(JTA) — A New York fundraising gala raised nearly $1 million for the revamping of the Museum of the Diaspora in Tel Aviv.
Proceeds from last week’s dinner in New York will be used to transition the museum, also known as Beit Hatfutsot, into the Museum of the Jewish People. Nearly 500 guests attended the gala.
The renewed museum will contain an expanded archive, school and interactive exhibits. The museum was founded in 1978 with donations from New Yorkers.
The gala was co-chaired by Eugene Ludwig and Leonid Nevzlin, chairman of the International Board of Governors of Beit Hatfutsot, the Museum of the Jewish People. Participants at the event included Irina Nevzlin Kogan, president of the NADAV Foundation, which supports Beit Hatfutsot, and renowned architect Patrick Gallagher.
Avinoam Armoni, CEO of Beit Hatfutsot, at the gala said it symbolizes a new chapter in the museum’s history.
"This new museum will transform how the story of the Jewish people is told,” he said.
In 2005, the Knesset passed the Beit Hatfutsot Law that redefined Beit Hatfutsot as “the national center for Jewish communities in Israel and around the world.”
