In honor of Israel's Independence Day this Tuesday, the National Library in Jerusalem announced it will offer free guided tours of the new building in Hebrew and English.

Visitors who come on the national holiday will also be able to enjoy the wide selection of millions of items deposited at the library, including rare books, ancient manuscripts, photos, antique maps, historical posters, and personal archives of great writers and thinkers. 

An exhibition titled "Encounters of Beauty" is set to be on display. It features items from the famous Braginsky collection of Hebrew manuscripts and other important contemporary artworks, including the sculpture "Letters of Light" by Michal Ullman, which stands in the Library gardens.

The new National Library of Israel is an impressive 11-story building with six floors above ground and five below. It can accommodate up to 600 readers, who can enter daily and free of charge. 

The National Libary's opening at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war

The library opened in October 2023 in the shadow of the war and has hosted many exhibitions since then, including an installation called "Every Hostage Has a Story," to highlight the hostages being held in Hamas captivity.

Hundreds of black chairs were placed in the middle of the main reading hall, each with a picture of one of the hostages on it and a book chosen especially for him or her.

To sign up for the free tour of the National Library on Israel's Independence Day, registering through the website must be done in advance. 

Further details and registration can be done through the National Library website: https://www.nli.org.il/he/visit/tours/independence-day-tours