I really like museums, & for those who do too, Israel is the place to be. I mean, they are everywhere, Masada, Qumran, Galilee, Jerusalem, & that's just to name a few.
The Israel Museum is one that I have visited several times. On my last visit, it was jam packed because one, the Museum made a big shabang because it was its 50th birthday and two, admission was free that day. Luckily, I was able to get a ride there and just as I stepped into the courtyard, a man was introducing former Israeli President, Shimon Peres!! What timing! What luck!
I snaked through the crowd and got as close as I could & snapped some photos. I should also note that this museum is camera-friendly with naturally only a 'no flash' restriction. It was so nice to see all the kids who came with their families & were actually very interested. I passed by a father explaining a Byzantine 1mosaic to his three year old daughter. Precious.
I wandered through each room. The Israel Museum is the kind that you can easily get lost in & I love it. They have many archaeologic exhibitions of things found in Israel: bits of pottery, glass, ceremony relics, manuscripts, paintings, I can go on & on but since you do not have all day to linger, I will mention my favorites & let you go on with the photos.
They have a huge re-creation of the city of Jerusalem during the second Temple period just chilling outside. One can walk around & get a real perspective on how much things have changed since then. It is a great way to get a good picture on how the Temple looked too.
They have the Rothschilds Room which is done up in 18th century French style. I love just standing there when it is absolutely quiet. It is easy to imagine seeing someone come through the gilded doors to write a letter on the wooden writing table. They also have other rooms in English & Venetian styles which are very nice to see.
For the past year, the Museum has dedicated a large space to the Jewish Synagogue. Oh my, this just takes my breath away! They have several faux synagogues from different countries that you can actually step into. They even have a women's section up above that you can climb up to! To sober up though, you can view an exhibition showing all the gorgeous synagogues & sacred objects that were destroyed in Europe during the last century due to hate & racism.
The museum has so much more to show from ancient sarcophagi to artwork by Andy Warhol. You should definitely take a few hours when you come to Jerusalem & spend it here.
You won't regret it.
-K
