July 30, 1992 — Yael Arad Wins Israel’s First Olympic Medal
Tel Aviv native Yael Arad, 25, becomes the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal, taking the silver in judo in the half-middleweight (61-kilogram) class at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. She dedicates her medal to the 11 Israelis killed at the Munich Olympics 20 years earlier. In 1993 she wins the European championship and takes silver at the world championships. She competes in the 1996 Olympics and coaches at the 2000 Games.
July 31, 1962 — Politician Moshe Feiglin Is Born
Right-wing politician Moshe Feiglin is born in Haifa. A high-tech entrepreneur, he founds an organization to protest the Oslo Accords, then launches a political movement, Jewish Leadership, which joins with Likud in 2000. He runs for Likud chairman three times and wins a Knesset seat in 2013. His independent Zehut party creates a stir in the April 2019 Knesset election with a plan to legalize marijuana but misses the electoral threshold.
Aug. 1, 1955 — Dimona Welcomes First Residents From Morocco
The first residents of Dimona move into the development town in Israel’s south. The first 33 families are recent arrivals from Morocco, and all of Dimona’s early residents are Jews who have fled from Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Although some work in the nearby Dead Sea Works potash plant, many must travel long distances to jobs. Dimona gains municipal status in 1969, when the population tops 24,000.
Aug. 2, 1923 — Shimon Peres Is Born
Shimon Peres, the only Israeli to serve as prime minister and president, is born in a part of Poland that now is in Belarus. Peres and his family make aliyah in 1934, settling in Tel Aviv. He is elected secretary of the Labor Zionist youth movement in 1941. He is first elected to the Knesset in 1959 and first serves as prime minister in 1977. He shares the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for the Oslo Accords. He is president from 2007 to 2014.
Aug. 3, 1945 — U.S. Investigator Confirms Horrible Conditions in DP Camps
Earl Harrison, sent by President Harry Truman to check on the conditions in displaced-persons camps, reports that rumors of poor treatment are true in many cases. After visiting 30 DP camps in Germany and Austria, he finds that “we appear to be treating the Jews as the Nazis treated them, except that we do not exterminate them.” Truman then calls for Britain to admit 100,000 Jewish refugees into Palestine.
Aug. 4, 1920 — Kaplan Plants Roots of Reconstructionism
Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary, publishes “A Program for the Reconstruction of Judaism” in the Menorah Journal, expanding on discussions he had with rabbis and lay leaders. Kaplan argues that Judaism in America is defined by immigrants and has shown no signs of being self-sustaining. He emphasizes Zionism as a key component in the reconstruction of American Judaism.
Aug. 5, 1953 — IDF Forms Special Forces Unit 101
Unit 101, an independent special forces section of the Israel Defense Forces, is formed with about 20 soldiers under the command of Ariel Sharon to provide a rapid response to terrorist attacks and border infiltrations. Unit 101’s short-lived independence ends after an October 1953 raid on the West Bank village of Qibya destroys 42 buildings, kills nearly 70 civilians and draws U.N. Security Council condemnation.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
