While many Jewish families across Israel will be celebrating the up-coming religious holidays in their own unique and customary ways, journalist, Aviva Bar-am, claims Succot, a Jewish holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei (late September to late October), will be a perfect time for Israelites to visit the variety of museums managed by Israel's Defense Ministry. In the article, Farther Afield: History Lessons of a Riveting Kind, by Aviva Bar-am, the author uses two particular reasons in her defense to this claim: 1. The museums depict the exhilarating saga that resulted in the creation of the state of Israel and 2. They are closed on Friday and Saturday (hence these up-coming work-free weekdays shine as great opportunities).
To persuade her audience even further in visiting these museums, and to inform the eager and curious ones with some interesting information, Aviva Bar-am gives a short review of the exhibits, tour guides, children activities, and special featured presentations available at each museum. She also depicts a brief history explaining the emergence of each of the four museums operated by the Defense Ministry.
For example, the author begins her synopsis with the Hagana Museum. In this beautifully renovated structure, the Hagana Museum emphasizes upon the historical significance of the Jewish, defensive organization, called the Hagana, and their role during the British mandate period. Eliahu Golomb, one of the founders of the Hagana, is unveiled in one of their popular exhibits exemplifying his inspiring life story. 
In the IZL Museum, Aviva Bar-am explains the importance of the paramilitary force called the Irgun Zva'i Leumi during the early years of the state of Israel. For instance she states, although many people feel that activities of the IZL during the crucial pre-state years were, “instrumental in the British decision to toss the Palestine question onto the stage of the United Nations…not everyone realizes that IZL soldiers also played an important role in Israel's War of Independence…". However, she believes that through the three-dimensional exhibits, sound-and-light presentation, and unusual features offered in this "unforgettable experience” at the museum, one will obtain a better understanding and fuller appreciation for the IZL underground movement. 
The third museum Bar-am discusses is the IDF Museum. She testifies that its wonderful assortment of indoor and outdoor exhibits presents visitors with a complete history of the Israel Defense Forces from its very beginnings until the present time. It's notable for its collection of over 550 types of hand guns used during Israel's War of Independence. 
The final of the four museums, the Museum of Underground Prisoners, originally a British-controlled prison yard, is viewed as a historical landmark for many Israelite Jews due to its spellbinding story representing relentless struggle in creating a Jewish state. According to Bar-am, the museum is known for its two fascinating jail cells open for public viewing, as one display names, mottoes and inscriptions that prisoners chiseled on the floor, while the other contains a hatch under one of the beds which was used by several Jewish prisoners to escape. Concerning how much credibility one may give this author and the expertise and experience she holds in providing us with this article, the answer becomes quite clear. Although Aviva Bar-am never claims to have actually visited the museums in the article, not only is she an author, but a traveler correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, having published six guidebooks on Israel and having prepared slideshow presentations about Israel for community centers across America and Canada. In addition she gives such specific details when describing the numerous exhibits displayed in each of the four museums that one can’t help but assume she has personally visited and analyzed these museums thoroughly. With that said, I would conclude that Bar-am holds more than enough credibility to consider this article reliable and accurate for what its worth.
History, regardless of its subject, can be taught and learned in a variety of different ways and places. While some may find university classrooms, professor seminars, or internet websites as appealing ways in gaining historical knowledge, I believe the author, Aviva Bar-am, does an excellent job in compelling her audience in listing visits to museums as another approach. It offers realistic exhibits, original (or closely replicated) artifacts, and visual/audio presentations unprecedented in any classroom lecture or university seminar, all accumulating into an unforgettable glimpse into the recent past. Though it is possible that Aviva may have been sponsored or commissioned by the Defense Ministry to publish such a promotional article for their museums, the facts offered in this article hold substance in itself of the attraction that these museums possess. For an Israelite who may want to do something special this upcoming Succot such as commemorate the creation and protection of the state of Israel, one may find a visit to a local museum operated by the Defense Ministry as a tempting option. Additional information such as musuem contact numbers, hours of operation, and general fee entrance are also conveniently provided in the article.
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