🕰️ When History Goes Underground: The Israel Museum's Wartime Race to Save the Past

How a 2,000-Year-Old Scroll Survived Modern Rockets

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June 7, 2026 12:13pm EDT

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Discover Amazing History with the Israel Museum

When Warfare Knocks on the Museum Door

What happens to some of the world's most important historical treasures when modern warfare reaches the museum gates? At the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the answer is a quiet but highly coordinated race against the clock. While sirens sound outside, curators and conservators move swiftly behind the scenes, removing priceless artifacts from display and transferring them to secure underground storage. In some cases, staff have reported to work to safeguard these treasures while simultaneously coping with rocket damage near their own homes.

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Shrine of the Book: Dead Sea Scrolls & Other Ancient Jewish Texts

The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Bitter-Sweet "Special" Exhibit

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, the Israel Museum launched a groundbreaking exhibition on February 24, 2026, called "A Voice from the Desert." For the first time since 1968, the museum unrolled the Great Isaiah Scroll to its full 24-foot (7.17-meter) length. The exhibition opened with immense global fanfare, but due to severe security escalations and missile threats, it was abruptly halted and removed after only four days. The 2,100-year-old scroll had to be rushed back into the secure bunker for its own protection.