Nevzlin donates $6M to 'Museum of the Jewish People'
Donation announced by Russian-born businessman during event celebrating his 50th birthday at Beth Hatefutsoth
Nevzlin announced the donation last Wednesday during a speech he delivered before 350 people attending an event celebrating his 50th birthday in Beth Hatefutsoth at the University of Tel Aviv campus.
The gift follows several previous donations Nevzlin awarded Beth Hatefutsoth, which helped saved the institution during a severe budgetary crisis it faced a few years ago, allowing it to endure and continue to develop.
Nevzlin was the initiator and leading force behind the establishment of the ‘Museum of the Jewish People’ in Beth Hatefutsoth, which is estimated to cost $24 million and is planned to open to local and international visitors in 2012.
The new museum project comes at the culmination of a comprehensive renewal process undertaken by Beth Hatefutsoth in recent years with the support of the NADAV Fund. The 16,000 square meter (172,22 square feet) museum will house a new permanent exhibition covering an area of 4,200 square meters (45,208 square feet), spread out over three floors, in Beth Hatefutsoth's Nahum Goldmann building on the University of Tel Aviv campus.
The announcement of Nevzlin’s leadership gift effectively launched an international fundraising campaign which will begin in the next few days, whose goal is to fund the establishment of the museum, which is unprecedented in both its size and wealth of content.
Nevzlin noted in his speech that he had decided to give the donation due to the uniqueness of the museum and its importance in ensuring the future of the Jewish People.
“The new museum will be one of the principal tools available to us for ensuring the future of the Jewish People and its prosperity. I believe that visitors at the museum will not only be moved emotionally, but it will also teach them about their Jewish roots, and succeed in connecting them with the collective story of the Jewish People," Nevzlin explained.
