The Friends of Zion Museum

The Friends of Zion Museum is a museum located in the historic Nahalat Shiv'a neighborhood of downtown Jerusalem. The museum celebrates Christian Zionists and their contribution to Israel.[1]

The Friends of Zion Museum
EstablishedApril 2015
Coordinates31°46′48.6″N 35°13′13.1″E

History

The museum tells the story of non-Jewish aid to the Jewish people, support of Zionism and assistance in the establishment of the State of Israel.[2] Each of the four floors exhibits different periods in Jewish history, including the 19th century, the British Mandate for Palestine, the Holocaust and the establishment of Israel.

The museum features seven exhibitions, combining 3D technology, touch screens, an original musical score and surround sound. All the work in the museum is local, by over 150 Israeli artists.

The museum opened in April 2015[3][4] and is considered to be the first "smart museum" in Israel. The museum's international audience is assisted by presentations in 16 different languages.

The founder of the museum is Mike Evans, an American Christian evangelist. Evans has written close to 70 books, many of them about Zionism. The museum is financed by donors from all over the world. The first International chairman of the museum was the Israel's 9th president the late Shimon Peres. General Yossi Peled is head of the board of governors, whose members include former IDF chief of staff, lieutenant general Dan Halutz, Kobi Oshrat, Professor Yaakov Ne'eman and others.

The Education Corps of the Israel Defense Forces sends soldiers to the museum to learn about the role of Christian Zionists in the 19th and 20th centuries advocating for the creation of a Jewish State.[5]

Exhibits

The main exhibit is "Here am I", and it features seven exhibits that run through different periods in history, starting at the biblical time and up until the establishment of the Jewish state. Every exhibit introduces different characters that have supported the Jews and Zionism, and helped establish the state.

The museum exhibits present the contribution of the Friends of Zion such as President of the United States Harry Truman, Prime Minister of Britain Winston Churchill, Orde Wingate and several Righteous Among the Nations such as Oscar Schindler. Raul Wallenberg and the Ten-Boom family that have saved lives during the holocaust while risking their own lives.

Museum awards

The museum awards every year the Friends of Zion award to those who have stood by the Jewish nation and supported it. The recipients by year:

In addition, in the year 2016 the founder of the museum Mike Evans released together with Pope Francis a joint statement condemning violence.

References
  1. "Mike Evans Museum". MikeEvansMuseum.org/. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
  2. "A Dream More Than THIRTY YEARS in the Making". jerusalemprayerteam.org. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  3. Chaim, Ilan (19 July 2015). "The Friends of Zion Museum". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  4. "Museums in Jerusalem: The Friends of Zion Museum (July 2015)". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  5. "IDF sends troops to tour museum honoring Evangelicals' support of Israel". Times of Israel. 24 December 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  6. "Friends of Zion Museum Awards President Plevneliev of Bulgaria at the Conference of Presidents", Yahoo finance.
  7. Museum, Friends of Zion. "Friends of Zion Museum Honors Eleven World Leaders at Israel's 4th Annual Christian Media Summit". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
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