++,50,0“.... •

A diorama of the Second Temple.

J

erusalem — The
Museum of the
History of Jeru-
salem is certain
to become one of
the city's most exciting
tourist attractions. Crammed
with an array of state-of-the-
art displays and visual aids
that include three dimen-
sional dioramas, painstak-
ingly accurate cutaway
models, video films, animated
movies and a hologram, the
museum tells the story of
Jerusalem from its obscure
origins nearly 4,000 years
ago.
It is a brand new museum
in an ancient setting. Located
in David's Citadel by Jaffa
Gate, the recently opened
museum is spread over 11
medieval halls and surround-
ed by authentic archeological
remnants of the city's history
and breathtaking panoramas
of Jerusalem itself from the
citadel's walls. At night there
is a sound and light show.
The citadel was first open-
ed to the public nearly 10
years ago and has proven a
major attraction in itself. The
new museum was established
through the Jerusalem Foun-
dation as the result of the
determination of Mayor Ted-
dy Kollek and with the aid of
a $10.5 million gift from Vi-
vien Clore-Duffield of
England.
The coming together of
history itself and the re-
creation of history in exhibit
form is best exemplified in
the hall devoted to the period

100 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1989

Richard Nowitz, WZPS

Enlivening
History

A new museum brings to life
4,000 years of Jerusalem history.

SIMON GRIVER

Special to The Jewish News

of Moslem domination of
Jerusalem. The hall served as
a mosque during Ottoman
times and was used by the
Turkish garrison in the city.
A pulpit and prayer niche in
the hall have been refurbish-
ed and these are the only
original items in the entire
exhibition — a fact that the
museum's designers consider
a good thing.
"We provide the visitor
with a story, not a collection
of objects," explains Professor
Joshua Prawert of the
Hebrew University, who is
academic adviser to the
museum. "Insteadof display-
ing archeological artifacts
found in the city, we attempt
to convey a sense of continui-
ty about Jerusalem and its
history."
The theme of the museum

is time: the 11 halls reflect
historical periods and a time
bar at each entrance il-
lustrates the flow of history.
Beginning with the Ca-
naanite and First Temple
Period, the exhibit stretches
to British Mandatory rule
from 1917 to 1948.
Telling a story rather than
displaying items was suc-
cessfully pioneered by the
Museum of the Jewish
Diaspora in Tel Aviv. The
- Museum of the History of
Jerusalem employed English-
man • James Gardner, who
also designed the Diaspora
Museum, to supervize the
layout of displays.
The result of Gardner's
endeavors is impressive.
There are cutaway models of
the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, the original Al

Aksa Mosque and the Dome
of the Rock. Drawings provid-
ed by British architect Kim
Allen, who specialized in
making models of German in-
stallations for British in-
telligence during World War
II, offer the visitor a new in-
sight into important
buildings.
A hologram of the First
Temple is based on contem-
porary Phoenician architec-
ture and writings describing
the structure. A diorama
showing a crowd scene out-
side the Second Temple is
based on the archeological
finds of Professor Binyamin
Mazar of the Hebrew
University.
The exhibit maintains' a
sensitivity towards religious
sentiments. A plan to depict
David's face was dropped

after rabbinical opposition. In
a Persian illustration show-
ing Mohammed's ride from
Mecca to Jerusalem before he
ascended to heaven, the Pro-
phet's face is veiled.
The Crusader exhibition in-
cludes _ precise replicas of
knights and a delightful
animated movie about the
coronation of a Crusader king
based on illuminated
manuscripts from the time.
The final exhibit (at pre-
sent, for a film is being
prepared to tell the story of
Jerusalem since 1948) is a
screen split into nine squares
portraying the years of the
British Mandate through old
black and white news clips. It
includes poignant pictures,
such as that of a British
soldier at a security check
point searching for concealed
items under the fez of an
Arab and then beneath the
streimel of a Jew.
Less effective are video clips
from the Western Wall and
another film containing im-
portant biblical quotations.
Some visitors to the
museum have criticized it as
a kind of Disneyland, slickly
designed, to entertain rather
than inform. Professor
Prawer rejects such accusa-
tions: "The museum works on
different levels," he insists.
"It offers an overview for
those who know nothing
about the city and new in-
-those
sights for
knowledgeable about
Jerusalem!"

❑

World Zionist Press Service