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Freedom isn’t free
As we approach the Passover holiday this year, we are reminded daily that being a free people in our homeland requires much more than a statement of intention. It requires hope, resilience, determination, and defense. It’s your consistent support that reminds us that we do not face challenging times alone.
We are profoundly grateful to the Israel Defense Forces for their courage and sacrifice in defending our homeland. Their bravery is a constant reminder of the price of freedom. But the strength of a nation is measured not only on the battlefield—it is measured in the homes, communities, and institutions that preserve our spirit and our values. This is where your partnership makes a difference. As an educational institute, the Begin Center can help families stay busy, stay hopeful, and even learn a thing or two.
Meeting the moment
Because of your commitment to the Begin Center, we have been able to respond swiftly and meaningfully to the needs of families at home. Drawing on experience from previous shutdowns, we immediately shifted into action. During Purim, when families most needed moments of joy and connection, our programming continued uninterrupted. Our Megillah reader joined us on Zoom—calling in from his IDF reserves base in uniform—to read the story of Esther to more than 200 participants. We were able to provide a sense of normalcy and community at a time when both felt fragile.
Since then, thousands of people around the world have taken part in our online programs in Hebrew, English, French, and Russian. All of our digital materials—museum tours, games, virtual adventures, lectures, podcasts, and more—remain free and accessible because we believe that education, hope, and heritage must stay within reach, especially during war. And thanks to the protected shelter within our auditorium, our museum doors have remained open whenever conditions allowed, welcoming visitors seeking meaning, comfort, and continuity. (The Begin Center Comes to You)
You will find in the attached infographic a picture of how the Begin Center has risen to meet this moment—made possible through the support of friends like you.
Fun for Passover
Families are always looking for something to do in regular years during Passover, but possibly more so this year after weeks of sirens and hurrying to shelters multiple times per day and night. Building on our experience with “edu-tainment” – entertaining education – the Begin Center is offering a mystery in Menachem Begin’s living room and an “escape room” experience solving puzzles related to the Irgun. Then, purely for fun, and in partnership with the municipality, a circus workshop and show will be available for the younger audience. Of course, the museum will also be open. (Passover activities site)
We pray for a speedy and decisive end to the war so that we can welcome you back to the Begin Center in person. Until then…
Chag Pesach Sameach and Am Israel Chai!
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The Menachem Begin Heritage Center is the national commemoration project for the sixth prime minister of Israel and first Israeli Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The “Begin Law” was passed in the Knesset in 1999 to establish a center to honor the life, work, achievements, and legacy of Menachem Begin.
The Begin Law required that all funds for the physical building be from donations, so the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation was created. The Foundation is a legal foundation in Israel with Friends organizations in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The Menachem Begin Heritage Center building has been completely paid for and carries no outstanding debt. The Foundation pivoted its mission to help support the Center’s programs, scholarships, and other initiatives.
Based on the concept of a US Presidential Library, the Center houses an archives, research library, research center, a high-tech museum, and an education department. The events department hosts many community events in Hebrew, English, Russian, and French, both in person and online.
The longest-running program is the Junior Knesset program for 14–15-year-olds to learn civics and parliamentary procedures in class for a semester. The students complete the course by coming to the Begin Center to go through a role-playing process to pass a law. They also visit the museum.
Along with the Junior Knesset program, the education department hosts a nationwide Begin quiz, developed “escape boxes” to gamify learning how underground groups operated, and created a number of leadership courses for soldiers and officers to explore how to handle leadership dilemmas using personal values.
The high-tech experiential museum is the main contact with the public and takes the visitor on a journey through Menachem Begin’s life, allowing him to tell his story in his own words and in his own voice. In many ways, it is also the story of Israel and European Jewry.
The research center has made much of Menachem Begin’s writings available online and publishes books and articles on Begin’s principles and interpretation of nationalism-liberalism.
Other initiatives are linked to the principles and values Menachem Begin held dear or are related in some way to the life experiences that made him the leader he became. For example, in our exhibition space, we have included art exhibitions related to the Jewish communities in Poland between the wars; another exhibition was related to the Anders Army; another related to letters Menachem Begin wrote as prime minister to members of the public. The weekly Torah Study session exists because Menachem Begin valued Jewish learning and held his own weekly sessions open to anyone who wanted to attend.
The Begin Center takes the lessons of Menachem Begin’s life and achievements and uses them to build a vibrant, active institute of learning to inspire future generations.
For more information, please be in contact with Ilana Brown ilanab@begincenter.org.il
Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation
6 Sh. A. Nahon Street
Jerusalem ISRAEL
+972 2 565 2008
ilanab@begincenter.org.il
(Amuta # 580230001)
US Friends of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation
4525 Saguaro Trail
Indianapolis, IN 46268-2557
USA
(Tax exemption # 35-1895773)
Canadian Friends of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation
Suite 601, One Yorkdale Road
Toronto, ON M6A 3A1
CANADA
(Tax exemption # 1007004-21)
