On April 14th, volunteers gathered at the National Museum of American Jewish Military History (NMAJMH) for a day of collaborative work (and fun) in collections storage.
Pamela Elbe, the museum’s collections, archives and exhibitions coordinator first introduced volunteers to the museum, its history, and exhibitions. Founded in 1958, under the oversight of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA, the NMAJMH aims to document and preserve the contributions of American men and women of the Jewish faith who served in the military. Their collection features over 5,000 artifacts from almost every American military conflict, with particular strength in objects from World War II. Their archive includes photographs, letters, diaries, films, military documents, and newspapers dating from the Civil War to the present. The museum opened in 1986 and now features Jews in the American Military as its core exhibition, with a memorial chapel and several smaller displays honoring veterans.
The WCG Angels Project focused on military uniform storage, historic newsletters, and recent acquisitions. Conservators from all experience levels and specialties, along with other museum professionals and collections enthusiasts, worked together across five different stations. One group made padded hangers to support garments hanging on racks, while another group used tissue paper to pad out uniforms stored flat in drawers. These measures help support the textile garments and accessories and prevent creasing and distortion over time. Another very handy group constructed two large Tyvek covers to protect uniforms hanging on open racks from dust and debris. Downstairs, another group worked to rehouse The Jewish War Veteran newsletters from the 1950’s. These unique editions, which have not yet been digitized, are now better housed for storage and safe handling. After completing that job, volunteers moved on to help process recent acquisitions by recording the contents of scrapbooks and other photograph and document collections.
Many of the materials rehoused are of particular historical value to the institution. For example, several of the uniforms and associated artifacts in storage belonged to Sgt. William Shemin, who served in World War I and was known to have repeatedly risked his life to save wounded comrades. He also became the leader of his platoon in France when all of his senior commanders lost their lives. According to his daughter, his heroism was not recognized during his time of service because of his religion, and with the urging of several Jewish organizations, the case was reviewed. Shemin posthumously received the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award for valor, in 2015 from President Obama. The preservation of artifacts such as these in NMAJMH’s collection is crucial to the long-term ability of the museum to continue to exhibit these important objects and share the stories of their significance with visitors.
Thank you to the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation for their generous support of this project, as well as University Products for their assistance with supplies.
