The Moshe Sharett Israel Labor Party Archive /ארכיון מפלגת העבודה ע"ש משה שרת

The Workers Party of Eretz Israel (Mapai) was founded in 1930 through the unification of two workers’ parties, Achdut Ha’avoda and Hapoel Hatzair. In 1932 the worldwide organizations affiliated with each of these two parties were also united, under the heading of Ichud Olami (World Union). From its inception, Mapai, which was a Zionist Socialist party, became the main political entity in the Jewish settlements in Palestine. It also headed the largest labor union, the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor) as well as the Jewish Agency and the Haganah defense forces.

Mapai, and as of 1968 the Labor Party (Avodah), remained at the forefront of the State until 1977, forming the basis for every successive government. Among its leaders over the years were David Ben-Gurion, Berl Katznelson, Yitzhak Tabenkin, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, Haim Arlozorov, Moshe (Shertok) Sharett, Eliahu Golomb, Golda Meir, David Remez, Yosef Shprinzak and Eliezer Kaplan. Through the years other persons joined the leadership of the party, among them Levi Eshkol, Pinhas Lavon, Pinhas Sapir, Moshe Dayan, Abba Eban, Shimon Peres, Yigal Alon, Israel Galili and Yitzhak Rabin.

On May 24, 1963, the party Secretariat decided to establish the archive, whose main function would be to serve as a repository for all archival material of the party, beginning with the meetings of the Joint Secretariat of Achdut Ha’avoda and Hapoel Hatzair in 1929, as well as correspondence and publications of the Ichud Olami. The Moshe Sharett Labor Party Archive was founded in 1965 as part of the Berl Katznelson Foundation, and was recognized by the government of Israel as a public archive, subject to the stipulations of the Archives Law. The source materials of this historical, administrative and documentational archive reflect the history of the party and of other organizations to this day.

Records of Mapai and of the Labor Party The protocols of party conferences, meetings of the Board (Moetza), of the Central Committee (Merkaz), of the Executive (Lishkah), of the Secretariat (Mazkirut), of various committees and other institutions; correspondence of the Central Committee with local branches; reports of emissaries representing the party abroad; correspondence with the Histadrut and Zionist institutions; background material for election campaigns (to the Assembly (Asefat Hanivcharim), the Histadrut, party conferences, Zionist congresses and the Knesset); documents from the Chairman’s office; documents of the Secretary General’s office; correspondence and publications of different departments and divisions of the party. All of these documents relate to topics which were on the Party’s agenda: realization of the Socialist Zionist ideology in Eretz Israel; defense and security; settlement; safeguarding workers’ rights; encouraging emigration to Israel and helping in the resettlement of newcomers; developing the economy; crises, schisms and internal struggles; co-operation with the Socialist International Movement and with other Social Democratic parties, political initiatives and promoting the efforts towards peace with the Arab countries.

Archives of organizations and other institutions Archives of the offices of the World Union of Poa’alei Zion; the archive of the Rafi Party; minutes of meetings of the Alignment (Maarach) executive, the archive of the Ichud Olami (World Union) and the Zionist Labor Movement; the archive of Berl Katznelson Foundation.

Personal archives

Abba Eben; Ze’ev On; Jacques Amir; Zalman Aran; Reuven Bareket; Rafael Bash; Ze’ev Goldberg; Israel Guri; Eliahu Dubkin; Adam Doron; Rinah Dotan; Rabbi Menahem Hacohen; Hillel Danzig; Yehiel Halperin; Chaim Herzog; Yehezkel Zakai; Abraham Shmuel Yoris; Elchanan Yishai; Israel Yesha’ayahu; Berl Katznelson; Ya’akov Levinson; Berl Loker; Yehiel Leket; Ahuviah Malkin; Melech Noi; Orah Namir; Mordechai Namir; Hanoch Soroka; Mordechai Sorkis; Ziskind Schwart

Detailed catalogues will allow our visitors rapid access to detailed information concerning the location of files, posters, photographs and other items. Our LMSWWWserver software provides for thematic searches as well, while links to the visuals provide direct online use of the source material using electronic or printed copies.