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Museums in Israel: The Yitzhak Rabin Center

About the Center

The Yitzhak Rabin Center is Israel's national institute commemorating Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Yitzhak Rabin, and ensuring the lessons from the assassination are learned by society.

Established by law passed in the Knesset on January 6, 1997, “The Memorial Center for Perpetuating the Memory of Yitzhak Rabin 1997 – 5757” is dedicated to improving the shape of Israeli society by ensuring the legacy of the former Prime Minister. Through its programming and outreach, the Center strives to reinforce democratic values, equalize educational opportunity, promote tolerance and understanding among the mosaic of communities that comprise Israel and develop a cadre of leaders equipped to confront the unique challenges Israel faces.

 The Center functions in the spirit of three principles:

  • Positioning Yitzhak Rabin as an exemplary model of responsible, fair and innovative leadership in the fields of civil society, security and the quest for peace;
  • Establishing a deep commitment to Israeli civil society based on respect, social cohesiveness, democratic values and the rule of law;
  • Advancing the well-being and unification of the Jewish people, in light of the danger of violent disagreement and internal conflict evidenced by the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin

The Center is comprised of: an official, national archive; education department with a wide array of experiential programming working with youth, students and soldiers; and The Israeli Museum which details the history and development of Israel as a country, society and democracy.

The Israeli Museum

The centerpiece of the Yitzhak Rabin Center is The Israeli Museum, the first and only museum in Israel to examine the development of the State as a young democracy. Visitors explore the history and making of the State via exhibit halls, each focusing on historical turning points in the country's development. The exhibits present the conflict, social challenges and dilemmas the country faced, as well as her many successes. Interwoven with the exhibits' narratives is the story of the life of Rabin.

The museum's concept was conceived by Israel Prize Laureate Anita Shapira, historian and professor of modern Jewish history and the Zionish movement. Designed by curator Uri Abramson of Mabatim Ltd., the museum combines state-of-the-art technology with multimedia presentations, visual images and artifacts, incorporating close to 200 short documentary films and over 1,500 still photographs obtained from archives in Israel and around the world.

Opened to the public in 2010, the museum serves as one of the foremost educational instruments in teaching Israel's history and democratic valuies thus providing the tools with which to resolve social conflicts for younger generations. Students, soldiers and visitors from around the world who tour the museum and participate in educational workshops, take part in interdiciplinary learning experience and assential component of civics life and life-long studies.

Educational Programs

For over a decade, the educational programs and outreach of the Yitzhak Rabin Center have worked with junior-high and high school students, university students, soldiers, educators in Israel and from around the world to reinforce fundamental democratic values, equalize educational opportunity, promiote tolerance and understanding and develop a cadre of leaders equipped to confront the unique challenges that lay ahead. Today, the Center's educational programs include:

Security Personnel Training - Training for soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces to create greater awareness of the values fundamental to a democratic society.

University Within Reach - Program to make university education an option to segments of the population with limited exposure and access to higher education.

Israel-America Academic Exchange - Cooperative effort seeking to strengthen the understanding of Israel within the American academic community.

Contact Info & Directions

The Yitzhak Rabin Center is located in Ramat Aviv near the Tel Aviv University.

Mailing Address:  P.O. Box 17538  Tel Aviv, Israel 61175
Telephone: (972) 3-745-3333
Fax: (972) 3-745-3355
Email: [email protected]

Entrance to The Israeli Museum at the Yitzhak Rabin Center is located at 14 Chaim Levanon Street in Ramat Aviv, between the Eretz Israel and Palmach Museums.

Telephone:               (972) 3-745-3358
Reservations:           (972) 3-745-3313 or 3319
Fax:                         (972) 3-745-3341
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Public Transportation:

Dan bus lines 13, 24, 27, 45
Dan bus lines 74, 86, 90 (within short walking distance - bus stop located on the corner of Namir & Chaim Levanon Roads)
Egged bus lines 149 and 274 (within short walking distance - bus stop located on the corner of Namir & Chaim Levanon Road)


Sources: The Yitzhak Rabin Center