The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, founded (1965) as the country's national museum, comprises several main sections: the collection of the Bezalel Museum of Fine Arts, Judaica and Ethnography, exhibits of items typical of various Diaspora Jewish communities, art galleries, period rooms and a comprehensive selection of art objects from Africa, North and South America, Oceania and the Far East; an archeological wing containing artifacts from prehistoric times to the 15th century; a sculpture garden with over 60 works; the Shrine of the Book which houses rare biblical manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls; a youth wing comprising galleries, classrooms and workshops, with an extensive educational program; the Rockefeller Museum in East Jerusalem, housing a collection of regional archeology; the Paley Art Center in East Jerusalem which runs programs for Arab children; and the Ticho House, an art gallery and popular cafe in a century-old mansion in the center of Jerusalem. A wide range of impressive temporary exhibitions are presented regularly, as well as activities ranging from lectures, workshops and films to chamber concerts and art classes.
In honor of its 45th anniversary, the Israel Museum recently completed a major renovation, which doubled the museum's gallery space. The new design of the galleries takes the visitor on a journey through time, starting with archeology and pre-history, a billion and a half years ago, and moving all the way to contemporary art.
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