The Historical Society of Israel (HSI) is an organization that brings together scholars of the past in the State of Israel. Its research community is vibrant and diverse, comprising generations of scholars across a wide range of fields, from the study of the ancient world to contemporary global history, all of whom contribute to the advancement of historical research.
HSI was founded in 1924 under the name “The Eretz-Israel Society for History and Ethnography,” with the aim of uniting the diverse and dynamic community of scholars of the past in Israel. Its founders included Professors Ben-Zion Dinur and Yitzhak Baer, with many additional historians subsequently joining its ranks.
Today, HSI serves as the representative body of Israel’s historians in international scholarly organizations and academic institutions worldwide, and functions as a forum for the exchange of ideas among researchers, students, teachers, pupils, and members of the public interested in the study of the past.
HSI seeks to connect the past with the present and the future, emphasizing the enduring relevance of historical inquiry. In addition, it promotes historical knowledge among younger generations and fosters connections between academic research and secondary-school history teachers, as well as other educational institutions.
Publications
HSI publishes two scholarly journals: Zion, devoted to the history of the Jewish people, and Historia, which focuses on general history. Both journals are published in Hebrew and present leading articles by researchers from a wide range of disciplines in Israel and internationally. In addition, HSI distributes the journal Zmanim in cooperation with the Open University of Israel and Tel Aviv University.
Administration
The Executive Committee of HSI is elected once every four years from among the members HSI’s Council-historians from all universities in Israel. The most recent elections were held in September 2019, at which Professor Shmuel Feiner Feiner was elected to head the Israeli Historical Society, and Professors Moshe Sluhovsky and Tamar Herzig were elected as his deputies.
Main Activities of the Historical Society of Israel
In addition to Zion, Historia, and Zmannim HSI publishes the book series Belashon Avar (“In the Language of the Past”), within which seminal works by Israeli scholars are published in Hebrew.
Each year, HSI awards prizes for outstanding books and articles published in Hebrew (the “Am ve-Olam” Prizes). HSI represents scholars of the past in Israel in international forums and in relation to Jewish and national historical societies worldwide. It also works to bring leading historians from around the world to Israel.
Lectures delivered as part of the Stern Lectures-held in memory of one of the foremost historians of the Second Temple period, Professor Menahem Stern—are published internationally in English and in Israel in Hebrew. HSIalso holds an annual conference, bringing together senior and early-career scholars from all universities in Israel, as well as workshops for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers.
In addition, HSI encourages outstanding high school students to engage in historical research and to write research papers as part of their studies; the most outstanding among them present their work in an international forum. HSI is represented in the International Committee of Historical Sciences (ICHS) and takes an active part in its international congresses.
