Otzarot, an initiative of the Zalman Shazar Center, collects letters and makes them accessible to all. Letters written over the past century by Jews and Israelis, worldwide and in Israel; letters kept by many families, possibly including your own. These letters provide a basis for study and research, as well as educational and social projects designed to establish personal, family, and community connections with the story that belongs to us all.

Post your letters to preserve personal and family memories. By sharing letters we remember people who were important to us. Sharing also enables study and research, and promotes a special connection with the personal, family, and collective history of the Jewish nation and the state of Israel.

The old letters you keep at home provide a window onto life in another era. We believe that every letter has value, even if it seems simple or insignificant. Every letter gives another angle, connects us to another person, enables us to experience a morsel of what happened here long ago.

The personal letters in your possession are a living testimony, telling the story of the Jewish nation and the state of Israel over the past century, as no textbook can ever recount.

The Zalman Shazar Center, which initiated the Otzarot project, is a government corporation spreading knowledge about Jewish history and promoting historical awareness in Israeli and Jewish society.

Following the legacy of the third President of Israel Zalman Shazar, the Center strives to bolster the bond with Jewish history and connect the Jewish people to their past.

Personal letters and postcards written in the last century, letters written by members of the Jewish people and citizens of the State of Israel, those written from the 1980s to the beginning of the mass computer era in the 1980s 20. We invite you to surf the website and be impressed that each letter is a living piece of history.

Any letter written personally for any person, in the Diaspora or in the Land of Israel and the State of Israel, is of interest to us. Also a short love letter between two people. In addition to the process of uploading the letter, you can write a short explanation about the background of the letter and the writers, from which you can learn and get to know more parts of the history and heritage.

Administrative letters, which a person wrote to the municipality or a government office, are not suitable. On the other hand, if there is a personal letter that a person wrote to the Prime Minister or the Minister of Education, we are definitely interested. 

By clicking on the ‘Add letters’ button you will reach a simple and convenient upload form, structured according to steps. In this form, you will be asked to attach the letter that you photographed ahead of time, to share with us its details and the background story of the letter.

Any letter you choose to share using the ‘upload a letter’ form will reach the website team and be published within a few days, in addition, a personal area will be opened for you on the website where you can update details related to the letter you uploaded.

Certainly, contact us in the contact form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.