Shavuot Part 1 - Freedom and the Language of the Land

Part One. Tour will be EITHER in English or in Hebrew, depending on sign-up. YOU decide!

So many holidays. We know the famous joke “they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat!” - which is quite inaccurate, of course. There are just so many holidays that you can’t see the forest for the feasts.

Shavuot is when we received the Torah at Mount Sinai. Its other name “Bikkurim” or “First Fruits”, indicates an agricultural festival. In this two-part tour we will addresses different aspects of the Jewish year cycle, specifically this time between Pesach to Shavuot.

The first tour explores the holiday-and-festivity-rich time of year - which sees many expressions of redemption and independence - from the Exodus to the battles of Modern Israel: Memorial Day, Independence Day and Yom Yerushalayim, and finally - Bikkurim day.

The second part deals with the counting of the Omer (Sefirat ha-Omer) and Lag ba-Omer’s most important characters: Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Shimon b. Yohai and Shimon b. Kokhba (ben Kosiba). We will explore how these dramatic personae impacted two millennia of Jewish attitudes towards the exile, and how they reshaped the image of Jewish glory and Zionism.

For details about the Israel Museum opening hours and admission tickets, please visit the museum website