
The mahJ extension project
The mahJ's extension project was made official on Thursday 30 January 2025: it will involve a complete overhaul of the museography and an expansion of the areas devoted to both the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions.

Dominique Schnapper, President of the Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, is delighted with the decision by the Ministry of Culture and the City of Paris on Thursday 30 January 2025 to launch the extension of the museum. Spearheaded since 2015 by the mahJ team, this project is being led by the City of Paris, the project owner and owner of the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan, with the support of the State, the Île-de-France Region and donors brought together by the Pro mahJ foundation.
This project was essential, 25 years after the museum opened, in order to broaden the chronological spectrum of the exhibition and present the collections in a museography that is accessible to all visitors, in renovated spaces that are more comfortable for visitors. In addition to a complete overhaul of the way the works are presented, the project will also involve the building envelope, waterproofing, insulation, compliance with climatic standards and accessibility (lifts, wheelchair access in the courtyard). The project has a budget of €22m.
The 35% increase in the surface area of the permanent collections (from 907 to 1226 m²) will give pride of place to the long history of the Jewish presence in France, from Antiquity to the present day, and will enable visitors to discover Judaism as a living culture, deeply rooted in European history. The museum will be enriched by rooms devoted to Jews living on the fringes of the kingdom in modern times, the apogee of Franco-Judaism, Jewish immigration between the wars, the rescue of Jews from France during the Occupation and Jewish resistance movements, the post-war period and the arrival of North African Jews in mainland France, as well as the presence in France today of the largest Jewish population in the world after the United States and Israel.
Newly acquired works - particularly in the fields of contemporary art and photography - will be displayed to illustrate the richness and diversity of the cultures of Judaism in Europe and around the Mediterranean.
To appeal to the widest possible audience, the presentation will place a major emphasis on mediation and provide teachers with new teaching tools to raise awareness of the very long history of the Jewish presence in France and to combat anti-Semitism through knowledge of others. The surface area devoted to exhibitions will be increased from 455 to 609 m², to promote the cultural dynamism of this exceptional venue, both in terms of its programming and its collections.
This project has been made possible by the City of Paris making available the disused Clos des Blancs-Manteaux school, near the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan, where the museum's library and offices will be housed, thus freeing up 600 m² for the display of works of art.
Following preparatory studies in 2025 and 2026, the mahJ is due to close at the end of 2027, reopening in spring 2030 after two years of works. A major fund-raising campaign will provide additional public funding for the project.