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ANU - Museum of the Jewish People, formerly the Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora, is located in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
,
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, at the center of the Tel Aviv University campus in
Ramat Aviv Ramat Aviv Alef or Ramat Aviv HaYeruka, and originally plainly Ramat Aviv ( he, רָמַת אָבִיב, ''lit.'' Spring Heights), is a neighborhood in northwest Tel Aviv, Israel. History Ramat Aviv was founded in 1950s following the great inf ...
. ANU - Museum of the Jewish People is an institution telling the ongoing story of the
Jewish people Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. Re-opened to the public on March 10, 2021, the organization is dedicated to celebrating and exploring the experiences, accomplishments, and spirit of the Jewish community from biblical times to the present. Through its educational programming, the institution works to connect Jewish people to their roots and strengthen their personal and collective Jewish identity. The museum presents a pluralistic narrative of Jewish culture, faith, purpose, and deed as seen through the lens of Jewish history and current experience today. The $100 million expanded museum, which replaces Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People ( he, בית התפוצות, "The Diaspora House" or "Beit Hatfutsot"), was designed and built over the past 10 years. It was funded by both the State of Israel, the Nadav Foundation, and private philanthropy. As a first step in the renewal process, the museum added a new wing in 2016 with rotating temporary exhibitions, the Alfred H. Moses and Family Synagogue Hall featuring synagogue scale models, and ''Heroes - Trailblazers of the Jewish People'', a children's interactive exhibition. The museum's new name and "its new brand identity adds “ANU” — Hebrew for “we”— to embrace inclusion and reflect the diversity and collective spirit of the Jewish people everywhere" said Museum Board Chair Irina Nevzlin. “It is a privilege to realize the transformation of this institution, which now becomes the largest and most comprehensive Jewish museum in the world. The museum will serve as a beacon of Jewish identity and culture, celebrating our unique history and future.”


History

In 1959, the
World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress' main purpose is to act as ...
decided to build a museum that would serve both as an educational and cultural center for world Jewry. The institute in
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
was named in honor of Dr.
Nahum Goldmann Nahum Goldmann ( he, נחום גולדמן) (July 10, 1895 – August 29, 1982) was a leading Zionist. He was a founder of the World Jewish Congress and its president from 1951 to 1978, and was also president of the World Zionist Organization from ...
, the founder and president of the World Jewish Congress.
Abba Kovner Abba Kovner ( he, אבא קובנר; 14 March 1918 – 25 September 1987) was a Polish Israeli poet, writer and partisan leader. In the Vilna Ghetto, his manifesto was the first time that a target of the Holocaust identified the German plan to m ...
, one of the founders of the museum, proposed the original concept of the museum's permanent core exhibition. It was based on a thematic principle, representing Jewish history and continuity, according to six themes, or "gates" that portray central aspects of Jewish life: family, community, faith, culture, existence and return. Among the founders of the museum, Jeshajahu Weinberg served as the museum's first director from 1978 to 1984 and Dr. Meyer Weisgal was its first President. ANU - Museum of the Jewish People opened on May 15, 1978. Since then, it has been considered one of the most technologically advanced museums of our time. Its exhibitions were based on reconstructions and sets, using modern audiovisual and state-of-the-art computer technology to explore topics and themes throughout the museum. This methodology provided that a museum could be an effective storyteller. Its designers broke with the universally accepted tradition that museums exist first in order to acquire, care for and display objects from the past. Government budget cuts and a decline in Israeli tourism triggered a budget crisis at the museum. A number of public representatives devoted themselves to saving the museum, among them
Shlomo Lahat Shlomo "Chich" Lahat ( he, שלמה להט; November 9, 1927 – October 1, 2014) was a major general in the Israel Defense Forces and former Head of the Manpower Directorate. He served as the eighth mayor of Tel Aviv in 1974–1993, for four con ...
, former mayor of Tel Aviv, and Ariel Sharon, former prime minister. In 2005, the Israeli Knesset passed the "Beit Hatfutsot Law" that defines Beit Hatfutsot as "the National Center for Jewish Communities in Israel and around the world". A recovery plan was enacted with two partners: the Israeli Government and donor
Leonid Nevzlin Leonid Borisovich Nevzlin (russian: Леони́д Бори́сович Не́взлин; he, לאוניד בוריסוביץ' נבזלין, born 21 September 1959) is a Russian-born Israeli businessman, investor, and philanthropist. Nevzlin oc ...
(NADAV Foundation), with a grant from the
Claims Conference The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, or Claims Conference, represents the world's Jews in negotiating for compensation and restitution for victims of Nazi persecution and their heirs. According to Section 2(1)(3) of the Proper ...
.


Exhibitions, programs, education, and research

ANU - Museum of the Jewish People allows visitors to learn more about the Jewish experience through a number of access points. Onsite, the museum offers four wings of exhibitions, including 3 floors of new exhibition galleries (opened March 10, 2021), a children's gallery, and a rotating schedule of temporary exhibitions and related programs as well as conferences and workshops. The museum's databases house searchable archives of photos, films, music,
genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinsh ...
, and family names, all related to the Jews and their history. Compiled over almost four decades, these databases are now fully digitized and available both onsite and online. The museum also offers formal and informal educational activities for teachers and students both at the museum and for use in classrooms around the world.


Governance

Irina Nevzlin serves as the current Chair of the Board of Directors and is the President of the NADAV Foundation. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (Honorary Chair), Ambassador Alfred H. Moses (Co-Chair) and Major-General (Ret.)
Eitan Ben Eliyahu Aluf Eitan Ben Eliyahu (born 1944)Melman, Yossi and Javedanfar, Meir. ''The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran.'' Basic Books, 2008. pp. 187–188. is a retired major general in the Israel Defense Forces and was the Commander of the Israeli Air Force ...
(Co-Chair) serve on the Board of Governors.


See also

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Tourism in Israel Tourism in Israel is one of Israel's major sources of income, with a record 4.55 million tourist arrivals in 2019, and, in 2017, contributed NIS 20 billion to the Israeli economy making it an all-time record. Israel offers a plethora of historica ...


References


External links

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"Tracing History in Israel"
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The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:ANU - Museum of the Jewish People Museums established in 1978 Jewish museums Tel Aviv University University museums in Israel Museums in Tel Aviv History museums in Israel 1978 establishments in Israel Genealogical societies