We all enjoy a bit of hands-on learning. However, for one Israeli museum, there might have been a bit too much enthusiasm from one tiny patron. But in a surprising move, instead of outrage over a broken 3,500-year-old jar, there was instead a chance for learning and a bit of kindness.
When Anna and Alex Geller heard the sudden jarring crash while visiting the Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel, they each hoped it wasn’t one of their three children behind it. “It was just a distraction of a second,” Anna said.
And the next thing I know, it’s a very big boom boom behind me.”
Alex said that his four-year-old son, Ariel, is a very inquisitive child. So, when he heard the loud crash, he could only think, “please let that not be my child.” But it was. The Bronze Age jar had been a part of the Hecht Museum for more than 35 years.
Ariel Geller visits the Hecht Museum. Photo by Hecht Museum staff
The jar, which was possibly used to hold wine or oil, dates back to sometime between 2200 and 1500 B.C. The museum said that it had been one of the only complete jars from that time period.
The museum, said director Inbal Rivlin, has always wanted to create an open environment for learning, leaving quite a few artifacts out in the open instead of behind glass. For the curious 4-year-old, the lure of the big container was just too much. “(Ariel) told me he just wanted to see what was inside,” his shocked mother said.
Alex said they immediately let the security guards know what had happened, praying it was not a real artifact. The family offered to pay for any damage. “But they called and said it was insured and after they checked the cameras and saw it wasn’t vandalism they invited us back for a make-up visit,” said the relieved father.
Inbal said that the innocent accident would be used as an educational lesson, and it was important to bring the Gellers back, so they would feel welcome returning to the museum. The family had ended their visit early, after the jar was broken.
The family is from Nahariya, which is south of Israel’s border with Lebanon. Their city has been under rocket fire from Hezbollah for more than 10 months, a conflict they say is linked to the war in Gaza. Visiting the museum was one of many ways the family had been trying to escape the daily stress of living during a war, Alex said.
Ariel Geller, 4, center, and his parents Anna, right, and Alex, center left, during their visit to the Hecht Museum. Photo by Associated Press
Restoration experts are using 3D technology to bring the jar back to life. It should be ready for display in just a few weeks. The Gellers were fascinated by the repair process. “That’s what’s actually interesting for my older kids, this process of how they’re restoring it, and all the technology they’re using there,” Alex said.
Thankfully, the restoration expert at Hecht Roee Shafir said, the repairs were simple since all the pieces of the jar were together. Typically, he said, it could be a more difficult job since often when artifacts are first found, they can be multiple pieces, and often include parts of other items.
Shafir said that this incident should not change the museum’s policy of leaving some artifacts out in the open. It’s important, he said, that visitors feel a connection to the historical pieces. “I like that people touch. Don’t break, but to touch things, it’s important,” he said.
