Yad Ya'ari, HaShomer HaTzair centre for research and documentation, was founded in 1983 as the element responsible for the conservation and cultivation of the memory of the movement in the widest scope. The centre is occupied in general recording of the history of the movement, in planning and managing research projects, exhibitions and seminars. The centre publishes historical researches and sources and is partner to the publication of "Hevra" ("Society") magazine, dedicated to researching Israeli society, the Labour movement and the kibbutz.

Archive and Research.

A.       HaShomer HaTzair archive, responsible for records of HaShomer HaTzair, HaKibbutz HaArtzi and MAPAM.

B.       Research, publication and seminars branch.

In addition, Yad Ya'ari includes the institute for the research of youth movements, a study room and bibliographic collection and a historical exhibit on the path of HaShomer HaTzair and HaKibbutz HaArtzi.

Concept and Purpose.

Yad Ya'ari is founded on the concept that the combination of documentation, research and publication in one institute guarantees maximal integration of historical memory, academic research and public resonance.

The primary goal of Yad Ya'ari is to act as a complex in charge of the collective memory of the movement and all its various extensions, researching the past and the present and providing a central source for basing the educational, conceptual and public activity of the movement.

The centre has been acting for nine decades to base and highlight the actions and contributions of HaShomer HaTzair movement and HaKibbutz HaArtzi for the Jewish people and the State of Israel at home and abroad.

Aside from the rich archival documentation, open seminars are held for the public, during which research projects initiated by the centre are presented alongside publications published in cooperation with academic institutions in Israel. These projects light the history of the movement in the fields of education, society, culture, settlement, security and policy.

The centre acts to spread information regarding the past and contributions of the movement to all social strata and particularly the younger generation and immigrant population.

The centre's main goals are to preserve the collective memory of the movement, cultivating the legacy of its values and spreading information and knowledge regarding its activities, researching its social and conceptual path and fighting the trends which blur its character and the memory of its achievements. The activities of the Yad Ya'ari centre diminishes the existing ignorance of the kibbutz movement's contribution to the establishment of the people and the state and thus fights those who seek to diminish it and blur the memory of it.

Central topics in Yad Ya'ari's work plan are:

ü  Creating a main frame for all HaShomer HaTzair archival materials, both hardcopy and digital, in a professional and advanced manner, which can be achieved at Yad Ya'ari itself and on the internet.

ü  Widespread digitization and integration in national heritage projects such as the "Israeli Archives Network" and "Historical Hebrew Journalism."

ü  Providing services, advice and guidance for the educational and executive branches of the educational movement and Kibbutz Movement.

ü  Making the archive a home for the social and political movements of the Israeli political left wing.

ü  Upgrading the HaShomer HaTzair display and making it a source of attraction for those interested in the history of the Zionist youth movements.

ü  Founding and expanding the activity of HaShomer HaTzair alumni organization, "Shomer Tamid."

ü  Publishing books and research and expanding the subscriber and reader base of "Hevra."

ü  Encouraging researchers and research on the subjects of the Kibbutz Movement, the youth movements and Israeli society today.

ü  Holding seminars in Givat Haviva and outside it, independently and in collaboration with other bodies of research.

Yad Ya'ari is visited by people from all around the country and the world, most of them students and researchers, most of them young and some of them people wishing to conduct a personal investigation into the history of the movement.