Exhibitions

The Permanent Exhibit of Beth Hatefutsoth relates the unique story of the continuity of the Jewish people. Murals, reconstructions, dioramas, audio-visual displays, documentary films and interactive multi-media presentations help to convey the panorama of the Jewish people, dispersed to the four corners of the world since the destruction of the Second Temple over two millennia ago. The guiding principles of the Museum founders was to emphasize the positive and creative aspects of the Diaspora experience, stressing the pluralism of Jewish culture.

"Beth Hatefutsoth was born, I believe, out of a strong though inarticulated need to recover or recapture and preserve something that was in danger of being lost: Jewish historical identity. Its purpose was primarily educational. It was conceived as a channel of communication for future generations too, but primarily for that generation."
Jesaja Weinberg (First Director of Beth Hatefutsoth)

The Permanent Exhibit starts with an enlarged replica of a relief from the Arch of Titus in Rome depicting the triumphal procession of Roman soldiers bearing the great candelabrum from the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE.

The Permanent Exhibit is divided into six following thematic sections, whose purpose it is to convey a comprehensive picture of the life of Diaspora Jewry through the ages:

The Gate of the Family welcomes the visitor with a slide show of hundreds of photographs of contemporary Jews from all parts of the world. The second part of the section depicts basic common denominators of Jewish life: the Jewish family encountering the cycle of human life and the Jewish home in the annual cycle of Holidays, Festivals and Fasts.

The Gate of the Community presents the infrastructure and functions of the Jewish community and the extensive self-rule enjoyed by Jews. The section features a 13th century Jewish Community model, each segment of which represents a function or activity of the community. In the adjacent Study Area, visitors are invited to view films about community life in three different Jewish communities (Fez, Morocco; Salonica, Greece; a "shtetl" in Eastern Europe).

*Model of the Synagogue of Kaifeng, China, c. 1722.*

*Model of the "Tempio Israelitico", Florence, Italy.*

The Gate of Faith features Beth Hatefutsoth's world renowned display of eighteen reconstructed models of synagogues, attempting to achieve a balanced sampling of historically important synagogues in various centers of Jewish History. These miniature reproductions are faithful in every detail to the originals.

The Gate of Culture portrays the many facets of Jewish thought and creativity. The central wall of that section displays the evolution of Jewish culture in its various trends from the period of the Second Temple to the present. Special areas are devoted to Jewish art, Jewish education and creativity in Jewish languages and the contribution of renowned Jews to general civilization.

*Mural showing gathering of scholars in the garden of Hisdai Ibn Shaprut, tenth-century adviser to the Caliph of Cordova , Spain.*

*Diorama showing Saadia Gaon in the palace of the Caliph in Baghdad in the tenth century*

Among the Nations is the Gate arranged in 13 different stations, reflecting the interaction between Jews and their host environment, retracing the path of the Jewish people from Eretz Israel back to the State of Israel. Emphasis is placed on the reciprocal relationship between Jews and their environment: their struggle for civil rights, social equality, and national autonomy, their relationship with Christianity and Islam.

The Gate of Return to Zion is devoted to the yearning of the Jews for the land of their forefathers throughout centuries until the founding of modern political Zionism. A series of slide projections presents the different waves of immigration before and up to the creation of the State of Israel.

In addition, the Memorial Column, suspended from the ceiling in the central area of the building, commemorates Jewish martyrdom throughout history and reflects the complexity of translating abstract concepts into tangible form. The Memorial Column symbolizes the theme of Jewish survival and continuing life in midst of persecution and death. The "Scrolls of Fire", Beth Hatefutsoth's record of 52 episodes of persecution in Jewish History are displayed in this area.

*Entrance to the "Among the Nations" Gate*

The renovated Chronosphere, is a dome-shaped auditorium whose wall serves as a giant screen for the innovative multi-media presentation of the history and migration of the Jewish people throughout history, in English, Hebrew, German, Spanish and Russian. The English version is screened daily at 12:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. The show is screened in the Pinchas (Pino) Ginsburg Chronosphere, located on the ground floor of the museum.
A 35-minute spectacular audio-visual display which gives an overview of the history of the Jewish people

Click here for a selection of our exhibition catalogues including the Catalogue of the Permanent Exhibit. The catalogue features colored photos and illustrations, and is written in Hebrew and English.