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Ben-Gurion House
This
building was the home of Paula and David Ben-Gurion until they moved to Sde
Boker. After their move, they would stay here on their visits to Tel Aviv.
Ben-Gurion bequeathed the house to the State of Israel.
The
house contains the same furnishings, decorations, and household objects it had
when the Ben-Gurions lived there, in addition to exhibits. It was opened to
visitors in 1974. In
1981, the building to the north, the home of labor leader Hillel Cohen, was made
part of the museum compound, in accordance with Cohen’s will. This building
houses a permanent display on Ben-Gurion and his heritage and classrooms that
are used for lectures and seminars on the Jewish people, Zionism, and society.
The
museum offers activities for children and youth and has a 20-minute film.
Ben-Gurion’s library is open to the public (by appointment).
Address: 17 Ben-Gurion Blvd., Tel Aviv
Tel.
(03) 522-1010, (03) 522-4925
Bialik
House
The
home of the national poet, Haim Nahman Bialik, has been turned into a memorial
to Bialik and his works. It features an exhibit of his books, furniture, and
personal objects, as well as paintings by local artists active in the 1930s. An
archive of his writings is open to all researchers. A dozen display cases
scattered throughout the house contain material about different periods of his
life and his works. The
museum is also a venue for short-term exhibits. Next
door, Manya Bialik House, is devoted to women writers in Hebrew.
Address: 22 Bialik St., Tel Aviv Tel.
(03) 525-3403
Collection House Museum
The
military history of Israel is displayed in five small buildings with films,
photographs, maps, historic documents, and weapons.
Address: 35 Eilat St., Tel Aviv Tel.
(03) 517-2913, (03) 516-1346
Etzel
Museum
This
site includes a memorial, permanent exhibit, and educational center about the
Etzel (IZL, Irgun, National Military Organization), a Jewish underground
organization in the pre-State period.
The
ground floor has a display of photographs on the roots of the organization, a
model of an underground weapons factory, and a computer corner dedicated to the
so-called illegal immigration. The museum also features a display of weapons and
photographs of Etzel leaders. On the
lower floor, there is a multimedia presentation of Etzel operations; models of
detention camps in Latrun and Africa; and an auditorium for screening
documentaries.
The
museum is part of the Museums Unit of the Ministry of Defense.
Address: 38 King George St., Tel Aviv
Tel.
(03) 525-3307, (03) 528-4001
Etzel Museum, 1947-1948 (Beit Gidi)
This
museum commemorates the Etzel members who fell in the battle for Jaffa, under
the command of Etzel leader Amichai (Gidi) Paglin. It documents both the battle
for Jaffa and other battles in the War of Independence in which Etzel members
played a role.
The
museum includes a collection of weapons, documents, and photographs; a
multimedia display; a memorial to the fallen; and a library, seminar room, and
lecture hall. Seminars and educational programs for schoolchildren are held
here.
The
museum belongs to the Museums Unit of the Ministry of Defense.
Address: Charles Clore Park, Tel Aviv Tel.
(03) 517-2044
Gutman Museum - Writers’ House
This
museum is located in Tel Aviv’s Neve Tzedek quarter. From 1907 to 1914, the
building, also known as Writers’ House, was used as the editorial offices of the
newspaper Ha-Poel Ha-Tzair and the residence of editor Yosef Aharonovitch, his
wife, author Dvora Baron, and author Joseph Hayyim Brenner. The building was an
important cultural center for the growing city.
Over
the years, the building’s condition deteriorated and it was slated for
demolition. A public campaign, initiated by the Council for Restoration and
Preservation of Historic Sites in Israel, led to the cancellation of the
demolition order. The Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, the Doron
Foundation, and the Tel Aviv Foundation funded the building’s rehabilitation.
The
museum displays the works of Nahum Gutman (1898-1980), whose sketches and
paintings show the establishment and development of the State of Israel and
particularly of Tel Aviv. The museum includes an activity corner for children, a
film about Gutman, and a permanent exhibition on the cultural life of Neve
Tzedek.
Address: 21 Rokach St., Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv Tel.
(03) 516-1970
Haganah Museum – Eliyahu Golomb
House
This
museum is dedicated to the history of the Haganah and its exhibit includes a
collection of weapons, documents, and photographs. It also includes the home of
Eliyahu Golomb, a leader of the Haganah and a founder of the Palmach. Many
important decisions were made in the living room, including the decision to send
Jewish agents from Palestine into Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. The
room contains its original furnishings.
Multimedia presentations describe special operations and a 10-minute film covers
the history of the Haganah. The museum also offers educational games for
schoolchildren and lectures about the security situation prior to the War of
Independence. In the afternoons and evenings, it offers activities for families
and enrichment programs. The museum is part of the Museums Unit of the Ministry
of Defense.
Address: 23 Rothschild Blvd., Tel Aviv Tel.
(03) 560-8624
Ilana Goor Museum
The
Ilana Goor Museum opened to the public in September 1995. It is located in Old
Jaffa, in a building constructed in the 1840s by a group of immigrants from
Turkey and used as an inn for Jewish pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.
The
building has been restored and today serves as Goor’s residence, a display area
for her own works of art, and a display area for works of art she has collected
on her trips around the world over the past 40 years. Her collection includes
works by local and international artists such as Igael Tumarkin, Yaacov Agam,
Alberto Giacometti, and Henry Moore.
There
is also a gift shop in which visitors can buy Goor’s sculptures, jewelry,
furniture, household objects, and clothing. The museum is available for hosting
events for up to 150 people.
Address: 4 Mazal Dagim St., Old Jaffa Tel.
(03) 683-7676
Independence Hall
This
building contains the hall in which the independent State of Israel was declared
on May 14, 1948. The hall is surrounded by an exhibit focusing on the events
leading up to the declaration, including photographs, maps, newspapers, and
multimedia displays that tell the story of the struggle to establish the state,
from the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, to the War of
Independence.Visitors view a documentary film about the period and hear a recording of David
Ben-Gurion’s speech.
Address: 16 Rothschild Blvd., Tel Aviv
Tel.
(03) 517-3942, (03) 510-6426
Jabotinsky Institute in Israel
This
institute presents the history of the National Movement and its impact in the
Land of Israel and the Diaspora, the story of the movement’s founder Vladimir (Ze’ev)
Jabotinsky, and the struggle to establish a Jewish state. A multimedia
presentation focuses on Jabotinsky – the man and his works. There are also
temporary exhibits, and an archive and library.
The
museum organizes seminars for groups, featuring lectures, a documentary film,
and personal testimonies.
Address: 38 King George St., Tel Aviv Tel.
(03) 621-0660
KKL-JNF Educational Center and
Museum
The
“showcase” of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), this
center depicts the historical processes that led to the establishment of the
State of Israel from KKL-JNF’s viewpoint.
The
lobby covers the period from the First Zionist Congress (1897), when the idea of
establishing the organization that became JNF was first raised, to the day the
partition plan was accepted (Nov. 29, 1947). Explanations are provided by a
multimedia map, original stamps, documents, and other items. The
stairwell area features photographs, JNF stamps, and documents concerning events
in the Jewish community from Nov. 29, 1947, to May 14, 1948.
On the
second floor, a room is dedicated to the Provisional People’s Council (later to
become the Knesset) and the Provisional People’s Administration (later to become
the first government of Israel), which operated from this building in the months
prior to the state’s establishment. The room contains the original furnishings.
This floor also contains a collection of blue JNF boxes and JNF stamps.
The
museum includes two libraries and seminar rooms, as well as a multimedia
classroom showing the JNF’s activities after the establishment of the state.
Enrichment courses and workshops are held at the educational center.
Address: 11 Zvi Hermann Schapira, Tel Aviv Tel.
(03) 526-1104
Lehi
Museum
This
museum is located in the building in which Avraham (Yair) Stern was killed.
Stern was the spiritual leader of Lohamei Herut Yisrael (Lehi), a Jewish
underground organization in the pre-State period. The
apartment in which Stern lived in has been fully preserved, including the
furnishings. A short multimedia presentation recounts his last days, up to his
killing by British policemen.One
room is dedicated to the memory of fallen members of Lehi and the NILI spy
network, up to and including Eli Cohen. The main floor of the museum features a
display on the history of Lehi, the struggle to obtain independence from the
British, the role Lehi played in the War of Independence, and the role Lehi
members played in the Israel Defense Forces.
There
are films and multimedia presentations about Lehi operations. An archive
includes Stern’s manuscripts, poems, broadcasts, flyers, announcements,
photographs, newspaper clippings, films, personal collections, and other
archival material from the period. The museum library focuses on topics such as
Judaism, Zionism, and underground organizations. The
museum is part of the Museums Unit of the Ministry of Defense.
Address: 8 Stern St., Tel Aviv Tel.
(03) 682-0288, (03) 683-7582
Mani House - Bank Leumi Museum
This
museum and archive are housed next to the main headquarters of Bank Leumi. They
present the history of the Jewish community in the Land of Israel and the early
years of the State of Israel from an economic and financial viewpoint. The
exhibits include: the establishment of Otzar Hityashvut Hayehudim, the mother
company of Bank Leumi; the establishment of the Anglo-Palestine Bank, which
became Bank Leumi; the people who led the bank until 1957; the establishment of
the Tel Aviv Port; certified checks from World War I; the founding of Ahuzat
Bayit, the neighborhood that became the city of Tel Aviv; and the establishment
of Israel’s monetary system. The
museum also features a multimedia diorama showing how money was transferred in
the early 1900s, a model of the bank’s first branch in Jaffa, and a multimedia
presentation on the bank’s history.
Address: 36 Yehuda Halevy, Tel Aviv Tel.
(03) 514-9733
Palmach Museum
This
museum features a sophisticated presentation on the Palmach (an acronym for
Plugot Hamahatz or Striking Force), the military branch of the Haganah
underground organization. It shows the Palmach’s heritage and role in the War of
Independence and the establishment of the State of Israel. Visitors join a group
of young people from the time they enlist in the Palmach, shortly after its
establishment, until the end of Israel’s War of Independence. Their fascinating
personal story, a three-dimensional display, and special effects bring the
documentary material about this period to life. The tour of the museum begins
and concludes in a memorial hall for fallen Palmach fighters.The
museum also hosts temporary exhibits. Additional educational activities, led by
museum guides, are available if arranged in advance. The Palmach Museum is part
of the Museums Unit of the Ministry of Defense.
Address: 10 Haim Levanon, Tel Aviv Tel.
(03) 643-6393
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