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| Estelle Yach |
Estelle Yach has been named an Honorary Fellow of the Israel Museum for 2011. She will receive the award on Monday 13 June at the museum’s 2011 International Council event.
Estelle has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the Israel Museum. She and her late husband Solm became annual Guardians of the museum almost three decades ago. “To be honoured for supporting an institution which has given me and countless others so such pleasure over the years is deeply moving. I also
feel privileged to receive this award as chairperson of the Mauerberger Foundation Fund as we were one of the founder donors of the museum, which means that since 1965, we have been actively associated with the growth and renewal of the museum and continue to celebrate its renaissance today,” says Estelle.
Through the Mauerberger Foundation, Estelle has expressed her deep commitment to Israel and the museum through a wide variety of projects. These include sponsorship of the 1994 Sinai Archaeological Expedition, funding for handicapped access facilities at the museum, and sponsorship of the popular and successful Summer Events Programme.
She has also travelled every year to the museum’s International Council conference in Jerusalem. “Over the years, the Israel Museum has become one of the foremost global institutions of its kind, a recognised centre of excellence for art and antiquities.
Beyond that, for me, the museum symbolises much more than its collections. The uniqueness of the museum lies in its ability to make connections across cultures, bringing together diverse people from all parts of the world to engage in dialogue and enjoy a shared voyage of discovery of the important values of humanity — what it means to be interconnected, the importance of community engagement and the search for truth and justice,” explains Estelle.
Revisiting core values In terms of the South African Jewish community’s connection to the Israel Museum, “the South African Jewish community can continue its support for the museum by actively participating in its programmes through attending lectures and exhibitions as well as sponsorship events and investing in the infrastructure. I believe there is also scope for even more vibrant exchanges of know-how and experience between the museum and arts communities in Israel and South Africa and may be this is something that could be explored more fully in the future.”
The theme of this year’s Israel Museum International Council, highlights a new chapter in the museum’s history. “The Israel Museum has always sought actively to engage with the past in order to learn from it,” says Estelle. “My vision for the future is that the museum becomes even more proactive in uncovering ways of addressing pressing social and political problems — through learning lessons from the past, engaging people creatively in dialogue to raise self-awareness — to forge a safe, compassionate and just future. This is also my positive vision for Israel’s future.” She says that “ensuring a safe, compassionate future founded on equality and social justice won’t happen on its own. We all need to continue to work together to make it happen. As Jews, we need to constantly revisit our core values, recognising the importance of humility and equality as part of our humanity and not allowing these to be sacrificed for short-term political gain.”
