Friends of Zion Museum – Jerusalem’s ‘experiential tourism site’ launched

JERUSALEM, Israel – In the presence of the former president of Israel Shimon Peres, and hundreds of friends and supporters from around the world, the Friends of Zion Museum was officially launched in

JERUSALEM, Israel – In the presence of the former president of Israel Shimon Peres, and hundreds of friends and supporters from around the world, the Friends of Zion Museum was officially launched in Jerusalem last night. The museum was built as a testimony to the thousands of non-Jewish people who assisted the Jewish nation during the last few generations, during the British Mandate, the Holocaust and in the days of the establishment of the State of Israel.

The museum is an initiative of Dr. Mike Evans, who brought together and rallied thousands of Israel-loving Christians from all Christian denominations, who contributed, donated and helped establish the museum in Jerusalem. The museum’s exhibits describe the contributions of the friends of Israel such as former US president Harry Truman, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Prof. George Bush a relative of former US President George W. Bush, Orde Wingate, and the Righteous Among the Nations such as Oskar Schindler, Raoul Wallenberg and the Ten Boom family, who risked their lives and the lives of their families to save Jews who were persecuted throughout the world.

Former President Shimon Peres: “Talmud teaches us that ‘he who saves one soul saved a whole world’, these brave man and women, the righteous among nations, are not the heroes of the past. They are relevant for each one of us even today, when the state of Israel is in the shadow of a nuclear threat. We all owe them not only our existence here, but world’s righteousness. It’s a morality that keeps humans human. Throughout history, our people have enjoyed the support of many from all over the world โ€“ they are stars dotting in the dark skies of the diaspora. Shining brightly. Mike, your vision has come true today, your support and your family’s support are now engraved here both in stones and in our heart. This place shall become a temple and a mount, unprecedented and unimaginable. A place where all will deliver prayers to the blue heavens, reminding us that each of us, all of us, were created in the image of the lord.”

In the opening event, former president Shimon Peres, Chairman of the museum’s international board of trustees inaugurated the Lights in the Darkness exhibition presenting the heroics of Righteous Among the Nations who saved Jews during the Holocaust. The opening event included a large-scale Video Mapping display that was projected, to the amazement of the attendees, on the museum building, opposite the big square. The Museum plans to include further Video Mapping projections on its building in future for the enjoyment of passer-byes.

The impressive Video Mapping presentation provides onlookers with a taste of what is in store for them when taking the Museum tour. The Friends of Zion Museum is an experiential tourist site that captivates the senses using state-of-the-art technology, including unique custom-developed audio-visual displays, 3D exhibits, stunning video mapping displays, unique lighting, all produced specifically for the location. The museum, housed in a four-story terraced building, contains dozens of changing exhibits. In constructing the museum an emphasis was placed on light and shadow variations, visual lighting, three-dimensional construction of maps and exhibits and special lighting effects, enhancing the visitor’s as they hear the stories of the steadfast Christian support for the Jewish people.

The Friends of Zion Museum is an experiential tourism site that captivates the senses and includes some of the most technologically advanced exhibits in the world. The Museum is housed in a four -story building and is fully accessible. Guests will be treated to a three-dimensional experience, original musical score, unique lighting, and stunning video mapping, all produced specifically for the location. Its construction included three-dimensional maps and exhibits that enhance the visitor experience and tell the story of the steadfast Christian support for the Jewish people.

Among the hundreds of guests who attended the museum’s opening event were also former Minister of Justice Yaakov Neeman; the Knesset member Eli Elalouf; General (Res.) Yossi Peled; Major General (Res.) Danny Yatom; former Minister, Dalia Itzik; the producer Haim Slutsky and Kobi Oshrat and many others.

During the soft launch phase, the Museum opened its doors to over 30,000, both tourists and locals, from Israel and abroad.
The museum’s Address: The Friends of Zion Museum, 20 Yosef Rivlin Street (near the Cats’ Square) in Jerusalem.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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