communal life from around the world, is preserved in the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP), a subsidiary of the National Library of Israel. While national archives usually belong to a state or polity, the CAHJP, established in 1939, is unique in serving as a national archive of the Jewish people scattered around the world. It contains approximately sixty million original pages of archival materials and another twenty-five million pages of copies of originals held elsewhere. The CAHJP was founded by Zionist leaders who believed that a proper understanding of Jewish history, including the new Zionist project, depended on gathering information about world Jewry in one place.
(Excerpted from 101 Treasures from the National Library of Israel )
NLI USA
Spotlight
NLI USA’s board and staff work closely with the National Library of Israel to expand its impact by engaging individuals, communities, institutions, and organizations throughout the U.S., furthering access to the Library’s vast resources, and deepening relationships with partners and supporters. Virtual programming has been pivotal in broadening the Library’s reach, with audiences ranging from 300-1400 gathering online. 2023-24 program highlights include An Insider’s View of the National Library of Israel During Wartime with NLI senior staff and The Language of War: Lost in Translation, in cooperation with the Sami Rohr Prize, exploring how the war has influenced the craft of writing. NLI USA also offered in-person experiences around Crossroads and Connections, a traveling exhibition of images of treasures from the Library’s collections that has been shown in over 20 communities around the U.S.— from Sun Valley, Idaho to Westchester, New York. To further the Library’s partnerships and to seek input on the needs of the Jewish community, NLI USA organized a roundtable of twelve leading organizations, including RootOne, The Foundation for Jewish Camps, Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, Kivunim, and Hillel International, among others. Bringing partners and participants to the Library’s Bearing Witness project has been another focus this year. With a dedicated coordinator collecting documentation of the Jewish experience on North American college campuses, NLI USA is advancing the Library’s vital work preserving the record of this transformational time post-October 7.
All of NLI USA’s work is sustained by the generosity of its growing base of donors and supporters throughout North America.
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