Intangible Cultural Heritage of Israel Center, ICH-ISRAEL, is a non-profit organization founded by Israeli volunteers to highlight the importance of preserving Israel's intangible cultural heritage, ensuring better protection of important elements of intangible cultural heritage and the awareness of their significance, to list and promote safeguarding projects, to promote events and festivals, cultural diversity, creative expression and to implement courses for the transmission of knowledge, arts and traditions.​​ The organization operates independently and is non-political in its activities. Its main objective is to contribute to the development of Israel's cultural sector.

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Context and Motives

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Highlighting Israel's cultural heritage reinforces the recognition of other identities and cultural heritages existing in Israel. Through mutual recognition and respect for the rights of cultural minorities, we can achieve these goals. Freedom of cultural expression and freedom of worship are fundamental values at the heart of a diverse and pluralistic society. Israel is, by its very nature, a multicultural country. Its society brings together people whose origins span every region of the world, alongside Arab citizens and numerous cultural, religious, and ethnic communities, each contributing its own traditions, heritage, languages, beliefs, and cultural practices. This extraordinary diversity represents one of Israel’s greatest human and cultural assets. It is a living expression of a society in which many traditions and identities coexist, interact, and contribute to a rich and evolving cultural landscape. Preserving, documenting, transmitting, and celebrating this diversity is therefore an essential part of safeguarding Israel’s intangible cultural heritage for future generations.

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Israel's cultural heritage is also threatened by the cultural homogenization associated with globalization and its development model, which tends to impose itself as the universal culture both in terms of social behavior and in the cultural and artistic field. The trend towards globalization in terms of artistic creation is a threat to Israeli cultural identity and culture for future generations.​ Traditional trades, traditional crafts, customs, costumes, musical instruments, and folk tales are on the way out.​ Theatre productions, dance performances, and concerts are dominated by contemporary forms of artistic expression. Music, in particular, is rapidly evolving toward electronic sounds, while younger generations are drawn to genres such as rap, trance, acid house, techno, and hard rock. While these developments reflect the vitality and creativity of contemporary culture, they can also create challenges for the preservation of traditional cultural practices. Communities may gradually become disconnected from traditions that are no longer perceived as relevant to their identity or everyday lives, while increasing economic and social pressures shift attention toward immediate concerns. As a result, traditional practices may struggle to attract audiences, younger practitioners, and sustainable financial support. Without transmission to future generations and sufficient public engagement, some of these traditions risk declining and, ultimately, disappearing altogether.

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Objectives of ICH-ISRAEL

• Safeguard Israel's intangible cultural heritage.

• Promote the intangible cultural heritage of the different communities, groups and individuals.

• Raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage.

• Provide the necessary tools to identify, list, and classify these endangered practices.

• Support the transmission of skills and knowledge of Israel's intangible cultural heritage.

• Support Israeli folk artists, choreographers, and craftspeople in their activities in Israel and abroad.

• Promote existing traditional events and folklore festivals in Israel.

• Develop professional training courses and workshops on Israeli intangible cultural heritage. 

• Support new projects and entrepreneurship in the field of intangible cultural heritage.

• Bring together stakeholders on Israel's intangible cultural heritage through events.

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Activities

• Research

• Conferences

• Workshops

• Courses

• Excursions

• Organized trips abroad 

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Support to new immigrants (Olim)

We attach great importance to supporting the personal and professional integration of new immigrants in Israel, and we have volunteers who are available to accompany new immigrants in their personal and professional journey. Our activities, trainings, and publications are in several languages (Hebrew, English, French, Spanish) to allow them to participate in our activities as soon as they arrive in Israel.