Museums in Israel have put their precious artworks into safe storage areas as Palestinians attack Israel with rockets from Gaza.
Tel Aviv's Museum of Art was forced to move almost 200 works of art on Friday into a rocket-proof safe to keep them protected as Palestinians send rockets into Israel from Gaza.
''Even if there's a very small possibility (of damage), we don't play around. We don't take chances,'' Doron J. Lurie, the senior curator and chief conservator told the Associated Press. ''We've guarded them like our own kids.''
The artwork at the Tel Aviv museum hasn't been stored since the 1991 Gulf War, when Israel was attacked by Iraqi missiles.
The Ashdod Art Museum- Monart Center also took down several works of art and placed them in an underground vault to keep them safe. Among the works are 15 pieces by leading contemporary Israeli artist Tsibi Geva. Curator Yuval Biton placed them in a vault which is four floors underground and can withstand rocket fire and biological weapons, according to the AP.
''It's chutzpah to take a chance on them,'' Biton told AP. The art hasn't been in the vault since the Ashdod museum opened in 2003.The Israeli military was waged air straikes against Gaza while the Palestinians have attacked Israel with rocket fir for about a week now.While some museums have put their works into hiding, others are not too concerned.
The Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, which is home to Near Eastern antiquities and other works, hasn't removed their art.
''We don't get into a panic and take stuff from the glass showcases,'' museum spokeswoman Miri Tsedaka told AP.
Extra security at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem hasn't been added, even though a rocked landed nearby.''It's business as usual,'' said director James Snyder.
Jerusalem antiquities dealer said he's more concerned about human life than his artwork. He hasn't moved his valuable ancient objects from his bank's safe deposit box.
''I'm more concerned about my own safety and the safety of my own family than a few bits of pottery,'' Wolfe told AP.
Most of the works at the Tel Aviv museum and Ashdod are works that are on loan from private collectors.
''If they survived 800 years before they got here, we have to do the utmost, for the good of humanity, so they will survive at least another 500 years,'' said Lurie.
Even though the museum has taken the initiative to store the artwork in a safe place, Tel Aviv is one of the safer areas during the Israel-Palestine conflict. The museum is still open. Southern Israeli's can visit the museum for free while other guests receive reduced admission since 200 of the paintings are in storage.
The Israel Museum and Eretz Israel Museum are also offering free and discounted admission.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
