Dr. Roni Mikel-Arieli, Chair
Dr. Sharon Kangisser-Cohen
Dr. Martina Weisz
Dr. Margalit Bejarano
About Us
צילום: פלג לוי
The Israeli Oral History Association (ILOHA) was established in 2001 to serve as a professional, social, and academic home for those engaged in personal, group, and community-based documentation in Israel. Since its founding, the Association has worked to strengthen the status of oral history as a research, educational, and social field, and as a vital tool for amplifying silenced voices, deepening historical understanding, and cultivating a diverse, rich, and grounded collective memory.
In Israel—a multicultural society shaped by experiences of trauma, migration, loss, social divides, wars, crises and social solidarity—personal testimony is a crucial social and moral resource. It allows us to listen to life stories at the intersection of private memory and public history, preserving the complexities of life in Israel from its founding to the present.
Association Goals
01
Encouraging and supporting oral history projects
to generate diverse and reliable sources for research, education, and heritage preservation in Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.
02
Preserving collective
memory
by promoting the documentation of communities and groups often underrepresented in historical narratives, while highlighting their cultural and social uniqueness.
03
Advancing historical justice and cultural rights
through the amplification of marginalized voices and the integration of alternative narratives into the public and academic spheres.
04
Developing local
collaborations
fostering partnerships among archives, research institutes, and educational institutions, and building a central database of oral history materials.
05
Expanding international connections
strengthening cooperation with oral history institutions worldwide, with a special focus on Jewish communities and groups connected to Israel.
06
Research and
publication
producing the bilingual academic journal Remembrance and Research a key platform for exploring methodological, theoretical, and ethical issues in oral history.
07
Professional training
offering courses, workshops, and seminars for interviewers, researchers, educators, and independent documentarians.
08
Promoting Ethics in Documentation
The Association views ethics as a core value of oral history, promoting privacy, dignity, and informed consent, with particular sensitivity to vulnerable populations. Responsible documentation is not merely a research or archival tool, but a moral act that shapes collective memory.
09
Integrating digital documentation
promoting the use of innovative technological tools for recording, preserving, and making materials accessible, while addressing questions of access, safety, and privacy.
The Association believes that oral history, as a form of human expression, is essential to a healthy democracy. It fosters mutual listening, validates personal experience, and allows national and communal belonging to be built on layered and complex histories. Our mission today is not only to preserve the past but to help shape a future in which the memories of individuals, groups, and communities hold a central place in understanding Israeli society.
Mrs. Miriam Gez-Avigal
Dr. Leah Gilula
Dr. Sharon Livne
Dr. Judith Reifen-Ronen
Mrs. Sara Benvenisti
Adv. Moshe Frankfurter
Mrs. Sara Benvenisti
Adv. Moshe Frankfurter