Nostalgia Sunday – National Photo Collection

May 8, 2011 - 8:07 PM by

Over the weekend, I received several emails wanting to make sure I knew that in advance of Israel’s 63rd Independence Day, the government had decided to open the Government Press Office’s National Photo Collection to the public, free of charge. Already familiar with the collection (the GPO having graciously granted permission for Israelity to use the occasional image), I went back there all excited and sure that the government had spruced up its 13 year-old website and its creaky old search engine.

Unfortunately, at least at present, that’s not the case. But while using the National Photo Collection’s search function isn’t easy — it’s sooo 20th century — the rewards are great. Take, for example, these historic images from May 14, 1948, the day Israel declared its independence (left).

The decision to open up the digital archives was made “in order to expose pupils, students and the general public to the fascinating documentation of the State of Israel, thereby strengthening their relationship with their national heritage, history and values.”

The Collection includes some 200,000 digitized photos, accessible through the site. Up until now, the GPO sold these materials — up to 20,000 photos a year to citizens, journalists and others. From today on, that material will be available freely.

The change in policy was made, stated Public Diplomacy and the Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein “to expose the Israeli citizen, newspapers and various media outlets, local and foreign, to the history and heritage of the Land and State of Israel.”

The GPO statement to the press read, “The Government decided that the GPO will prepare the site so as to increase its web access” and GPO Director Oren Helman stated, “We are entering an accelerated process in order to allow the public to use these pictures free of charge, and in order to make them accessible on the Internet.”

So, if I understand the meaning of the phrases “entering into an accelerated process” and “prepare the site… to increase web access” correctly, (and if it isn’t just wishful thinking on my part), this amazing and valuable online archive will soon have an well-needed overhaul under the GPO’s direction and funded by the Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs. That would be very good news indeed.

For more photos, movies and documents — like David Ben-Gurion’s invitation to attend the declaration of independence ceremony (below) — visit the Israel State Archives.

Tags: • Category: A New Reality, education, General, History and Culture, Holidays, Israeliness, News, Nostalgia Sunday, Picture of the Week, Politics, Pop Culture 

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One Comment on Nostalgia Sunday – National Photo Collection

  1. Nostalgia Sunday – Tel Aviv’s new wing takes flight | ISRAELITY on Sun, Nov 6th 2011 7:52 PM

    2. [...] And it’s an every farther cry from the first Tel Aviv Museum on Rothschild Boulevard, the historic building that was home to Meir Dizengoff, the first mayor of Tel Aviv, and the site where the State of Israel was declared. [...]

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