New York's Tenement Museum lays off education staff due to COVID-19

In total, 76 employees were laid off, 71 of which were part of the education staff and five others being part of retail, marketing and visitor services.

By AARON REICH
A group takes a tour of the Tenement Museum, which tells the stories of Jewish and other immigrants to New York. The museum has closed temporarily and shedded most of its staff. (photo credit: COURTESY OF THE TENEMENT MUSEUM)
A group takes a tour of the Tenement Museum, which tells the stories of Jewish and other immigrants to New York. The museum has closed temporarily and shedded most of its staff.
(photo credit: COURTESY OF THE TENEMENT MUSEUM)
The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side of Manhattan announced Wednesday that it was forced to lay off its entire part-time education staff, as well as other employees, due to the financial constraints caused by the coronavirus pandemic, arts and culture news site Hyerallergic reported.
In total, 76 employees were laid off, 71 of whom were part of the education staff and five others were part of retail, marketing and visitor services.
Converted into a museum in the 1980s, the Tenement Museum sits in old tenement buildings, which have been designated historic landmarks, in the Lower East Side. The museum functions as a time capsule of sorts, telling the stories of the immigrant families that lived there, including its prominent role as a home for Jewish families at a time when the Lower East Side was heavily populated by the families of poor Jewish immigrants to New York City.
Visitors are typically educated about the lives of immigrants in the area around the buildings within the broader context of American history, as well as showing how the building itself changed since it was first built in 1863.
The museum also has an extensive historical archive, with educational staff on hand to provide a variety of different programs.
However, the coronavirus pandemic has hit the museum hard. Due to lockdown measures, the museum was forced to lay off 13 full-time staff members in March. Cutting any more staff was something the museum's president, Morris, Vogel, was hoping to avoid.
“Our educators make our programs come to life. They are an important part of the Museum’s success," Vogel said in a statement to Hyperallergic. "We had hoped to avoid this drastic step.”
A museum spokesperson told the news site that since March, Vogel has taken a 99% salary cut. His monthly salary is reportedly around $25, and that is only to retain his healthcare coverage. The museum is also considering salary cuts for senior staff members, and has estimated that their 2021 budget will likely be cut by 50%. For context, their annual budget before the pandemic was around $11 million, Hyperallergic reported.
Many other museums have also struggled to cope with the financial crisis sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. The New York-based Center for Jewish History, which itself is composed of several partner organizations, was forced to close their doors temporarily in March due to the outbreak, and the institutions have all suffered from personnel cuts.


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