A Winter's Tale (English)

This tour is independant of the museum. Museum admission is still required, in addition to the RSVP. The Israel Museum is not responsible for any aspect of this tour, and will not recognize your registration here towards the admission. Thank you!

A Winter’s Tale is about Chanukah and Purim, which connect to historic events from the Second Temple period.  Purim took place in the Persian Empire, in the city of Susa. Chanukah took place under the Seleucid Syrian Greek Empire, in the hills of Judea and Samaria.  Inspired by Mark Helprin’s book title, A Winter’s Tale (1983), this tour examines key ideas from the history and archaeology of these periods, with an emphasis on their philosophical relevance to Jewish identity.  What is the role of these holidays at the end of the Jewish year? And how is this placement a preparation for our rebirth as a nation in the Exodus, encountered in the upcoming holiday of Passover? 

THIS TOUR IS IN ENGLISH This tour is approximately 2 hours long, in the Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem and will be offered in December in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.