Posted on 07/29/24
Jerusalem, Israel - July 29, 2024 - The new National Library of Israel is a must-see for all visitors to Jerusalem, Israel. Guided tours are provided and recommended but reserve a space online, and book early as the tours are so popular.
Now for a summer activity for the whole family, a new exhibition opened geared to interest and engage children.
“Poof Sipur” (“Poof Stories)” offers children aged 5-11 two hours of storytelling, an experiential theater, a crafts activity, and the opportunity to relax on nine different giant “poofim” (the Israeli term for bean-bag chairs).
A curated exhibition of works by nine Israeli textile artists created large cushions with designs inspired by different children's stories. The selection of artists was made by curator Hagar Raban, who guided the creative process with Tsila Hayun, Head of the Culture Department at the National Library of Israel.
The artists and the stories that inspired their giant cushions are:
· Ofir Ivgi – Joseph and His Coat of Many Colors.
· Bat Dzaveli (Batt-Girl) – Utz Li Gutz Li (Rumpelstiltskin).
· Talia Shannon Mozes – Savta Soreget (Granny Knits).
· Neta Bacharach – Penelope.
· Naama Ben Moshe – Beigdei haMelech haHadashim (The Emperor’s New Clothes).
· Stav Forges – Boutique Sigi v’Hut (Boutique Sigi & Thread).
· Anat Friedman – Juha v’haGlima (Juha & The Cloak).
· Tamar Nix – Maase b’Tsemer Pele (A Tale of Wonder Wool). .
· Tamara Efrat – The Minotaur.
Founded in Jerusalem in 1892, the National Library of Israel (NLI) serves as the dynamic institution of communal memory for the Jewish people worldwide, and Israelis of all backgrounds and faiths.
NLI holds the world's largest collections of textual Judaica, Jewish and Israeli music, maps of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and world-class collections of Jewish and Islamic manuscripts, rare books, photographs, community and personal archives, and more.
Along with being Israel's preeminent research library, NLI is also dedicated to encouraging audiences in Israel, and around the globe, to engage with its treasures through a range of innovative educational, cultural, and digital initiatives, as well as through its new landmark building, which reflects central values of democratizing knowledge by opening its collections, and resources to as broad and diverse an audience as possible.
One piece of information I point out to new visitors to the new NLI building. In the many impressive details of the design of the massive project, on the main reading level, the center circle contains the Talmud and its various editions.
A short video of my first NLI tour in September 2023, before the library's October opening was delayed.
For more information: www.nli.org.il/en
The photo essay includes the synagogue, cafe, outdoor eating area, and a couple of young boys enjoying one of the large pillows. Plus the exhibit of remaining hostages' chairs and books waiting for their return from captivity in Gaza.
