could make alternative arrangements. As for the museum and synagogue, it is absolutely beautiful. It is quite small and doesn't take too long to get around unless you were to study everything in detail but what they do exhibit is inspiring and very moving and with lots of local links. You can tell that the people running it are very proud of the museum and they are all helpful and friendly. The synagogue is peaceful and you are welcome to contemplate whilst inside. Thank you for a lovely morning.

Volunteers gave an excellent tour of this new museum and a former synagogue in what used to be the heart of a thriving Jewish community with multiple temples and flourishing businesses. The carefully curated museum had artifacts of migrants who’d settled in Manchester, fleeing Germany before World War 2, during Kinder Transport, or as refugees and Holocaust survivors after the war. The former synagogue had some original furnishings and stained glass windows, the rest reconstructed or installed during the National Heritage project completed two years ago. As in Washington, the Jewish community—the second largest in the UK—has decamped to the suburbs. The area now has business and services catering to Manchester’s diverse South Asian communities. Two now-commercial buildings were originally synagogues.

So delighted I was able to take my grandchildren to the Jewish Museum. Wow it was amazing. The welcome was like visiting family that you've not seen for sometime. Even my grandchildren commented that it felt like home. So friendly, the history explanations given by the volunteers was remarkable. We spent around 4 hours there, walking through the museum, the Synagogue, then eventually going to the cafe. We were too late for hot food, but the drinks, cakes and dessert were delicious. I recommend eating before completing the tour. We will definitely be visiting again soon. Thank you to all the staff for a lovely day outing.

Superb. The building was beautiful before but following on from the building work it is STUNNING. The original synagogue is still there but the museum now has much more room for exhibitions, including hands on experiences. We also spent some time in the cafe. The staff were friendly and polite. We can thoroughly recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Manchester Jewish Museum. There are numerous accounts from Jewish people about their own experiences or those of their ancestors about how they came to settle in Manchester. These accounts can be read or listened to. The synagogue itself is beautiful. I was privileged to have the attention of a very knowledgeable volunteer who explained a great deal about the Jewish faith and about different aspects of a synagogue. Thank you to him. One useful addition might be a leaflet explaining terms and Hebrew words that are familiar to Jews but unknown to non- Jews like myself. The cafe was a quiet spot where the chef was happy to explain the items on the menu and the food was delicious. Certainly a memorable and informative visit.