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Theatrical Tours: "One Thousand and One Nights"
Theatrical tours with actors in the museum galleries, inspired by famous tales and in the spirit of Islamic art.
Sinbad
Sinbad the Sailor tells his life story to a poor porter: how he lost all of his money and set sail in search of treasure and adventure. Between the treasures of the museum and those imagined by the listeners, the children follow the actors through the amusing and surprising plot and help Sinbad in his adventures.
Aladdin and Jasmine
The two lovers, Aladdin and Jasmine, have beaten the evil Jafar and got married. But why is Jasmine angry with Aladdin? In an amusing tour throughout the museum "palace", between jewellery and finery, treasures of gold and silver, the children will help Aladdin and Jasmine to reconcile, and discover what the Sultan needs in order to wisely rule the kingdom.
The Tales of Juha
An original and amusing play that revolves around one of the funniest characters in Mediterranean fables and folklore: Juha, the foolish-wise folk hero. From all over Bukhara, people come to the temple of Juha, the poor and humourous servant, to receive a blessing and to be healed. What is the secret to his dizzying success? And what's the donkey doing there? One after the other, the halls of the museum turn into a temple, a desert and a mountaintop palace. Without the help of the children, there's no knowing what Juha may find tomorrow.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Ali Baba, the humble lumberjack, accidentally discovers the magical cave of the forty thieves and finds within it jewellery and treasures from the exhibits of the museum. The children will meet him and his wife, her greedy sister who makes her tell her secrets, the cruel head of the thieves who captures Ali Baba's brothers and of course, Marjina, the clever servant who solves all of the problems and saves Ali Baba's family.
The Jerusalem Advantage for Elementary Schools
Branch: Art and Literature (Years 1-2)
Part 1
Subject of Activity: The Never Ending Treasure
Activity: A journey after the lost treasures of the King, during which the students will search throughout the museum for the silverware, gold and jewelry of the King; find items made from all sorts of eras and materials, musical instruments and a number of stories; and discover what the never ending treasure is, that is given to every person, no matter who they are.
Education in the Museum: The experiential tour in the museum will expose the students to a rich world of art, beauty and inspiration, integrating puzzles and questions about a variety of decorative and diverse practical art pieces – from the peaks of Islamic art.
Part 2
Subject of Activity: Art, Artists and Craftspeople.
Activity: A multisensory experience with glass, ceramics, wood, metal and stone. Each material has its own unique qualities, and the manner of processing and decorating them differs from each material and requires different skills.
Education in the Museum: During the tour, the students will get to know the techniques that were used by makers of jewellery, pottery, tiles, furniture, etc. They will learn about the craft of the potter, the jeweler, the calligrapher and the glass blower, and will examine the connection between material and technique.
Duration of Activity: Two and a half hours
Number of Students: Unlimited
Branch: History and Heritage (Years 3-4)
Subject of Activity: The Game of Thrones in Muslim Culture
Activity: Getting to know the leisure culture in Muslim society, forms of recreation and entertainment and comparing them to our own leisure culture.
Education in the Museum: Through an experiential tour of the galleries, questions and puzzles, the students will learn about the historical development of leisure culture in Muslim countries, and about the forms of recreation and entertainment that were popular. They will also learn about the importance of silhouette theatre, music, chess and other leisure activities in the courtyard and among commoners, as they are reflected in Islamic art.
Subject of Activity: Between Isaac to Ishmael
Activity: Meeting with the Arabic and Jewish cultures through faith, domestics and family.
Education in the Museum: A journey of discovery and getting to know the art and culture of Islam, with select stations that reflect faith and art, thought and culture, beauty and the love of life. During the journey, the students will be exposed to the structure of Muslim and Jewish culture through family, ceremonies and domestics. We will examine how traditional clothing reflects faith, customs, social status and identity, and how music and songs reflect faith and lifestyle.
The Jerusalem Advantage for Post-Elementary Schools
Branch: Tolerance and Dialogue between Cultures
Subject of Activity: The Jews in Islamic Countries
Activity: Presenting mutual influences and cooperation between Judaism and Islam throughout history. Jewish and Muslim scholars have influenced and were influenced by each other in the areas between Iraq to Egypt to Spain. Their achievements in the areas of philosophy, history, science and medicine are valued to this day.
Education in the Museum: In an experiential tour through the museum and the collections of jewellery and charms, the students will be exposed to the mutual influences between the two cultures and will learn about their shared artistic motifs, such as King Solomon's seal, which appears on one of the exiting exhibits from "A Mountainous Treasure", birds as a symbol of the connection between Heaven and Earth, a tile from Iran that bears Persian writing with Hebrew letters and more.
Branch: History, Culture and Tradition
Subject of Activity: The Jews in the Ottoman Empire
Activity: In the 500 years in which the Ottoman Empire reigned over the Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus and South Eastern Europe, there lived within it a colourful community of Jews. Many people have left their mark on the history of Ottoman Judaism, between them royal associates, doctors, translators, bankers, and successful merchants, whom made it to greatness through their contributions to the empire.
Education in the Museum: We will begin with a general background of Islam and historical information about the Ottoman period, and proceed with an experiential tour of the museum, during which the students will examine the mutual influences between the cultures at that point in history. From examining the book "Turkish Outfits" from the 17th century, we will learn about the influence of Ottoman fashion on the Jews, and from observing the rich variety of tiles displayed in the museum, we will get to know the plant-related motifs that were used in Ottoman art and among the communities of the empire.
A Shared Experiential Day in the Museum for Islamic Art and the Museum of Natural History
Subject: Natural Medicine, Medical Herbs and Spices.
Day Plan:
The Museum for Islamic Art
Activity:
The Jerusalem Museum of Natural History
*Participants of the experiential day are entitled to free entry to the exhibits of the Museum of Natural History
Teaching Values
The Museum for Islamic Art and The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute invites students from greades 10-12 to a meaningful learning experience on topical, social and moral subjects that is designed to develop independent, critical and creative thinking. The subjects found in the program "Values on the Agenda" have been adapted to fit the Ministry of Education's curriculum for geography, history and civics.
Course 1 – Lecture and Discussion:
In this course, the students will listen to lectures on topics to do with studying history and civics the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, and will afterwards be guided on a tour of the Museum for Islamic Art, following which they will take part in discussion workshops in light of the lectures.
Course 2 – Dialogue:
The students will converse on the subjects of democracy and civil rights through simulation and role-swapping games in which students must cope with presenting an opposing opinion. The dialogues will be led by a public figure.
Course 3 – General Education:
Opening a window to the global world and expanding the students' knowledge of history, philosophy, geopolitics, art and health. The subjects will be arranged with each school in advance.
Preparation activities will be held in class before each meet-up, and afterwards – the learning will commence with the instruction of the schoolteachers and museum tour guides.
It is possible to pick either one or multiple meet-ups from each course.
Activity (the type of course is up to you):
Monocultural Course: The topic and content of the lecture will be arranged with the school.
Bicultural Course: The activity is shared between two schools. The topic and content of the lecture will be arranged with both of them.
Point of View through the Camera Lens
With Photographer Bruce Shefer
For Students in Years 10-12
For Teenagers as part of the "Social Involvement" Program
The Museum for Islamic Art sees its purpose in connecting between Jews and Arabs, and deepening their familiarity and understanding of each other. The museum strives towards intercultural tolerance and familiarity, to promote values of equality and to strengthen ties with the community.
During the school year, the museum conducts a series of meet-ups with students in years 10-12 from different schools in Jerusalem, in which the teens will acquire new skills in photography, get to know both the permanent and changing exhibitions of the museum, converse on the topics of identity and community, and engage in promoting democratic and liberal values.
The meet-ups take place on Thursdays, between 16:00 – 19:00
The scope of the program is around 60 hours in total:
30 hours of training: Acquiring skills in photography with the guidance of a professional photographer, and in social involvement in a multicultural society.
30 hours of social involvement: Using the acquired skills for creating art and promoting democratic and social values.
The Museum Comes to Class
Schools Learning with the Help of the Museum
The museum steps out of its walls and comes straight to the schools with a variety of activities, educational sessions, plays and workshops. The topic and content will be arranged with the schools.
Years 1-4
Islamic Art
Summary: A fascinating journey following a variety of practical art pieces from the peaks of Islamic art throughout all of history. The journey follows these items, pieces of jewellery, pottery, glassware and decorated and bejewelled pieces of wooden furniture, and will be followed by an interactive game, a viewing of the exhibits and the studying of practical and artistic outlooks.
Crafts Workshop: According to choice and topic of study.
Leisure Culture
Summary: An educational activity that includes puzzles for learning about the development of leisure culture in Muslim culture and the forms of recreation and entertainment that were popular, in comparison to leisure culture today. The students will learn about the importance of leisure culture in courtyard activities and among commoners, about silhouette theatre, music and chess as they are expressed in Islamic art.
Workshop: Games of chess, Senet and draughts, or a music workshop.
Years 5-6
Arabic Language and Writing*
Summary: Hebrew and Arabic are sister languages. They have similar structures, a shared basic vocabulary and have many other points of similarity. The students will be exposed to the roots of the Arabic language, learn Arabic words that are similar to Hebrew, and will get to know the Arabic language through word games, sentences and songs. Through phrases and sayings, highlighting the similarities between the cultures, we will get a look at the everyday life and cultural values in Islam and Judaism. The students will notice the linguistic similarity between Arabic and Hebrew, as they listen to audio tracks in Arabic that correspond with the exhibits of the museum and with texts famous in both languages.
Workshop: Pressing the stylised Arabic alphabet or Arabic greetings onto aluminium sheets and painting them with permanent colours.
*Also intended for schools that teach Arabic as an additional language
