Israeli State Archives invites public to '360-degree story' of the Yom Kippur War
Israel's chief Archivist describes the project as making the 'files and material that tell the story of the Yom Kippur War more accessible' ever
Israel’s State Archives announced on Thursday yet another trove of materials from the 1973 Yom Kippur War being declassified and published, adding to tens of thousands of documents revealing one of the Jewish state’s most painful conflicts.
"For the past 2.5 years, the State Archives has been engaged in a project to make files and material that tell the story of the Yom Kippur War more accessible to the public,” Israel’s Chief Archivist Ruti Abramovitz explained.
“In contrast to other archival publications, this time we have chosen to show – as much as possible – the 360-degree story of the war, which affected every facet of life in Israel,” Abramovitz added.
The Israel State Archives, part of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), worked to make the story of the 1973 Yom Kippur War feel ever more part of Israeli life, revealing what happened on the front lines, the home front, and in the government.
“The work to reveal the material was done by many employees from most departments in the State Archives. This is the largest effort of its kind that the State Archives has ever done,” the chief archivist stated.
“The materials are being offered to the public in sections that are designed to assist in locating information more easily, despite the complexity of the archival-raw material,” Abramovitz said, as her office worked to not only provide a deep dive into the time period but also to make it accessible.
The original documents normally used for research, were also available for everyone, as the State Archive encouraged people to “feel the drama and the emotions among the public, the IDF and the leadership, comprehensively and directly,” by reliving a heart-wrenching time in Israeli history, that was also recently brought to life in a film on Israel’s then-prime minister Golda Meir.
“I invite the public to search for personal information, listen to the audio clips that can take us back in time, turn to the State Archives with requests for assistance if needed, and to look for answers to the open, and perhaps still bleeding, questions,” the chief archivist said.
The latest archive trove that had their classified status expired was about 3,500 files, including around 1,400 paper files, 1,000 photographs, 800 audio clips, 150 transcripts and eight videos. Original files ranging from “government ministries, military, diplomatic and civilian documents, testimonies, reports, protocols of government and War Cabinet meetings, discussions and civil defense assessments, information on the home front during the war and more.”