Museum of Jewish Art and History (mahJ)

The mahJ, the Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, is Paris's museum of Jewish art and history, at 71 rue du Temple in the Marais, about 400 metres from the Centre Pompidou. It traces Jewish life in France and Europe from the Middle Ages to today and holds one of the largest collections in France on the Dreyfus affair. It suits visitors with two hours in the Marais and an interest in European history.

The museum opened in 1998 in the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan, a 17th-century mansion made available by the City of Paris under mayor Jacques Chirac, with interiors redesigned by Catherine Bizouard and François Pin. Visitors enter through its grand courtyard. The house has its own wartime history: during the roundups of 1942 several residents were arrested and deported, and thirteen Jewish residents were murdered in Nazi death camps.

The permanent collection runs in chronological order. Highlights include medieval gravestones from a 13th-century Jewish cemetery in Paris, on long-term loan from the Musée de Cluny, a Torah ark from Modena dated 1472, a room of Hanukkah lamps and a 19th-century sukkah from Austria or southern Germany. Ritual objects, textiles and manuscripts show religious life across Europe. Paintings by Chagall, Modigliani and Soutine represent the modern period.

The Dreyfus collection holds more than 3,000 manuscripts, letters, photographs and documents given by Alfred Dreyfus's grandchildren, and much of it has been online since 2006. A photography collection of more than 1,500 images, temporary exhibitions and talks complete the programme, and the Contemporary Gallery is free to enter. Since 18 February 2026 the museum has shown its School of Paris collection and an exhibition on the itineraries of looted artworks. Chaïm Kaliski's Jim d'Etterbeek runs until 13 December 2026, and Nurith Aviv's Given Names opens on 18 November 2026.

The museum opens Tuesday to Friday from 11:00 to 18:00 and at weekends from 10:00 to 18:00, with later Wednesday openings at some times of year; check the official site for current hours. It is closed on Monday except for school groups. Last ticket sales are 45 minutes before closing. A ticket for the collection and exhibitions costs €13 full and €9 reduced, audio guide included, with reduced or free rates for young visitors. Tickets are sold on site and online, and bags go through security checks at the entrance.

Weekday afternoons are calm. Allow 90 minutes to two hours. The museum is accessible with lifts and has a bookshop and a cloakroom.

Rambuteau on metro line 11 is about 200 metres away. The Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature is about 300 metres away, and the Musée Picasso and rue des Rosiers, the historic street of the Marais Jewish quarter, about 600 metres each.