Many think of Jerusalem, Israel, and see images
of the Old City and the Kotel and other ancient sites.
But near the Knesset and the Israel Museum is a special public place
founded with the Hebrew University and the Jerusalem Foundation,
which is a dynamic, innovative and attractive tourist destination.
There were so many things that I liked on my recent visit to
The Bloomfield Science Museum Jerusalem,
it has been hard to get down to a short list.
1. Before you even go inside the building,
the color and the energy are impressive.
2. Once in the front door, the diversity of the staff is clear.
All signs are in Hebrew, Arabic and English,
as the museum targets all the diverse populations of Jerusalem
with special educational activities.
3. With so many hands-on exhibits, it was hard to pick one photo,
4. No soft padding for little visitors, but real structures to explore.
5. Before there was a book about Israel as a start-up nation,
there were popular Hebrew children’s story books.
I love to see that from simple stories, science and culture can be linked
so that a scientific principle can be learned while having fun.
6. This week it has been especially hot in Jerusalem, perfect timing
to explore the dynamics of water on the museum grounds.
7. There is so much energy, you can feel it as you walk the halls.
8. The museum staff is available in every section to guide and explain.
9. An Innovation display show cases 50 of Israel’s top contributions
to modern technology. I love that Israelis developed
the “pill-cam“ from Israeli army missile technology.
10. I really enjoyed a chance to visit to the off-limits,
special workroom where everything in the museum is made.
There was much more that I found impressive,
like the special science encounters to encourage girls,
youngsters with special needs, and
the Arab population to appreciate science and technology.
I studied Chemistry in college and worked in bio-chemical research,
this visit reminded me of how much I enjoyed those lab experiments.
Next week there are special events planned
for the 20th anniversary of
The Bloomfield Science Museum Jerusalem.
Since this is only a small bit of what there is to see and do,
better to come and check it out for yourself
and be sure to see the new exhibition “Footprints of Light.”
An idea of Prof. Peter Hillman which started out in a small room
on the Hebrew University Givat Ram campus has grown to
a Museum has already attracted over 3,500,000 visitors.
However, one warning:
Adults beware of possible exhaustion.
