Art & Culture
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- Written by Silvia Golan
From ancient shards to geospatial maps, the Ronnie Ellenblum Jerusalem History Knowledge Center —a comprehensive hub for exploring Jerusalem's past and present has opened to the public—
unifies data from major knowledge centers to showcase the Holy City in innovative new ways.
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L: Jerusalem History Knowledge Center GIS presentation of layered information. R: Virtual Reality tour of Damascus Gate.
JERUSALEM, May 22, 2025 – Jerusalem, a city where history, faith and politics converge in a tapestry of extraordinary complexity – has long captured the imagination of the world. Now, a newly launched initiative is reimagining how to explore Jerusalem's vibrant heritage, history, and geography.
Using innovative technology, a new project brings to fruition the dream of a visionary left behind an enduring legacy that bridges the past and the future. The Ronnie Ellenblum Jerusalem History Knowledge Center provides free access to diverse types of knowledge across multiple categories, with the goal of creating advanced digital environments for learning and enrichment. These platforms make information accessible to audiences worldwide: scholars, researchers, students, tour-guides, tourists, creators, and anyone with a love for Jerusalem.
The Knowledge Center offers a wealth of information, including:
- Archaeological information from thousands of excavations, surveys, and documentation operations since the British Mandate period, featuring excavation reports, charts, plans, illustrations, and photographs of sites and finds.
- Historical materials: antique and historical maps, travel writings, archival materials, old and new photographs, posters, and musical works tied to Jerusalem’s history.
- Modern media: including hundreds of photographs, videos and VR tours of various sites.
- Educational content: hundreds of hours of lessons and lectures by leading Jerusalem researchers
The heart of the platform is its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) search function. Each site, artifact, and historical source is tagged with a geographical reference, and all databases are seamlessly integrated into a GIS-based system. Users can define a specific area on an online map of Jerusalem, and instantly access all relevant information from the integrated databases – ranging from archaeological shards to songs about Jerusalem -- presented in a pop-up window with links to detailed resources.
The Center is supported by the GIS teams of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Center for Computational Geography at the Hebrew University, along with the Hebrew University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science. It is hosted and overseen by the National Library of Israel, leveraging its experience in database architecture and integration, geolocation search development, digital archiving, and other advanced capabilities.
The Ronnie Ellenblum Jerusalem History Knowledge Center was established through a collaboration between the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the National Library of Israel and the Israel Antiquities Authority, with support from the Israel Ministry of Science and Technology.
Links
The Ronnie Ellenblum Jerusalem History Knowledge Center
https://www.nli.org.il/en/at-your-service/who-we-are/projects/jerusalem-history-project
About the National Library of Israel
Founded in Jerusalem in 1892, the National Library of Israel (NLI) serves as the dynamic institution of communal memory for the Jewish people worldwide and Israelis of all backgrounds and faiths. NLI holds the world's largest collections of textual Judaica, Jewish and Israeli music, maps of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, as well as world-class collections of Jewish and Islamic manuscripts, rare books, photographs, community and personal archives, and more. Along with being Israel's preeminent research library, NLI is also dedicated to encouraging audiences in Israel and around the globe to engage with its treasures through a range of innovative educational, cultural, and digital initiatives, as well as through its new landmark building, all of which reflect NLI's central values of democratizing knowledge by opening its collections and resources to as broad and diverse an audience as possible.
For more information: https://www.nli.org.il/en
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- Written by Silvia Golan & Steven Aiello

Among the delegations participating this year were Greece, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Taiwan, Romania, Kenya, and Slovakia. Additionally, ambassadors from dozens of countries around the world attended, including: Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Norway, Panama, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, and Vietnam.
At the opening ceremony, Tourism Minister Chaim Katz noted that "The holding of the IMTM fair for the 31st time is a living testament to the resilience of Israeli tourism, even in challenging times. This is an immense source of pride. 60 countries were supposed to participate in this conference, but the Houthi attack reduced the number to 30. It’s clear that the tourism industry is the first to be affected and the last to recover. We tried and succeeded in helping the incoming tourism organizers last year. We will make efforts in the coming months to organize events in Israel for Israeli tourists and guests.”
Lior Galfand, Chairman of the Incoming Tourism Chamber and organizer of the 2025 IMTM International Tourism Exhibition said that: "Every worker organizing incoming tourism brought in $1.1 million in foreign currency, and every 30 tourists create a job. The collapse of 150 companies in the Incoming Tourism Chamber to Israel and the layoff of 1,000 workers who remained in these companies, out of the 2,500 employed before the war broke out on October 7, will have consequences that no one wants to experience during their tenure. Tourism to Israel is a strategic asset of the highest order. Only when tourists return here will Israelis be welcomed abroad! We rely on you, Minister, and although I sadly have to say this for the second time from this podium – we still believe that at the next fair, we will be able to stand here proudly and report our success in returning incoming tourism to Israel!"
Eyal Shmueli, organizer of the 2025 IMTM International Tourism Exhibition: "Despite the challenges and the complex security situation, we are proud to open the 31st IMTM International Tourism Exhibition. We are holding the exhibition with determination and commitment to provide the tourism industry with the most impressive and effective platform. The entire sector is facing a challenging period, but it is precisely from this that an opportunity for a significant reboot has arisen, aimed at supporting Israeli tourism, as we see it as a major milestone that can help both small and large businesses. Alongside domestic tourism, representatives from a variety of countries around the world attended the exhibition – countries that repeatedly demonstrate their commitment to connecting with Israel and see Israeli tourists as an important, loyal, and influential audience. They invest resources and maintain an impressive presence, recognizing the economic and cultural contribution of the Israeli audience to the global tourism industry. We are happy and excited to host them here, especially in these times."
IMTM is the annual and oldest event of the tourism industry in Israel, organized by Ortra Ltd. and Israel Travel News, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and supported by the Israel Hotels Association, the Incoming Tourism Organizers Association, the Tel Aviv-Yafo Tourism Association, El Al Airlines, the Travel Channel, and the Israel Travel Agents Association.
IMTM is aimed at all those involved in various tourism sectors – domestic tourism, incoming tourism, as well as countries and tourism entities from abroad. The exhibition regularly features a wide range of Israeli exhibitors: tourism associations from across the country, airlines, hotels, car rental companies, shipping companies, service providers, and various tourism attractions. The exhibition includes professional meetings, accompanying conferences, and a program for invited agents, during which hundreds of decision-makers from around the world come to the fair to market Israel as a tourism destination.
Exhibition website: www.imtm.co.il
Photo credit: Silvia G. Golan
Image (from right to left): Eyal Shmueli, organizer of the IMTM tourism exhibition, Yitzhak Wasserlauf, Minister of the Negev, Galilee, and National Resilience, Chaim Katz, Minister of Tourism, Dina Ben-Tal Gennes, CEO of El Al, and Lior Galfand, organizer of the 2025 IMTM International Tourism Exhibition and Chairman of the Incoming Tourism Chamber.
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- Written by Silvia Golan
JAFFAMUN, the first Model UN conference in Jaffa, brought together students from over a dozen schools and cities in Israel to simulate three engaging committees: the Human Rights Council (Freedom of Speech vs Hate Speech in Social Media), ECOSOC (Promoting Equality for Marginalized Communities) and the US Senate (Addressing School Shootings). The conference, held on Monday March 28, was organized by Debate for Peace, and hosted at the Center of Scientology Israel, in the historic Alhambra Theatre building.
Throughout the day, delegates engaged in rigorous debates and negotiations. After several hours of frenetic diplomacy, each committee managed to pass a resolution for their respective topic:
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Human Rights Council (HRC): Called for establishing a global working group on social media safety, advocating for comprehensive frameworks to protect users' privacy, promoting digital literacy, and encouraging parental oversight.;
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ECOSOC: Called for the development of safety nets for vulnerable populations, the advancement of inclusive education, and the creation of National Equality Councils and Enforcement Organizations for Equality (EOEs) to combat discrimination.
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U.S. Senate: Proposed measures to enhance school safety, including updated protocols, adoption of Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) laws, expanded mental health services, pilot programs to limit weapon access, and modernized responses to active shooter incidents.
The conference concluded with a closing ceremony where several students were honored for their exceptional contributions within their respective committees:
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Human Rights Council: Maya Beres (India, Yachad High School), Alin Gavrizavee (Morocco, Atid Lod), Malak Abu Hjool (United Kingdom, Mar Elias School)
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ECOSOC: Yehonatan Navon (Sweden, Ironi Yud Dalet), Lamar Shker (Philippines, Mar Elias), Nada Namouz (China, Mar Elias)
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U.S. Senate: Vera Nosovitskaya (Corey Booker, Younited), Jordyn Cline (Chuck Schumer, Yachad High School), Yonatan Zelenko (Elizabeth Warren, Atid Raziel)
Ghasak, from Gernata High School, who played the role of a Senator in the Senate committee, shared her message with Diplomacy.co.il: “Peace cannot be kept by force , It can only be achieved by understanding.”
Another Senator, Vera, from the Younited School added that “JAFFAMUN was a unique experience. The Alhambra building architecture made it more unforgettable because of the unique design inside. It was the shortest MUN I have ever experienced, only 1 day, but it wasn’t tiring. This was one of my best MUN experiences!”
Debate for Peace extends its gratitude to Maya Ilany and Abigail Noa Buganim for their efforts in preparing the study guides for the conference. Special thanks are also due to the chairs and Secretariat team: Abigail Noa Buganim, Naomi Gildor, Shaked Shimony, Josh Kugelman, Carmel Hillmann, Yousef Abdlghny, Dafna Beres, Yael Yakobovich, and Gai Regev.
For more Model UN conferences in Israel, please see the schedule here.
Visit our website: http://debateforpeace.org/
Read our book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/
Listen to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.
See more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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- Written by Silvia Golan & Steven Aiello
Sunday May 4th saw Air Samarkand launch the first direct flights between Tel Aviv and Samarkand, the magical silk road city in Uzbekistan. A special ceremony was held to celebrate this momentous occasion, with travelers receiving gifts and traditional treats.
A modern Air Samarkand Airbus A330 aircraft will now connect Tel Aviv directly with the mesmerizing architecture, sights and sounds of Samarkand, a key hub in the historic Silk Road. Weekly flights will depart from Samarkand early Sunday morning, with return flights from Tel Aviv late Sunday mornings. 184 passengers were aboard the inaugural flight, with Israeli, Uzbek and international passengers traveling for both tourism and commercial interests.
The ceremony, with ribbon-cutting and a decorative cake, was attended by Mr. Sherzod Shavkatbekov, Commercial Affairs Counsellor at the Embassy of Uzbekistan to Israel; Jumaev Nodirjon, commercial director of Air Samarkand, and the company sales manager Sherzod; Nargiza Kadirova, President of the “New Uzbekistan” office for Uzbekistan-Israel Trade and Investment, and representatives of Asia Travel, Air Samarkand’s official representative in Israel.
The speakers emphasized that the new aviation link presents a great opportunity for Israelis and Uzbek people to enjoy direct flights, and is just the beginning of a growing partnership, with the potential to strengthen political, economic, and personal ties between the two countries.
The achievement is all the more impressive as many airlines have suspended flights to Israel due to the ongoing conflict. In contrast, Uzbek airlines have not stopped flying to Israel since October 7, with several recent expansions in flight routes and frequencies, symbolizing the vibrant and growing connection between the two nations.
Asia Travel (https://www.asiatravel.co.il/
Air Samarkand is run by CEO Zafar Butayev, and is part of a travel conglomerate that owns the airline, Samarkand Airport, as well as hotels, enabling a seamless vacation package. The first few months of the new Tel Aviv-Samarkand route are already sold out. Beginning July 10th there will be flights on Thursdays as well, allowing travelers to travel to one country on Sunday and be back home by the weekend. For more information and to book flights: https://airsamarkand.com/en/
Photos credit Silvia G. Golan
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Visit our website: http://debateforpeace.org/
Read our book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/
Listen to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.
See more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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- Written by Antoanet (Tony) Levy – External Relations & Innovation, HIT Holon Institute of Technology