Day 70 - The Diaspora Museum

When you use the word "diaspora" to describe Jews, it is usually done in reference to Jews that live outside the country of Israel.  Therefore, I found it very interesting when I came across a "Disapora Museum" that is located in Israel.  For some reason, this seemed like somewhat of an oxymoron to me.

The Diaspora Museum, also known as "Beit Hatefutsot", is located in Tel Aviv.  It is a unique museum in that it's mission is to tell the stories of the Jewish people that occurred outside the country of Israel.  This museum specializes in very unique exhibitions such as:

Operational Finale - The Story of the Capture of Eichman
After fifty years, Mossad is releasing secret documents to salute the people in Israel and abroad, who worked together to capture Adolph Eichman (Hitler's number one man) in Argentina in 1960.

Overseas Volunteers in Israel's War of Independence
A salute to all the 4,500 volunteers (Jews and Non-Jews) that came from all over the world to support the country of Israel during the War of Independence in 1948.  123 of them were killed, including four women and eight non-Jewish volunteers. After the war, the majority returned to their home countries, but approximately 500 of them remained in Israel.

Exhibits the museum has featured in the past include:

•  In Search of Human Grace - A Photo Journey to the Jewish Community of Georgia
• Transcending Tradition - Jewish Mathematicians
• Light and Shadows - The Story of Iran and the Jews 

In addition to their regular and special exhibits, the Disapora Museum also serves as the Douglas E. Goldman Jewish Genealogy Center.  In this center, visitors can use computerized databases to identify their family trees.

From what I have read, the museum is in the process of changing and evolving, much like the Jewish people.  As of 2014, the museum will be changing it's name to the Museum of the Jewish People.  With the name change, the museum will be changing it's focus from the Jewish people in the Diaspora to the history of the Jewish people - from biblical times to the present.