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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 6 June 2018
Israel opening nature museum, with evolution exhibit

By ILAN BEN ZION of the exhibition, he can go
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — After and see it, or if he doesn't
decades of planning and want to see it, he doesn't
delays, Israel is opening the have to," Hershkovitz said.
doors of a new national The Natural History Museum
natural history museum in said in a statement that the
the city of Tel Aviv, a facil- exhibit's placement on the
ity that aims to increase sci- top floor was "made within
entific education despite considerations from several
religious opposition to the angles, which include the
theory of evolution. museum curation and story
The ultra-modern ark- plan and the space of each
shaped edifice is set to of the museum galleries."
open in July alongside the Orthodox Judaism's strict
Tel Aviv University campus interpretation of the Bible
and houses over 5.5 million leads many to reject the
specimens of species from theory of evolution, which is
around the globe. But the not taught in state-funded
Steinhardt Museum of Nat- ultra-Orthodox institutions,
ural History places special which make up 23 percent
emphasis on the flora and of Israel's schools. Even in
fauna indigenous to the non-religious schools, crit-
Holy Land and Middle East. ics point out that relatively
The $40 million project, de- few high school students
cades in the making, was encounter the subject of
funded in large part by In this Monday, June 21, 2017 photo, exhibition technician Dima Gurewitz places stuffed birds to human evolution in Israeli
American billionaire Mi- be displayed at the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Tel Aviv, Israel. classrooms.
chael Steinhardt, a major Associated Press A small natural history mu-
donor to Israel who keeps seum in Jerusalem recently
a menagerie of exotic ani- entrance are meant to versity and this building." who may find the subject came under fire for cover-
mals on his estate north of depict epic avian migra- Behind the scenes are the objectionable to easily by- ing an exhibit about hu-
Manhattan. tions from Africa to Europe museum's labs and re- pass it. man evolution with a sheet
The museum's curators say through Israel. search facilities, allowing "It's really a sensitive issue in to appease ultra-Orthodox
the institution — ticketed as The last Syrian bear to in- hundreds of scientists from Israel," said Israel Hershkov- visitors. The museum's cura-
the only natural history re- habit the country, killed in a variety of disciplines to itz, a Tel Aviv University an- tor defended the decision,
search center in the Middle 1916, and the last Asiatic study the samples of the thropology professor who saying the religious stu-
East — aims to raise public cheetah, killed in 1911, are natural world in the collec- helped curate the exhibit, dents otherwise would not
awareness about the natu- ghosts from a lost world, tion. Museum Chair Tamar echoing remarks from oth- have had any exposure to
ral world and environment teaching visitors about the Dayan said natural history er museum officials. natural history whatsoever.
by highlighting both the devastating changes to museums play a "key role" He said there was no in- For many Orthodox Jews,
country's ecological di- the local habitat. in the scientific endeavor tentional decision to hide said Rabbi Natan Slifkin,
versity at the crossroads of "The main goal of the mu- to map the web of life and the exhibit or censor its director of the Biblical Mu-
three continents, and the seum is to bring the public identify, name and study contents in any way. But seum of Natural History in
devastation wrought by closer to nature," said Alon the millions of species on he said there also was no Beit Shemesh, evolution has
modern development. Sapan, the museum's direc- Earth. "Natural history mu- intention "to tease the reli- become "the thing that in
Its halls combine tradition- tor. "To allow it to feel na- seums record nature, study gious" and the out-of-way people's minds defines the
al dioramas and innova- ture firsthand while support- nature, and also share their location was for the best. lines between the religious
tive interactive displays to ing this emotional visit with knowledge and treasures "It's up to everyone wheth- and the atheists."
showcase thousands of a lot of interesting scientific with the general public," er he wants to see the an- "Judaism is also connected
specimens. Stuffed hawks, stories and information, all Dayan said. thropological exhibition or to crocodiles and hyenas,
pelicans and vultures swirl- of which are research-sup- The museum doesn't shy not. He is not forced to pass not just to synagogues and
ing around the building's ported ... here at the uni- away from pointing the fin- through it, it's the last part things like that," he said.q
ger at humanity for its de-
structive role in the natural
world. It places a significant
emphasis on anthropo-
genic climate change and
habitat destruction.
But when it comes to hu-
man evolution, things are
more complicated.
An exhibit on human evolu-
tion titled "What makes us
human?" looks at human-
ity's evolution through the
lens of cultural accomplish-
ments: the harnessing of
fire, innovation of tools, and
In this Wednesday, June 7, 2017 photo, an exhibition technician development of agricul- In this Sunday, May 28, 2017 photo, taxidermist Igor Gavrilov
works on a whale skeleton replica to be displayed at the ture. The exhibit is situated works on a stuffed leopard to be displayed at the Steinhardt
Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Tel Aviv, Israel. Museum of Natural History in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Associated Press on the top floor of the mu- Associated Press
seum, allowing any visitors