Museums and theaters open their doors during the ongoing war

More museums and theaters are opening their doors, as well as offering special children’s programming during the ongoing war in Gaza. 

The Tower of David Jerusalem Museum (www.tod.org.il/en) is now open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday-Thursday. The museum is also conducting three-hour guided family activities at Jerusalem hotels for displaced families from the South and North. Evacuees who would like to visit the museum are admitted free of charge. The activities at the hotels include story-time, lessons in making musical instruments out of materials such as bottles, and a game of riddles and quizzes about Jerusalem. 

The museum has also created a “Fortress of Time” game that families can play at home, about a time traveler who gets stuck in different historical periods of Jerusalem, leaving behind mysterious clues. The players must help the traveler repair the time machine and bring him back to the future. 

This interactive game includes puzzles and tasks for the whole family that bring the museum galleries, the ancient citadel, and the atmosphere of Jerusalem into the players’ homes. To play, families need a computer, a mobile phone, a printer, and a pair of scissors. 

The museum is also offering free printable coloring pages that are based on the Street Games exhibition. It explores Jerusalem’s architecture as described by architect David Kroyanker in his books. 

Also available is a series of lectures by the artists, historians, filmmakers, and others who created the new interactive exhibits now on display at the museum. These include Ari Folman, Ben Shani, Naftali Glicksberg, and many others who speak on topics such as directing, media and technology, architecture, conservation, accessibility, design, and archaeology. 

Museums and theaters in Holon

The Mediatheque in Holon has a number of museums and exhibits open for free for children and families, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday-Thursday and on Saturday. Advance reservations are required via www.mediatheque.org.il.

The Israeli Museum of Caricatures and Comics (cartoon.org.il), which is part of this Holon complex, is featuring a retrospective of the work of Israeli children’s book illustrator, Dani Kerman. There are also exhibits of political cartoons.

The Children’s Cinematheque in Holon is offering movies every day, and the Mediatheque also features online story hours for children, theater performances, comic workshops, and many other online activities.  

The Gesher Theater has released many of its plays online for children and adults. It also offers a number of plays for adults, including such classics as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The children’s plays can be found on their YouTube channel at bit.ly/3QdOHog, while the programming for adults is at bit.ly/3tvnbKd