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Anu – Museum of the Jewish People

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(Redirected from ANU Museum)

Anu – Museum of the Jewish People
אנו – מוזיאון העם היהודי
Anu – Museum of the Jewish People building exterior
Map
EstablishedMay 15, 1978
LocationTel Aviv University campus, Tel Aviv, Israel
TypeJewish museum
Anu – Museum of the Jewish People Foundations Wing
Anu – Museum of the Jewish People Synagogue Wing
Anu – Museum of the Jewish People logo since 2021

Anu – Museum of the Jewish People (stylized ANU), formerly the Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora,[1] is located in Tel Aviv, Israel, at the center of the Tel Aviv University campus opposite Ramat Aviv. The Hebrew Anu אנו means 'we, us'.

Anu – Museum of the Jewish People is an institution telling the ongoing story of the Jewish people. Re-opened to the public on March 10, 2021, the museum presents the history and cultural development of the Jewish people from antiquity to the present.[2] The museum presents exhibitions addressing Jewish culture, religion, and history.[3]

The $100 million expanded museum, which replaces Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People (Hebrew: בית התפוצות, "The Diaspora House" or "Beit Hatfutsot"), was designed and built over 10 years. It was funded by the State of Israel, the Nadav Foundation, and private philanthropy.[4] 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.[5]

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", according to 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."[2]

History

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In 1959, Nahum Goldmann, the founder and president of the World Jewish Congress, proposed a museum that would serve as an educational and cultural center for world Jewry about the experiences of the people of the Jewish diaspora over the preceding thousands of years, including how families lived, how holidays were celebrated and interactions with the world at large.[6][7] The institute in Israel was named in honor of Goldmann.

Abba Kovner, one of the founders of the museum, proposed the original concept of the museum's permanent core exhibition.[7][8] 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.[5] Among the founders of the museum, Jeshajahu Weinberg served as the museum's first director from 1978 to 1984;[8] Meyer Weisgal was its first president.

ANU – Museum of the Jewish People opened on May 15, 1978, under the name "Museum of the Jewish Diaspora".[6] 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 reflected contemporary museological approaches emphasizing narrative presentation. Its designers deliberately chose not to follow the tradition that museums exist first in order to acquire, care for and display objects from the past.[9]

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, former mayor of Tel Aviv, and Ariel Sharon, former prime minister.[10] 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".[11][12][full citation needed] A recovery plan was enacted with two partners: the Israeli government and donor Leonid Nevzlin (NADAV Foundation), with a grant from the Claims Conference.[13]

Exhibitions, programs, education, and research

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The museum includes several exhibition wings and digital resources. Onsite, the museum offers four wings of exhibitions, including three floors of new exhibition galleries, 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, and family names, all related to the Jews and their history. Compiled over almost four decades, these databases are 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.[12] The three new galleries opened in March 2021, tripling the exhibition space to 72,000 square feet (6,700 m2), and were part of a $100 million effort to tell the story of 4,000 years of Jewish history under the name "Anu" (Hebrew: אנו), a Hebrew language word meaning "we".[14][15]

Collections

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In May 2023, the Codex Sassoon 1053 was purchased by former U.S. Ambassador to Romania Alfred H. Moses on behalf of the American Friends of Anu for US$38.1 million, making the manuscript among the most expensive books and manuscripts sold in auction.[16] The codex was on exhibition at Anu in March 2023 as part of a worldwide tour prior to the auction.

Governance

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Irina Nevzlin serves as the current chair of the board of directors and is the President of the NADAV Foundation. Ambassador Alfred H. Moses (Co-chair) and Major-General (Ret.) Eitan Ben Eliyahu (Co-chair) serve on the Board of Governors. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman served as the Honorary Chair.

Models in the Synagogue Hall

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Awards

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In 1985, the museum was awarded the Knesset Speaker's Quality of Life Award.

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Pine, Dan (March 5, 2010). "Museum of the Diaspora Changing its Name and Focus/". J. The Jewish News of Northern California. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Klein Leichman, Abigail. "Tel Aviv's Museum of the Jewish People gets $100m Makeover". Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Koret Foundation Gives $10 million to Tel Aviv's Museum of the Jewish People". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. January 18, 2017.
  4. ↑ Gradstein, Linda (March 10, 2021). "ANU: New Museum of the Jewish People Opens in Tel Aviv". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Raider, Mark A., ed. (2010). Nahum Goldmann: Statesman without a State. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-2500-9.
  6. 1 2 Scrieberg, David (June 15, 1979). "Beth Hadtefutsoth: 2500 Years of Jewish History Under One Roof". Israel Digest.
  7. 1 2 "Museum About Life in Diaspora Opens in Tel Aviv", The New York Times, May 21, 1978. Accessed July 14, 2026. "Israelis know very little, he said, about the long stretches of history between episodes of oppression and pogroms, periods when Jews had tranquil and creative lives. To correct this situation, the director explained, the museum was initiated by the World Jewish Congress in accordance with a suggestion in 1959 by Dr. Nahum Goldmann, then its president. The museum, in a four‐story building on the campus, offers displays depicting Jewish life and achievements in the Diaspora since scholars created the Talmud during the Babylonian Captivity after the fall of Jerusalem 2,500 years ago."
  8. 1 2 Wigoder, Geoffrey (1988). Beth Hatefutsoth: The First Ten Years – The Nathan Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora. Nahum Goldmann Museum.
  9. ↑ Hudson, Kenneth (1987). Museums of influence (Reprint. ed.). Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521305341.
  10. ↑ "Second Life for Beit Hatfutsot Museum of the Jewish People".[permanent dead link]
  11. ↑ Hartmann, Anath (November 12, 2009). "Bringing the ltory of Jewish life back to life". JTA.org. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of The Jewish People in Tel Aviv". BH.org.il.
  13. ↑ Keinon, Herb (September 4, 2011). "Cabinet Approves NIS 24m Beit Hatfutsot Development Plan". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  14. ↑ Steinberg, Jessica. "Revamped Tel Aviv museum a globe-spanning journey through Jewish history", The Times of Israel, March 11, 2021. Accessed July 14, 2026. "The museum, formerly known as the Diaspora Museum, or Beit Hatfutsot, opened Tuesday on the Tel Aviv University campus after a $100 million renovation, tripling its size to 72,000 square feet (6,690 feet). The new museum’s three floors feature a heady mix of gripping historical artifacts, interactive digital displays and original works of art.... The name ANU, Hebrew for 'we,' reflects the ambitious attempt to span the 4,000-plus year history of the Jewish people, said museum officials."
  15. ↑ Home Page, Anu – Museum of the Jewish People. Accessed July 14, 2026. ""
  16. ↑ "1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible sells for $38 million at NYC auction". APNews.com. Associated Press. May 17, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
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