History. Culture. Experience

Archaeology Around the Campfire – Series in collaboration with the Israel Exploration Society
The Origins of the Tribal Bonfire: Rituals and Dance
Prof. Yossi Garfinkel, Hebrew University
January 7, 2026 | At 19:00
When did dancing around the campfire become a means of social bonding? This lecture explores the evolution of dance and social ceremonies as tools for community cohesion. Research offers various perspectives, but it’s clear this behavior began early in the prehistoric era. We’ll present five key stages in the development of dance and their contribution to social bonding.
Prices:
Participant: 65 NIS | Subscriber: 35 NIS | Society Member: 35 NIS | Senior / Student / Tour Guide / Person with a Disability:  40 NIS

BOOK LAUNCH
Evening celebrating the book by Avraham Faust and Ze’ev Ferbr
The Bible’s First Kings: The Story of Saul, David and Solomon, New York, Cambridge University Press.
January 14, 2026 | At 19:00 | Included in museum admission
For decades, scholars have vigorously debated the existence of the United Monarchy of David and Solomon. This book examines this question through comprehensive archaeological evidence, showing that changes in settlement patterns, ceramic assemblages, architecture, food consumption, and more can all be explained by a highland-centered kingdom’s expansion to new regions. The book re-examines various biblical descriptions, demonstrating that alongside later additions, they contain a significant historical core.
Speakers:
• How can we understand the biblical description of the kingdoms of Saul, David and Solomon? Prof. Amihai Mazar, Hebrew University.
• The United Monarchy and its division in light of ancient genetic findings, Prof. Israel Finkelstein, Hebrew University.
• “The United Monarchy”: Between Bible and History, Prof. Avraham Faust, Bar-Ilan University & Dr. Ze’ev Ferbr, Hartman Institute, ATI
18:00  – Guided tour: “A King Like All Nations: Similarities and Differences Between Israel’s Kings and the Kings of Bible Lands”

BOOK LAUNCH
Peace Processes in the Medieval Latin East 
Interludes of Peace in the Medieval Latin East: Perceptions and Practices (London: Routledge, 2026)
Prof. Yvan Friedman
January 21, 2026 | At 19:00 | Included in museum admission
The book examines the many peace treaties signed between Christians and Muslims during the 200-year existence of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. How did they overcome gaps between cultures and religions that believed in holy war – jihad and crusade? Through trust-building gestures, prisoner exchanges, gifts, and public ceremonies that bridged cultural divides. Diplomacy sustained the kingdom but ultimately couldn’t prevent its fall.
Moderator: Prof. Michael Ehrlich
18:45 – Gathering and refreshments
19:00 – Lectures:
• “They Shall Beat Their Swords into Plowshares” – How peace periods were reflected in social and economic processes in the Frankish Kingdom of Jerusalem, Dr. Anna Gutgarts, University of Haifa.
• Prisoner redemption and anecdotes from Crusader wars in the Holy Land from a 12th-century German Jewish source, Prof. Ephraim Shoham-Steiner, Ben-Gurion University.
• How do you end a holy war and write about peace in wartime? Prof. Yvan Friedman, Bar-Ilan University.
18:00 – Guided tour: “Bible Lands and Identifying Biblical Places” with Gavri Assouline.

On the Museum Screen – Documentary and feature film series
Saving Private Finkelstein
Film screening and conversation with director Lazy (Eliezer) Shapira
January 28, 2026 | At 19:00 | Included in museum admission
A bite from a small, chubby dog triggers a chain of events that uncovers the story of an anonymous British soldier killed in WWI and mistakenly buried under a cross, despite being Jewish. Who was Private Finkelstein? How did he die? And why was he buried under a cross?
A moving film about dogs and people, about Jewish fate crossing borders and time, and about true kindness.
The film won third place in the Docaviv student competition in 2002, first place at the British War Museum film competition in London, aired on Channels 8 and 10, and participated in numerous festivals.
Lazy (Eliezer) Shapira – Television creator, screenwriter, and Emmy Award-winning director. His works include: “Srugim,” “Mikdash Me’at,” “Bnei Mitzvah,” “Hitnatkut”
18:00 – Guided tour: “Monuments and Memory – The Legacy of Eli Borowski” with Gavri Assouline.
This evening is dedicated to marking the anniversary of Dr. Eli Borowski’s passing, founder of the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem.

Archaeology Around the Campfire – Series in collaboration with the Israel Exploration Society
Behind the Scenes of the (Young) Hero Gilgamesh
Dr. Shirly Gerretz, author and researcher
February 4, 2026 | At 19:00
How did people sit around the campfire explaining the world through stories of gods, monsters, and creation in ancient Mesopotamia? And how did author Shirly Gerretz take these ancient secrets and transform them into an entirely new adventure?
A glimpse into a fascinating book series full of mystery, courage, and surprises that allows adults and children to connect with ancient stories.
Prices: Participant: 65 NIS | Subscriber: 35 NIS | Society Member: 35 NIS | Senior / Student / Tour Guide / Person with a Disability:
40 NIS

BOOK LAUNCH
“The Ark of the Covenant and the Cherubim” 
Prof. Ra’anan Eichler, in the Biblical Encyclopedia Library series by Bialik Institute
February 11, 2026 | At 19:00 | Included in museum admission 
Prof. Ra’anan Eichler’s book is an innovative and thorough study of the most important objects in the history of the Jewish people – objects that have also become global cultural icons, as reflected in contemporary film. The book’s strength lies in combining meticulous biblical text analysis with examination of objects and images from the ancient Near East. For example, by studying wooden chests from Tutankhamun’s 14th-century BCE tomb, Eichler solves difficulties in the Torah’s description of the Ark that scholars have grappled with for over a thousand years. The book shows how the Bible innovated using existing components to create something unique: an abstract divine presence.
18:45 – Gathering and refreshments
19:00 – Lectures:
• The Cherubim: Empty Throne or Empty Frame? Prof. Israel Finkelstein, Hebrew University.
• David and the Ark of the Covenant: Politics and Holiness, Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, Hebrew University.
• The Language of Visuals: Text, Image, Finding, Dr. Irit Ziffer, Eretz Israel Museum, former curator of ceramics and bronze exhibits.
18:00 – Guided tour: “Wings and Empty Chamber – Following Sacred Space in Bible Lands” with Gavri Assouline.

February 18, 2026 
EXHIBITION OPENING “As Soon As the War is Over” – Full details to follow

On the Museum Screen – Documentary and feature film series
“My Bee Family” 
Film screening and conversation with filmmaker Adva Ofir (60 minutes)
February 25, 2026 | Included in museum admission  
A bee colony Grandpa Yishai found in 1959 began the Ofir family’s beekeeping tradition. When he’s hospitalized, Adva, his granddaughter, begins documenting the family occupation. For over a decade, she observes and wonders about the family’s deep connection to bees, nature, and each other. Through the seasons, she experiences with them the uncertainty, anticipation, aging, death, and renewal.
An intimate love song to the land, agriculture, and Israeli nature conveyed through one family’s story.
Adva Ofir films, documents, and creates.
Manages ‘Ofir Farm’ brand. Rich background in film studies at various institutions, social worker and group facilitator using video therapy. Daughter of a farming family from the Galilee, married and mother of three. Breathes nature and observes through the lens a changing world. Believes in the power of documentary creation to bring to the forefront worlds hidden from the eye yet so vital to our existence.
18:00 – Guided tour: “Workers, Work and Honey in Bible Lands”.

March 4, 2026 | Shushan Purim – No lecture

Women and Love in the Trojan War
Ronit Palsterant-Sacheik, Tel Aviv University
March 11, 2026 | Included in museum admission
The Trojan War is filled with heroic battles and brave warriors, but beautiful and determined women and tragic love stories are woven throughout and actually drive the men in battle. For International Women’s Day and in honor of the new exhibition “Six After the War,” we’ll tell the special story of the women in the war, illuminated by their descriptions in mythological literature and art. Who is the woman with “the face that launched a thousand ships” and why was she so beautiful? How does she differ from Andromache, Hector’s wife, and other women appearing in the myth? We’ll examine how the story of the Trojan War lives and breathes in our Western culture today, in art, music, and cinema.

Cancellation Policy:
• Cancellation and a full refund are available up to 48 hours before the scheduled activity / event.
To do so, please contact the museum by email at contact@blmj.org or by phone at +972-2-5611066.