EL AL | Atmosphere

See the Sights I Eat, Travel, Enjoy

The Steinhardt Natural History Museum I Photos (from the left): Itay Benit, Shay Ben Efraim

04 | Learn, discover, enjoy The Steinhardt Natural History Museum, Ramat Aviv Tel Aviv University’s Steinhardt Natural History Museum showcases Israel’s national natural treasures, selected from a scientific collection of more than six million items, documenting the flora and fauna of the region over the past hundred years. The museum’s collections are used for research and educational activities and is the largest museum collection in Israel. There are eight permanent exhibitions spread across five floors. The entrance floor exhibition is about the migrating birds that pass over Israel on their journey between Africa and Asia. It is important to note that most of the taxidermied specimens and skeletons on display, are animals that died in the field (there is no active hunting today) and were collected by the Nature and Parks Authority or given to the museum by zoos or wildlife hospitals. The next exhibition explores how animals adapt to their environment and living conditions. Some of the exhibits are interactive -

05 | Uri Tutim Picking strawberries in Moshav Yesha Uri and Galit Patkin grow strawberries on their family estate in Moshav Yesha. Every year, between December and May, they open their strawberry greenhouses to visitors who come to pick basketfuls of strawberries. The strawberries are grown using the hydroponic method, which according to the Patkins, allows for cleaner

one for instance allows you to touch and feel the difference between the jaw of a mammal and the jaw of a predator. Currently, and until April 25 th , artist Tzuri Gueta’s spectacular coral installations are on show, offering a glimpse into the magic of the underwater world. I do urge you to take one of the museum’s guided tours, as they teach so much about its myriad treasures. smnh.tau.ac.il

Uri Tutim I Photo: Naama Caspi

18 ATMOSPHERE JANUARY 2025