Friends of Zion Museum, Jerusalem – Visitors Guide
The Friends of Zion Museum showcases the Jewish people’s dream of returning to their homeland and the courageous non-Jews who supported them.
Table of Contents
Map
Friends of Zion Museum is located near Hebrew Music Museum, at Yosef Rivlin Street 20, Jerusalem.
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
Directions
You can drive to the Kikar Hamusica parking lot or to another nearby parking area. But I would suggest using public transport. My favorite way is to park for free at Givat Hatachmoshet and take the light rail. The “City Hall” and the “Jaffa – Center” stops are within a short walk.
Opening Hours
Sunday – Thursday: 10:00 – 16:30
The museum is closed on Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays.
Entrance Fee
Adult: 44 NIS
Kids and Students: 33 NIS
Opening hours and ticket prices were updated in August 2025. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.
Note: to visit this museum, you must join a guided tour. You can book a tour on the official website.
Coupons
- cpnclub – 25 NIS per person.
- HTZone – starting from 9 NIS per ticket.
- Cal – 24 NIS per adult and 22 NIS per child..
- Isracard – 1+1.
- Teachers Association – 22 NIS per adult and 20 NIS per child.
Contact Information
Phone: +972-2-532-9400
Email: reservations@fozhc.com
Tour at Friends of Zion Museum
We booked a tour for 16:30. Upon arrival, the guides led us to various photo stations, each featuring a different Jerusalem background. Everyone in our group took a photo, and at the end of the tour, we received printed magnets with our pictures. However, several people did not receive their magnets, and since the office was already closed, there was nothing we could do about it. Therefore, I would suggest joining an earlier tour to avoid this issue.
We then followed our guide to the nearby building where our tour began.
Land of the Promise
In the first room, we saw a combined movie and a map presentation. Here is the quote from the official site:
The Promised Land exhibit opens our tour of the Friends of Zion Museum. This stunning exhibit introduces us to the message of this newest and most technologically advanced museum in Jerusalem. As we enter the room, we see in graphic form the beginning of the more than 3000-year-old saga of the people of Israel in the Land of Israel. At our feet, a 12-meter-long topographic map outlines the boundaries of the land settled by the 12 tribes of Israel, with names of the main biblical towns of that era.
The Founders
Afterwards, we entered the founder’s theater and watched a movie. Here is the quote from the official site:
With a spectacular sound and light show, the Time Elevator takes us back to nearly 4,000 years ago.
With a 24 meters wide wraparound screen, the Founder’s Theater tells the story of the beginning of the covenant between God and the people of Israel through animation, lighting effects, narration, and original music presented in surround sound.
Chosen by God as the bearer of the message God in the world and the founder of a great nation, Abraham answers “Hineni,” “here am I,” and leads his family and followers from the land of his fathers to the land of Canaan, the Holy Land.
Hall of Dreamers
When we entered the next hall, our guide divided us into small groups. Each group stood near a sculpture and heard an explanation about that person, and then the groups switched places. Here is the quote from the official site:
The Hall of Dreamers introduces four unique stories of believers in making the Dream come true: The Dream that the scattered People of Israel would be gathered from the four corners of the earth and return to their homeland – the flourishing Land of Israel – as the Prophets had so long ago foretold. Their Dream was the Dream of Zion restored.
For example, we listened to the story of Henry Dunant. Here is the quote from the official site:
Henry Dunant (1828-1910) was a man of vision whose strong humanitarian ideals directly led to the founding of the International Red Cross in 1863 and inspired the framing of the First Geneva Convention on the rules of war. In addition, Dunant initiated or supported many other worthy causes during his lifetime. He was chosen as co-laureate of the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.
This remarkable 19th-century Swiss businessman was a key figure in the fermentation of Christian Zionism, which sought to restore the Jewish people to their homeland in then Ottoman-occupied Palestine. His advocacy of “Restorationism” was inspired by his staunch belief in the Bible.
Hall of Visionaries
The next exhibition was the Hall of Visionaries. In this room, we saw a large screen displaying various historical figures. And when you touched one of them, you received additional information. Also, there was a nearby room, screening different movies. We received free time and started exploring.
Here is the quote from the official site:
The Hall of Visionaries gallery is a giant, colorful mural, but essentially different than any other due to advanced technology. This hand-drawn mural by a team of artists has been transferred to 36 LCD screens, linked together seamlessly, projecting motion and text upon touch.
Touching any of the eleven figures – heroes of Christian Zionism – on the mural triggers animated motion of the figure plus a brief text, telling about the figure shown on the screen. Along the mural are quotes from classical Biblical sources speaking of the return of the Jews to their homeland.
Lights in the Darkness
In the following gallery, we saw a movie about people who saved Jews during the Second World War. Here is the quote from the official site:
The Lights in the Darkness gallery uses animation to tell the tales of the Righteous Among the Nations, whose faith and consciences drove them to save the lives of Jews, young and old, during the Holocaust in Europe. In a dramatic fashion, images appear on a dark, “shattered” wall, introducing us to Christian personalities from Germany, Poland, Holland, Japan, and Sweden who exercised extraordinary and dangerous initiatives to save Jews during the Holocaust in Europe. These heroes are represented on the screen before us as beams of light against a totally dark background.
Hall of the Brave
In this exhibition, we learned the stories of people who helped create the defence forces that would support Israel. Here is the quote from the official site:
Here we encounter the heroes who made an enormous difference in the formation of the defense forces that would support the foundation of the emerging State of Israel in the Holy Land and its place among the world’s nations.
In some cases, they even placed their own lives in danger. This gallery is dedicated, by extension, to the Christian men and women in every generation who have been willing to give their lives on the battlefield in order to keep the promise of Israel alive for each generation. Our heroes are depicted here in a dramatic, “living” high-tech manner.
The Promise Theater
Our last stop was the Promise Theater. Each of us received 3D glasses and we saw a short movie. Here is the quote from the official site:
The last station in the Friends of Zion Museum experience in Jerusalem is the most visually and emotionally striking of all. The Promise Theater, a visually sweeping three-dimensional presentation viewed with polarized 3D glasses.
Here, we see the personalities we encountered in the previous galleries, from Abraham up to modern times, telling how each responded to the call to be there, to inspire, and to take part in the fulfillment of the promise to restore the people of Israel to a glorious Holy Land.
The people who appear before us each answered “Here Am I” when the time came for them to act.
How Much Time Does a Typical Visit Take?
The Friends of Zion Museum is a small museum. The tour lasted a little over an hour.
Summary
The tour at the Friends of Zion Museum is relatively short and features numerous technological innovations, making it enjoyable for families with children. My family and I loved the museum, and I highly recommend visiting it.
For nearby attractions, check Jerusalem.
Have you ever been to the Friends of Zion Museum? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
That’s all for today, and I will see you on future travels!
Stay Tuned!
Additional Resources
Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:- Trip Planner with Attractions and Itineraries is the page that will help you create your perfect travel route.
- What is the Best Time to visit Israel? To answer this question, we will consider the weather, prices, holidays, festivals, and more.
- Information and Tips for Tourists to Israel will answer the most common questions tourists have about Israel (including safety, passports, weather, currency, tipping, electricity, and much more).
- Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves include a complete list, top ten, map, tickets (Israel Pass, Matmon, combo), and campsites.
- If you are looking for things to do, here are the pages for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sea Of Galilee, Akko (Acre), Eilat, Nazareth, Safed (Tzfat), and Makhtesh Ramon.
