The new Israel State Archives website went live in mid-April. The new site is intended to make digitized copies of archival materials available to the public online. This is excellent news, except that the move is accompanied by and conditioned upon the closure of the reading room in the Jerusalem physical location of the Israel State Archives (ISA). This will result in denial of access to important archival materials that are now declassified and publically accessible.
The Restriction of Public Access to Records in the Israel State Archives ‐ Call to Action
“The move to increase the public availability of the records available at the ISA by allowing
online access to the documents is welcome and even necessary. However, the decision to
merge the launch of internet viewing access with the prevention of in‐person access to
important historical documents and files, which are vital for education about Israeli
society’s past and present, is a serious and unwarranted mistake. Furthermore, the
decision that this access will be voluntarily made subject to the considerations of the
Military Censor and other factors, is a threat to open public discourse and education.
This must, and indeed can, be amended.”
Join the call to restore access to paper records at the Israel State Archives: unclose.archive@gmail.com
