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first visit to Israel to consider taking up the position
of Director in 1996, that the Museum had exceptional
potential. It already enjoyed immense international
stature but I saw then that if we could tap into the
resources already accumulated, it could be transformed
into one of the great, encyclopedic, even universal
museums in the world.
And you feel this has now been achieved?
Yes, and no-one would be more proud, I believe, than
Teddy Kollek - should he be looking down from his
celestial perch.
Will you embellish on your encounters with
Jerusalem’s former memorable mayor?
He was inspirational; a personality and a visionary that
literarily moved the giant boulders of this great city.
I will always cherish my time that I got to know and
work with Teddy. I like to refer to him as the ‘Thomas
Jefferson of Jerusalem’. His mission from the late 1950s
was for Israel to have a national museum of encyclopedic
character that would be on par with the finest museums
in the great Western
nations. This I believe has
now been achieved.
In broad brush strokes,
how has the Museum
been upgraded?
The project reinforced the
strengths of the museum’s
character, namely
its unique location,
architecture, landscape
and collections. The way
we have restructured has
allowed the Museum to
double its collections on
exhibit.
I have to say that for
a country as young as
modern Israel, to have a
museum of such depth,
strength and power, is
truly remarkable. There
is not an overseas guest
who leaves here not
imbued by the power this
institution exudes.
Will you share any
impressions of some
of your more familiar
guests?
Too many to name and
Tim Hursley, Courtesy of the Israel Museum
The Inbal Jerusalem Hotel
The Israel Museum illustrious Director, James Snyder in front
of the iconic Shrine of the Book.
Spring-Summer 2011
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unfair to single out a few. Let me say this. I know of no
other museum in the world that attracts as many world
leaders as the Israel Museum. But if I decline to mention
specific individuals, I’m happy to single out two groups
that both resonated with me in a very personal and
enriching way.
Firstly, the recent visit of the Chilean miners was for me,
particularly special.
After their life-threatening ordeal, these remarkable
survivors wanted to connect with the sources of
inspiration that gave them the strength at the time
to endure their frightening ordeal. This is what they
were looking for and found in Israel. This country
and Jerusalem does this, and I speak from experience.
From my first visit here, I felt this inspiration and I have
taken it and directed it towards everything I do for this
museum. This is what I expressed to the miners at the
beginning of their tour.
Another group that always visits the Israel Museum is
Taglit-Birthright. I believe that this program that provides
every young Jew in the Diaspora a free 10-day trip to
Israel as a ‘right-of-birth’ is one of the most remarkable
and farsighted joint
projects between Jewish
philanthropy and the
Government of Israel.
Whenever I address these
groups, I tell them, that
in my own way, I identify
with them in the sense
that this museum was my
‘Birthright’ to Israel.
A portal into Israel, from
biblical times to the
present.
Our visit started at the
Second Temple model,
which covers nearly
one acre. A recreation
of ancient Jerusalem at
its peak, it meticulously
recreates the topography
and architecture in 66
CE, the year in which
the Great Revolt against
the Romans broke out.
One can spend hours
walking around the
model, marveling at its
fine detail and imagining
what life had been like. It
provides a vivid context
for the Shrine of the
Book, a repository for the