ANU - Museum of the Jewish People

This was formerly known as "The Diaspora House" or "Beit Hatfutsot" and was rebuilt and opened in 2021. It traces the history of the migration of the Jewish people around the world and the triumphs, contributions, trials, tribulations and persecutions they have faced. It is a powerful introduction to the motivations underlying the great desire of many Jews to return to their roots in Israel after the 2,000 years of the Diaspora.

It was a complete enjoyment and surprise as I expected to do this in an hour or so but ended up spending more than three hours. The exhibits were highly educational while remaining engaging and entertaining.

There were too many subsections, but one very interesting area was about "The Great Migration" when a third of Eastern European Jews (such as Tevye's daughter) emigrated to the USA. Emma Lazarus, a Jewish worker in NYC who helped to resettle Jewish immigrants wrote the poem 'The New Colossus' which was inscribed on the Statue of Liberty (“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”).

There was also a room dedicated to Leonard Cohen, who was a great supporter of Israel with a film of his last concert here.Read more