The National Library of Israel in Jerusalem Comes to Tel Aviv and Bnei Brak

For the first time, the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem will present two exhibitions featuring stunning display copies of its treasures within the urban space of Gush Dan. The exhibitions will be displayed at two central stations: Shaul HaMelech Station in Tel Aviv, adjacent to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Cameri Theater, the Israeli Opera, and other cultural institutions; and Ben-Gurion Station in Bnei Brak, located near the BSR Towers business center. These outdoor exhibitions, featuring large-scale display copies, will introduce light rail passengers to the finest spiritual and cultural treasures of Israel and the Jewish people.

The unique collaboration between the National Library and the Tevel company, the operator of the Red Line from the Egged Group, seeks to bring culture to the passenger and turn the Red Line stations into a stage for national treasures. This is a breakthrough collaboration between the institutions, allowing hundreds of thousands of daily passengers on the line to be exposed to the cultural and heritage treasures of the Jewish people.

In the station concourses, photographs of a variety of rare treasures kept at the National Library will be displayed, including: Maimonides' Mishneh Torah with 14th-century gold-illuminated illustrations, the original manuscript of the national anthem "Hatikvah," the newspaper printed on the day the state was established, Franz Kafka’s Hebrew study notebook, handwritten poems by Naomi Shemer and Hannah Szenes, ancient historical maps, photographs from the early days of Tel Aviv, manuscripts by Isaac Newton, and many other items. Additionally, stunning photographs of the National Library's new home in Jerusalem will be showcased.

The exhibition seeks to connect the passengers passing through Tel Aviv and the central region to the treasures kept in Jerusalem, and to bridge the collections and archives preserved under strict conservation conditions with life itself. It also aims to remind us that culture does not exist only behind walls, but is alive and present in the public sphere and the daily experience.

The National Library and Tevel, the Red Line operator, have joined forces for an innovative cultural initiative, inviting the hundreds of thousands of daily passengers to stop for a moment, look at the photographs of the treasures, and feel part of a large and ongoing cultural story of the Jewish people and Israeli society.

The exhibitions were curated by Karin Shabtai from the National Library and Orit Lotringer from Tevel. The exhibitions will be on display for a period of 8 months, with the possibility of an extension.