Founded in 1892 and for decades one of Israel's best-kept secrets, the National Library of Israel (NLI) has recently embarked upon an ambitious journey of renewal and is now opening access and encouraging meaningful engagement with the treasures of Jewish and Israeli culture as never before. NLI is the vibrant institution of national memory for the Jewish people worldwide and Israelis of all backgrounds and faiths, a leading global center promoting creativity, scholarship and the democratization of knowledge. Its renewal is taking place through a range of innovative and meaningful educational, cultural and digital initiatives, and it will reach new heights with completion of the iconic new National Library of Israel, currently under construction adjacent to the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) in Jerusalem.
The National Library has four core collections: Israel, Judaica, Islam and Middle East, and the Humanities. These collections tell the historical, cultural and intellectual story of the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and the Land of Israel and its region throughout the ages. Highlights include significant handwritten works by luminaries such as Maimonides and Sir Isaac Newton, exquisite Islamic manuscripts dating back to the ninth century and personal archives of leading cultural and intellectual figures including Martin Buber, Natan Sharansky and Naomi Shemer. The National Library holds the largest collection of Jewish and Israeli music, as well as world-class collections of manuscripts, ancient maps, rare books, photographs, communal and personal archival materials, and more.
The new home of the National Library of Israel, now under construction in Jerusalem's National District, will be a striking, multi-functional architectural icon, enabling NLI to most fully realize its ambitious mission and tremendous potential. It will serve as a singular source of inspiration for Israel, the Jewish world and people of all backgrounds around the globe. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, with Mann-Shinar serving as the Executive Architect, the building and its surrounding gardens and plazas will reflect the central value of opening access to the National Library’s treasures for broad and diverse audiences. Within its 45,000 square meters (480,000 sq. ft.) of space, it will provide venues for exhibitions, cultural and educational programming and more in a secure, sustainable and state-of-the-art environment. The lead partners in the building renewal project are the Government of Israel, the Rothschild Family through the auspices of Yad Hanadiv, and the David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Family of New York.