Located on Tel Aviv University’s main campus, the Anu Museum of the Jewish People is a history museum with a perspective unlike any other. “Anu” in Hebrew means “we” and this museum is a celebration of us.
Built on the principles of openness, positivity, and history this is an interesting, colorful and lively museum, something not always said about history museums. The Anu museum celebrates ongoing history, from the past to today. Their main take, is that throughout our long history as Jews, and despite everything we have been through, there is more good than bad, a message that is especially important to remember this month as we commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day. If you take it over time, the positive we have contributed to culture outweighs our history of pain. Whether or not this is true, it is refreshing and inspiring to experience.
The goal of the museum is to present the rich 4,000-year-old history of the Jews through a sense of belonging for its visitors, to strengthen diverse Jewish identities, and to celebrate the pluralism of Jews. The museum consists of three floors each with its own exhibit, with the top focusing on global Jewish identity and Jewish contribution to art and culture. Everything from movies to dance to philosophy has been greatly contributed to and molded by the Jewish people; think Bob Dylan and Steven Spielberg.
There was a fun, colorful, lightheartedness to this museum with a half-floor dedicated just to comedy and Yiddish theatre around the world. Other floors went into great detail on Ashkenaz and Sphard, and how it was to be an American Jew living on the Lower East Side.
An Aroma cafe at the bottom filled with students made this a lively spot you don’t want to miss, good for a full day with family or a coffee with friends. You will leave amazed at how many beautiful and positive things the Jewish people have contributed to the world, and how a different perspective can change everything.
