We went to DAWN, the pre-opening party for the Contemporary Jewish Museum on Saturday night, and we weren't alone. The line to get in snaked around the block, and the wait was over an hour. But that didn't seem to bother very many people, either in line or later in the crowed but stunning galleries.

It was a gala night, and people were playing their parts. We ran into lots of folks we know, including Oscar Villalon, the Chronicle's book editor who did a such fine job onstage interviewing writer Jonathan Safran Foer ("Everything is Illuminated"). (Foer, by the way, had this advice for the ailing newspaper industry: "Stop letting other news sites link to your stuff for free!" Well, yeah, sure, that'd be nice, but there's no way of getting the genie back in the bottle, or the internets back in the tubes.)

The museum, designed by Daniel Libeskind, was just stunning. From the shimmering cube outside (it looked a little like a color-changing oil slick  in the darkness), to the carefully preserved facade of the PG&E station the museum replaced, the overall effect was magnificently energetic.

The art itself  was indeed contemporary, and we especially liked "In the Beginning," where various artists presented their interpretations on the book of Genesis. Who knew Bible study could be so fantastical?

The official opening is today (Sunday), and the museum is likely to be crowed during the opening weeks and months. Don't let that stop you from going. It's an experience of hope and beauty.

A side note: Bring your camera for exterior shots (and there are plenty to be had), plus the common areas inside. But photography is not allowed inside the galleries, a fairly common but nonetheless discouraging and perplexing policy in place at many Bay Area museums.