National Library of Israel

Israel’s national library, based in Jerusalem, collects and preserves materials on Jewish, Israeli, and Middle Eastern history and culture. Its collections include books, manuscripts, archives, maps, music, and other cultural heritage materials.

Connect

National library: A library designated to collect, preserve, and provide access to a country's published heritage. This is the institutional role the library serves for Israel.
B'nai B'rith: A Jewish service organization founded in 1843 that established institutions and supported communities worldwide. Its Jerusalem lodge helped establish the library's predecessor in 1892.
Hebrew manuscripts: Handwritten texts in Hebrew, produced across diverse periods, regions, and literary traditions. The library preserves important manuscript collections for scholarly study.
Cultural heritage: Inherited cultural expressions, objects, practices, and knowledge valued by communities. The library safeguards documentary forms of cultural heritage.
Jewish history: The history of Jewish communities, ideas, institutions, and political life across time and place. Its collections document Jewish life across centuries and regions.
Aharon David Gordon: A Jewish thinker and labor Zionist whose writings emphasized ethical renewal through work and connection to nature. Gordon was among the early librarians associated with the institution.
National Sound Archive of Israel: An archive preserving recordings of music, speech, and other sounds connected to Israel and Jewish culture. It documents musical and spoken heritage within the library's collections.
Memory institutions: Organizations such as libraries, archives, and museums that preserve and provide access to recorded knowledge and heritage. The library belongs to institutions that shape public access to the past.
Israeli history: The history of the State of Israel and the societies and institutions associated with it. Its holdings preserve records of Israel's modern history and culture.
Zionism: A movement supporting the establishment and development of a Jewish national home in the historic Land of Israel. The library's early development was shaped by Zionist efforts to build cultural institutions.