5 Museums Worth Visiting in Israel

The Museum of Art at Ein Harod - A Museum in Ancient and Modern Israel

One of the first museums established in Israel, the Museum of Art at Ein Harod is among the first modernist museum buildings with an architectural structure that makes use of natural lighting. In addition to Jewish and Israeli art the museum’s Judaica collection contains ancient Judaica objects - symbols of Judaism and religious ritual objects from a range of ethnic origins. Most of the exhibitions address aspects of Israeli, Jewish and multi-cultural identity, from both an individual and collective perspective. The museum is located in Kibbutz Ein Harod, and is open throughout the week at specified hours.

Tel Aviv Museum of Art – A Jewel in the heart of Tel Aviv

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art is one of the major museums in Israel highlighting the country’s artistic landscape. The museum’s collection of permanent exhibits harks back to the Renaissance period[Esz1] . In addition to its many exhibitions, the museum offers a range of cultural and artistic activities, among them lectures, courses and workshops for both children and adults. The museum is located on Sha'ul HaMelech Boulevard in the center of the city, a sprawling culture compound that clusters together some of the most important cultural institutions in Israel. This compound includes the Helena Rubinstein Pavilion[Esz2] , the Herta and Paul Amir building, and the special sculpture garden that offers visitors a green lung and features renowned Israeli and international modern sculpture. The museum is located at 27 Sderot Sha'ul HaMelech Blvd., Tel Aviv.

Nahum Gutman Museum of Art

The Nahum Gutman Museum of Art was established in collaboration with the Nahum Gutman Society and the Tel Aviv Development Foundation. It is located in an historic building built in 1887 that was one of the first houses built in the Neveh Tzedek. The museum collection was donated by the artist’s family that sought to acquaint the public with the cultural richness of Gutman’s work in its full splendor. The artwork includes Gutman’s paintings, drawings and sculpture, as well as the children’s books he authored. As part of its artistic endeavors the museum offers a meeting place between Gutman’s art and contemporary Israeli artists, creating a cultural dialogue between different periods and artistic perspectives. The museum is located at 21 Shimon Rokach Street, Tel Aviv.

Israel Museum, Jerusalem

One of the largest cultural institutions in Israel, the Israel Museum exhibits leading art and archaeology exhibitions the world over. One of the museum’s prominent features is the Shrine of the Book where visitors can see rare world-renowned archaeological findings such as the Judean desert Dead Sea scrolls. The Shrine also houses a model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period, showing in detail the architectural monuments and the topography of the area in the days before the Great Revolt against the Romans in 66 AD. The museum is located on Ruppin Blvd, Givat Ram, Jerusalem.

Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People

The museum presents the epic history of the Jewish exile and the Jewish diaspora from complex and diverse perspectives. The exhibits present visitors with challenging questions and issues faced by Jews in the Diaspora. The museum takes visitors on an impressive journey representing the magnificent mosaic of the Jewish People, including its flourishing culture and art. They are exposed to questions of identification, interweaving the threads of past and present of a people that survived throughout history. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, you can take part in educational activities and meet scholars and students from the world over studying issues of Jewish identity, the Jewish experience and the endless Jewish endeavour. The museum is located on the Tel Aviv University campus, 15 Klausner Street, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv.