Israel Archives and Libraries


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Local Research Resources
  • Archives collect and preserve original documents of organizations such as churches or governments. Libraries generally collect published sources such as books, maps, and microfilm.
  • If you plan to visit a repository, contact them and ask for information about their collection, hours, services, and fees. Ask if they require you to have a reader’s ticket (a paper indicating you are a responsible researcher) to view the records, and ask how to obtain one.
  • Although the records you need may be in an archive or library, the FamilySearch Library may have microfilmed and/or digitized copies of them.

Archives

Israel State Archives
AS Khartum 14
Har Hotzvim
Jerusalem 91919, Israel

Tel: 02-5680680, 02-5680612
Fax:02-5680670
Website

Information found in the Reading Room of the Israel State Archives.

  • The Government of Israel The Office of the Chief Secretariat - 1918-1948
The Chief Executive Office of the British Mandatory Government in Palestine . Including personal files of government employees.
  • The Immigration Department, 1920-1948
This section includes material relating to the control of passports, pilgrims, immigration information, absorption conditions, statistics on immigration, economics, working conditions, etc. A large part of this division includes naturalization files. Personal status of immigrants who petitioned the Immigration Department for citizenship - 508 boxes. Note: Most of the material is from the 1930's and relates to German immigrants.
  • Palestine Police: Illegal Immigrant Cases 1933-1948
The material includes deportation orders of illegal immigrants, arranged according to arrival dates and ships.
There are also marriage and divorce documents of non-Jews, 1929-1947.
  • Registry and Land Settlement
List Property, mandatory registrations population of the Community Council of Jerusalem, register marriages and divorces (can be viewed only possession courts),records of the Supreme Court - (you can read only the court's permission Supreme Council (
  • Ottoman Administration. Books of Nafos 1917-1876
The material is arranged according to cities, including ethnic groups and religious affiliation. The records were made for tax purposes and military service.
  • Ministry of the Interior. The Central Elections Committee for the Knesset 1948-1989
It includes those eligible to vote, 1951-1973
  • Collection of documents from the German consulate in Jerusalem 1919-1940
Material from the consulates in Jerusalem, Jaffa and Haifa. Personal status such as registration of births, marriage records and death records, military service, correspondence and comments regarding the adoption of Jewish first names And cancellation of name changes, registration of German subjects, issuance of passports, cancellation of German citizenship.
  • Sharia Courts 1975-1998
Marriage and Divorce Records (see only the permission of the Rabbinical Courts),
  • District 121 Regional Rabbinical Courts 1919-2006
Cases of marriage licenses, divorce, conversion, etc. of the Rabbinical Courts in Jerusalem , Tel Aviv, Petach Tikva, Haifa, Tiberias and Safed
  • Collection of Documents from the British Consulate in Jerusalem 1838-1948
  • Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, 1919-2005
A large series of lists of immigrants to Palestine, arranged by date of arrival and ships, 1974-1921.
  • Brigade 140 - the Chief Rabbinate of 1910-2003
records and marriage records marriage licenses.
  • Austrian consulate in Palestine 1903-1938
list of passports, visas, applications for passports and visas to Austria, List of Austrian war dead buried in military cemeteries in Palestine.

The Central Zionist Archives
Joseph Herlitz Street Address
Jerusalem 9100002
Israel

Telephone: 02-6204800
Fax: 02-6204837
E-mail: cza@wzo.org.il


Family research related collections:

  • A card file and personal records of immigrants
Jewish Agency card files and personal records of candidates for aliyah and of immigrants to Israel / the State of Israel
  • Legal immigration
There are three main databases dealing with the legal immigration: immigrant note books, personal records of immigrants and aliyah candidates, and an immigrant card index of the statistics department of the Jewish Agency's Aliyah Department
  • Illegal immigration
Lists of passengers who sailed on illegal ships
  • Youth Aliyah
The Historical Archives of the Department for the Immigration of Children and Youth
  • Cyprus exiles
Archive of the Cyprus exiles' camps between 1947-1949
  • Recruitment to the British army
General correspondence files of the Jewish Agency's recruitment and release offices, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa
  • Search for relatives
The database and files of the Jewish Agency's Search for Relatives Section
  • Commander of Jerusalem
Booklets of the Jewish commander of Jerusalem conducted by the British before the Second World War, September 1939
  • Offices in Israel
Card catalogs of the Israeli offices
  • Note books
Note books for immigrants to Israel / the State of Israel between the years 1919-1974
  • Immigrants' file of the statistics section of the Jewish Agency's Aliyah Department
  • Personal archives
  • Private archives of personalities who worked for Zionism
  • Newspapers and books
Newspapers and periodicals published in Israel, in the State of Israel and abroad, which are made up of genealogies

The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People Jerusalem (CAHJP)
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Edmond J. Safra Campus Givat Ram
Jerusalem 91390
Israel

Tel. 972-2-6586249
Fax 972-2-6535426
E-Mail: cahjp@nli.org.il
Website
Visiting the Archives


Municipal Archives
Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa
st 69 Tel
Tel Aviv-Jaffa 64162
Israel

Coordination visit:

Telephone: 03-7244368
Archive@mail.tel-aviv.gov.il

Fax : 03-5216012
Website

Online Tel Aviv Censuses:

The David Tuviyahu Archives for the History of the Negev
Ben Gurion University of the Negev
Veer-Sheeva, Israel

Telephone:08-6461425
E-mail: Archtuv@bgu.ac.il


Endangered Archives: Israel


Societies With Databases From Archives

Israel Genealogy Research Association
P.O. Box 10578
Jerusalem 9110501
Israel

Email contact form
Website
Professional research services

Online Databases at IGRA:

  • Immigration
  • The Histadrut
  • Births
  • Candidates
  • Commanders/Lists
  • Marriage/Divorce
  • Representatives
  • Address Books
  • Books
  • Deaths/Burial
  • Government publications
  • Military
  • Lists of voters
  • School Lists
  • Change of name
  • Employment
  • Contributions

Israeli Association for the Study of Family Roots (ILAM) Branches

The volunteers of Ilam - the Israeli Association for Researching Family Roots (formerly Haji - the Israeli Genealogical Society) have built databases of genealogical value that include over 400,000, with about 20,000 different surnames recorded in them.

Libraries

The National Library of Israel
Edmond J. Safra Campus
Givat Ram
PO Box 39105
Jerusalem, Israel 9139002

Phone: 074-7336336
Email: reference@nli.org.il
Website

Museums

Israel Museum
Derech Ruppin 11
Jerusalem

Phone: 02-6708811
E-mail: info@imj.org.il
Website

Record Offices

Offices to Contact

Population and Immigration Authority

For birth and death certificates:
National Service Center
42 Agrippa St.
Jerusalem, Israel 9430125

Telephone: 074-7083450
Dial abroad: + 972-74-7083450
Fax:02-6469442
E-mail: info@piba.gov.il

To order:
Birth certificates
Death certificates

For marriage certificates:
Ministry of Religious Services
Telephone: 02-5311031
Fax: 02-6529221
Email: avitalaf@dat.gov.il

To order Marriage certificates