A representative from a college in northwestern Ohio recently called the Maltz
Museum of Jewish Heritage with a hefty
request. The school’s freshman class was
studying the Holocaust but didn’t have the
time nor the funding to transport every
student to the museum.
Though it was the weekend and the school
was more than 100 miles away, the museum
dispatched a staff member to drive one of its
resident Holocaust survivors out to share her
experiences at a school assembly.
That instance wasn’t a one-time affair. The
Maltz Museum regularly sends out docents
and other representatives as part of its
Speakers Bureau. Such accommodation is
all part of Executive Director Judi Feniger’s
and the museum’s mission to serve as a “living testament to the courage and achievements of Cleveland’s Jewish community.”
The practice is also one of many that makes
the museum a worthy exhibit of top-notch
customer service.
And it’s not just groups that revel in such
treatment. Though the museum does frequently offer custom tours to meet the needs
of any class, organization or club, it also provides a first-class experience for families or
individual guests. From the moment such visitors arrive, they’re greeted by one of 150 volunteers ready to disperse a map or advice on
the best way to tour the complex. If guests
don’t see everything before they have to
leave, a Maltz representative is also there to
offer a free pass for a return visit.
These volunteers do more than hand out
passes and maps, though. Everyone who
works at the museum receives regular training to both learn new material and practice
technique. Docents, for example, spend
between eight and 25 hours before they guide
a single tour, share a single story or drive a
single mile should another school happen to
call with a request.
HOW TO REACH: Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, (216) 593-0575 or www.maltzjewishmuseum.org
