Israel State Archives
The Israel State Archives is the National Archive of Israel, located in Jerusalem. It contains records dating to the Turkish period until the present time. Also of note is a large British Mandate collection, which is mostly in English, and records of government and many other public bodies from the founding of the State until today. The Israel State Archives also house private archives, audiovisual material such as photographs and maps, video clips and a variety of publications in Hebrew and English on subjects ranging from foreign policy to football and theater.
This archive is often a first stop for Israel Studies researchers. Luckily now one does not need even leave their home to visit the archive. If a particular collection is not already available online, users can order materials, and it will be declassified, scanned, and uploaded for them on demand. The archive has published a English language guide with instructions on how to order digital materials.
The last page of the Israel-Egyptian Peace Treaty, 26 March 1979. Courtesy of the Israel State Archives.
Here are a few examples of publications that may be of interest to readers:
National Library of Israel Resources
The National Library of Israel, equivalent to the Library of Congress in the United States, is an incredible resource with dozen of special collections ranging from ancient texts to modern wonders, many of which have been digitized and are free for users all over the world. Here, we highlight a few of the collections most relevant for Israel Studies that are not listed elsewhere in our guide. We recommend creating a free account for the best results, which you can do here. For a special guide for North American and English visitors to the website, check out their NLI USA website.
Original text of "Tikvatenu," which became "HaTikvah," Israel's national anthem, by Naftali Herz Imber. From the Schwadron Collection
at the National Library of Israel.
- Eran Laor Cartographic CollectionThe Eran Laor Cartographic Collection is a physical and virtual collection of maps. The heart of the collection comprises ancient maps, atlases and travel books to the Holy Land and as such, it is the largest of its kind in the world. The collection also includes maps and atlases of other locations. In addition, the collection includes scientific literature on the Holy Land, studies about the historical geography of the Holy Land, Bible dictionaries, and copies of early Bibles that feature maps.
- Ketubot CollectionA Ketubah is a Jewish marriage contract. The site displays over 4200 ketubot from all over the world, including a significant number from Israel.
- Time Travel: Israeli EphemeraThe objective of the "Time Travel" project is to collect and scan Israeli ephemera and make them accessible to the general public. Ephemera are any transitory written or printed matters that are not meant to be retained or preserved, such as advertisements, ticket stubs, playing cards, etc. Of particular interest is the collection of pashkevilim, Haredi broadsides, usually posted publicly, about a variety of issues.
Israel-related Resources
- La Bibliothèque numérique de l'Alliance israélite universelleFrench language resource. These are the records of the Alliance israélite universelle, which operated a large network of Jewish schools around the world, including Israel. Several of these schools are still in operation today.
- YIVO CatalogYIVO is dedicated to the culture and history of Eastern European Jewry. Many of its records have been digitized. An excellent resource for researching the Zionist movement and its opponents.
- Nevo This link opens in a new windowThis comprehensive Israeli law database includes up-to-date primary and secondary legislation, published court decisions from all Israeli courts, as well as full texts of books and legal journals.
- American Public Opinion about Israel LabThe APOI lab was established by Dr. Amnon Cavari to study the behavioral aspect of the special relationship between the United States and Israel. In our work, we combine public opinion data with analysis of media coverage of events, elite rhetoric and political actions. Relying on our big data approach, we examine trends in elite and public support and assess causes of change.
- Archi-Parchi: The civic archive of social struggles in IsraelHoused at the College of Management Academic Studies in Rishon LeZion, the archive is driven by a non-governmental, non-institutional, and community-focused ethos.
- Bank of Israel CurrencyThe Bank of Israel has pictures of current currency, as well links to older currency as well.
- Bilateral TreatiesThe official Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs directory of bilateral treaties. Website is in Hebrew, treaties are in Hebrew, English, and sometimes other languages.
- David Rumsey Map CollectionThe David Rumsey Map Collection was started over 30 years ago and contains more than 150,000 maps. The collection focuses on rare 16th through 21st century maps, and contains many maps of the Middle East and Israel.
- The Digital Library of the Middle East (DLME)The Digital Library of the Middle East (DLME) offers free and open access to the rich cultural legacy of the Middle East and North Africa by bringing together collections from a wide range of cultural heritage institutions. Has many sources relevant to Israel and Zionism.
- The Druck Collection of Kibbutz and Secular HaggadotA collection of kibbutz and secular haggadot dating from the mid-1930s to the mid-1990s. Most of this material was produced in-house by various kibbutzim, youth movements, and army units for use at seder celebrations. One of the largest of its kind in the world, this collection documents how kibbutzim and various Zionist, socialist, and secular groups and movements in Israel and around the world created new liturgies to satisfy their own spiritual needs. The collection also includes a number of Passover-related publications such as synagogue and army base newsletters published before Passover.
- Harvard Judaica Digital CollectionThe Judaica Collection's many digital materials document the life and culture of the Jewish people, with particular focus on life and culture in Israel.
- Hebrew Literature Out LoudThe archive is the first project of its kind in Hebrew: recording prose and poetry works written in Modern and Classical Hebrew.
- Israel Genealogy Research AssociationFree account required. To access all resources, a paid membership is required. Records mainly in Hebrew and English.
- The Israeli Left ArchivesThe Israeli Left Archives are devoted mainly to the radical left and the women's peace movement in Israel during the sixties, seventies and the eighties.
- Jewish Cultures MappedJewish Cultures Mapped (JCM) is an interactive, web-based map developed by “Daat Hamakom”, The Center for the Study of Cultures of Place in Jewish Modernity (I-CORE). The map harnesses cutting-edge digital-mapping and information-visualization technologies designed to explore and experience Jewish cultures in their historical development from a perspective of time and space. It has many entries relating to Israel.
- Mizrahi and Sephardic Oral History ProgramJIMENA Experience Oral History Program was created in 2010 to record and preserve the testimonies and narratives of Jews displaced from the Middle East and North Africa. This project enables former Mizrahi and Sephardic refugees an opportunity to assert their history and document their stories of human rights abuse, denationalization, displacement, fractured identities, material losses, resettlement and integration in new societies. Many of these immigrants ended up in Israel.
- Museums In Israel: The National PortalMuseums in Israel – the National Portal is the first project of its kind to showcase Israel's development in the preservation and nurturing of culture and heritage in the digital age.
The portal is a gateway, by means of which the collections of Israel's museums are revealed and displayed to the general public throughout the world. - Net HamishpatHebrew. The central computerized court system in Israel, searchable by case number.
- OtzarotDigital archive of personal letters from Israeli history. Hebrew only.
- The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and CivilizationThe Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization is a vast and ongoing project launched over fifteen years ago by Felix Posen to gather literature, art, and translate primary sources from biblical times to the 21st century. Many Israel studies relevant sources are included.
- Rich BrewThis project examines the confluence between cafés, the urban environment, and the creativity of multilingual Jewish diasporic communities. It uncovers a network of interconnected people and coffeehouses that were central to the modern Jewish experience in a time of migration and urbanization. There is a wealth of information on cafes in Tel Aviv.
- Shimon Peres Archive at the Peres CenterSearchable collection in English and Hebrew of materials related to the life and work of Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister and President of Israel.
- Versa: Opinions of the Supreme Court of IsraelTranslations into English of rulings of the Supreme Court of Israel. Includes a searchable database and an interactive platform for online discussion and debate.
- Wilson Center Digital ArchiveThe Wilson Center Digital Archive is a resource where students, researchers, journalists, and others can access once-secret documents from governments and organizations all over the world. Constructed and maintained by the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program, the Digital Archive contains declassified historical materials from archives around the world, much of it in English translation. There are many documents related to Israel and the Middle East.
- Yeshiva University Libraries Digital CollectionsRare materials from Yeshiva University’s Special Collections are presented in the Digital Library, with the goals of enhancing research and teaching at the University and of benefiting scholars worldwide. Of particular interest for Israel Studies is the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry Poster Collection and the The Soviet Jewry Oral History Project.
Relevant American Jewish Resources
One of the most important aspects of Israel Studies is the relationship of Israel and the Diaspora. The following resource, while are not strictly dedicated to Israel Studies, contain significant materials related to American Zionism and the relationship between American Jewry and Israel.
- Agudah ArchivesAgudah's National Orthodox Jewish archives is a repository of more than 1 million documents, photos and recordings relating to the Orthodox Jewish experience in America, and specifically the work of Agudath Israel of America. Our archives span the 20th and 21st centuries.
- American Jewish Committee ArchivesFilled with more than a million documents and hundreds of movies and radio shows, the New York-based American Jewish Committee Archives house an extraordinary range of resources on the past century of American Jewish history. An excellent resource for studying the relationship between the organized Jewish community and Israel.The yearbooks are a good place to start to understand each year's events.
- American Jewish Committee Oral History CollectionThe American Jewish Committee interviewed individuals from all walks of life, thereby compiling a collection of oral histories documenting the Jewish experience in America. Of particular interest to Israel Studies is Abba Eban, Nathan Glazer, David Ben Gurion, and Golda Meir.
- American Jewish Historical SocietyAJHS provides access to more than 30 million documents and 50,000 books, photographs, art and artifacts that reflect the history of the Jewish presence in the United States from 1654 to the present. Of particular interest to Israel Studies is the Archive of the American Soviet Jewry Movement. While many of the collections require an in person visit, the website has a complete finding guide and significant online resources.
- The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of The American Jewish ArchivesThe Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA) contains materials on the history of Jews and Jewish communities in the Western Hemisphere, including data of a political, economic, social, cultural, and religious nature. The entire finding guide is searchable online. The center holds many collections relevant to American Jewry and Israel, including the American Council for Judaism, the Zionist Organization of America, Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on Palestine Collection, and others.
- Shapell Manuscript FoundationThe collection encompasses unique themes in American history and the Holy Land, with emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries. Their Holy Land collection has posters, original correspondence, and photographs that relate to Israel and Zionism.