Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI)

Overview

The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the world's largest collection of Jewish documentary film footage. Holding over 18,000–20,000 titles on film, video, and DVD, it preserves an irreplaceable visual record of Jewish life, Zionist activity, Israeli history, and diaspora communities across more than a century. The archive is administered jointly by the Hebrew University's Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry and the Central Zionist Archives of the World Zionist Organization (WZO).

History and Founding

The archive was founded in the late 1960s by Professor Moshe Davis and other historians at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Its first director was Dr. Geoffrey Wigoder, and it originally bore the name of its founding donor, Iranian-Jewish businessman Abraham F. Rad. In 1973, the World Zionist Organization designated the archive as the official film depository for its films and those of its subsidiaries (Jewish Agency, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael/Jewish National Fund, and Keren Hayesod). In 1987, a major donation from the American filmmaker Steven Spielberg led to the archive being renamed in his honor. In 1996, the archive moved to specially designed premises—named the Jack Valenti Pavilion after the former Chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America—at the Faculty of Humanities on Mount Scopus.

Collections and Holdings

The archive's vaults contain material shot in Israel before and after the establishment of the State in 1948, motion picture records of Jewish communities in the Diaspora worldwide (including Poland, Morocco, Ethiopia, China, North and South America, South Africa, Australia, and the Soviet Union), and two special collections relating to the Holocaust, including original footage from the Eichmann Trial. Early Zionism, Israeli development, home movies, and the personal collections of filmmakers Yaakov Ben Dov and Baruch Agadati are also represented. The David Matis Documentation Center holds press clippings, photographs, and print materials on Jewish and Israeli cinema. Film materials are stored in temperature-controlled vaults.

Media and Journalism Relevance

The archive serves as the official film depository for the WZO and maintains an extensive record of newsreels, documentary films, and institutional films documenting the formation and evolution of Israeli and diaspora Jewish society. The Israel Newsreel Collection (1932–1956) and other holdings provide unique primary source material for historians and journalists researching twentieth-century Jewish and Israeli affairs.

Access and Usage

The archive operates a virtual cinema with over 600 films available for free online viewing. Its full catalogue is searchable online, and physical viewing of non-digitized materials is available by appointment at the Hebrew University. Use of archive material for broadcast or production purposes is subject to copyright fees. The archive is affiliated with the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) and the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA).