ANU, pronounced ah-nu, is the Hebrew word for “we” or “us.” Contrary to what many non-Hebrew speakers assume, ANU is neither initials nor an acronym. It is simply the name of the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv. However, if ANU were an acronym in English, it could stand for Aspirational, Nimble, and Unifying. ANU is a repository of Jewish history, a testimonial to the importance of community, and a cultural first-responder. 

Founded in 1978, the museum was originally called the Diaspora Museum (Beit Hatfutsot). Located on the campus of Tel Aviv University (TAU), ANU has served as Israel’s premier cultural and educational institution for close to 50 years. As part of a rebranding in 2021, following major renovations, the name ANU was selected to better reflect the diversity of Jewish life and history and to celebrate a rich common heritage. As part of the museum’s capital campaign, the Koret Foundation was the lead funder in expanding the museum’s educational umbrella, which became the Koret International School for Jewish Peoplehood (Koret School). The Koret School develops curricula, pedagogic materials, and programs for audiences ranging from school children to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), from NGOs to US-based community organizations, from Birthright groups to volunteer programs. The richness and diversity of the museum’s educational offerings maximize its impact.

The newest stage of the Koret Foundation’s support is the Koret Center for Jewish Civilization (Koret Center). The Center is the first official collaboration between ANU and TAU, through the university’s Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies and Archaeology. These collaborative projects leverage the two institutions’ respective expertise and interests (and physical proximity), providing opportunities for interdisciplinary innovation. (The Koret Foundation also funds additional academic and educational projects at both entities, including continued support for the work of the museum’s Jewish identity and Jewish peoplehood educational initiatives. At TAU, Foundation support is focused on Jewish civilization research and academic pursuits and training.)

October 7 provoked a paradigm shift for Israel and the Jewish world. Since the Hamas attacks that day, ANU has become a nexus for helping people—in Israel and around the globe—to explore their feelings, process their grief, grow their resilience—and take the long view of Jewish history. This next chapter at ANU represents the newest oscillation in the collective Jewish story.

In the weeks following the October 7th attacks, the museum was closed to the public (and many ANU staff or spouses were called up to reserve duty). The teams at ANU and at TAU drew on their resources and partners to develop online educational and cultural programs to comfort people, to provide a break from the ongoing angst, and to offer a sense of continuity and community. The online content (116 experiences in all) included tours, lectures, courses, and film screenings, reaching about 3,000 participants. Most programs were presented in Hebrew or English; several were offered in Russian or Spanish. Concurrently, the team began to develop longer-term responses to the escalating conflict and its ramifications.

This summer, we had an opportunity to talk with the leaders of the Koret School and the Koret Center about three new major projects at ANU: an immersive, emotional art exhibition, with a very contemporary soundtrack and a broad reach; a workshop—and training program—designed to promote healing by increasing individual and collective resilience; and a broad-based archiving initiative that will catalog diverse feelings and viewpoints in real time, to serve as a civil record for scholars in the future.