Group Visits

Each museum experience that we offer tells the unique and ongoing story of the Jewish people through a customized lens, adapted to suit groups from a range of diverse backgrounds. These museum experiences are interactive and engaging, and they use the museum galleries as a platform for dialogue and learning. All of them support the Israel trip goals set by every group, and they are a must-do for visitors who wish to get the full picture of Jewish history, spirituality, culture, and more. We invite you to visit ANU every time you come to Israel!

When booking your experience, please share as much information about your group as possible. That way we can provide the best guide and tour content in line with your needs.

Please note that due to the sheer size of the museum, the experiences cover a portion, but not all, of its collections, focusing on what is most relevant for the particular group.

For additional information please contact lindsay@anumuseum.org.il

Audience: Jewish solidarity missions and international groups

The Tisch Center for Jewish Dialogue at ANU - Museum of the Jewish People invites incoming solidarity missions and international groups to join us for a crucial and meaningful Jewish Peoplehood experience. We will contextualize this dark period in the greater story of the Jewish people as expressed at ANU. This three-part experience includes an interactive gallery tour, workshop and lecture. While it is recommended to do all parts of the experience, any group can do one or two elements instead of three. The Tisch Center experience is designed to enable intentional Jewish hope and resilience in response to the October 7th attack and its aftermath.

• Museum tour: An active experience within the museum galleries that will explore the essential historical milestones of the Jewish journey and the core elements of contemporary Jewish communal and individual identity. We will introduce the concept of the “oscillating Jewish narrative"- the ups and downs of Jewish history, and the hope, resilience, and sense of belonging that passes from generation to generation as a result. The tour will include the newly installed October 7th exhibition, and end with the Codex Sassoon gallery to see the museum’s recently acquired Bible masterpiece. Time: 90 minutes.
• Processing Workshop: A facilitated conversation exploring how to fi­nd hope and embody Jewish resilience right now. Participants will build their “Jewish Peoplehood muscles” by sharing their own personal experiences as a Jew in Israel and at home and connecting these experiences to the narrative of one’s own family and the Jewish collective. Time: 60 minutes.
• Lecture: “October 7 and its Aftermath: From Hope to Resilience to a new Global Jewish Narrative”: A talk led by Naama Klar, Director of the Koret International School for Jewish Peoplehood at ANU, or Tracy Frydberg, Director of the Tisch Center for Jewish Dialogue. Time: 60 minutes.

For more information or to schedule your group's visit, contact Lindsay Shapiro at lindsay@anumuseum.org.il.

Highlights

Audience: Jewish groups

Explore the unique and ongoing story of the Jewish people – ranging from Jews around the world today to the historical journey and foundations of Jewish life. This tour links personal Jewish stories with the greater story of the Jewish people. Visitors will experience modern Jewish culture, trace the paths of immigration of their ancestors, and more. This immersive and interactive experience, which suits groups from all Jewish backgrounds, offers an overview of all three floors that comprise the core exhibition.

Highlights for Visitors with Disabilities

Audience: Jewish groups with special needs

Using objects and individual stories found in the museum, this tour connects each visitor’s personal Jewish story with the greater story of the Jewish people, through a meaningful and accessible dialogue. Visitors will discuss Jewish luminaries and what values guide them, see how Shabbat is celebrated and observed in different communities, and more. The tour features tangible objects, such as replicas of artifacts, mood charts, games that can be played in small groups or individually, and Braille-labeled objects, which have been included to optimally meet the visitors’ learning needs.

The Journey

Audience: Jewish adult groups

Starting in the Biblical land of Israel, follow global Jewish migrations to foreign lands and back to the modern State of Israel. Visit the leading centers of Jewish life throughout the ages. Discuss together how current, personal traditions can be traced back to a diverse and rich Jewish history that began millennia ago, while imagining what the Jewish future may look like. Visitors will get close to a centuries-old, handwritten Scroll of Esther from Spain, view a traditional velvet Moroccan wedding dress with a secret symbol, and more. This tour focuses on the second floor of the core exhibition.

Judeo-Christian Roots

Audience: Christian groups

Visitors learn about the Judaic foundations of Christianity through a uniquely Jewish lens, while tracing the interwoven paths of Jews and Christians for 2,000 years. This tour integrates directly with the visitors’ itinerary in Israel and provides Jewish context for Christian holy sites located throughout the country. It covers the migration of Jews around the world and sparks a meaningful discussion about the diversity of today’s Jewish populations in Israel and around the world. Visitors will see objects from the time of the Second Temple, watch a film about the global migration of Jews, and more. This tour includes elements found on all three floors of the core exhibition.

A Nation Among Nations

Audience: Adult professional groups of all faiths

Explore the basics of Jewish peoplehood through beliefs and traditions. Learn how Jews lived as a “nation among nations” – how Jews have influenced, and been influenced by, the places they lived. This tour underscores how the land of Israel has always been part of the DNA of the Jewish people and highlights the connection between the Jewish past and the modern-day Israel that visitors meet on their trip. Tour participants will also gain a deeper understanding of the diversity of modern Jewish communities around the world. Visitors will experience the Jewish calendar by discovering their own Hebrew birth dates, virtually “cooking” traditional Jewish dishes, and more. This tour includes elements found on all three floors of the core exhibition.

Back to the Jewish Future

Audience: Young adult Jewish groups (Taglit/Masa/etc.)

Visitors engage in personal stories and self-discovery through candid discussions about what it means to be Jewish today and what the Jewish future may look like. The tour will familiarize participants with Jews living around the world today, the historical Jewish journey, and the foundations of Jewish life. Visitors will laugh at the origins of Jewish humor, engage in a healthy dialogue based on historical Jewish arguments, and more. This tour includes elements found on all three floors of the core exhibition.

You, Me, and the Israeli Story

Connect with Israel and debate how the concept of “Israel” as a people, a state, a land, and a homeland is no less diverse than its population. Thanks to a beit midrash-style, text-driven discussion, participants are empowered to examine what role Israel plays in their lives. This workshop is directly connected with the personal experiences the visitors have during their Israel trip. This workshop takes place in the classroom.

The Peoplehood Connection – HaKesher HaAmiti

Participants interact with peers about a written self-reflection on their own Jewish identity and discuss how it is one of the many pieces that comprise the Jewish mosaic. Participants share personal elements of their Jewish story and connect to similarities within the group.  This workshop takes place in a classroom.

Jews from MENA (Middle East and North Africa)

Increase knowledge about Jewish traditions and culture from the Middle East and North Africa while examining the ethnic, geographical, and linguistic diversity of the Jewish people. Workshop participants learn about Jews from MENA through objects in the museum, after which they design their own temporary gallery. This workshop takes place in both the classroom and in museum galleries.