About Us
Judaica In Context is headed up by Elizabeth Kessin Berman, A.A.A.
Ms. Berman is a Certified Member of the Appraisers Association of America. She is USPAP tested and passed at the New York offices of the Appraisers Association of America in November, 2006.
"I've been an archaeologist, an art historian, a university lecturer, an educator, and a museum curator interpreting the cultural treasures of Jews throughout the world and during every age of its existence. I'm thrilled to launch a new chapter in my career focusing on helping the individuals understand and assess the value of Jewish art and artifacts in private collections. I do this with great joy and with a great wealth of professional dedication and experience."
Elizabeth Kessin Berman, January, 2009.
Ms. Berman is originally from the Boston area. But she has wandered the world for art's sake. She attended art school at California College of Arts and Crafts and then turned to the academic study of the history of art. Ms. Berman graduated Boston College, and with the proper course work in the art of the ancient world, she spent a lengthy time in Israel working on an archaeology degree at Hebrew University. She also made her living as a field and research archaeologist with both the Israel Department of Antiquities and Hebrew Union College. Back from Israel, Ms. Berman earned Masters Degrees in ancient art and archaeology from Harvard Divinity School and Harvard University's Fine Arts Department. She has traveled extensively in Europe, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt.
In 1983, Ms. Berman turned her attention to the then emerging world of Jewish museums. From her residence in Washington D.C, she played an important role in the development of Jewish museum collections. She worked with Dr. Grace Cohen Grossman on the pioneering catalogue of the Smithsonian's Judaica collection. Later she was the inaugural curator at the Jewish Museum of Maryland until she joined the team of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and became a member of its founding staff. She was the research curator of the influential exhibiton: Assignment Rescue: The Story of Varian Fry and the Emergency Rescue Committee and the Guest Curator of Hidden History: The Story of the Kovno Ghetto. Ms. Berman has been a curator of major collections and exhibitions of Judaica, modern, and contemporary art, and ancient art objects and has written and lectured on these topics for over 25 years.
You can meet Elizabeth at her frequent appraisal events for charitible organizations. The next appraisal event is:
Nir Tamid SIsterhood, Peabody, MA, TBA
Vilna Schul, Phillips Street, Boston, MA, TBA
Contact Elizabeth if you would like to have her do an appraisal event for your organization.
About Judaica in Context
Judaica in Context was founded to offer expert advice and accredited appraisals of Judaica and Jewish art. We also offer accredited appraisals of modern art, contemporary art, and other art and ethnographic artifacts, archival collections, historical documents, and books. Check out our associate acompany's website, Collections in Context
Our fees for appraisals are based on an hourly rate plus any pre-determined expenses. We offer reduced rates for non-profit cultural, religious or educational institutions. In most cases, we bill a one-way travel fee for local appraisals.
Appraisals include a description of each object, its dimensions, and an assessment of its condition. We also photograph each object and provide you with a digital print. All reports are provided in hard copy and also, if requested, electronically, as a PDF file. CDs of photos can be provided for additional fees.
Ms. Berman has been engaged as an expert witness in famly law cases.