Beth Hatefusoth, the Museum of the Diaspora, has ceased to be on the A - list of destinations in Israel, but when it opened it made quite a splash, at a time when multi-media museums were not yet the norm. I took a number of groups there and they were uniformly mesmerized by the visuals telling the story of the Jewish people during the roughly 2,000 years of dispersion, from 70 CE to 1948. Of course the message of the museum was that, with the return to Zion made complete in 1948, the Diaspora's time has passed. But we could excuse that bit of hyperbole. The museum is located in the northern 'burbs of Tel Aviv, after all.
But over time the museum got dusty and lost its luster. Now, with the introduction of its new website, launched just yesterday, we can give it a second look - and best of all, we can do it from our comfy chairs right here in the Diaspora!
Head to http://www.bh.org.il/ and see for yourself. Check out the core exhibition, which has models of synagogues from throughout the Jewish world, and marvel at the architectural diversity.
The site is still incomplete (I can't wait for the giftshop to be fully operational) - but it's defintiely worth a peek as we approach Yom Ha'atzmaut.
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