The Israel Museum, Cycles of Jewish Life
Double CD-ROM Collection, Cycle of the
Jewish Year, Cycle of Jewish Life
Age Level: 12-Adult
Media: CD-ROM
About - The Israel Museum, Cycles of
Jewish Life
Experience Jewish Holidays and Life
Events as they have been experienced
throughout time and throughout the
world, with this elegant CD-ROM set
containing much of the rich collection
of Judaica and Jewish ethnography from
The Israel Museum of Jerusalem. Starting
with the museum's curator cards and
authoritative documentation and
explanation, with videos, sound tracks
and virtual image magnification your
"museum" experience will be informative
and life-like. An invaluable tool for
understanding the beauty and traditions
of the Jewish Cycles of Life throughout
time.
The CD-ROM provides us with a uniquely
interactive and personal experience of
the Museum's collections, which are
among the largest and most comprehensive
in the world. Using a multifaceted
approach that reflects the richness of
the Jewish tradition, the program
introduces users to the history of the
objects, while simultaneously placing
them in a contemporary context. Every
subject offers a variety of artifacts
from diverse communities and from
different periods. Both the influence of
surrounding cultures and the continuity
of Jewish tradition over time and space
are made manifest as you navigate the
program.
This CD-ROM collection was made possible
through the generosity of Isidore and
Anne Falk. It was prepared over the
course of four years of planning,
research, collecting sources, writing,
and designing. This program will provide
many hours of enjoyable viewing, serving
as an educational tool and an inspiring
way to explore the Jewish heritage and
the rich collections of the Israel
Museum.
Features - The Israel Museum, Cycles of
Jewish Life
Contains artifacts, explanations,
videos, background information, zoom
capabilities and more on the following
topics:
I. THE LIFE CYCLE
-
Childbirth
-
Brit Milah
(Circumcision)
-
Welcoming
a Daughter
-
Pidyon
ha-Ben (Redeeming a first born son)
-
Childhood
-
Bar and
Bat Mitzvah
-
Marriage
-
The Jewish
Home
-
Death and
Mourning
II. THE
CYCLE OF THE JEWISH YEAR
-
Shabbat
(The Sabbath)
-
Rosh ha-Shanah
(The New Year)
-
Yom Kippur
(The day of atonement)
-
Sukkot
(The Festival of Booths)
-
Simhat
Torah (Celebrating the Torah)
-
Hanukkah (THe
Festival of Lights)
-
Tu
bi-Shevat (The Festival of Trees)
-
Purim
-
Pesah
(Passover)
-
Holocaust
Memorial Day
-
Israel
Independence Day
-
Counting
the Omer
-
Shavuot
(Receiving the Torah)
-
Tish'ah
be-Av (Mourning the destruction of the
Temples)
Reviews -
The Israel Museum, Cycles of Jewish Life
JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH - The Jerusalem
Post (8/1/2002) wrote:
Cycles of Jewish Life: An Interactive
Multimedia Virtual Exhibition, two
CD-ROMs in English by the Israel Museum,
Jerusalem, distributed by Torah
Educational Software; requires Window 95
or higher and a Pentium 133 Mhz or
better; Mac O/S 7.5.2 or better and
PowerPC 90 Mhz processor; for all ages;
regular price $129 or shekel equivalent,
special introductory offer $99. -
Rating: *****
The serious downturn in foreign and even
domestic tourism has reduced the number
of visitors to the Israel Museum in
Jerusalem by about half. So if they're
not coming to this glorious museum - at
least for the time being - the next best
thing is to bring the museum (or at
least part of it)to them.
Ironically, this outstanding and elegant
piece of software has been in the works
for four years, started way before
anyone dreamed of such a reign of
Palestinian terror that would keep
tourists away from the city and the
country. But its launch is just in time
to earn the museum some much-needed
cash, and - no less importantly - to
increase awareness of the Jewish life
cycle and cycle of the Jewish year among
Jews of all stripes and ages in the
Diaspora and secular Jews in Israel.
There is reportedly no other CD-ROM that
covers this rich multimedia material,
and it is difficult to find even in
books. The project was made possible
with a donation by Isidore and Anne
Falk, who founded the museum's
information center for Judaica and
Jewish Ethnography.
As the text notes, the objects in the
wing are "silent witnesses to a vibrant,
living world, to rich traditions and
meaningful customs. Today, behind glass,
they once held an important place in the
lives of those who used them. Our aim is
to return the object to its original
historical and cultural setting, get
close to it and hear its story." Some of
the objects survived the Holocaust,
unlike many of their owners.
One of the disks focuses on all the
Jewish and Israeli holidays and major
fast days, while the other is on Jewish
life events from birth to death. Both
are expertly designed in a user-friendly
and intuitive fashion. There are topics
such as Shabbat, Rosh Hashana, Succot,
Hanukka, Purim, Pessah, Independence Day
and Shavuot in Cycle of the Jewish Year
disk, and on birth, pidyon haben
(redemption of the firstborn),
childhood, bar/bat mitzva, marriage and
death and burial customs on the Life
Cycle disk. Each of these major topics
have sub-topic screens and then further
detail in its object screens.
It's recommended to start your virtual
tour of the museum's Judaica and
Ethnography Wing by taking the
seven-minute tutorial. Nearly everything
you need to know about using the disks
is there, but if you're still confused
about something, click the ? icon at any
time to get on-disk help.
There are hundreds of objects on
display, many of which you can view from
close up by using the magnifying glass
icon and "rubbing" it over small images
of them. Over 30 videoclips taken from
the film screened over and over at the
actual Judaica wing are included on the
disks. And when you click a radio icon,
you'll be presented with any of two
dozen recordings of music and prayers
relevant to the section - from a Turkish
Jewish reading of the Book of Esther
(complete with children using their
noisemakers) and a Sephardi blessing on
the birth of a daughter to an Ashkenazi
rendition of Eshet Hayil on Sabbath eve
and a Yemenite havdala ceremony. Each of
them is a pleasure to hear again and
again.
The subjects and sub-topics are
accompanied by generous amounts of
English text on the background of each
ceremony, holiday or event. There is an
index icon that gives focused
information on the object displayed,
including when it was made and its place
of origin. When you get down to the
object level, you'll see small thumbnail
sketches of Judaica objects that you
click to see in full view, plus a
numbered line of similar objects from
different ethnic origins.
The program, beautifully boxed, will
make not only a great gift for yourself
or others but also serve as a helpful
teaching tool in Jewish schools and
synagogues around the world. And there
can be no better way for the Israel
Museum to encourage visitors to visit
when they feel it's safe enough to visit
Israel.
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