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THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MUSEUMS IN ISRAEL
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 237443023 · Form 990 · FY2025 · NTEE Q112 · International Affairs · Micro (<$100K) · museumsinisrael.org
revenue
$-1.1M
expenses
$384K
net assets
$0
employees
2
volunteers
12
program ratio
54%
mission · from form 990

RECOGNIZING, PROMOTING, AND HONORING ITS OUTSTANDING PARTNER MUSEUMS IN ISRAEL BY PROVIDING EXHIBITION, PROGRAM, PROJECT AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF ITS DONORS.

profile · synthesized from sources

The website "Museums in Israel" serves as a travel and cultural guide focused on Israeli museums, highlighting their curatorial practices, conservation efforts, educational programs, and community engagement initiatives. It emphasizes how these institutions preserve diverse cultural heritages, including textile traditions, oral histories, and archaeological artifacts, while also addressing contemporary social issues. The content is oriented toward American travelers and cultural professionals seeking insight into Israel's museum landscape.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Digital Access to Collections
Online initiatives offering virtual tours, 3D artifact scans, and digital archives for global access to Israel’s cultural heritage
Oral History Initiatives
Programs capturing the living memories of communities such as Mizrahi Jews and Negev Bedouins to preserve unwritten histories
Social Healing and Reconciliation Programs
Museum-based initiatives using art and shared gallery spaces to foster dialogue and healing across divided communities
Textile Preservation and Artisan Partnerships
Efforts to safeguard Mediterranean weaving and embroidery traditions by collaborating with living artisans and documenting techniques
activities · 16 groups

What they do

  • Archaeological and Cultural Conservation 7 activities
    • Analyzing artifact fragments with AI for virtual reassembly
      Develops AI algorithms to analyze fracture patterns and surface features of broken ceramic and stone artifacts to support virtual reassembly.
    • Creating 3D digital models of cultural objects for preservation
      Uses photogrammetric scanning to create precise three-dimensional digital models of fragile or damaged cultural objects for preservation and research.
    • Creating immersive VR environments of destroyed historical spaces
      Creates immersive virtual reality environments that enable public access to historically significant spaces that are partially or fully destroyed.
    • Operating the Shrine of the Book exhibition
      Operates the Shrine of the Book, an extensively studied example of exhibition architecture that conveys the fragility and endurance of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
    • Reconstructing ancient ceramic vessels
      Spent eight months reconstructing a Canaanite storage jar from 214 fragments, demonstrating advanced conservation techniques.
    • Revealing hidden inscriptions using multispectral photography
      Applies multispectral photography to reveal inscriptions on stone fragments that are not visible to the naked eye.
    • Using 3D scanning for architectural fragment reconstruction
      Uses 3D scanning to plan reconstruction of architectural fragments from excavated sites in Jerusalem and the Galilee.
  • Teacher Professional Development 2 activities
    • Co-designing museum-based learning sequences with teachers
      Collaborates with teachers to co-design learning sequences that connect museum content to classroom objectives for school visits.
    • Developing educational materials through educator working groups
      Convenes annual working groups with educators and curriculum specialists to develop pedagogically sound learning materials based on museum collections.
  • Holocaust and Genocide Remembrance Education 2 activities
    • Conducting international education programs and study visits
      Conducts international education programs and study visits for delegations from Germany, Poland, and the Arab world focused on historical reflection and its connection to the present.
    • Supporting the Ghetto Fighters' House Museum
      Provides ongoing support to the Ghetto Fighters' House Museum, a major Holocaust memory institution founded by survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
  • Jewish and Cultural Heritage Archives 2 activities
    • Curating and preserving a major historical textile collection
      Holds a major textile collection including thousands of garments, fragments, and ritual objects from multiple centuries and communities, with portions made digitally accessible online for diaspora communities.
    • Preserving Iraqi Jewish heritage through oral histories and personal artifacts
      Records oral testimonies and collects personal photographs to build a unique archive preserving the history and culture of Iraq's Jewish community.
  • Local History Preservation and Education 2 activities
    • Delivering storytelling programs featuring dramatized historical figures
      Conducts storytelling-based programs featuring dramatized encounters with historical figures to connect ancient history to modern life.
    • Running adult education programs linking personal histories to museum collections
      Runs adult education programs that integrate personal and family histories with museum collections to explore broader historical narratives.
  • Oral History Collection and Preservation 2 activities
    • Integrating oral histories into Holocaust and immigration museum exhibitions
      Integrates recorded oral histories from witnesses, survivors, and first-generation immigrants into the physical layout of gallery spaces at Holocaust remembrance and immigration history museums.
    • Supporting community-run museums on kibbutzim
      Supports the establishment of community-run museums across more than a hundred kibbutzim to document local histories and produces accessible English-language resources on kibbutz history for international audiences.
  • Agricultural Training and Education Programs 1 activity
    • Developing agricultural heritage programs on kibbutzim
      Develops agricultural heritage programs featuring outdoor exhibits, working demonstration plots, and guided tours led by veteran kibbutz members.
  • Jewish Religious Institution Support 1 activity
    • Funding museum exhibitions, programs, and projects in Israel
      Provides exhibition, program, project, and financial support to partner museums in Israel.
  • Community Art Education Workshops 1 activity
    • Hosting traditional weaving and embroidery workshops
      Hosts live demonstrations and workshops in traditional weaving and embroidery led by experienced practitioners.
  • Art Appreciation and Public Engagement 1 activity
    • Integrating academic, community, and school programs into museum offerings
      Integrates academic lectures, community workshops, school partnerships, and international loan exhibitions into a unified institutional programming model.
  • Community-Engaged Public Art Projects 1 activity
    • Mounting collaborative exhibitions by Jewish and Arab artists
      Mounts exhibitions that feature collaborative works by Jewish and Arab artists, making intercommunal reconciliation a visible part of the artistic process.
  • Museum and Historical Gift Shops 1 activity
    • Operating online retail of Israeli artisan goods
      Operates online retail platforms enabling American visitors to purchase Israeli artisan goods post-visit, sustaining cultural engagement.
  • Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 1 activity
    • Presenting bilingual exhibitions on Jewish and Arab histories in Haifa
      Designs and presents bilingual exhibitions in Hebrew and Arabic that trace the intertwined histories of Jewish and Arab communities in Haifa.
  • Archival Digitization and Preservation 1 activity
    • Preserving and digitizing kibbutz archival records
      Perserves extensive personal and administrative records from kibbutz life and is digitizing these archival materials for long-term access and research.
  • Musicological Research and Scholarly Editions 1 activity
    • Reconstructing historical musical instruments and performances
      Collaborates with university musicology departments to reconstruct historical instruments and record performances using historically informed techniques for use in museum exhibitions.
  • Uncategorized 7 activities
    • Documenting diverse Jewish immigrant experiences through oral history collection
      Collects oral testimonies from Yemenite, Ethiopian, and Persian Jewish immigrants to represent diverse Jewish religious and cultural experiences.
    • Enhancing museum exhibitions with reconstructed historical soundscapes
      Implements reconstructed historical soundscapes in exhibitions, resulting in higher visitor emotional engagement and increased likelihood of return visits as measured by exit surveys.
    • Enhancing physical exhibitions with digital interactives
      Integrates digital interactives into physical gallery environments with a clear hierarchy prioritizing artifacts, using technology to deepen visitor engagement.
    • Facilitating dialogue programs in museum gallery spaces
      Hosts structured dialogue programs in gallery spaces using artworks as prompts for conversations about identity, memory, and loss among visitors from divided communities.
    • Offering behind-the-scenes museum tours
      Offers periodic behind-the-scenes tours including access to conservation areas at partner museums.
    • Providing contextual interpretation of cultural artifacts
      Uses contextual layering to present artifacts within reconstructed social, religious, and economic frameworks, helping visitors understand their historical significance.
    • Providing hands-on curriculum modules on ancient trade
      Offers a curriculum module that allows students to handle replica cargo containers, analyze trade goods, and reconstruct ancient voyages using maps and navigational tools.
financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$-1.10M
Contributions & grants$204K—
Program service revenue$0—
Investment income$-1.28M—
Other revenue$-26K
expenses
Total expenses$384K
Program expenses54%
Admin / overhead34%
Fundraising12%
Salaries & benefits$206K
Grants paid out$70K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$0
Cash$136K
Investments$1.35M
Liabilities$7K
Net assets$0
Liquid reserves46.4 mo
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue -185.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
ENID SHAPIRO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $109K
board members · 12
  • AMY ROLAND — DIRECTOR
  • BETTY SCHWARZ — DIRECTOR
  • CAROL NASAW — DIRECTOR
  • CAROL PENN — SECRETARY
  • DAVID GENSER — CHAIRMAN, TREASURER
  • ELLEN BERGER — DIRECTOR
  • JACK TEICH — DIRECTOR
  • JANE SHALLAT — DIRECTOR
  • JUNE TRONE — DIRECTOR
  • NATHAN A BERNSTEIN — DIRECTOR
  • SUSAN SANDERS — DIRECTOR
  • TALIA BEJARANO — DIRECTOR
relationships · 37

Who they work with

  • ANU – Museum of the Jewish People Partner — Provides adult education programs integrating personal and family histories with museum collections.
  • Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center Partner — Collaborates on preserving the history and culture of Iraqi Jews through oral documentation and archival collection.
  • Beit Alpha Synagogue Partner — Displays restored mosaic floors and engages in conservation work following international ethical standards.
  • Beit Sturman nature and history museum Partner — Partner museum near Ein Harod dedicated to local natural and historical heritage.
  • Caesarea Maritima archaeological park Partner — Displays restored mosaic floors and engages in conservation work following international ethical standards.
  • Eretz Israel Museum Partner — Hosts rotating artisan markets and in-residence designer programs linked to museum themes
  • Eretz Israel Museum Partner — Offers behind-the-scenes tours including access to conservation areas in collaboration with supporting organizations.
  • Eretz Israel Museum Partner — Offers storytelling-based educational programs connecting historical figures to contemporary life.
  • Eretz Israel Museum Partner — Partner institution hosting live demonstrations and workshops in traditional textile arts.
  • Ghetto Fighters' House Museum Partner — Supported institution preserving Holocaust memory through the lens of kibbutz history and survivor testimony.
  • Hebrew University of Jerusalem Partner — Collaborates with museum curators to reconstruct period instruments and record historically informed musical performances for exhibition use.
  • Hebrew University of Jerusalem Partner — Collaborates with researchers to develop AI algorithms for virtual reassembly of broken artifacts.
  • Hechal Shlomo Jewish Heritage Center Partner — Partners to document and present the lived experiences of non-Ashkenazi Jewish communities through oral history programming.
  • Hecht Museum Partner — Develops tactile, hands-on curriculum modules using ancient seafaring artifacts.
  • Israel Antiquities Authority Partner — Collaborates on deploying photogrammetric scanning to document damaged cultural objects.
  • Israel Antiquities Authority Partner — Operates conservation laboratories where archaeological restoration is conducted.
  • Israel Museum Partner — Collaborates with American museum professionals through curatorial exchange and shared practice in exhibition design and public engagement.
  • Israel Museum Partner — Collaborates with conflict-resolution organizations to develop dialogue programs in exhibition spaces.
  • Israel Museum Partner — Provides restoration workshop support and conducts joint conservation work with architectural fragments.
  • Israel Museum in Jerusalem Partner — Collaborates with teachers and schools to co-design museum-based learning experiences.
  • Israel Museum in Jerusalem Partner — Features work from Israeli designers and craftspeople in dialogue with gallery collections
  • Israel Museum in Jerusalem Partner — Partner institution holding a major textile collection and involved in preservation and public programming.
  • Kibbutz Afikim Partner — Partner community maintaining a museum on Jordan Valley water systems.
  • Kibbutz Degania Partner — Partner community housing a founding museum of the kibbutz movement.
  • Museum of Coexistence Partner — Develops bilingual, intercommunal exhibitions in Haifa that emphasize shared cultural histories between Jewish and Arab citizens.
  • Rockefeller Archaeological Museum Partner — Convenes working groups with educators and curriculum specialists to develop learning materials.
  • Rockefeller Archaeological Museum Partner — Offers behind-the-scenes tours including access to conservation areas in collaboration with supporting organizations.
  • Sindyanna of Galilee Partner — Cooperative working with Arab women artisans that collaborates with cultural institutions to document traditional embroidery techniques.
  • Tel Aviv Museum of Art Partner — Collaborates with museum shops and cafés as extensions of curatorial mission
  • Tel Aviv Museum of Art Partner — Engages with American museum professionals through demonstrated practice in integrated programming and institutional coherence.
+ 7 more
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Art-Facilitated Dialogue Across Divided Communities
    methodology: art-facilitated_dialogue
    By using artworks as neutral prompts in structured intergroup dialogues led by trained facilitators, we produce meaningful cross-community conversations about identity and memory because shared engagement with art lowers defensive barriers and fosters mutual recognition.
  • Community-Led Curation for Authentic Narrative Preservation
    methodology: collaborative_curation
    By transferring interpretive control to community members whose histories are being documented, we produce authentic, locally grounded narratives because those closest to the culture are best positioned to represent its nuances and significance.
  • Cultural Resilience Through Civic Memory Preservation
    methodology: cultural_resilience
    By supporting grassroots, community-driven museums that document foundational social experiments like the kibbutz movement, we strengthen cultural resilience because preserving collective memory in politically unstable contexts reinforces civic identity and continuity.
  • Integrated Scholarship and Public Engagement
    methodology: integrated_programming
    By operating education and curatorial departments as equal intellectual partners, we produce both scholarly rigor and broad public engagement because integrating research with accessible programming ensures depth is not sacrificed for reach.
  • Oral History as Structural Foundation of Exhibitions
    methodology: oral_history_as_architecture
    By embedding oral histories as the central framework of gallery design and using architectural acoustics and spatial audio to immerse visitors, we produce deeper emotional engagement and reduce psychological distance from historical experiences because firsthand testimony makes the past feel immediate and personal.