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Home , Birya, Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva, Egoz (ship), Ein Tzurim, First Zionist Congress, Hannah Szenes

ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית המערך לשירותים רוחניים בתפוצות World Zionist Organization Center for Religious Affairs in the Diaspora EVENTS AND PERSONALITIES IN THE HISTORY OF THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT

120 YEARS TO THE FIRST ZIONIST CONGRESS

1 Dear Friends! It is our great pleasure to present to you this booklet containing important events and dates in the history of the Zionist Movement, which was first established at the First Zionist Congress in in 1897. The establishment of a sovereign Jewish state in the Land of was forever the dream of Diaspora Jewry, ever since the exile of the by the Roman conquerors and the destruction of the Second Temple. Over the years, individuals, families and small groups were able to realize this dream and return to the . The Zionist founding fathers succeeded in implanting the hope and vision for a return to in the hearts of the Jewish people, and the Zionist Movement, which this year commemorates 120 years since its establishment, began to realize the dream on a national scope by taking diplomatic action, promoting and settlement of the Land and ultimately setting the stage for the establishment of the State of Israel. The booklet before you contains 50 events and individuals that formed the backbone of the Zionist Movement and its history. Sprinkled within you will also find a number of passages relating to the Land of Israel and the Jewish people. The booklet is intended to serve as an important educational tool for religious leaders, teachers and educators for relating Jewish-Zionist history and System: describing the key events and individuals that were integral to its realization. Coordinator: Itzchak Shtiglitz As we have merited witnessing the establishment of a sovereign Jewish Writer: Dr. Yoel Raphel state, we must continue to work together to strengthen Jewish identity, preserve our Jewish heritage and maintain focus on the State of Israel as the Editors: Ilan Friedman, Yishai Bonnie homeland of all Jews around the world. Pictures: The National Photo Collection (Israel), Wikipedia May Hashem bless us this year by “shining a new light on Zion and may we Graphic Material: Becky Bubli all speedily merit its light.” Graphic Design: Hamutal Lawrence Yours sincerely, Production: 2 Producers ltd. Yehiel Wasserman Experimental Edition, not for sale Director of the Center 3 Program , the movement for national independence of the Jewish people, realized the establishment of the State of Israel and The World Zionist Organization was established at the First Zionist considers a Jewish, Zionist, democratic and secure State of Israel an Congress in Basel in 1897. The Zionist leaders at the Congress drafted expression of the collaborative responsibility of the Jewish people the movement’s charter, which included a mandate to establish a national for its future and continued existence. home for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The charter of the World Zionist Organization has been amended several times over the The Foundations of Zionism years in order to conform to changes and developments in the life of the 1. The unity of the Jewish people, its bond to its historical Jewish people. At the 23 Zionist Congress in Jerusalem in 1951, after the homeland – the Land of Israel, and the centrality of the State of establishment of the State of Israel, the members resolved to redefine the Israel and its capital, Jerusalem, to the national existence. charter of the as part of the Jerusalem Program, 2. Aliyah from around the world to Israel and the integration of which included the following guidelines: immigrants into Israeli society. 3. The fortification of Israel as a Jewish-Zionist and democratic state and its construction on the foundation of ethical and spiritual values based on acceptance of the multicultural nature of the Jewish people, as well as on the vision of the Prophets as an ideal society striving for peace and contributing to the wellbeing of humanity. 4. Ensuring the future and exceptionality of the Jewish people by promoting Jewish, Hebrew and Zionist education, furtherance of Jewish cultural and spiritual values and establishment of Hebrew as the national language of the Jewish people. 5. The promotion of Jewish solidarity, protection of the rights of Jews as individuals and as a nation, representation of the national Zionist interests of the Jewish people, prosecution of all expressions of anti-Semitism. 6. Settlement of the Land of Israel as an expression of the practical realization of Zionism.

4 5 1 Tishrei, 5684 (1923) 10 Tishrei, 5734

The (daily page of ) Yom Kippur War The study of the daf yomi, the daily page of Talmud, was the The war between Israel and and Syria broke out on the initiative of Rabbi Yehuda Meir Shapira (Maharam Shapira; 5647- afternoon of Yom Kippur 5734 (October 1973), when the armies of 1887 – 7 Cheshvan, 5694-1933), a leader of the Jewish community Egypt and Syria launched a coordinate surprise attack against Israel in and the founder of the Chachmei in Lublin, in the Sinai and Golan Heights. The attack caught Israel completely Poland. The first cycle of the daf yomi began on the eve of Rosh by surprise. During the initial days of the conflict the enemy armies Hashanah 5684. made significant headway. After days of heavy fighting, during which the suffered numerous casualties, the Egyptian and Syrian armies were stopped and the Israeli forces crossed the Suez Canal and pushed the front to within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of Cairo. In the Golan Heights the Israeli divisions advanced to within 45 kilometers (30 miles) of Damascus. The war ended in an Israeli military victory, but was accompanied by much pain and heartbreak over the many who fell or were wounded in the fighting.

“It [the Land of Israel] is an inheritance "A state is not handed to a people on for you from your fathers” a silver platter”

(Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 119b) ()

6 7 11 Tishrei, 5707 The Settlement Expedition A 1913 rabbinic tour of new settlements, moshavim and kibbutzim The 11 Points that were established in the Land of Israel by members of the First and Second Aliyah. The tour, which lasted for a month, included Eleven settlements that were established upon the initiative of the ten rabbis and was the initiative of Rabbi Avraham Isaac Hakohen Jewish Agency in a large scale settlement operation carried out in Kook, the chief rabbi of “ and the Settlements” who also was the northern Negev immediately following Yom Kippur 5707, during the leader of the group, and Rabbi Yosef Chaim Zonenfeld. During the night between the 5 and 6 of October, 1946. the tour the rabbis visited twenty six settlements in the north of the The backdrop to the operation was the direly imbalanced country. Similar trips were carried out in 1923 and 1927. demographic situation in the Negev, with the majority of the Jewish Rabbi Kook held the pioneers of the Second Aliyah in high esteem. being concentrated in the center and north of the country. The expedition was labeled as a tour of spiritual awakening Only several hundred settlers inhabited the Negev at that time, and intended to infuse the lives of the pioneers, to the extent possible, they were concentrated in the northern Negev in a small number with Jewish religious awareness and practice. The trip was very of kibbutzim and in three outposts. The objective of the operation successful in the settlements of the First Aliyah, but less so in those was to ensure that the Negev region was included within the future of the Second Aliyah. borders of the Jewish state.

“The Holy One, Blessed be He, considered all of the lands of the world and did not “The Land is an exceedingly good land” find any land suitable for the Jewish people but for the Land of Israel” (Bamidbar 14:7) (Vayikra Rabbah 13)

8 9 ) 10 Cheshvan, 5740 A religious in the Bet Shean Valley named for Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalisher, one of the founding fathers of the Zionist Movement Yeshiva, Kefar Haro’e who campaigned for active settlement of the Land of Israel. The Bnei Akiva yeshiva in Kefar Haro’e was founded by Rabbi Moshe Tirat Zvi is the first kibbutz belonging to the religious kibbutz (Kibbutz Zvi Nerya and Rabbi Avraham Zuckerman. The yeshiva is the first of Hadati) movement. The kibbutz was established as a secluded the Bnei Akiva yeshivot and represents the cornerstone of the entire outpost in hostile Arab surroundings as part of the “wall and tower” religious Zionist education enterprise. (choma umigdal) campaign, and suffered severely from harassment and attacks from neighboring Arab villagers. Approximately 5,000 graduates of the yeshiva serve in prominent roles in all facets of Israeli society. The kibbutz fended off an attack by the Arab Liberation Army in the early stages of the War of Independence. Today the kibbutz is home Rabbi Moshe Zvi Nerya was one of the most prominent students to approximately 750 residents. of Rabbi Kook, from whom he received his rabbinic ordination. Rabbi Nerya, who was one of the founders of the Bnei Akiva youth movement, was an educator and spiritual leader who was known as the “father of the knitted kipa generation.”

“We have no other purpose but to settle “Greatness is for those who dream and our Holy Land” turn their dreams into reality”

(Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai) (Rabbi Moshe Zvi Nerya)

10 11 16 Cheshvan, 5699 21 Cheshvan, 5705 Kristallnacht Hannah Szenes (1921-1944) A that swept through and Austria on the nights Hannah Szenes, known as “the paratrooper who did not return,” was of the 9 and 10 of November, 1938 and was described as a born in and emigrated to Israel in 1939. She volunteered spontaneous outburst of anti-Semitic rage in response to the murder for the paratrooper unit formed by the British army from among of the third under-secretary of the German embassy in , Ernst members of the Yishuv for the purpose of carrying out missions vom Rath, by a Jewish 17 year old youth, Herschel Grynszpan. of espionage and sabotage in occupied Europe during the Second The name of the pogrom stems from the broken glass that resulted World War. Hannah Szenes parachuted into in 1944, from the destruction and torching of 270 synagogues throughout travelled to Hungary and was caught, tortured, tried and executed by Germany and Austria. Approximately 30,000 Jews were arrested local Hungarian forces. during the pogrom and sent to concentration camps, where they fell Hannah Szenes became an icon for Israeli Jews who desired to victim to abuse and humiliation at the hands of the SS. Kristallnacht assist their European brethren during in Europe. was the product of Nazi government anti-Semitic propaganda that was methodically disseminated throughout Germany.

“The synagogues and houses of learning in Babylon will in time to come “There is one place in the world which be planted in Eretz Israel” everyone calls home – Eretz Israel”

(Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 29a) (Hannah Szenes)

12 13 17 Tishrei, 5647 – 6 Kislev, 5734 David Ben Gurion The first prime minister and minister of defense of the State of Israel, he declared the independence of the State of Israel in 1948. Ben Gurion was a member of the Second Aliyah, a founder of the Gedudim Ivri’im (Jewish Legion) and a leader of the Zionist Movement. He served as prime minister until 1963 (with a two year hiatus) and during his term focused his efforts on the creation of a national infrastructure and the establishment of governmental institutions, including the Israel Defense Forces. Ben Gurion established Israel as a political and military power and molded the face of the country in its formative years.

“Continuous Aliyah is the essence of our lives and existence. Without it there is no hope and no salvation”

(David Ben Gurion)

14 15 The Magic Carpet – On the Wings of Eagles Magic Carpet is the name given to the operation that brought the Jews of Yemen to Israel. The operation began on December 15, 1949 and continued throughout 1950. The official name of the operation, “On Wings of Eagles,” was taken from the verse “and I bore you on eagles’ wings and I brought you to Me.” The Jews of Yemen, many of whom had to travel great distances through the Yemenite desert on foot, gathered in the city of Aden, which was under British protection. Since the Suez Canal was closed to Israeli shipping, the were flown directly from Aden to the Israel.

“It befits this nation, which is the principal of the world, that it reside in Eretz Israel, which is the center of the world.”

(Maharal of Prague)

16 17 United Nations Resolution for Eliezer Ben Yehuda the Establishment of a Jewish The father of the rebirth of the in Eretz Israel in the late 19 and early 20 centuries and the figure most affiliated with State in the Land of Israel this process. Ben Yehuda founded the Hebrew Language Committee, established and was editor in chief of the HaTzvi newspaper and On the 29 of November, 1947 the General Assembly of the United Hashkafa periodical and authored the Ben Yehuda dictionary. Nations voted to approve the Partition Plan, which called for the partition of the Land of Israel (following the termination of the British Ben Yehuda was tireless in his efforts to transform the Hebrew Mandate) into three zones: a Jewish state, an Arab state and an language into the vernacular in Israel, and to this end he authored international zone centered around the city of Jerusalem. textbooks in Hebrew and led the “Hebrew in Hebrew” program together with David Yudilevitz and other educators. In 1890 Ben Despite the many reservations concerning the plan, which removed Yehuda, together with David Yalin, initiated the creation of the most of the Galilee from the Jewish state and surrounded the Hebrew Language Committee, with Ben Yehuda as its chair. In 2012 Jewish zone with untenable and indefensible borders, the Jewish Ben Yehuda’s birthday was dedicated as Hebrew Language Day. Agency resolved to accept the Partition Plan because it represented the first time the international community recognized an independent Jewish entity in the Land of Israel. The plan required a two-thirds majority for approval; a majority that was ultimately achieved through intense diplomatic efforts on the part of the Jewish Agency and Jewish organizations in the United States. Approval of the Plan in the UN set off a large scale wave of spontaneous celebration throughout the Yishuv. One day after the approval of the Plan, the War of Independence in Israel broke out.

“It [the Land of Israel] is an inheritance “The purpose of the Hebrew Language is for you from your fathers” to create a single heart for all members of the nation.” (The sound of a large bell can be heard ringing, for Eretz Israel belongs to the People of Israel) (Chaim Nachman Bialik)

18 19 8 , 5722 General Day of Mourning (Kadish) The 10 of Tevet is one of the four days of fasting and mourning for Eichmann Trial and Verdict the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. In 5711 (1950) the Chief Rabbinate of Israel resolved that the 10 of Adolf Eichmann was an SS officer of the German military who Tevet would also be the General Day of Mourning for the six million was responsible for the implementation of the Final Solution, the Jews who were killed in the Holocaust during the Second World extermination of European Jewry. Following the end of the Second War. World War, Eichmann escaped to Argentina, where he was captured by Israeli agents and brought to Israel in 1960. This commemorative day allows the relatives of those who were murdered in the Holocaust to mourn and remember their loved ones, Eichmann’s trial began in April of 1961 with the opening statement even though the timing of their deaths remains unknown. of the prosecutor, Attorney General Gideon Hausner, who famously said “When I stand before you here, Judges of Israel, to lead the prosecution of Adolf Eichmann, I am not standing alone. With me are six million accusers. But they cannot rise to their feet and point an accusing finger towards him who sits in the dock and cry: ‘I accuse.’” Witnesses for the prosecution conveyed in great detail the events of the Holocaust and the destruction of six million members of the Jewish people. Eichmann was sentenced to death. His appeal was rejected and he was hanged in June of 1962. His ashes were spread over the Mediterranean Sea.

“Not all of the victims were Jews, but “My faith is a wounded faith, but it is all of the Jews were victims” not without faith”

(Elie Wiesel) (Elie Wiesel)

20 21 19 Tevet, 5662 23 Tevet, 5721

Jewish National Fund Egoz – a Maapilim (Illegal Immigration) Boat The served as the principal fund raising arm Egoz was a small Ma’apilim boat used by a group of Jews from of the World Zionist Movement for the purpose of acquiring land in to escape from their country, which was closed at the Eretz Israel and preparing it for settlement. time to Jews wishing to immigrate to Israel. The boat made several The JNF was established by the Fifth Zionist Congress (1901) and attempts to sail from a deserted beach in northwestern Morocco to began its activities in 1905. By the time of the declaration of the . State of Israel, the JNF had purchased approximately one million In January 1961 the boat sank and all 43 immigrants, as well as an dunams of land in Israel. The JNF raised funds in various ways, agent of the Misgeret – the organization created by the Mossad to including the blue tzedaka (charity) box. assist with the extraction of the Jews from Morocco – drowned. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the JNF has focused The Egoz tragedy made international waves and as a result of its efforts on maintenance of national forests and parks, construction pressure exerted by Jewish and international organizations, King of water reservoirs, expansion of national infrastructure and Hassan II of Morocco eventually opened the doors to the tens development of tourist sites in Israel. of thousands of Moroccan Jews. The Israeli government paid a ransom for each Jew who immigrated to Israel. 23 bodies that were discovered from the Egoz and brought to burial in Morocco were brought to Israel for reburial in 1992.

“When the people of Israel redeem the Land of Israel, the Land of Israel will “Nevertheless, and despite all odds, redeem the people of Israel” Eretz Israel”

(Menahcem Ossishkin) (David Shimoni)

22 23 5 Shevat, 5708 The Lamed Heh Platoon A platoon comprised of and Chish (Cheilot Sade) fighters – also known as the mountain platoon – most of whom were students, that was sent to reinforce the besieged Etzion Bloc (). The platoon, which initially numbered 38 fighters under the command of Danny Mass, set out by foot during the night. Near the Bet Jammal monastery one of the fighters sprained his foot and was sent back with two of his comrades. In the early hours of the morning the Arab villagers from the surrounding villages were called to arms to the Kefar Etzion road. The unit was surrounded at first light approximately 5 kilometers from Gush Etzion. After an extended heroic firefight during which it ran out of ammunition, the unit was defeated and all of its fighters were killed. Two days later the British returned the bodies to Kefar Etzion.

“Eretz Israel is acquired with suffering”

(Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 5a)

24 25 15 Shevat, 5709 The The Israeli parliament is called the Knesset. The name comes from the Great Assembly, the Knesset HaGedola, which was convened in Jerusalem after the in the sixth century BCE. The Knesset numbers 120 members, which parallels the number of members of the Great Assembly. The precursor to the Knesset was the Provisional National Committee, which numbered 37 members who were elected on the basis of political arrangements between the parties. The first general election, which was held in January 1949, was for a Constitutional Assembly, which approved the transitional law that gave the parliament the name Knesset. The birthdate of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament and legislative branch of the government of the State of Israel, is the 15 of Shevat. The first Knesset served in Tel Aviv until the end of 1949 and in early 1950 it relocated to the capital city of Israel, Jerusalem.

“In Eretz Israel, where life was transformed into poetry, poetry shall be transformed into life, no power in the world shall remove us from our hold on this Land and force us backward” (Chaim Nachman Bialik)

26 27 Hatikva (The Hope) Hatikva is the national anthem of the State of Israel, and until the establishment of the State served as the national anthem of the Zionist Movement. The national anthem, which is based heavily on the poem Tikvateinu (Our Hope) by Naphtali Hertz Imber, was written in 1878. The music is apparently taken from European folk tunes and .was merged with the lyrics by Shmuel Cohen הַ תִ ּ קְ ָ ו ה The poem, which was adopted as the national anthem by the Yishuv and the Zionist Movement in the late 19 century, has been the national anthem of the State of Israel since its establishment and כָּ ל עֹוד בַּ לֵּ בָב פְּ נִימָ ה was codified under Israeli law on November 10, 2004. נֶפֶ ׁשיְהּודִי הֹומִ ּיָ ה ּולְפַאֲתֵי מִ זְרָח קָדִימָ ה עַ יִן לְצִּיֹון צֹופִ יָ ה

עֹוד ֹלא אָבְדָה תִּ קְ וָתֵ נּו הַתִּ קְ וָה בַּ ת שְ ׁנֹות אַ לְפַּ יִ ם לִהְיֹות עַם חָפְשִ ׁי בְּ אַרְ צֵ נּו ץאֶרֶ צִּיֹון וִירּושָ ׁלַיִ ם

“The eternal nation fears not the long road”

(Rabbi Yehoshua Weitzman)

28 29 Wall and Tower (Choma Umigdal) The name of the operation for the establishment of 52 Jewish fortified agricultural settlements between the years 1936 and 1939, during the period of the Arab Revolt against the British Mandate. Kibbutz Hanita was established in the month of Adar 5698. The Choma Umigdal system called for first erecting a plated wooden wall filled with gravel to protect against enemy small arms fire. Inside the wall the settlers would then erect shacks, defensive positions and a guard tower. All of the settlement movements participated in the Choma Umigdal venture.

“We did not take a foreign land and we did not rule over foreign property”

(Maccabees I, 15)

30 31 Siege of Jerusalem 11 Adar 5706 The battle for the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem commenced immediately following the approval by the United The Establishment of Nations of the Partition Plan (November 29, 1947). Birya is synonymous with a process that began at the end of During the months of November 1947 – May 1948 the Jewish February 1946 and reached its climax between March 14 and 17 of Quarter was placed under siege, and the battle for the Old City was that year. one of the dramatic climaxes of the War of Independence. In January 1945, members of the religious platoon of the Palmach, Between May 16 and 28 the Jewish Quarter, which was then home which was comprised of graduates of the Bnei Akiva youth to 1,700 Jews, was subjected to a coordinated attack by Arab movement, established a foothold at Birya by setting up camp irregulars and the Jordanian Arab Legion. The Jewish defenders around a central guard tower in the style of Choma Umigdal. The quickly ran out of ammunition and their ability to defend the Jewish British Mandate government declared the area a “closed military Quarter declined. This fact, together with the rapidly deteriorating zone,” because the settlers were caught in possession of illegal humanitarian conditions in the Old City, forced the rabbinic weapons. The settlement was removed and taken over by the British leadership of the Jewish Quarter, Rabbi Ben Zion Mordechai Hazan military, and Jews were forbidden from inhabiting the area. and Rabbi Ze’ev Minzburg, to surrender to the commander of the Arab Legion. In order not to create a precedent for the removal of a Jewish settlement, the decided to establish a new settlement adjacent to the tower then held by the British Army. Instead of carrying out the traditional pilgrimage to Tel Hai on the 11 of Adar, approximately 3,000 youths from the neighboring settlements in the Galilee climbed a nearby hill, fenced it off, erected tents and named the settlement Birya B. The British Army arrived with tanks and armored vehicles and evacuated the settlers. That night (between 14 and 15 of March), hundreds of settlers from and Rosh Pina established Birya C on the same hill. As a result, the British vacated the tower and permitted twenty settlers to remain at Birya.

“Zion is the center of the world and the lifeblood of the entire world” “Eretz Israel, not by might but by right”

(Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch) (Elie Wiesel)

32 33 Hadassah – Women’s Zionist 27 Adar, 5739 Organization of America Peace Accord with Egypt Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, is the largest Jewish women’s organization in the world. The peace agreement signed by Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Hadassah was founded in 1912 at the initiative of Henrietta Szold in Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and President of the United States order to “support Jewish institutions and endeavors in the Land of Jimmy Carter. Israel and to strengthen Jewish values.” In 1918 a medical mission The signing of the agreement was a monumental step in the numbering 48 members was dispatched to Israel to organize health process that began with the signing of the cease fire agreement services for the Yishuv. between Israel and Egypt in 1974, following the Yom Kippur. The This mission laid the foundation for the establishment of the process continued with the visit by President Sadat to Jerusalem Hadassah Medical Organization, which played a central role in the and his speech before the Knesset, and culminated with the Israeli development of health and medical services in Israel. Hadassah also evacuation of the Sinai Peninsula and its transfer to Egypt. played a major role in facilitating and other endeavors The agreement sets forth the cessation of hostilities between for the benefit of children in Israel. Israel and Egypt, delineates the permanent border between the two countries, creates a demilitarized zone around the border, restricts the Egyptian military presence in the Sinai and requires that Israel and Egypt commence normalized diplomatic relations between them.

“My faith is a wounded faith, but it is “War is preventable, peace is not without faith” inevitable”

(Rabbi Eliezer Askari) (Menachem Begin)

34 35 Gush Etzion (Etzion Bloc) 7 Nissan, 5685 Gush Etzion is a settlement bloc located between Jerusalem and . Hebrew University Settlement of the area began upon the initiative of Shmuel Zvi The Hebrew University, the first university established in Eretz Israel, Holtzman, who is also the namesake of the Etzion Bloc (wood – was founded upon the initiative of Professor Herman Zvi Shapira. “holz” in German, “etz” in Hebrew). The first settlement, Kibbutz Kefar Etzion, was established in 1943 and by 1948 it had been joined The university was opened with much fanfare in the presence by an additional three settlements, Masuot Yitzchak, and of leaders from across the spectrum of the Jewish world, Rabbi . Avraham Isaac Hakohen Kook, Chaim Nachman Bialik, Professor Chaim Weizmann, as well as Lord Balfour, General Edmund Allenby After heroically repelling repeated attacks by the Jordanians in the and Sir Herbert Samuel. In his dedication speech, Bialik said that War of Independence, the settlement bloc fell on 4 Iyar, 5708. The “everyone here knows and feels that at this moment on Mount area was reconquered in the Six Day War and the original settlers Scopus Israel has lit the first light for the rededication of its spiritual returned and rebuilt Kefar Etzion. The Etzion Bloc has since grown existence.” and now includes fifteen flourishing settlements. The university’s five campuses are now home to over 25,000 students immersed in all aspects of the sciences, research and acquisition of knowledge.

“Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears … and the children “From the crest of Mount Scopus, peace shall return to their own border” upon you Jerusalem”

(Yirmiyahu 31:15-16) (Avigdor Hameiri)

36 37 18 Nissan, 5682 20 Nissan, 5669 Hapoel Hamizrachi Tel Aviv – First Hebrew City Hapoel Hamizrachi, the Religious Zionist Workers Union in Israel, For hundreds of years the majority of the Jews who lived in Eretz was established on Pesach (Passover) of 5682 by a group of religious Israel resided in cities, primarily in the “holy cities” – Hebron, youths who had immigrated to Israel as part of the Jerusalem, and Safed. (1919-1923) and had been affiliated with the Mizrachi movement Tel Aviv represented an innovative shift in that it was a completely prior to their arrival in Israel. new city, which was founded on the bases of Jewish and Hebrew The first charter of Hapoel Hamizrachi stated that the movement’s culture and modern city planning. objective was to “create a union of national religious workers who The first neighborhood in Tel Aviv was known as Achuzat Bayit, are partners in the development of the land in the spirit of the Torah which was established to the north of the city of Jaffa in 1909 with and on the foundation of labor.” Over the years Hapoel Hamizrachi the goal of presenting a Jewish and spacious alternative for the established hundreds of settlements around the country – kibbutzim, Jewish residents of crowded Arab Jaffa. The name Tel Aviv that was moshavim, villages and educational institutions. eventually given to the neighborhood was borrowed from Nachum Sokolov’s translations of Herzl’s Altneuland.

“Blessed is he who merits residing in “Blessed is he who assists in the the Holy Land” settlement of Eretz Israel”

(Zohar) (Avigdor Hameiri)

38 39 2 Iyar, 5710 Second Aliyah The Second Aliyah is the name given to the period of immigration to Operation Ezra and Nehemiah Eretz Israel in the years 1904-1914. Many Eastern European Jews immigrated to Israel during this period, which began following a This was the informal name given to the operation for the Aliyah of series of in Russia in the early years of the 20 century. Iraqi Jewry between 5710-5711 (1950-1951). The human construction of the Second Aliyah was varied and it is 120,000 Jews made Aliyah from Iraq during these years, considered in the annals of the Zionist Movement to be a symbol representing almost all of Iraqi Jewry. “Ezra and Nehemiah” began of the Zionist pioneering spirit. The influx of olim from the Second as a clandestine operation, but as a result of Israeli negotiating Aliyah had a great effect on the development of the Yishuv during efforts the Iraqi government agreed to permit the Jews to leave the years that followed. publicly, provided they forfeit their personal property. The operation, which proved logistically difficult, airlifted the Iraqi Jews to Israel, thus bringing an end to one of the oldest Diaspora communities in the world.

“Anyone who wishes to truly be a Jew “All may be compelled to go up to Eretz must travel to Eretz Isarel” Israel”

(Rabbi Nachman of Breslov) (Babylonian Talmud, Ketubot 110b)

40 41 8 Iyar 5708 Declaration of Independence On Friday, 5 Iyar, 5708 (May 14, 1948), several hours before the end of the British Mandate over Eretz Israel, David Ben Gurion declared the establishment and independence of the State of Israel. The ceremony was held at the Tel Aviv Museum, which today is home to Independence Hall. The decision to declare statehood was reached two days prior at a meeting of the People’s Council, which after the declaration of independence became the provisional government. The decision, although wrought with much apprehension for fear that the Yishuv would be overrun by the Arab armies, was ultimately reached by Ben Gurion in the knowledge that a delay may result in the loss of a historic opportunity. Following the declaration itself, Ben Gurion read aloud the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel.

“The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped” (Declaration of Independence)

42 43 18 Iyar, 5689 Israel Defense Forces The IDF – Israel Defense Forces was established on 17 Iyar, 5708 by Bnei Akiva governmental order issued by the provisional government of Israel and setting forth that “it is prohibited to maintain any armed force [in Bnei Akiva is an Israeli and global youth movement founded on the Israel] with the exception of the Israel Defense Forces.” spirit of “Torah and Labor” in Jerusalem by Yechiel Elias on Lag The Basic Law: the Military sets forth that “The Israel Defense B’Omer 5689 (1929). Forces is the army of the State” and that “The Army is subject to the The movement, which is named for Rabbi Akiva, who symbolizes authority of the Government.” both Jewish heroism and Torah study, chose for its emblem a crest The commander in chief is the Ramatkal – the chief of the general representing its two foundational values, Torah and labor. staff who oversees the military through the general staff. The anthem, Yad Achim, was written by Rabbi Moshe Zvi Nerya. World Bnei Akiva educates its members on the values of Aliyah and integration into Israeli society, and thousands of its graduates have gone on to immigrate to Israel. Bnei Akiva Israel has established scores of kibbutzim and moshavim around the country and its graduates can be found throughout the mosaic that is Israeli society and culture.

“Every Jewish mother must know that she has “Our homeland is the land of our placed the fate of her children in the hands of forefathers, our Holy Land” commanders who are fit for the task”

(Rabbi Moshe Zvi Nerya) (David Ben Gurion)

44 45 28 Iyar, 5727

Yom Yerushalayim () Since the Six Day War (5727 – 1967), the date of the liberation of the Old City and the unification of Jerusalem is commemorated as Jerusalem Day. The city of Jerusalem, Zion, is linked to the Jewish people in a myriad of ways: emotionally, spiritually, historically, religiously, as well as through literature and song. Prophets and poets, commentators and authors, speakers and pilgrims, scholars and rabbis have all described the centrality of Jerusalem to the existence of the Jewish people and the yearning and longing of Jews worldwide for the Holy City. Yom Yerushalayim is a day of celebration, festivity and ceremony the world over in commemoration of the restoration of a unified Jerusalem, in the spirit of “Hashem has done great things for us, we are rejoiced.”

“Jerusalem that is built is as a city that has compact together’ (Tehillim 122) is as a city that creates a bond between all of Israel”

(Jerusalem Talmud, Chagiga 3:6)

46 47 The Nadiv – Baron de The White Paper Rothschild Official British government policy papers were known as “white papers” since they were printed on white paper, as opposed to other Baron Benjamin Edmund de Rothschild (1845-1935) was known as official government documents, which were printed on blue paper. the “Nadiv,” the “benefactor,” because of the tremendous assistance During the years 1922-1939 the British government published three he provided to the settlements of the First Aliyah that had fallen on documents known as the “White Paper” with regard to government difficult financial times and faced the threat of abandonment. Baron policy concerning Eretz Israel. The first White Paper, which was de Rothschild visited Eretz Israel in 1925 and met with the British issued in 1922, was named for Winston Churchill, who was then High Commissioner, Sir Herbert Samuel. Secretary of State for the Colonies. The first White Paper set forth A number of settlements around the country are named for the that Great Britain continued to support the principles of the Balfour Rothschild family, including Binyamina, Mazkeret Batya (for the Declaration concerning the establishment of a Jewish Homeland Baron’s mother) and Zichron Ya’acov (for the Baron’s father). in the Land of Israel, that Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel would be limited to such number of immigrants that could be absorbed without undue financial strain, and that the eastern portion of the Land of Israel on the eastern bank of the River would be partitioned from the western bank of the Jordan.

“We shall build our homeland; this is “My heart is in the east, the mandate in our blood, the mandate while I am far to the west” of our generations”

(Rabbi Yehuda Halevi) (Avraham Levinson)

48 49 29 Sivan, 5680 1 Tammuz, 5701 The Haganah Lechi The Haganah was the nickname of the semi-underground military Lechi – Lochamei Cherut Israel (Israel Freedom Fighters), a arm of the Yishuv, whose full name was the Hebrew Defense resistance movement during the period of the British Mandate over Organization in the Land of Israel. The Haganah was the largest and Eretz Israel, was founded by Avraham Stern (‘Yair’). primary armed force belonging to the Yishuv before the founding of The Lechi was comprised of resistance fighters who did not accept the State of Israel. the authority of the central administrative institutions of the Yishuv The Haganah was established in 5680 (1920) as a product of the and withdrew from the Etzel because of its refusal to continue the disbandment of the Hashomer organization. The original founders struggle against the British government during the Second World of the Haganah included members of the defunct Hashomer, as well War. as members of the Gedudim Ivri’im (Jewish Legion). The Haganah, which was comprised of volunteers who acted upon the orders of the leaders of the Yishuv, included the Palmach (strike forces), the Push (infantry forces) and special night forces. Members of the Haganah were involved in settlement activities as well as illegal immigration. The Haganah ultimately served as the foundation for the Israel Defense Forces.

“It is a mitzvah (commandment) to settle and live in Eretz Israel, as the Torah states: ‘You “My land my homeland … land of our shall conquer them and dwell in their land” fathers … land of our yearning …”

(Sifrei Devarim) (Shaul Tchernichivsky)

50 51 Binyamin Ze’ev (Theodor) Herzl (1860-1904) “Seer of the vision of the Jewish State” was a jurist, author, statesman, playwright, journalist, founder and leader of the Zionist Movement and creator of national Zionism. As a product of the (1896), Herzl began to focus his attention on the issue of Jewish existence in the world. Herzl believed that the Jewish issue could only be resolved through diplomatic channels, by establishing a state for the Jewish people with support from the international community. In 1897 Herzl convened the First Zionist Congress in Basel, , at the end of which he declared that “it was at Basel that I founded the Jewish state.” He worked diligently to receive a mandate from the Turkish sultan to establish a Jewish state in Eretz Israel. Herzl visited Eretz Israel in 1898 as part of his diplomatic activities. In 1902 Herzl published his book Altneuland – Old New Land, Tel Aviv in Hebrew, a novel envisioning the establishment of the Jewish state in Eretz Israel. Herzl passed away in 1904.

“The Land of Israel is our historical and cherished homeland”

(Binyamin Ze’ev Herzl)

52 53 7 Tammuz, 5737 29 Tammuz, 5700 Operation Yonatan Ze’ev Zabotinsky A daring operation carried out by the IDF to rescue Israeli hostages Zabotinsky was a Zionist leader, founder of the Revisionist held at the Entebbe airport in Uganda. In late June 1976 Palestinian Movement, author and translator. During the First World War he terrorists hijacked an Air jet headed from Tel Aviv to Paris. created and established the Gedudim Ivri’im (Jewish Legion). As The plane was diverted to Uganda, 4,000 kilometers from Israel, a result of a disagreement with Chaim Weizmann he founded the where all of the passengers were released with the exception of 104 Revisionist Movement, the Beitar Movement and the Etzel resistance Israeli passengers and crew members who were held hostage. In movement. Zabotinsky opposed the partition of Eretz Israel and the exchange for the release of the hostages, the terrorists demanded separation of the eastern bank of the Jordan River from the rest of that Israel 40 terrorists then held in Israeli prisons. The Israeli the Land. His final request, which was written in November of 1935, government opened a negotiation channel, but simultaneously was that his body be moved and buried in Eretz Israel only upon ordered the IDF to prepare a plan for the rescue of the hostages. the order of a Jewish government. In 1964 Zabotinsky’s remains, The operation commenced on July 4, 1976 and within an hour the together with those of this wife Yohana, were reburied in the State Israeli forces were in control of the airport and had released the of Israel. hostages. Lt. Col. Yoni Netanyahu, for whom the operation is named, was killed in the action at Entebbe.

“Even if my country is small and poor, it “All Israel are sureties one for another” is mine from its top to its bottom”

(Babylonian Talmud, Shvuot 39a) (Ze’ev Zabotinsky)

54 55 5 Av, 5689 7 Av, 5680 Jewish Agency Keren Hayesod – United Israel The Jewish Agency is an international Jewish organization Appeal headquartered in Israel that funds its activities through donations and cooperative ventures with donors from Israel and around the Keren Hayesod was established in 1920 by the World Zionist world. Organization to function as the fundraising arm of the Zionist Movement in order to further the vision of establishing a national The Jewish Agency was established by virtue of the mandate home for the Jewish people in Eretz Israel. received by the British government from the League of Nations to create an institution to be recognized as representative of the The initial idea was that each Jew would donate 10% of his or her Jewish people in connection with the establishment of a national income for the benefit of the Jewish establishment in Eretz Israel. home for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The Sixteenth The idea never came to fruition, but the contributions to the UIA Zionist Congress, which was held in 1929, resolved to establish were what ultimately allowed for the creation of the national home. the Jewish Agency for the Land of Israel, which would join the Today, the UIA is the fundraising engine that coordinates all Zionist Organization with the non-Zionists in the belief that all Jews fundraising campaigns outside of the United States for building and everywhere wished to work together to build the national home. The developing the Land of Israel. leadership of the Jewish Agency served as the government-in-fact of the Yishuv until the establishment of the State in 1948. The status of the Jewish Agency is rooted in the “Status Law” that was passed in 1950.

“There can be no happiness but in the “The reunion of the Exiles is as settlement of Eretz Israel” important as the day when heaven and

(Rabbi Chaim ben Atar) earth were created”

56 (Babylonian Talmud, Pesachim 88a)57 Exodus – Yetziat Eiropa (Leaving Europe) 5707 The ma’apilim (illegal immigration) boat Yetziat Eropa 5707, or, in English, Exodus 1947, sailed for Israel from a small port in southern France, near Marseilles, in the summer of 1947. The boat carried approximately 4,500 immigrants, all of whom were Holocaust survivors from displaced persons camps in Germany who wished to make Aliyah to Israel. British warships tracked the boat throughout its voyage and when it approached the shores of Eretz Israel it was overtaken and towed to the port of . All of the immigrants were transferred against their will to boats that returned them to their port of embarkation. The immigrants refused to go ashore and demanded that they be returned to Israel. The entire world took notice of the immigrants’ struggle and Britain was depicted as a cruel superpower that took no mercy on survivors of the Holocaust. Shortly thereafter the immigrants were allowed to return to Eretz Israel. The story of the Exodus contributed significantly to the establishment of the State of Israel and the ma’apilim symbolized the lack of a future for European Jewry, which ultimately prompted the United Nations to reach a solution to the Jewish issue.

“The people of Israel will be free from physical restraint once they are permitted to go up to Eretz Israel”

(Rabbi Israel of Ruzhin)

58 59 19 Av, 5715 The first laborers settlement in Eretz Israel was established by the Bar Ilan University members of the Third Aliyah in the Jezereel Valley. The is named for the biblical town of Nahalal. Bar Ilan University, which was founded in 1955, is named for Rabbi Many other moshavim were established in the wake of the Meir Bar Ilan, one of the leaders of . founding of Nahalal, and these were banded together as part of the The university was established in order to promote the study of Moshavim Movement, which was an important settlement vehicle in Jewish and general subjects through the prism of Torah and derech the development of Eretz Israel. eretz (general values).

“To settle Eretz Israel means to “There is no wisdom that can compare purchase land and build homes, to plant to the wisdom of Eretz Israel” orchards and sow fields”

(Vayikra Rabbah 13) (Rabbi Shmuel Mohlever)

60 61 1 Elul, 5657 First Zionist Congress – the World Zionist Organization The first congressional meeting of the Zionist Movement, the movement for the rebirth of Jewish statehood, took place in Basel, Switzerland, between the 27 and the 29 of August, 1897. 197 delegates from 17 countries participated in the Congress that approved the Basel Program, which became the official charter of the Zionist Movement. The essence of the Program was the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Eretz Israel that was to be guaranteed by the international community. The Congress resolved to establish the World Zionist Organization, which became the primary vehicle for the Jewish people in its quest to establish the State of Israel. Today the WZO is the administrative arm of the Zionist Movement and acts to preserve and strengthen the Jewish people and the Zionist ideal all over the world. The WZO brings together as members all of the Zionist parties and international Jewish organizations from around the world.

“The Holy One, Blessed be He, shall collect all of Israel from the four corners of the Earth”

(Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 19)

62 63 3 Elul, 5695 Rabbi Avraham Isaac Hakohen Kook (1865-1935) Rabbi Kook was one of the religious and spiritual giants of the Jewish people in recent generations. He served as the chief rabbi of Israel from 1921 until his death. Rabbi Kook was born in Latvia, where he served as a rabbi until 1904, when he made Aliyah and became chief rabbi of Jaffa and the settlements. In 1919 he was elected to serve as chief rabbi of Jerusalem, and in 1921, upon the establishment of the chief rabbinate, he was elected to serve as the chief rabbi of Eretz Israel. Rabbi Kook was of the opinion that the consecration of the Jewish people and of Eretz Israel was never annulled and that the return to Zion was the “harbinger of redemption.” Rabbi Kook was one of the most prolific writers of his generation, and his writings included works pertaining to Halacha (religious law), commentary, philosophy, poetry, kabbalah and Hasidism. A number of his works were published during his lifetime, but the majority of his writings were not disseminated until after his death.

“The distinctiveness of the Land and the distinctiveness of the nation are befitting each other”

(Rabbi Kook, Introduction to Shabbat Haaretz)

64 65 10 Elul, 5675 22 Elul, 5687 Rabbi Yitzchak Ya’acov Reiness Sde Ya’acov (1839-1915) Rabbi Reiness founded the Mizrachi and religious The first agricultural and laborers settlement established by Hapoel Zionist movements. He was one of the rabbinic giants in Hamizrachi. Sde Ya’acov, which is located east of Kiryat Tivon, was and served in various positions of rabbinic leadership for many years. named for Rabbi Yitzchak Ya’acov Reiness. Rabbi Reiness joined the Chibat Zion movement in its early years, The residents of the moshav are proud of the fact that their and later joined the religious Zionist movement. He founded the settlement in the area represents another link in the chain of Jewish Mizrachi movement in 1902. settlement in the Jezereel Valley, which began with the battles between Gidon and the Midianites and between Deborah and Barak and the forces of Yavin and Sisra. Today Sde Ya’acov is home to 1,150 residents and a number of educational institutions.

“Live in the Land of which I will tell “For as long as the Jewish people are you’; make Eretz Israel your place of alive and well, hope is not lost for Zion” dwelling, plant and sow”

(Rabbi Yitzchak Ya’acov Reiness) (Bereishit Rabbah 64)

66 67 ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית המערך לשירותים רוחניים בתפוצות World Zionist Organization Center for Religious Affairs in the Diaspora

רח׳ המלך ג׳ורג׳ 48, ת.ד. 92, ירושלים 9100002 48 King George St. P.O.B. 92 Jerusalem 9100002 טל tel +972-2-6202309 פקס fax +972-2-6202552 [email protected] 68