Plan Your Visit: Hours and Directions

Visitors are always welcome at our architecturally distinctive museum and Visitors Center, designed to recall a shtetl— a small Jewish town or village in eastern Europe.—and set on a ten-acre apple orchard at the edge of the campus of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. We’re a two-hour drive from Boston, three hours from New York, and one hour from the Berkshires. 

The world's first Yiddish museum, the Yiddish Book Center is home to permanent and visiting exhibits on Yiddish and Jewish culture. We also offer a full schedule of virtual and some live public programs.

Hours and Admission

The Yiddish Book Center is open Sunday - Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Closed Shabbos (Saturday) and and the following holidays:

Holiday Closings 2022:

Labor Day - September 5

Rosh Hashanah - September 26 & 27

Yom Kippur - close at noon October 4

Yom Kippur - October 5

Sukkos - October 10 & 11

Shemini Atzereth - October 17

Simchas Torah - October 18

Thanksgiving - close at noon November 23

Thanksgiving - November 24 & November 25

Christmas Day - December 25 & 26 

Suggested donation:

$8 for adults; $6 for seniors. Free for members, students, and children.  

Visitor Guidelines / COVID Safety 

To ensure the health and safety of all our visitors and staff, we have COVID protocols in place. Visitors must follow the most current Massachusetts travel guidelines. All visitors will be required to wear facemasks while in the Center and to adhere to social distancing requirements to protect the safety of themselves and others.  

Visitors over the age of 12 will be required to show their vaccination card (issued either by the Centers for Disease Control or the World Health Organization) with proof that they are fully vaccinated with any of the US-approved vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson), and that they have received a booster shot.  Vaccines will be required for children who are eligible. Children under five will be permitted in the building unvaccinated.

Directions

GPS: Set destination as “Hampshire College, Amherst, MA.” Once you arrive on campus, follow signs to the Yiddish Book Center.
Click here for directions and a map of the area. 

Accommodations

We're located in Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley, home to renowned museums and colleges, a lively restaurant scene, eclectic shops, and a wide range of hotels and inns. 

To learn more about places to stay, eat, shop, and explore, go to Visit Hampshire County.