From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Museums begin to reopen in Israel following ceasefire
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Amid the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US, and a pause in Iranian missile strikes that sent Israelis into safe rooms and shelters, museums are planning to reopen for the first time in six weeks, moving artworks and valuables back into galleries and exhibits.
The Israel Museum will reopen on Monday, April 13, although the recently opened exhibit displaying the complete Isaiah Scroll, one of the original seven Dead Sea Scrolls, will remain closed for now.
The Haifa Museums are reopening tomorrow, according to a spokesperson, while the Haifa City Museum, housed in a former Templar structure, may not open for another few days, given the lack of a formal safe space.
The Tel Aviv Museum of Art isn’t opening to the general public just yet, says a spokesperson, although it is expanding activities for groups, kindergartens and schools, and will gradually reopen to the public following a situational assessment.
The Tel Aviv Museum’s Eyal Ofer Pavilion, featuring the exhibition of Ram Karmi, has been open to the public since the beginning of the war.
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