Israel Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Aerial photograph of the Israel Museum, with the Knesset building in the background
Established	1965
Location	Jerusalem
Type	Art and history
Visitors	More than 900,000

The Israel Museum (Hebrew: מוזיאון ישראל, Muze'on Yisrael) is a famous art and archaeology museum in Jerusalem. It opened in 1965 and is Israel's biggest and most important cultural place. It's also one of the world's top museums that cover many different subjects.

The museum sits on a hill in the Givat Ram area of Jerusalem. It is close to other important buildings like the Bible Lands Museum, the Knesset (Israel's parliament), the Israeli Supreme Court, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The museum has huge collections of ancient items from the Holy Land. It also has many pieces of Jewish art and items showing Jewish life. Besides these, it has large collections of fine arts, divided into eleven different areas. These include Israeli Art, European Art, Modern Art, Contemporary Art, and art from Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Some special items you can see are the Venus of Berekhat Ram (a very old figurine), parts of a 1736 Zedek ve Shalom synagogue from Suriname, and beautiful necklaces worn by Jewish brides in Yemen. There's also an Islamic prayer niche from 17th-century Persia made of mosaic. A unique nail from Jesus' time shows how crucifixion was done back then.

A special building shaped like an urn, called the Shrine of the Book, holds the Dead Sea Scrolls. These are some of the oldest writings in the world. This museum is one of the largest in the region.

Museum History

View of museum from its upper level, with Anish Kapoor sculpture

The idea for the Israel Museum came from Teddy Kollek, who was the mayor of Jerusalem. He wanted to create one of the world's leading museums for art and archaeology. The museum has items from ancient times up to today. Its collections include archaeology, fine arts, and Jewish art and life.

Since it opened in 1965, the museum has gathered almost 500,000 objects. These items show a wide range of cultures from around the world.

In 2010, the museum finished a big renovation project. It cost $100 million to update the museum and double its gallery space. Israeli architects Efrat-Kowalsky Architects renovated the old buildings. The sections for archaeology, fine arts, and Jewish art and life were completely rebuilt. New walkways and entrance areas now connect the buildings.

Gallery

Archaeology Wing

The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Archaeology Wing tells the story of the ancient Land of Israel. This land was home to many different cultures and religions. The wing shows unique items from the museum's collection of Holy Land archaeology, which is the best in the world.

The exhibits are set up in time order, from prehistoric times to the Ottoman Empire. This wing shows seven "chapters" of history. It connects important historical events, cultural achievements, and new technologies. You can also see what daily life was like for people in the region.

Special displays highlight unique parts of ancient Israeli archaeology. These include Hebrew writing, glass, and old coins. Items from nearby cultures like Egypt, the Near East, Greece, Italy, and the Islamic world are also on display. These cultures had a big impact on the Land of Israel. A special gallery at the entrance shows new discoveries and temporary exhibits.

Ossuary of Jesus son of Joseph

Elaborate wooden burial coffin, housed in the Israel Museum

Some important items you can see include the Pilate stone, the "House of David" inscription (from the 9th century BCE), and the Heliodorus Stele (178 BCE). There's also a royal Herodian bathhouse (1st century BCE) and an inscription from Hadrian's arch (136 CE). You can also see the Mosaic of Rehob (3rd century CE) and gold-glass bases from Roman catacombs (4th century CE).

Shrine of the Book

Shrine of the Book

The Shrine of the Book is home to the Dead Sea Scrolls. These are the oldest copies of biblical writings in the world. It also holds rare early medieval biblical manuscripts. The scrolls were found between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near Qumran.

It took seven years to plan and build the Shrine, which opened in 1965. A family named Gottesman, who bought the scrolls as a gift for Israel, helped pay for the building.

The building has a white dome that sits above ground, with most of the building two-thirds below ground. The dome's reflection can be seen in a pool of water around it. Opposite the white dome is a black basalt wall. The colors and shapes of the building are inspired by an ancient scroll called the War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness. The white dome stands for the Sons of Light, and the black wall stands for the Sons of Darkness. The inside of the Shrine looks like the caves where the scrolls were found. There is also an exhibit about life in Qumran, where the scrolls were written. The whole building was designed to look like the pot in which the scrolls were found.

Because the scrolls are very old and fragile, they cannot all be shown at once. They are rotated, meaning they are displayed for 3–6 months, then rested in a special storage room. The museum also has other rare old writings, like the Aleppo Codex. This is a 10th-century Bible codex, believed to be the oldest complete Hebrew Bible.

Second Temple Model

Second Temple model at Israel Museum

Next to the Shrine of the Book is a model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period. This model shows what the city looked like before it was destroyed by the Romans in 66 CE. It helps visitors understand the historical setting of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The model includes a replica of Herod's Temple. It was first built at Jerusalem's Holyland Hotel, but now it's a permanent part of the museum's campus.

Fine Arts Wing

The Edmond and Lily Safra Fine Arts Wing shows many different kinds of art from various times and cultures. This includes art from Western and non-Western societies. The wing has been reorganized to show how different art pieces connect. It includes European Art, Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Israeli Art, and art from Africa, Oceania, the Americas, and Asia. It also features Photography, Design and Architecture, and Prints and Drawings.

The exhibits are set up to highlight similar looks and themes. This helps visitors see new connections between art from different times and places. It also shows how human cultures share common ideas. The renovated wing now has the museum's first permanent galleries for Israeli art. It also has much more space for modern art, connecting Western and non-Western collections. A large gallery floor is dedicated to changing exhibits of contemporary art.

European, Modern, and Israeli Art

The Israel Museum has a large collection of paintings. These paintings come from many different time periods, styles, and regions. Famous painters in the collection include Rembrandt and Camille Pissarro. It also features Israeli and Jewish artists like Marc Chagall, Abel Pann, and Reuven Rubin.

Collecting Israeli art is a very important part of the Israel Museum's mission. As the country's national museum, it helps protect Israel's artistic history. It collects works by Israeli artists and helps them grow in their careers. The museum's Israeli Art collection covers art from the late 19th century to today. It shows how Israel's culture has changed through visual arts. The Information Center for Israeli Art offers detailed information about thousands of Israeli artists. This includes their life stories, news articles, videos, and photos.

Mandel Wing for Jewish Art and Life

The Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Wing for Jewish Art and Life displays items from Jewish communities around the world. These items show both religious and everyday life from the Middle Ages to today. The collection highlights the beauty of Jewish heritage and creativity. It also shows how Jewish art was influenced by other cultures where Jews lived.

The collection started in the early 1900s with the Bezalel National Museum. Many important ritual art objects were saved between the two world wars and after the Holocaust. These treasures later became part of the Israel Museum when it opened in 1965. Over the years, the wing has grown with new gifts and purchases.

The wing has many special treasures. These include rare old writings, four rebuilt synagogue interiors, and many ceremonial objects. It also has different kinds of clothing, jewelry, and everyday items.

In the new permanent exhibit, important objects from this large collection are shown together. This display explores the history of the objects and how they were used in society. It also highlights their beauty and emotional meaning. It shows a rich cultural story that combines individual and community life, sacred and everyday items, and old traditions with new ideas.

As you walk through the galleries, you will see five main themes:

• The Rhythm of Life: Birth, Marriage, Death – This section shows how joy and sadness, life and death, memory and hope are part of each stage of life.
• Illuminating the Script – This display features rare Hebrew manuscripts from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It shows their history and beautiful artwork.
• The Synagogue Route: Holiness and Beauty – Four restored synagogue interiors from Europe, Asia, and the Americas are shown here. Along with Torah scroll ornaments, they show how Jewish religious buildings and ritual objects are both similar and different.
• The Cycle of the Jewish Year – The specialness of the Sabbath and traditional religious holidays, along with new Israeli holidays, have led to many beautiful objects and artworks.
• Costume and Jewelry: A Matter of Identity – The environment, customs, and religious laws all played a part in creating the rich variety of Jewish clothing and jewelry from East and West shown here.

Isidore and Anne Falk Information Center for Jewish Art and Life

The Information Center has a research library and a special collection of about twenty thousand photographs. Many of these photos are very rare. They show the daily life of Jewish communities around the world, some of which no longer exist. This includes pictures of synagogues, cemeteries, ceremonial objects, and more.

The information center helps people learn more about the collections. It also offers virtual tours of past exhibits to give deeper knowledge about the objects in the wing.

Art Garden

Henry Moore's A Woman

Robert Indiana's Love sculpture

The Billy Rose Art Garden is a large garden with modern and abstract sculptures. The garden was designed by Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. It is considered one of the best outdoor sculpture settings of the 20th century. It mixes an Oriental landscape with an ancient Jerusalem hillside. The garden shows how modern Western sculpture has changed over time. You can see works by famous artists like Jacques Lipchitz, Henry Moore, Claes Oldenburg, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, and David Smith. There are also newer artworks made specifically for the garden by artists like Magdalena Abakanowicz and James Turrell.

Youth Wing

The Ruth Youth Wing for Art Education opened in 1966. It is special because of its size and the many activities it offers. More than 100,000 schoolchildren visit each year. It has exhibition galleries, art studios, classrooms, a library of children's books, and a recycling room. Special programs help Arab and Jewish students understand each other better. The wing combines new artworks by Israeli and international artists with educational activities. There are also many workshops for children and adults.

Rockefeller Archaeological Museum and the Ticho House

Besides its main campus, the Israel Museum also runs two other locations:

• The Rockefeller Archaeological Museum: This museum opened in 1938. It displays ancient items found mostly during excavations in Mandatory Palestine in the 1920s and 1930s.
• Ticho House: This historic house and garden offers ongoing exhibits by younger Israeli artists.

Museum Management

Funding and Visitors

The Israel Museum gets only about 10% to 12% of its money from the government. This means the museum has to raise most of its own money each year. It also has to pay taxes on its property.

The American Friends of the Israel Museum is one of the most active support groups. From 1972 to 2008, they raised $270 million in cash and donated $210 million in art. In 2009, the museum received $12 million from the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation. This money helped renovate and update its fine arts wing, which is now named after Edmond and Lily Safra.

As of 2012, about 827,000 people visited the museum each year.

Prizes Awarded by the Museum

The museum gives out prizes, such as the Jesselson Prize for Contemporary Judaica Design. This prize recognizes excellent design of Jewish ritual objects. One winner was Moshe Zabari in 1990.

Incidents

On October 5, 2023, a visitor caused damage to two ancient artifacts at the museum. A marble head of the Greek goddess Athena and a statue of a griffin were broken. Both artifacts were from the Second Century CE and are now being restored.

Notable Staff

• Elisheva Cohen
• Haim Gitler
• Dov Gottesman
• Susan Hazan
• Nissan N. Perez
• James S. Snyder
• Yigal Zalmona

See also

In Spanish: Museo de Israel para niños

• Isaiah scroll
• List of largest art museums