A band performing on stage with colorful lighting. Musicians are wearing quirky costumes, sunglasses, and accessories, playing various instruments and singing.

Gold foil balloons spelling out "E HAPPY", attached to pink strings, against a blue background.

People viewing colorful artwork and cut-out plant decorations in an art gallery or museum.

A group of men and women gathered around a dining table for a meal, with candles and bottles on the table, in a room with wooden paneled walls.

A large crowd seated in a dimly lit room with orange patterned lighting on the walls, and a structure showing illuminated text or scribbles.

A group of people, including children and adults, sitting in a circle, playing guitars and drums, in a bright room with green decorations on the wall.

People sitting and standing outside a falafel shop on a city street in black and white, with signs advertising falafel and other food options.

A man with a guitar and a woman singing into a microphone on stage.

A woman hugging two young girls outdoors, smiling at the camera, with other people in the background.

Crowd of LGBTQ+ pride parade participants holding rainbow flags and rainbow-colored signs, celebrating, amid city buildings and festive atmosphere.

JAQ, the acronym for the Jewish Arts Quarter

Text graphic that reads, "A new home for Jewish life and culture in Melbourne."

An architectural render of JAQ, the Jewish Arts Quarter, a modern Jewish precinct which will house the Jewish Museum of Australia: Gandel Centre of Judaica and the Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre and National Library.

Architects impression of JAQ

JAQ will be an inclusive destination that celebrates Jewish arts and culture with great museum experiences, art, theatre, education, learning, music, food, shopping and new public spaces for everyone.

Melbourne Needs the Jewish Arts Quarter

Your support means the Jewish community can have a home where Jewish Life and Culture is preserved, showcased and celebrated!

Watch this video to see why we ALL NEED JAQ!

A Slice of Jewish Life

This bold and transformative project will provide a public space where we can celebrate, educate, connect and preserve Jewish heritage and identity through contemporary Jewish life and culture in all its forms.

Born from a spirit of collaboration, JAQ brings together Melbourne’s Jewish leading cultural institutions into one vibrant hub, providing a vital and creative communal facility and an engaging and dynamic home for Jewish life.

Spearheaded by the Jewish Museum of Australia: Gandel Centre of Judaica and Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre and National Library, JAQ will be the home of these and many other cultural institutions, forming a dynamic hub of creativity, culture and connection.

In crafting a world-class arts and cultural hub, JAQ is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a new, significant Jewish destination on Melbourne’s colourful and diverse cultural map.

Your passion and support are critical in helping transform this dream into a reality.

WATCH THE JAQ DREAM VIDEO

“I am incredibly proud to be able to get behind this once in a lifetime opportunity. The positive impact the Jewish Arts Quarter will have on culture, the local economy, tourism and employment in the city of Melbourne, the state of Victoria and the entire Australian community is exemplary and will benefit all for decades to come. ”

— Mr John Gandel AC

Chairman of Gandel Foundation

“We’re looking for a contemporary vision for the building, but one that’s timeless. It is housing organisations that have an incredible history. And we’re looking for them to have an incredible future. JAQ will be a place that you come back to again and again.”

— James Pearce

Partner, Fender Katsalidis Architects

JAQ - A Cultural Landmark in the Heart of Elsternwick

Delivery of the Jewish Arts Quarter in Elsternwick will be the catalyst for social cohesion and seeks to promote community-based principles of inclusivity and collaboration, resulting in an important place for learning, connection, preservation and inspiration.

Designed by Australia’s leading architecture firm Fender Katsalidis (who also designed MONA and New Quay Melbourne), JAQ will become a prominent cultural landmark within the municipality that celebrates Jewish heritage and the arts.

Rising seven floors above-ground with two subterranean basement levels, JAQ will house a multipurpose performing arts auditorium and transformative museum spaces hosting educational opportunities for school groups and other public programs.

Aerial view of a Melbourne neighborhood with labels marking various locations including Melbourne CBD, Ripponlea Estate, Habonim Dror, Jewish Museum of Australia, Kadimah, Melbourne Holocaust Museum, Classic Cinema, Glen Huntly Road Shops & Restaurants, Elsternwick Train Station

“The Jewish Arts Quarter is an initiative of national significance to celebrate Jewish arts and culture in Victoria. We are excited to support the incredible vision that is making this precinct both a reality and a legacy of enduring significance for the people of Australia.”

— John Peterson

CEO, Multicultural Museums Victoria

10,000sqm within Elsternwick’s Cultural Precinct, the energised community hubs of JAQ will draw year round crowds, offering a unique cultural emersion into contemporary Jewish life and culture.

Jewish Museum of Australia: Gandel Centre of Judaica

Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre and National Library
Kadimah Yiddish Theatre
Kadimah Yiddish Radio
Educational and learning spaces
Creative arts and music studios
Performing Arts Theatre
Co-working facilities
Activated public spaces
English, Hebrew and Yiddish library
Retail shops
Cafes and kiosks
Event spaces
Meeting rooms

Map of Jewish Arts Quarter showing key buildings, streets, and zones including the Holocaust Museum, community hub, creative studios, food zones, and a cinema, with nearby train station and retail hub marked.

“The JAQ project has the potential to transform and revitalise Elsternwick into a vibrant cultural destination that celebrates Jewish life in Melbourne. The JAQ project is a celebration of Jewish history in Victoria and provides cross‐cultural understanding and appreciation of the rich Jewish history in Melbourne, unifying the broader cross‐cultural community.”

— Rebecca McKenzie

CEO, Glen Eira City Council

Multipurpose Space

For education, conferences & community celebrations.
Streetscape

Public space for festivals, activations & pop-up stalls and installations.
Educational Space

Annually supporting over 100,000 student museum visits.
Performing Arts Facilties

State-of-the-art venue for plays, music & performances.
Exhibition Space

Caters for a 50% uplift in anticipated museum visitation.
Co-working Facilities

For non-profit organisations, emerging, mid-tier and established artists, Jewish cultural institutions and more.