The First Salute

The First Salute is open at The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, running from April 23, 2026, through April 30, 2027. It's the museum's landmark America250 exhibition, timed for the 250th anniversary of the United States, and it looks at the role Jewish people played in securing American independence. The story it tells is built on religious liberty, communal networks, and individual courage.

At the center of the exhibition is St. Eustatius, a tiny Caribbean island nicknamed the 'Golden Rock.' Its Jewish merchants supplied tons of munitions to the revolutionaries, and it's where the United States received its first international recognition: on November 16, 1776, the Continental Navy brigantine Andrew Doria sailed into the island's harbor and fired a 13-gun salute, which the Dutch colony returned with a traditional welcome. That moment gives the exhibition its name.

Curated by the museum's Josh Perelman with a team of scholarly advisors, the show brings together just over 100 objects across five sections. You'll find historic documents, three major films, and Caribbean Judaica—much of it shown in the US for the first time. The Weitzman, founded in 1976, is the only museum in the nation dedicated exclusively to American Jewish history.

If you're heading there with a group, there are Discount Family Packages for $56, which cover families with three or more people over the age of five. The museum is at 101 South Independence Mall East in Philadelphia.