As we approach the summer with most of us in continued isolation for the next 2 weeks, the Israel Ministry of Tourism invites you to take a journey to some of the most beautiful sites in the world. Transport yourselves to the streets of Tel Aviv, beaches of Eilat or the historical walled city of Jerusalem from the comfort of your home.
Israel has the highest number of museums (per capita) in the world. While we cannot walk through the exhibits, you can still learn about the history, art and culture housed in each museum through virtual tours.
Tel Aviv Museum of Art — Israel’s first art museum, founded in 1932 — is a leading and influential institution dedicated to the preservation and display of modern and contemporary art from Israel and abroad. The museum invites you to enter the museum’s website and pages on social media, where video content from the museum exhibitions and events will be available for viewing, as well as a virtual tour with a voice guide that will discuss selected works in the museum. The site also offers artistic activities for children.
The Nahum Gutman Museum of Art located in Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv gathers the works of one of Israel’s most famous painters, Nahum Gutman (1898-1980), a Moldovan-born Israeli painter, sculptor, and author. The Nahum Gutman Museum of Art was opened in 1988; its entire museum collection was donated by the artist’s family who wished to showcase Nahum Gutman’s multiple talents. These days, the museum allows the public to become familiar with the complexity of his work through a variety of virtual content and activities on its website and social media pages. Activities include virtual tours of the museum, creative workshops with home materials, games and more.
The Israel Museum in Jerusalem was established in 1965 as Israel’s foremost cultural institution and one of the leading arts and archaeology museums in the world Its holdings include the world’s most comprehensive collections of the archaeology of the Holy Land, and Jewish Art and Life, as well as significant and extensive holdings in the Fine Arts. The museum’s website offers a virtual tour of the museum’s permanent exhibitions through Google ART cameras, videos, “behind-the scene” clips, as well as creative workshops for children.
The Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem which presents Jerusalem’s story, was opened to the public in 1989. The museum is located in the medieval citadel known as the Tower of David, near the Jaffa Gate, the historic entrance to the Old City.It details the major events in Jerusalem history beginning with the first evidence of a city in Jerusalem in the second millennium BCE, until the city became the capital of the State of Israel, and its importance to the three monotheistic religions. The museum’s website is one of the best ones(!), it offers many fascinating virtual activities that will make you feel like you are in ancient Jerusalem: virtual tours, videos, pictures, lectures, VR of the holy city during the holidays and a very exciting VR that explores the grounds of the Tower of David, and the origins of the Crusader time period fortress with the Crusader King Baldwin 11 of Jerusalem.
City of David
The story of the City of David began over 3,000 years ago, when King David left the city of Hebron for a small hilltop city known as Jerusalem, establishing it as the unified capital of the tribes of Israel. Today, the story of the City of David continues. Deep underground, the City of David is revealing some of the most exciting archeological finds of the ancient world. While above ground, the city is a vibrant center of activity with a visitor’s center that welcomes visitors for an exciting tour to the site where much of the Bible was written. The City of David website offers a 360 degree virtual tour of ancient Jerusalem, an interactive map that highlights different parts of Ancient Jerusalem, City of David Timeline, picture galleries, “behind-the-scene” videos, interviews, news on archaeological findings unearthed in the City of David excavations, videos and colouring pages for children and more.
