Aug. 29, 1897 — First Zionist Congress Starts
Spearheaded by “The Jewish State” author Theodor Herzl, the First Zionist Congress opens in Basel, Switzerland, for three days of meetings with roughly 200 attendees. Herzl invites Jews and non-Jews who support the cause. The congress unanimously adopts the Basel Program, which declares that “Zionism aims at establishing for the Jewish people a publicly and legally assured home in the Land of Israel.”
Aug. 30, 1944 — MacMichael Ends Term in Palestine
Rattled by numerous attempts on his life and fearing for his family, Harold MacMichael resigns as Britain’s fifth high commissioner to Palestine after more than six years, a period of increasing restrictions on Jewish immigration. His refusal to allow entry to the 800 refugees aboard the Struma, which then sank in the Black Sea, and his focus on the economic needs of Arabs were among actions that angered the Jewish population.
Aug. 31, 1947 — U.N. Palestine Panel Holds Last Meeting
The U.N. Special Committee on Palestine, formed four months earlier to investigate violence and recommend the next political steps for the British-administered region, meets for the final time. Its majority report, endorsed by eight of the 11 nations on the panel, calls for Palestine’s partition into two states with an economic union. The minority report, backed by Iran, India and Yugoslavia, calls for a federation of Jewish and Arab states.
Sept. 1, 1891 — Artist Yosef Zaritsky Is Born
Painter Yosef Zaritsky is born near Kyiv in Ukraine. He moves to Jerusalem in 1923, then to Tel Aviv, and is one of the founders of the Ofakim Hadashim (New Horizons) movement, which emphasizes universality and the abstract. His painting “Oztma” (“Might”) hangs at the entrance to an exhibition for Israel’s 10th anniversary in 1958 until Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion expresses his dislike for the work.
Sept. 2, 1953 — Israel Begins Jordan River Project
Israel starts work on a project to divert some Jordan River water at the B’not Yaakov (Daughters of Jacob) Bridge in the north to irrigate the Negev and in the process generate electricity. The project is halted within weeks, however, after Syria claims that the work violates its 1949 armistice agreement with Israel. Years of negotiations follow before Israel decides to take water from the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) instead.
Sept. 3, 2011 — March of the Million Seeks Social Change
More than 450,000 Israelis take to the streets in the then-largest demonstration in Israel’s history, billed as the March of the Million. It is part of a summer of social justice demonstrations focused on affordable housing and relief from the high cost of living. Under the slogan “The government only understands the numbers,” march leaders demand policy changes from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sept. 4, 1985 — New Shekel Is Introduced
Israel rolls out the new Israeli shekel as the official state currency. The original Israeli shekel was launched in 1980 to replace the Israeli pound with a currency using a biblical Hebrew name. Because of hyperinflation in the first half of the 1980s, the Knesset passed the 1985 Israel Economic Stabilization Plan, which included the introduction of the new shekel, worth 1,000 of the old shekels. Confusion ensues.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
