Israel archives to be digitalized and made accessible to all citizens

"If a nation does not respect its past, its present is poor, and its future is shrouded in fog."

Books from the collection of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities. (photo credit: COURTESY OF PAGINE EBRAICHE)
Books from the collection of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities.
(photo credit: COURTESY OF PAGINE EBRAICHE)
The Jerusalem Municipality has launched a large scale project to update its archival system in the coming months. The archives will be preserved, indexed and access will be granted to Israeli citizens and Jerusalem residents who want to view materials. 
The city has never taken on such a project before, and the archive preservation project will cost millions of shekels. The project will be under the guidance and tutelage of the director of state archives, Ruthi Abramovich.
The archives will be newly indexed and scanned, so that they can be digitally accessed. Citizens will also be able to order archives and view them physically in modernized file rooms.
The archives will contain materials dating over 400 years old and will be preserved in optimal preservation conditions. 
"The municipal archive is a first-class resource and we should treat it accordingly," said Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion. "After years of outdated working methods, the Jerusalem Municipality is leading a revolution in the city's archives, in favor of preserving documents and servicing those interested in the information."
The importance of a proper archival system cannot be stressed better than by former acting prime minister Yigal Allon who once said: "If a nation does not respect its past, its present is poor, and its future is shrouded in fog."