Nearly 60 museums, tourist attractions, and heritage sites across Israel will open their doors free of charge to the general public during the intermediate days of Passover, as part of Bank Hapoalim's 20th annual initiative for the holiday.
The initiative aims to make culture, history, and nature more accessible to families during the holiday, while supporting tourism institutions and small businesses across the country. This year, special emphasis is being placed on northern and southern Israel—regions heavily impacted during Israel's multi-front wars.
As part of the initiative, several major northern sites that were closed during the war and have recently resumed activity will be included in the program. Among them are Mount Hermon, Hula Lake Park, the new Katzrin Park, Nahariya Zoological Garden, the Tower and Stockade Museum in Hanita, the Druze Heritage House in Julis, the aqueduct in Regba, and the Dubrovin Farm in Yesod HaMa’ala.
These join longstanding participants such as the Museum of Art in Ein Harod, the Haifa Museums, including the Haifa Museum of Art, National Maritime Museum, and Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art, the Golan Antiquities Museum, Beit Yigal Allon, the Ghetto Fighters Museum, and the Treasures in the Wall Museum.
In the south, seven small tourism businesses in the Shikma-Besor region will also offer free activities and entry. Some of those include the Palm Farm, Ron Art Judaica’s glassblowing workshops in Ma’agalim, the Hut Museum in Kibbutz Hatzerim, the Tzoan Barzel Heritage Museum in Kibbutz Tze’elim, and the popular “Salad Trail” in Moshav Talmei Yosef.
National treasures available to all
Prominent national institutions participating again this year include the Israel Museum, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, the Lunda Children’s Museum, the Yaacov Agam Museum in Rishon Lezion, the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Ramat Gan Museum, the Janco Dada Museum, and more.
Other well-known sites include the Israeli Museum at the Rabin Center, Ben-Gurion’s Hut in Sde Boker, Timna Park, the Jerusalem Old City Ramparts Walk, the Planetanya Science and Space Center, and the Bible Lands Museum.
The initiative is expected to save an estimated NIS 1,000 per family while encouraging meaningful cultural experiences and fostering a connection to Israel’s heritage and landscapes.
The participating sites will be open free of charge throughout the intermediate days of Passover, from April 14 to 18, 2025, with full activity days from Monday to Thursday, April 14–17, and a half-day on Friday, April 18.
