Israel Museum, Jerusalem

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Israel Museum, Jerusalem The Israel Museum is the largest cultural institution in the State of Israel and is ranked among the leading art and archaeology museums in the world.

Founded in 1965, the Museum houses encyclopedic collections ranging from prehistory through contemporary art and includes the most extensive holdings of Biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world, among them the Dead Sea Scrolls. In just 50 years, the Museum has built a far-ranging collection of over 500,000 objects through an unparalleled legacy of gifts and support from its circle of patrons worldwide. The Museum also organizes and presents programming at its off-site locations in Jerusalem at the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum, where it presents archaeological artifacts from the Land of Israel, and at its historic Ticho House in downtown Jerusalem, a venue for exhibitions of contemporary Israeli art.

16/10/2026

Is a box of cornflakes worth conserving?

In 2016 a work by Haim Steinbach, an artist who explores consumer culture, was featured in an Israel Museum exhibition. Recent examination of the cereal boxes included in the work revealed stains, abrasions, creases, and tears in the cardboard. Even though they’re easily replaceable mass-produced items, after consulting with the artist we decided to preserve the spirit of the work – which collapses the hierarchy between ancient ceramics and modern consumer goods – and treat the cereal boxes as unique paper-based objects.

Our conservators reinforced the cereal boxes with conservation-grade paper and adhesives, and removed the stains, and the result is now on view in our live conservation lab: Behind the Scenes.

Steinbach places readymade objects such as cereal boxes alongside archaeological finds on shelf-like structures, tapping into the human impulse to collect, classify, and display. Juxtaposing food containers from antiquity and from the present day – new vs. old, local vs. global, industrial vs. handmade – his work raises questions about the value and meaning of objects.

Haim Steinbach, stay with friends 2, 1986. Two Formica-covered plywood shelves, Kellogg’s and Telma cereal boxes, Iron and Bronze Age ceramic jugs. Purchase, American Friends of the Israel Museum

Forgotten tales from the early history of plastic are at the heart of our new exhibition, A Matter of Time: Materials Th...
15/10/2026

Forgotten tales from the early history of plastic are at the heart of our new exhibition, A Matter of Time: Materials That Shaped Modern Life. One such story is about the celluloid collar, and its surprising connection to Chinese immigration to the United States.

The dress code of late nineteenth century American office workers demanded neat white collars, but starched fabric collars required frequent washing, starching, and ironing. This changed in the 1870s with the invention of celluloid, one of the world’s first synthetic plastics. Manufacturers soon used it to make detachable collars and cuffs that could be easily wiped clean at home, eliminating the need for laundry services at a time when many laundries were operated by Chinese immigrants.

Chinese immigrants arrived in large numbers during the California Gold Rush. As these communities grew, especially in the American West, so did anti-Chinese sentiment, fueled by economic competition and racial prejudice.

Celluloid collar manufacturers capitalized on these tensions in their advertising. Colorful trade cards promoted the convenience of cleaning collars at home, which meant freedom from dependence on Chinese laundry workers. Such marketing reflected and reinforced racist stereotypes that culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred the immigration of Chinese laborers for ten years.

A seemingly ordinary consumer product can illuminate larger stories of technological innovation, migration, and discrimination.

Trade card for celluloid collars and cuffs, United States, c. 1890. Color lithograph.

“The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.” – Alberto GiacomettiThis...
11/10/2026

“The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.” – Alberto Giacometti

This week marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of sculptor and painter, Alberto Giacometti.

Giacometti (1901-1966), a major artist of the twentieth century, distilled the human figure into elongated, slender bronze sculptures with a profound presence. His iconic work captures the loneliness and vulnerability of modern life. In addition to his sculptures, Giacometti created paintings and prints. Several of his works are held in the Museum’s collection.

[Alberto Giacometti, Woman from Venice I, 1956. Bronze. The Sam and Ayala Zacks Collection in The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, on permanent loan from the Art Gallery of Ontario. ©️ Succession Alberto Giacometti / Adagp,2. Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem by Avshalom Avital]
[Installation view, Giacometti in Two Dimensions, 2014-15. Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem by Sara Kopelman-Stavinsky]
[Man Ray, Alberto Giacometti, ca. 1934. Gelatin silver print. The Vera and Arturo Schwarz Collection of Dada and Surrealist Art in the Israel Museum. ©️ Man Ray 2015 Trust / Adagp, Paris 2026. Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem by Avshalom Avital]

✨ We are happy to announce the winners of the 2026 Israel Museum Ben-Yitzhak Award for the Illustration of a Children’s ...
08/10/2026

✨ We are happy to announce the winners of the 2026 Israel Museum Ben-Yitzhak Award for the Illustration of a Children’s Book ✨

A rebellious hen, a grandfather and grandson, a grandmother and granddaughter, and even a book about letters and professions: this year’s winning books and illustrations form a vibrant and surprising mosaic, even when addressing themes such as migration, protest, or loss. Whether rendered in a precise or wildly expressive styles, in bold or delicate colors, these illustrations brim with imagination and inspiration, offering readers of all ages a perspective that blends humor, pain, and beauty.

The award is presented to Liron Cohen for her illustrations in Marmalade the Champion, written by Tzipor Fromkin and published by Tsili Books (2024).

Honorable Mentions are awarded to:
Yana Bukler for her illustrations in After the War, Before the War: My Travels Across the Divide, written by Hillel Cohen and published by Altneuland (2025)
Hagar Bareket for her illustrations in Profession-a-Letters: Letters Go to Work, rhymes by Shoham Smith and designed by Noa Schwartz, published by the Hagar Bareket Foundation (2024)
Noa Mishkin for her illustrations in Trees Waiting for Rain, written by Rakefet Ziv-Li and published by Am Oved Publishers Ltd. Tel Aviv (2024)
Charlotte Shama for her illustrations in Good Night My Twinkling Star, written by Therese Sliman and published by Al-Shabeia Printing & Publishing (2025)

The winning artists’ works will be featured in the exhibition Illustration, That’s the Whole Story”, opening on 13 October in the foyer of the Ruth Youth Wing at the Israel Museum.
The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, 18 October, at 6 pm in the Youth Wing.
The exhibition will remain open through 14 November.

Artist-led workshops for children and gallery talks for adults will be held throughout the exhibition. For details and schedules, visit the websites of the Israel Museum and the Outline Festival.

Warm congratulations to all the winners! 🧡

אגף הנוער והחינוך לאמנות, מוזיאון ישראל

Marking three years since October 7: Special gallery talk with artists Micha Ullman and Maya Zach, moderated by Dr. Amit...
04/10/2026

Marking three years since October 7: Special gallery talk with artists Micha Ullman and Maya Zach, moderated by Dr. Amitai Mendelsohn, Senior Curator of Israeli Art

Wednesday, October 7, at 11:00 am

To mark three years since the October 7 tragedy, the Museum will host a special gallery talk with artists Micha Ullman and Maya Zack, who engage with personal and collective memory, the search for home, and the recurring presence of trauma. These themes will be discussed in relation to their works that are now on view in the Museum’s Israeli art galleries.

Participation is included with Museum admission. Advance registration is required.

[Maya Zack, Living Room, 2009. Lambda digital print. Purchase, "Here & Now" Contemporary Israeli Art Acquisitions Committee, Israel.
Micha Ullman, Sand Table, 2019. Long term loan from the artist.
Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem by Zohar Shemesh]

The painted sukkah of Fischach: From N**i Germany to JerusalemThe Deller Family Sukkah is the only painted sukkah known ...
29/09/2026

The painted sukkah of Fischach: From N**i Germany to Jerusalem

The Deller Family Sukkah is the only painted sukkah known to have survived the Holocaust intact. It was built and decorated at the request of Jakob and Esther Deller in the southern German town of Fischach. After the N**is rose to power, Judaica collector Dr. Heinrich Feuchtwanger suggested smuggling the sukkah to Jerusalem, and put Bertha Fraenkel of Munich in charge of the mission. Since the export of antiques and artworks out of Germany was forbidden, she fastened the sukkah panels together with their painted sides hidden from view and told N**i officials that they were merely “boards for building a hut in a desolate land.”

The sukkah's painted walls feature recognizable imagery. The central panel depicts Jerusalem, with the Western Wall at its center, copied from a lithograph by Jerusalem artist Yehosef Schwartz that was published in Germany in 1836. Smaller framed images depict scenes associated with Jewish festivals, copied from prayer books and holiday liturgies. The side panel paintings portray views of the town of Fischach, including the Deller family home. In one scene, the family's matriarch, Esther Deller, stands in the house’s doorway.

[The Deller Family Sukkah. Fischach, southern Germany, mid-19th century. Oil on wood. Gift of Sofie Deller and her children in memory of Albert (Abraham) Deller, Fischach, Germany. Restoration made possible by Sofie and Albert’s grandson Alberto Deller and Frida Klein-Deller, Quito, Ecuador, in memory of their son Pierre Philippe Deller Klein and in honor of their grandchildren: Alexis and Adriel, Samantha, Harrison and James, Aaron and Natalie. Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem by Elie Posner.]

The Bukharan sukkah: A magnificent tradition revived at the Museum 🌿A rare photograph preserved in our archives tells th...
25/09/2026

The Bukharan sukkah: A magnificent tradition revived at the Museum 🌿

A rare photograph preserved in our archives tells the story of the traditional sukkah of the Bukharan Jewish community, enabling us to reconstruct its distinctive appearance. Bukharan Jews customarily adorned their sukkot with sumptuous textiles known as ikat, woven from dyed cotton and silk threads, as well as embroidered fabrics called suzani, made of linen or cotton and decorated with colorful floral motifs stitched in silk. Throughout the rest of the year, these exquisite textiles were used to cover furniture and household items, while ikat fabrics were also fashioned into coats for men, women, and children.

The sukkah decorations were embellished with fragrant fruits and branches suspended from the roof, and large melons hung across the front of the sukkah.

This rare photograph of a Bukharan sukkah, dating from the 1940s, allowed the museum team to recreate it using items from our textile collection that originated in Bukhara and Uzbekistan.

Bukharan sukkah, 1940s. The Photographic Archive of the Isidore and Anne Falk Information Center for Jewish Art and Life. © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

Last chance to see the Great Isaiah Scroll! ✨ 📜 On view until Saturday, October 3The Great Isaiah Scroll, the oldest kno...
24/09/2026

Last chance to see the Great Isaiah Scroll! ✨ 📜 On view until Saturday, October 3

The Great Isaiah Scroll, the oldest known manuscript of a complete biblical book and spanning 717 cm, will be on display in its entirety until Saturday, October 3. Reserve your tickets now on the museum website!

The museum will be open during the Sukkot holiday, Sunday through Thursday, September 27-October 1, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Free admission for children during Sukkot! 🎉

[The Great Isaiah Scroll, Qumran, Cave 1, 1st century BCE. Ink on parchment. Government of Israel. © Giorgio Skory, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem]

From wedding dress to Torah ark curtain for Yom Kippur: the remarkable journey of a Cochin textileA white Torah ark curt...
20/09/2026

From wedding dress to Torah ark curtain for Yom Kippur: the remarkable journey of a Cochin textile

A white Torah ark curtain embroidered with gold thread is on display at the entrance to the Jewish Art and Life Wing galleries. An exceptional textile panel is at its center: part of an embroidered skirt once worn by a Jewish bride from Cochin, India.

During the traditional wedding ceremony, the bride sat beside the Torah ark beneath a veil suspended from the ceiling, which covered the upper half of her body, leaving only her richly embroidered skirt visible. After the wedding, the skirt continued to play a part in community life. It might be later used to cover the coffin of a deceased person before burial, and ultimately be gifted to the synagogue and transformed into a Torah ark curtain bearing a commemorative inscription. This curtain, for example, was dedicated to Nehemiah ben Aharon the Elder and his daughter.

The synagogues of Cochin preserved a rich variety of colorful Torah ark curtains adapted for different festivals and occasions. White curtains such as this one were reserved for the High Holidays, especially Yom Kippur, symbolizing purity and renewal. A similar white curtain is currently on view inside the reconstructed Cochin synagogue in the Museum’s Synagogue Route.

Torah ark curtain incorporating a bridal skirt, Cochin, India, 1912. Gift of the synagogue of Moshav Ta'oz. Photo: © Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Mauro Magliani.

Before the digital era: an illustrated Shanah Tovah card sent to Bezalel School director Boris Schatz 🍎Hebrew New Year c...
11/09/2026

Before the digital era: an illustrated Shanah Tovah card sent to Bezalel School director Boris Schatz 🍎

Hebrew New Year cards emerged in the late nineteenth century, and were once the most common way to wish relatives and acquaintances a Shanah Tovah. Cards that have survived attest to major events in Jewish history throughout the twentieth century: immigration from Eastern and Western Europe, the Holocaust, the establishment of the State of Israel, and more.

This card was sent to Boris Schatz, director of the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts, in 1911. It was the earliest New Year card to enter the Bezalel National Museum collection, which is now preserved at the Israel Museum. Illustrated and sent from Poland by Moshe ben R. Yosef Halevi, the card includes an ode written as an acrostic spelling out the word “Bezalel.”

More than just a holiday greeting, the card served a practical purpose. An address written on the reverse shows that the sender used the card to appeal to Schatz for employment at Bezalel. In his message, he describes himself as a “renowned Torah scribe” and a professional engraver.

An exhibition dedicated to the Bezalel collection will soon open at the museum! ✨✨

[Shanah Tovah greeting to Prof. Boris Schatz by Jewish ritual scribe Moshe Halevi. Góra Kalwaria, Poland, before Rosh Hashanah, 5672 (1911). Illustrated and handwritten, ink on paper]

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Jerusalem
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Tuesday 16:00 - 20:00
Thursday 10:00 - 16:00
Friday 10:00 - 14:00
Saturday 10:00 - 16:00

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