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52

FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1991

50

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July 31, 1991

"

23292 Farmington Road
1 blk. S. of Grand River, Farmington

CARL ALPERT

Special to The Jewish News

T

he small group of
young men listened in-
tently as the lecturer at
the museum pointed out ar-
tifacts dating back to the
Bronze Age and noted how
they could be identified.
Many made appropriate en-
tries in their open notebooks.
No one watching would guess
that they were hard-core
cases from a nearby military
prison.
Not far off was another
group. There was no sign
reading "Do not touch," and
the visitors ran their hands
over the figurines, their
fingers exploring every inci-
sion of the ancient engravings
on the rocks. This was their
way of "seeing" because the
members of the group were
blind.
The hall was cleared quick-
ly, for an attendance of about
120 was expected at a bar
mitzvah celebration. No.
There were no tables set up
for dinner or goodies. Here
the refreshments would all be
cultural and artistic — an ex-
perience they would
remember much longer than
any catered affair.
These are typical of a day at
the Reuben and Edith Hecht
Museum at Haifa University,
one of the very few museums
in the country to which ad-
mission is free. "We don't
want an admission charge to
serve as an excuse for anyone
not to come," says Mr. Hecht,
whose private archeological
collection, accumulated over
a period of sixty years, serves
as the basis for the museum.
And tens of thousands of
visitors do come annually to
visit a museum which is not
merely an assembly of chance
items, but one with a
deliberate philosophy: "The
People of Israel in the Land of
Israel."
But let's get back to those
unusual groups mentioned at
the outset. The curator of the
museum, Ofra Rimon, ex-
tended an invitation to all
military units to visit and
promised special programs.
They all came, except one
group: those incarcerated in
military jails. Why leave
them out? she asked, and
prevailed upon the military
authorities to arrange group
visits for them, too. The first
group, behind bars for short
terms because of minor viola-
tions, spent less than two
hours. Ofra was not satisfied.
She wanted tough cases, and

Photo by Zeev Radova n

SEDAN DeVILLE

Head:
Late Israelite Period

Figurine

so the next group was compos-
ed of soldiers convicted on
drug charges, criminal acts,
etc. They could earn a place in
the museum tour by good
behavior. Did it seem that
discipline in jail improved
perceptibly thereafter? Now
the program was not just a
one-time visit, but a continu-
ing course, conducted weekly.
They were encouraged to
keep notebooks and to reread
them when they returned to

The program was
not just a one-time
visit, but a
continuing course,
conducted weekly.

their cells, in preparation for
next week's tour.
What were they supposed to
be learning? The historical
relationship of the Jewish
people to the land of Israel as
evidenced in the rocks and
the coins, the seals and the
implements. The periods of
the First and Second Ibmples,
of the Mishnah and the
Talmud, came alive with
meaning to those wearing the
uniform of Israel's defense
forces. No one knows how long
the influence will last, but
there is reason to believe that
much of what they learned
here will stick and perhaps
help change both character
and attitude to the homeland.
What they acquire here can
be summed up in one old-
fashioned word: Zionism.
Back at the prison, the
members of the group are
called, perhaps with a tinge of
envy, the Department of
Liberal Arts.
The bar mitzvah party is no
less unusual. It is a collective
bar mitzvah, for a whole class
at school — usually 40
children accompanied by 80
parents. The program in-