The European Jewish Press

By Maureen Shamee

The project was announced in Tel Aviv this week at a meeting of the International Board of Governors of Beth Hatefutsoth, by its chairman, Leonid Nevzlin.

According to Nevzlin, the 16,000 square meter museum will house a new permanent exhibition covering an area of 4,200 square meters, spread out over three floors.

The exhibition will be constructed in Beth Hatefutsoth, which is located on the Tel Aviv University campus, which will be entirely rebuilt for the new exhibition.

Beth Hatefutsoth was opened in 1978 thanks to the vision of Nahum Goldmann, then President of the World Jewish Congress.

The new museum project is financed by the government of Israel, the Claims Conference, the NADAV Fund and other international donors. Estimated cost is 25 million dollars.

Teams of architects, consultants, historians and academic advisors from Israel and abroad have already begun the planning and design of the new museum.

“This innovative museum is the first of its kind, and will be built on a scale never seen before in Israel” said Leonid Nevzlin, initiator of the project.

"Its purpose is to convey the unique and ongoing story of the Jewish people, while giving expression to a new perception about the relationship between the Jewish people and the State of Israel - the perception of one Jewish People, incorporating Jews living in Israel or any other place in the world," he added.

"For this reason we decided to change the name from ‘the Museum of the Jewish Diaspora’ to the ‘Museum of the Jewish People’," he noted.

According to the plans, the new museum will take its visitors on a fascinating journey where they will discover, understand and experience the unique story of the Jewish people and attempt to solve the mystery of its existence and remarkable survival.

The aim of the interactive exhibition is to inspire in visitors a sense of belonging and connection to the overall Jewish story through a variety of narrative threads such as the unity and diversity of the Jewish people, the Jewish world in modern times, the cultural influence of non-Jewish surroundings and the Jews’ interaction with it, the place of women in Jewish life and the special significance of the land of Israel and the State of Israel for the Jewish people.

According to Avinoam Armoni, CEO of Beth Hatefutsoth, the exhibition in the new museum is designed to draw on the many voices and faces of Jewish culture across all eras. "It will be pluralistic and modern, giving due representation to all communities, streams and groups comprising the Jewish people."