March 24, 1993 — Weizman Is Elected President Ezer Weizman, a nephew of Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, is elected the nation’s seventh president on a 66-53 vote in the Knesset. A native of Tel Aviv, Weizman is one of the founders of...

March 10, 1970 — Law of Return’s Jewish Definition Is Amended Israel’s 1950 Law of Return is amended to change the definition of “who is a Jew” after two high-profile cases involving a Jewish convert to Catholicism and an interfaith marriage....

Feb. 24, 1942 — Struma Is Sunk by Soviet Sub A Soviet submarine sinks the refugee transport SS Struma in the Black Sea in the belief that it is an enemy ship. Only one of the 769 Jewish refugees survives. The Struma, a converted cattle transport...

Feb. 10, 1913 — Air Force Builder Charles Winters Is Born Charles Winters, who helps Israel build its first air force, is born in Brookline, Massachusetts. Winters, who is not Jewish, works as a government purchasing agent during World War II and runs...

Jan. 27, 2006 — First U.N. Holocaust Remembrance Day The first U.N.-recognized International Holocaust Remembrance Day is held on the 61st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The president of the U.N. General Assembly, Jan Eliasson, says...

August 12, 1991 — Nasser Friend Yeruham Cohen Dies Yeruham Cohen, known for befriending Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser, dies at 75. Born into a Yemeni family in Tel Aviv, Cohen was fluent in Arabic. He was an intelligence aide to Gen. Yigal Allon, and...

August 5, 1953 — Special Forces Unit 101 Is Formed Unit 101, an independent special forces section of the Israel Defense Forces, is launched with about 20 soldiers under the command of Ariel Sharon to provide a rapid, nimble response to terrorist attacks...

July 29, 1891 — Pregnancy test developer Zondek is born Bernhard Zondek, the obstetrician-gynecologist behind one of the first reliable pregnancy tests, is born in Wronke, Germany, now in Poland. He and Jewish colleague Selmar Aschheim in 1928 develop...

July 22, 1939 — Actress Gila Almagor Is Born Gila Almagor, the “queen of the Israeli cinema and theater,” is born in Haifa four months after a sniper killed her policeman father. She makes her debut for the Habima Theatre at age 17 in “The Skin...

July 15, 1965 — Rabin Warns Against Diversion of Jordan River The Israel Defense Forces’ chief of staff, Yitzhak Rabin, warns Lebanon and Syria they will face consequences if they move forward with an Arab League-backed effort to divert the sources...

July 8, 1989 — Judo Champ Yarden Gerbi Is Born Judo champion Yarden Gerbi is born in Kfar Saba. Gerbi wins eight national championships in her career and rises to the top of the world rankings in May 2013. She defeats European champion Clarisse Agbegnenou...

July 1, 1973 — Israeli Military Attache Is Killed in Maryland Col. Yosef “Joe” Alon, a military attache at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, is shot five times in his driveway in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and dies within an hour at a hospital....