By Seth Fera-Schanes

Want to learn how to become a member of the Tribe?  Well, a good place to start would be through the Jews at the Met tour presented by Museum Hack.

The tour spans roughly 4,000 years of Jewish history and covers large sections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) all within a two hour timeframe.  I completely lost track of the time and could have easily stayed with the group for another two hours.  Groups sizes are kept small, Museum Hack only allows up to 8 individuals to attend, so you can make friends with fellow participants and get to know the guide as well.

Our leader for the day, Harry, started us off with a group cheer (external volume 5 out of 10 but internal enthusiasm 10 out of 10 – we were in a Museum after all.)  He was engaging, knew his subject matter and seamlessly led us through the thongs of visitors at one of the world’s largest museums.  He even provided little pick-me-ups in the form of mini candy bars to keep us going through the tour (but keep that part on the DL).  There were more than a few times when I momentarily stopped paying attention to Harry because I was thinking about friends I needed to tell about the tour.  In addition to all the historical information, we got to take Polaroid pictures with some of the statutes and keep as mementos of our visit which was a nice touch.

Insider tip:  After the tour, head to the Met’s rooftop garden for a drink and great view of Central Park.  The roof is open May through October 26 (weather permitting.)

Jews at the Met is the second time I have participated in a Museum Hack tour.  I was previously invited to the American Museum of Natural History with this group and it was such a memorable experience I knew I had to try out this tour at the Met.

The Met is located at 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028 (the entrance is at 82nd Street and 5th Avenue.)