Israel Museums & Arts, Canada (IMAAC) ) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enriching, promoting, and celebrating Israeli arts and culture by raising awareness and financial support for the Israel Museum – the country’s largest cultural institution – and grassroots arts organizations that connect people across all strata of society to their Jewish identity.
The Israel Museum – Wartime Response Efforts
Outreach Programs beyond the Museum Campus
Since the October 7 massacre and subsequent war, the Israel Museum's Youth Wing reached out to displaced families transferred to hotels across the country to provide activity kits and special programs, such as creating "worry dolls." In parallel, online activities and programs offer children and adults access to the Museum's professional staff and unique resources from wherever they may be (including their safe rooms/shelters).
Providing Respite in the Youth Wing for Displaced Families
In coordination with the Home Front Command guidelines, the Israel Museum re-opened on a limited basis to the general public on October 30 and now also welcomes small groups of displaced children, youth, and families. From guided tours in the Youth Wing, to story time in the Illustration Library, and creative art workshops, families have time for respite and enjoyment within the safety of the Museum.
I AM STRONG
I am strong. These words are the goal of our IMJ youth therapy
trauma program. For youth who witnessed and became victims of the ongoing terror that has surrounded them since October 7th, 2023, the outcome of feeling strong has been the focus of our team.
Grounding exercises helping to regulate the nervous system can take many forms. Our kits contain doodling, drawing and painting tools; stickers; bubble blowing containers; sensory objects; and more. The objective of all these activities is to have the children express their individual anxiety and create objects that they can hold or look at to remind them that they are strong. In the children’s words - Thank you - todah - Ani Chazak
Please consider purchasing an Activity Kit to support the IMJ's work.
The MuseumMobile
The MuseumMobile is a flagship initiative of the Israel Museum, created to reach out beyond the Museum to communities across Israel. Since October 7, Museum staff have been visiting displaced residents across the country to provide workshops centered on creativity and resilience, inspired by the Museum’s treasures, which symbolize the enduring strength of the human spirit.
The MuseumMobile enables its participants to address their personal and emotional needs through self-expression, providing them with the means to visually articulate hardship and trauma, transcending linguistic and verbal barriers.
WHO WE ARE
We are delighted that the Canadian Friend of the Israel Museum is rebranding as Israel Museums and Arts, Canada (or, “IMAAC”).
IMAAC will continue to focus on supporting the Israel Museum and its youth-related programs through our long-standing commitment to provide Free Admission for children and our participation in the renewed Youth Activity Court. IMAAC will broaden its vision by dedicating a small portion of its fundraising proceeds towards other worthy Israeli programs that celebrate Arts and Culture.
WHAT WE DO
IMAAC's primary focus is to provide free admission to the Israel Museum for Israeli children of all religions and backgrounds. There, the children experience the joy of art and culture through the Museum's collections and exhibitions - and explore their artistic creativity through a myriad of activities and programs in the Museum's Youth Wing.
We are also committed to broadening our focus to support Israeli grassroots arts organizations that enrich, promote, and celebrate arts and culture.
SEND A TRIBUTE CARD
We will send a personalized card, featuring beautiful images of works on display at The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, along with a message that a donation has been sent in their honuor.
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Founded in 1965, the Israel Museum is the largest cultural institution in Israel and the only encyclopaedic museum in the region with collections in virtually all areas of art – from antiquities to contemporary art; from Judaica and ethnography to international design.
It is also the permanent home of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the renowned Billy Rose Garden. The Ruth Youth Wing for Art Education, unique in its size and scope of activities, presents a wide range of programming to more than 100,000 school children each year, and features exhibition galleries, art studios, and classrooms.
Special programs foster intercultural understanding between Arab and Jewish students and reach out to the wide spectrum of Israel’s communities.
