Akevot Institute invites you on a historical tour through the archive’s shelves that takes you into our story and the story of this place.
In the coming months, we will be available to book for a variety of tours, lectures, and screenings based on our research and incorporating original archival records unearthed by the institute’s researchers. These lectures and tours are intended for the general public, interest groups, civil society organization staff, students, and more, and are delivered by the institute’s researchers in Hebrew or English.
Lectures can be held at Akevot Institute’s offices in Haifa or at a location of your choice.
On this page, you’ll find the list of lectures and tours we offer. Arrangements can be made for a special lecture on other topics related to Akevot Institute’s work. To schedule, please use this form.
Following Sami Saada
Sami Saada was a Palestinian resident of Haifa during the 1948 war. After the war, he was forced to move from his home in the lower city to an apartment on Abbas Street. One evening, he discovered to his dismay, that a Jewish family had invaded his home. Mr. Saada’s personal story, uncovered in the Israel State Archives, also reveals Haifa’s history in the years after the war.
Location: Haifa – Lower City | Tour duration: 50 min
Contact us to schedule a tour
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Sami’s story was also documented in a play entitled The Personal Tragedy of Mr. Sami Saadeh, published by Carmel Publishing (in Hebrew).
The Road to October 7
While October 7 took Israel by surprise, in hindsight, it is difficult to say the road leading to it was not clear, and, in a certain sense, even planned. A lecture by Akevot Institute researcher Adam Raz following his new book, The Road to October 7 (Pardes Publishing, Hebrew), tracks the relationship between Hamas and Netanyahu from his first term as prime minister until the current war.
Location: Your venue, or at Akevot Institute (Haifa) | Lecture duration 90 minutes
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Kafr Qasim Massacre – The historical reality and the political story
Incorporating archival records declassified recently thanks to a long legal battle, this lecture tells the story of the Kafr Qasim massacre (1956), the secret “Mole” plan, and
the conditions that enabled what would become a definitively formative event in Israeli history.
Location: Your venue, or at Akevot Institute (Haifa) | Lecture duration 90 minutes
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From Military Rule to a military regime
“Those calling to abolish the [Military] Rule will be responsible for the People of Israel if it is destroyed. As soon as there are no regulations – an Arab group will rise and fight. We see them as donkeys. They don’t care. They accept it with love” (David Ben-Gurion).
The Military Rule, which applied to 85% of Israel’s Arab citizens between 1948 and 1966 has been erased from memory over the years, but concerted efforts by Akevot Institute researchers have unearthed rich archival records. In this talk, the institute’s researchers will present the goals of the Military Rule – overt and covert – and unpack how its legacy affects all of our lives to this day.
Location: Your venue, or at Akevot Institute (Haifa) | Lecture duration 90 minutes
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“What is good for a citizen to know” – Information politics in government archives
“A regime which takes upon itself the authority to determine what is good for the citizen to know, will eventually also determine what is good for the citizen to think.” (Justice Moshe Landau)
While Israeli law on public access to archival records is rather liberal, the vast majority of the documents kept in the Israel State Archive and the IDF Archive are inaccessible to the public. On what issues does Israel take special care to deny the public information? What hidden mechanisms work to control the narrative? Ninety minutes whoever has their hand on the information switch wouldn’t want you to hear.
Location: Your venue, or at Akevot Institute (Haifa) | Lecture duration 90 minutes
Two months into the war in Gaza, seven political activists got together inside a closed, empty theater in Tel Aviv.
Each of them fights the injustices of the state –violence, landgrab, erasure and obfuscation – in their own way.
They were asked to read the transcripts of government meetings dating back to 1948, which had been classified until recently and opened for access after a long struggle by Akevot Institute. Viewers watch the activists as they take their first look at the transcripts, exposed to documentation that was inaccessible for decades, and together with them, learn about dark aspects of Israeli history.
The film seeks to shed light on the connection between silencing crimes of the past and attempts to silence opposition to crimes of the present.
Directed by Einat Weizman | 33 minutes | Hebrew | English subtitles
The film was produced by Akevot Institute.
Location: Your venue, or at Akevot Institute (Haifa) | Duration of screening and discussion 60-90 minutes