Israeli Museums Aim for Greater Arab Inclusion After Years of Advocacy

The Sikkuy-Afek Association held a conference at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art titled "When Museums Meet the Arab Community," summarizing the organization's work to make museums accessible to the Arab public. The conference featured discussions with museum representatives, artists, researchers, and academics, and presented recommendations for museum directors to ensure equal service and accessibility for Arab audiences and to foster inclusive environments for mixed staff.

The event reviewed the progress made since Sikkuy-Afek's 2020 report on the exclusion of Arabic in Israeli museums, highlighting remaining obstacles and necessary steps for sustainable policy. The 2020 survey of 20 leading Israeli museums revealed that the vast majority did not target Arab audiences, with 12 showing minimal to no Arabic accessibility in signage, written materials, websites, and social media.

Following the 2020 findings, Sikkuy-Afek collaborated with museums to enhance linguistic and cultural accessibility through professional support, training, and connections with Arab community specialists. A 2023 follow-up survey indicated progress, with many museums adding Arabic to signage, translating content and websites, developing Arabic tours, and hiring Arab staff. However, much of this change remained based on isolated initiatives rather than comprehensive institutional policy.

Since the October 7th events and the war in Gaza, Sikkuy-Afek's work has expanded to address tensions between Jewish and Arab staff within museums. While staff members expressed a strong desire to continue working together and maintain open dialogue, there is a recognized lack of tools for managing tensions and crises. The conference aimed to consolidate accumulated knowledge, identify remaining barriers, and explore ways to further develop museums as accessible spaces for the Arab community as audiences, creators, and professionals.

Luria Della, Sikkuy-Afek's Culture Project Coordinator, stated, "What has been achieved in recent years proves that museums can indeed become more open and participatory. What is needed now is to transform these scattered successes into a firm policy that ensures the Arabic language and the Arab community are a natural part of museums and the cultural space in Israel. Museums should not just address us in Arabic or invite us in, but make real space for our language, our creativity, our identity, and our ability to influence this shared space."