Tourist Israel » Category: Museums

10 Best Museums in Tel Aviv

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:23:51 +0000

There are loads of museums in Tel Aviv ranging from large, national institutions such as the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and Beit Hatfutsot: The Museum of the Diaspora, to smaller, more specialist museums such as the Museum of the History of Tel Aviv-Yafo, the Bauhaus Museum, and the Reuven Rubin Museum. There are also many great museums in the towns surrounding Tel Aviv: the Design Museum in the city of Holon to the south, and the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv.

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art

Amazing architecture of the Design Museum Holon. Credit: TouristIsrael.com

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art is almost undoubtedly one of the greatest museums of modern art in the world. With a massive newly opened wing, the museum has a great collection of works by both Israeli and leading international artists showcased in an incredible building.

Beit Hatfutsot: The Diaspora Museum

Beit Hatfutsot is The Diaspora Museum, a fascinating museum located within the campus of the Tel Aviv University in Ramat Aviv in north Tel Aviv. The museum chronicles Jewish life across the diaspora over thousands of years using interesting and creative displays. Currently undergoing a massive refurbishment program, the museum is worth a visit if you are interested in Jewish history and somewhere you could easily end up spending a day or even more!

Eretz Israel Museum

Also in Ramat Aviv, a short distance from Beit Hatfutsot, is the Eretz Israel Museum, the Museum of the Land of Israel. This museum is predominantly an archaeology museum with a number of pavilions set across a beautiful site set above the center of the city of Tel Aviv, focusing on different aspects of history.

Design Museum Holon

The internationally acclaimed Design Museum Holon is housed in a work of art – a masterpiece by leading Israeli architect Ron Arad which is the focal point of Holon, a city just south of Tel Aviv. Housing two or three rotating exhibitions relating to the world of design, the Design Museum is not a huge museum, but is something of a spectacle and somewhere you should certainly consider visiting.

Bauhaus Museum

Bauhaus Tel Aviv Museum by Frits de Wits

The Bauhaus Museum is a boutique gallery/museum on Bialik Street, showcasing the history and development Bauhaus design in the heart of Tel Aviv’s UNESCO recognised White City. It is only open two days a week: Wednesday (11 am – 5 pm) and Friday (10 am – 2 pm) but offers an interesting insight into the amazing Bauhaus architecture of Tel Aviv.

Reuven Rubin Museum

Also on Bialik Street is the Reuven Rubin Museum, the old house of one of Israel’s most influential artists. Telling the life of Rubin, it showcases not only his works, but also those of other artists in themed exhibitions.

Bialik Museum

Almost next door the Rubin Museum is the Bialik Museum, home of the first great modern Hebrew poet, Haim Nachman Bialik. Whilst it is a bit difficult to understand the poems unless you speak Hebrew or Yiddish, some information is in English, and the atmosphere and furnishings give a good insight into life in Tel Aviv during the 1920′s for the cultured European Immigrants.

Museum of the History of Tel Aviv-Yafo

The Museum of the History of Tel Aviv-Yafo is situated in the converted former Town Hall of Tel Aviv, an impressive building also located in Bialik Street, this time in Bialik Square magnificently heading the road! The museum opened just a few years ago and its interesting multimedia displays chronicle the fascinating history of this city from its establishment just 100 years ago, to the modern day.

Azrieli Observatory

The Azrieli Complex (from the circular tower you get the amazing panorama) by ninasaurusrex, on Flickr

The Azrieli Observatory, on the top floor of the Azrieli Circular Tower, Tel Aviv’s tallest building, is the highest observatory in the Middle East. From here fantastic views across Tel Aviv and the coastline almost 50km to the north and south can be seen. There is also lounge bar at the observatory (for which you dont have to pay the entry fee.)

Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art

For contemporary art, check out some of the smaller galleries listed below, or travel just north to Herzliya where you will find the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, one of Israel’s premier art museums.

Others

A number of small, contemporary art galleries such as the The Heder Contemporary Art Gallery, Raw Art Gallery, Dvir Gallery, noga Gallery, and, reckoned to be the best in Israel by the New York Times, Sommer Contemporary Art. The Ilana Goor Museum in Jaffa, is the house of an artist which is open as a gallery – pretty cool!

Beit Hatfutsot: The Diaspora Museum

admin — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:10:46 +0000

Beit Hatfutsot: The Diaspora Museum is one of the unsung heroes of the museum world in Tel Aviv and Israel as a whole. The museum is vast and chronicles the history of Jews throughout the diaspora, throughout history. It is undergoing a long refurbishment program which will end in 2014, and what has already been refurbished is incredible. Beit Hatfutsot has some amazing displays, some of which are interactive and its location, within the campus of Tel Aviv University is interesting in itself as you get to visit one of Israel’s leading academic institutions.

Beit Hatfutsot

The Diaspora Museum was the idea of Dr. Nahum Goldmann, founder and first president of the World Jewish Congress. The museum runs through the 2,500 year history of the Jewish diaspora, sending you around the world to the Jewish communities which established and grew uniquely. With a multimedia and family history library, Jews can even trace back their own roots here!

Visiting Beit Hatfutsot: The Diaspora Museum

Opening hours

Mon: 10:00-16:00
Tue: 10:00-16:00
Wed: 10:00-18:00
Thu: 10:00-16:00
Fri: 10:00-13:00
Sat: closed

Address
Klausner Street, Tel Aviv University
Map

Phone
03-6408000
Museum Website

Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:00:30 +0000

The Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv is a stunning museum spread across a beautiful campus in the Ramat Aviv district of the city, overlooking the center of Tel Aviv. The museum has an amazing array of displays relating to archaeology, judaica, ethnography, history and culture and arts and crafts, each housed in a pavilion, of which there are many spread across the museum site, centered around an archaeological site.

Eretz Israel Museum by Whistling in the Dark, on Flickr

The Eretz Israel Museum has interactive displays, working reconstructions, and a planetarium mean there is something at the museum for just about everyone. Displays include wine and oil presses, a flour mill, and a “craft arcade” where visitors are able to seethe traditional working tools common used in the Land of Israel.

It makes sense to visit the Eretz Israel Museum at the same time as Bet Hatfutzot, the Museum of the Diaspora, which is located a few minutes away also in Ramat Aviv. Which, together, are two of the best museums in Tel Aviv.

Visiting the Eretz Israel Museum

The museum also has a fantastic, large gift shop and a great cafe.

Opening hours
Sun: 10:00-16:00
Mon: 10:00-16:00
Tue: 10:00-16:00
Wed: 10:00-16:00
Thu: 10:00-20:00
Fri: 10:00-14:00
Sat: 10:00-14:00

Address
2 Haim Levanon St.
Ramat Aviv
Tel Aviv

Map

Tel: 972-3-6415244

Museum Website

Exhibition at the Tower of David Museum: “Jerusalem” for Four Hands

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:01:25 +0000

The Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem’s Old City will be hosting a new temporary exhibition between December 30, 2011 and April 30, 2012 entitled “Jerusalem” for Four Hands: The Animated Films of Emmanuel Luzzati and Giulio Gianini, and features the amazingly colorful collages of Emanuele Luzzati and Giulio Gianini with layers of brilliant color lying one on top of one another to create magical combinations. In addition, the exhibition will revisit the animated film “Jerusalem”, which was created for the Tower of David Museum nearly two decades ago by Luzzati and Gianini.

Fondazione Luzzati Teatro delle Tosse onlus, Genova

The film, “Jerusalem” is a brief introduction to the Museum’s permanent exhibition of the history of this city, revealing its narrative, layer by layer, and tracing its complex history through a distinctive language of animation. Their famous brand of two-dimensional animation combining bold color, humor, fantasy and music is distinctive and “Jerusalem” is an example of this creative partnership.

The exhibition uses the film Jerusalem as a window through which to appreciate Luzzati and Gianini’s works, and allows a behind-the-scenes glimpse of works in progress, and the vibrant ‘language’ that forms a unifying thread throughout their many films. Original works by Luzzati are displayed together with collages, drawings, sketches and cutouts of their fantastical characters together with parts from their best films.

Fondazione Luzzati Teatro delle Tosse onlus, Genova

The exhibition will open at the Tower of David Museum on December 30, 2011, closing on April 30, 2012, and entry will be included in the general cost of entry to the museum. For further information see our article about the Tower of David Museum.

Old Jaffa Visitors Center

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:01:03 +0000

Opened in late 2011, the new Old Jaffa Visitors Center provides those exploring Jaffa, the ancient port out of modern Tel Aviv has developed, and one of the oldest port cities in the world, with a new way to experience the story of this 4,000 year old city. The visitors center presents the long tumultuous history of Jaffa using multimedia, artifacts, and a virtual walking route through the ruins. It all sets the scene ready for visitors to venture out into the amazingly restored city and explore for themselves.

Old Jaffa by RonAlmog, on Flickr

Built upon the ruins of a Jewish house which was destroyed during the Great Revolt against the Romans as well as the remains of a large, impressive Hellenistic structure, the Old Jaffa Visitors Center is itself part of history. Spanning across the 4,000 year history, the visitors center depicts the tale of Andromeda in an animated short, as well as a dynamic display of the city’s history, projected on a 16 meter long screen, and shows important events and eras, such as Egyptian rule 3500 years ago, Jonah fleeing from God, the spread of Christianity that began in Jaffa, Ottoman Rule, the wars and the reconstruction.

Green space among the ancient city by RonAlmog, on Flickr

As well as the center itself, ‘Jaffa by ear ‘ is a self-guided tour of Jaffa with a map and audio guide which continues any visit to the new visitors center beyond its walls and out into the real world. The tour can last anywhere between an hour and a day.

Displays in the center operate in seven languages: Hebrew, English, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, French, and German.

Winter opening hours: Sun-Thu and Saturday 9-17, Friday 9-15 (Groups may coordinate visits in other hours). In summer: Sun-Thu and Saturday 9-20, Friday 9-17

Tickets: 15-30 NIS, audio tour of Old Jaffa gratis to those purchasing a ticket for the visitors’ center.

For more information, either contact the reservation Center on +972 (0)3-6037700/(0)3-6037686 or visit the website.

Jerusalem Biblical Zoo

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 09:00:04 +0000

A family destination and Israel’s biggest tourist attraction, the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem covers over 62 acres of stunning terrain in Jerusalem. The park centers on a vast man-made lake complete with waterfalls and side pools, surrounded by spacious lawns and shaded beauty spots. The park includes a wildlife savannah with free-roaming animals and a visitor’s train that provides transportation throughout the park with several stations along the route.

Desert falcon at the Zoo by Flickr user Kenzoka

Over 170 diverse species of animals are here to be seen. And this being Jerusalem and the ‘Biblical’ zoo, most of these were mentioned in the Bible. That’s not to say that other animals are missing, however, and most animals you might expect to see at a zoo will be found here.

Stunning views to be enjoyed by Flickr user Kenzoka

The Biblical Zoo includes a children’s zoo including a petting corner and a playground with an adjacent snack bar for watchful parents. During holiday periods, the Friendly Animal Houses enables guided, hands-on encounters with less-fearsome animals while the Noah’s Ark Sculpture Garden is an exotic new playground designed by sculptress Niki de Saint Phalle (creator of the renowned Mifletzet or Monster children’s slide in Kiryat HaYovel) and architect Mario Botta (designer of Tel Aviv University’s Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Cultural Center). The zoo’s visitors’ center, which overlooks the African savannah – is shaped in the form of an ark, with an auditorium, a temporary exhibits gallery, computer information stations, a souvenir shop and a cafeteria situated on the ark’s deck.

Biblical Ram by Flickr user Kenzoka

Sites to be admired by Flickr user Kenzoka

Visiting: For up to date information on opening times, getting here, and entrance charges, please see the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo Website, here, or call +972-2-6750111. An alternative, and incredibly fun way to see the zoo is by segway tour - tours include the entry fee.

The photos in this article were kindly provided by Ziv Turner from Kfar Sava, Israel. You can see more of his photos at his Flickr acount, here, or visit, http://colaholic1972.wordpress.com/ where he regularly blogs.

Tel Aviv Museum of Art

admin — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:52:58 +0000

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art is Israel’s largest art museum, with a large collection of permanent exhibits as well as temporary exhibits. The Museum opened in 1932, before even the state of Israel was established, and a new wing opened in 2011. The museum shows the works of both Israeli and international artists including impressionism and post-impressionism. Permanently on display include the works of Cezanne, Chagall, Dali, Monet, Henri Moore, Auguste Rodin, Archipenko, Picasso, Klimt, Kadinsky. If you want to go to just one traditional art museum when in Israel, make it this one!

The new Amir Wing of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art

The new Herta and Paul Amir Building at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, opened in November 2011, and is itself a visual and architectural masterpiece. Designed by Preston Scott Cohen the new building was described by the New York Times as “an elongated Rubik’s Cube doused with bleach” and features a facade comprising of 465 flat, interlocking, precast concrete panels of different shapes and sizes. Inside are five floors of art over 19,000sq meters in size, three above ground and two below, linked by an 87-foot atrium, a lightwell which floods the art and gallery spaces in light.

Tel Aviv Museum of Art by Flickr user naama

A ticket to the musem also includes entry to the Helena Rubenstein Pavilion, a space which showcases the cutting edge of the Israeli contemporary art scene. Its exhibitions include political and social messages expressed through art in a building or architectural interest.

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art also shows alternative foreign films in its cinema and concerts in the auditorium.

Opening hours
Sun: Closed
Mon: 10:00-16:00
Tue: 10:00-22:00
Wed: 10:00-16:00
Thu: 10:00-22:00
Fri: 10:00-14:00
Sat: 10:00-16:00

Address
27 King Shaul Boulevard

Helena Rubenstein Pavilion: 6 Tarsat Street

Museum website

Jerusalem Bird Observatory

admin — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:29:13 +0000

The Jerusalem Bird Observatory lies in the heart of Jerusalem, just below the Knesset, the Parliament building. The observatory first opened about twenty years ago, and in January 2010, a visitor center, Israel’s first living building, also opened at the site to enhance the visitor experience and the wonder of this spot of nature where birds and birdwatchers can gather. The site also hosts a research center as well as the observatory and visitor center, and is a great place to visit among the hustle and bustle of modern Jerusalem.

Even if you are not a bird-watcher, there are two very interesting things about this. Firstly is the location, on a hill with just three things, the Israeli Parliament Building (the Knesset), the Israeli Supreme Court, and the center. Secondly, the new visitor center is the first “living building” in Israel. Not only was it constructed with recycled materials for the most part, it is actually designed not to disrupt the natural flow of life at the site. There are holes in the stone walls, which are made from extra stone from a nearby building site, so animals and birds can make burrows. There’s even a family of rare porcupines living behind the air conditioning vent!

Remember, Israel is a central node in the main rift-valley bird migration route, meaning that tens of thousands of birds pass over the skies twice a year as they move south for winter and north for summer.

So whether you are a bird watcher, an environmentalist, or are just interested in the birds (or the building) there is another green lung in Jerusalem awaiting your visit!

For further information about visiting the Jerusalem Bird Observatory, please visit the Jerusalem Bird Observatory Website

Design Museum Holon

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:26:32 +0000

Holon a city just south of Tel Aviv is perhaps the last place you would expect to find a leading international design museum, but Design Museum Holon is just that, an architectural masterpiece in the center of this city, it is a state of the art museum dedicated to everything design, using the latest in multimedia and interactivity to give guests an amazing experience. Opened in 2010, the Design Museum Holon has regularly changing exhibitions relating to contemporary design from Israel and around the world.

The Design Museum Holon was itself designed by one of Israel’s most notable architects and designers, Ron Arad. The structure he created is in itself something to talk about, with five sinuous bands of bronze colored weathered steel sitting starkly in the town square, and surrounding the museums exhibition halls. The aim of the museum is to create a change among this relatively working class and typical Israeli city, and is part of a wider program of culture-led regeneration.

The museum has an ever changing selection of exhibitions so it is worth checking what is on on the museums website before visiting. Until November, 18, 2011, for instance, the museum is closed as they prepare their newest exhibition, ‘Decode- Digital Design Sensations’.

Regular opening hours for the museum are:

Monday, Wednesday – 10am – 4pm
Tuesday, Thursday – 10am – 8pm
Friday – 10am – 2pm
Saturday – 10am – 4pm
Sunday – Closed

Contact details:

www.dmh.org.il
info@dmh.org.il
Tel: 972-73-2151515
Fax: 972-3-6520331

Admission Fees:

‏Adults – NIS 35
Youth (11-17) – NIS 30
Children (5-10) – NIS 20
Soldiers / Disabled Veterans /
National Service Volunteers – NIS 28
Holon Residents / Students /
Senior Citizens / Visitors with Disabilities – NIS 30
Isracard holders, for NIS 10 and 150 Isracard stars
Friends of Design Museum Holon and ICOM Members – Free

Tower of David Museum

admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:58:26 +0000

The Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem is located in the restored ancient Citadel of the Old City near the Jaffa Gate, the historic main entrance to the city. The museum tells the long and fascinating history of Jerusalem starting from the second millennium BCE and ending with the modern city you see today. The museum’s facade, The Citadel is itself, a fascinating archaeological site, and provides some of the best 360-degree views across the Old City and Modern City available, and comes to life at night with the Tower of David Night Spectacular.

David's Citadel in the Tower of David Museum via Brian Negin on Flickr

As well as its fascinating permanent displays, the museum regularly hosts changing exhibitions as well as lectures, special cultural events and educational programs.

The Tower of David Night Spectacular is an incredible sound and light show, the only one of its kind in the world, in which the walls of The Citadel and Old City are brought to life using amazing audio-visual technologies to provide the story of Jeursalem in a unique experience.

For further information about visiting the museum, see the Tower of David website.