Haifa museums rally to save Templar artifacts

Following a Hezbollah rocket strike on a 130-year-old Templar building in Haifa on Saturday that holds an extensive collection of University of Haifa books and artifacts, efforts are underway to secure the contents.

The damaged building was Beit Keller, on the city’s Keller Street, that houses the university’s Schumacher Institute.

The roof was particularly damaged, prompting the institute’s staff to realize the urgent need to evacuate the materials to prevent further harm from rainwater.

Calls on social media

Dr. Lilach Barak, the institute’s director, took to social media to request immediate assistance in packing and moving the materials. The response was overwhelming, with dozens of volunteers stepping in to help, including staff from Haifa Museums. Volunteers from the collections department and the Haifa City Museum worked tirelessly throughout the day to carefully relocate the materials to municipal storage facilities.

Yifat Ashkenazi, curator of the Haifa City Museum, explained the importance of the rescue effort:

“The Haifa City Museum is itself housed in a Templar building, and we’re currently working on an exhibition highlighting Haifa’s rich Templar heritage. It was vital for us to be here today to ensure these historic materials are moved to safety. The archive collections are invaluable, as is the Templar building that housed them. I sincerely hope it will be restored soon.”