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The Prince visited the Jewish Museum in Camden together with the Duchess of Cornwall in February 2007.
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LONDON (EJP)---The Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne, has agreed to become Patron of the Jewish Museum in London, the museum announced Tuesday.
It is the Prince’s first patronage of a Jewish community organisation with a remit in the United Kingdom.
“It is a recognition of the museum’s role in highlighting the history and life of one of Britain’s oldest minority communities and in contributing to interfaith understanding,” Rickie Burman, director of the Jewish Museum, said.
The Prince was formerly patron of the Jewish Museum in support of its 75th anniversary in 2007.
In a message sent to the museum in 2007, Prince Charles said:“Aside from housing its unique and beautiful collection of Judaica from this country and around the world, the museum serves as a centre of explanation of the Jewish religion, especially for children.”
“One of the most urgent issues that needs to be addressed in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world, is the fostering of understanding between people of different faiths,” he added.
“Those who can develop such understanding, I believe, will contribute so much more towards the harmonious progress of our world. The development of the extended museum is a project that I wholeheartedly support”.
The Jewish Museum is in the midst of a major expansion that has been partly funded by a 4.2 million pounds grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The project will triple the space at its Camden Town premises and integrate the collections, displays and activities of its two former sites under one roof.
The state-of-the-art museum, scheduled to reopen in Autumn 2009, will have enlarged exhibition galleries, new education facilities, a large auditorium and hands-on displays for children and families.
The museum, which was founded in 1932, holds one of the finest collections of Judaica in the world.
The Prince visited the museum’s flagship location in Camden together with the Duchess of Cornwall in February 2007.
