National Maritime Museum

National Museum of Science, Technology and Space

Info Telefon: 972-4-8628111

Mon 10:00-18:00 h
Tues 10:00-19:30 h
Wedn 10:00-18:00 h
Thurs 10:00-18:00 h
Fri 10:00-14:00 h
Sat 10:00-18:00 h

Shtekelis Prehistory Museum

Info Telefon: 972-4-8371833

Sun 8: 00-15:00 h
Mon 8: 15-15:00 h
Tues 8: 15-15:00 h
Wedn 8: 15-15:00 h
Thurs 8: 15-15:00 h
Fri 8: 00-13:00 h
Sat 10:00-14:00 h
Holidays 10:00-14:00 h

Finds from the caves of the Carmel and northern Israel.
 

The Art Gallery of Beth Hagefen (the Arab Jewish Center)

Info Telefon: 972-4-8525252

Sun 8: 00-19:00 h
Mon 8: 00-19:00 h
Tues 8: 00-19:00 h
Wedn 8: 00-19:00 h
Thurs 8: 00-19:00 h
Fri 9: 00-13:00 h
Sat 10:00-13:00 h

Haifa Museum

Haifa Museum of Art

Info Telefon: 972-4-8523255

Mon 10:00-16:00 h
Tues 16:00-20:00 h
Wedn 10:00-16:00 h
Thurs 10:00-16:00 h
Fri 10:00-13:00 h
Sat 10:00-15:00 h

Antique, classic and modern art.
 

Mane-Katz Museum

Info Telefon: 972-4-8383482

Sun 10:00-16:00 h
Mon 10:00-16:00 h
Tues 14:00-18:00 h
Wedn 10:00-16:00 h
Thurs 10:00-16:00 h
Fri 10:00-13:00 h
Sat 10:00-14:00 h
Holidays 10:00-14:00 h
Modifications during the summer possible, please call in advance.

The Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art

Info Telefon: 972-4-8383554

Mon 10:00-16:00 h
Tues 16:00-20:00 h
Wedn 10:00-16:00 h
Thurs 10:00-16:00 h
Fri 10:00-13:00 h
Sat 10:00-15:00 h
Holidays 10:00-13:00 h
Guided tours can be arranged in advance. Entrance fee covers visits to 3 Haifa Museums within 3 days.

The Thomas Lemay Gallery

Info Telefon: 972-507225533

Fri 9:00-13:00 h
Sat 10:00-16:00 h
Monday - Thursday visits only after prior appointment

Beth She'arim National Park

Fax.: (04) 953-1551

Info Telefon: (04) 983-1643

April-September: 8:00-17:00 h
October-March: 8:00-16:00 h.

Please, call the park office in advance if you wish to visit the Rabbi Judah Hanasi or Syrian Jewry caves.

Beit She'arim flourished from the second through the fourth centuries C.E. The residents of Beit She'arim dug an ornate necropolis deep into the ground. Courtyards, corridors, and staircases lead to the catacombs with their burial chambers and stone sarcophagi. The chambers and sarcophagi are decorated with bas-reliefs, epitaphs, and frescoes. The mouths of some of the caves were closed with hewn stone doors, shaped to resemble wooden doors.
The bas-reliefs and drawings are representative of Roman-period Jewish folk art. The artwork in all the caves contains Jewish elements, such as the seven-branched candelabrum, the Holy Ark, a ram's horn (shofar), and a palm branch and citron (lulav and etrog). Secular themes, including boats, animals, human figures, and geometrical designs, also appear.

Although most of the epitaphs are in Greek, the lingua franca of Eretz Israel at the time, there are some in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Tadmoerite. Not infrequently, the epitaph states the name and occupation of the deceased and on occasion his or her place of origin as well.

The settlement of Beit She'arim was known as an important center of Torah study, thanks to Rabbi Judah Hanasi (also known simply as Rabbi), the leading figure in the Jewish world in the third century C.E. Rabbi Judah Hanasi was considered the spiritual authority of the Jewish people during his time. He had strong ties to the Roman authorities, who in turn supported his position in the community. He benefited materially from the Romans, and their gifts to him included property in Beit She'arim. Rabbi Judah Hanasi took up residence in Beit She'arim, making it the seat of the Sanhedrin (assembly of 71 ordained scholars, which served as both as legislature and as supreme court) and moving his own study hall there. He later moved both to Sepphoris (Zippori). When Rabbi Judah Hanasi died circa 220, he was buried in Beit She'arim. From this time on, the Beit She'arim burial grounds were considered holy and became the most important in the Jewish world during the mishnaic and talmudic periods. One of the caves in Beit She'arim is considered to be the burial place of Rabbi Judah Hanasi.

A visit to the Beit She'arim National Park is incomplete without climbing the hill to admire the Jezre'el Valley and Carmel Mountain Range. On the hilltop are the remains of the basilica (apparently built at the time of Rabbi Judah Hanasi) and a bronze statue of Alexander Zeid on horseback. One of the founders of the Hashomer watchmen's association, Zeid settled in this area in 1926 and discovered the necropolis, thus bringing Beit She'an to the attention of the public once again. The two-domed grave of Sheik Ibrek is also close by.