Jackals, mold, rot and cave-ins. Neighborhoods suffering from overcrowding, neglect, filth, poverty and a lack of basic sanitation. Moshe David Gaon, secretary of Jerusalem’s Sephardi Community Council, toured the city’s poorest Jewish neighborhoods during the British Mandate period. He documented his observations in reports that were recently discovered in his archive, now housed at the National Library.
When “Jerusalem Day” Was a Day of Mourning
Before the Old City of Jerusalem was liberated in the Six-Day War – and even before the founding of the State of Israel – there were already a number of forgotten attempts by individuals, organizations, and official institutions to establish a “Jerusalem Day.” How was Israel’s capital commemorated before the Six-Day War? The answer is, at times, surprising.
The Balilius Affair: What Was Jerusalem’s Main Synagogue?
In the late 1920s, a fierce debate erupted between the Ashkenazim and Sephardim in Jerusalem over which synagogue should be considered the main Jewish house of worship in the city. This controversy escalated to an international legal battle that lasted many years.
A Rare Document: When Haredim Proposed That Religious Zionists Join Their Draft Exemption
A fascinating piece of correspondence found in the archive of Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neria tells the story of the beginnings of the historic debate between Haredim and religious Zionists regarding enlistment in the IDF.
The Final Days of the Jewish Community in Gaza
Documents recently discovered in the Archives Department of the National Library of Israel shed new light on the forgotten Hebrew community of Gaza, as well as the Jews who lived in and visited the city even after the community no longer officially existed
