In May of 1948, designer Otte Wallish was given his “mission impossible”: Get everything ready for a Declaration of Independence ceremony. You have 24 hours. Also: Were there nude images hiding behind Theodor Herzl’s portrait?
Curate and Create: The Poster Competition That United Kids Worldwide With Israel
As Israel turned 75 years old, the National Library of Israel wanted to celebrate with a new and exciting project. Thus, Curate & Create was born, a poster competition for children from all over the world, complete with educational resources and primary sources. With over 600 participants, read about how this NLI project came to be so successful!
Moments in Time: A Journey to the First Days of the State of Israel
As Israel’s 75th Independence Day approaches, we take a look at the achievements and challenges of the young country, portrayed through a variety of moments: first steps on Israel’s soil; water pipes breaking through the heart of a desert; meetings between languages and cultures. Moments of joy and creation, difficulty and coping, but mostly seeing how so many individuals joined together to create something beautiful: Israel
Israel, 1948: Vidal Sassoon in Combat
Not long before becoming the world’s most famous hairstylist and building a business empire, Sassoon fought for Israeli independence. He lost friends, gained confidence, went weeks without a shower, and literally never learned the Hebrew word for ‘retreat’…
Menachem Begin Swears Allegiance to the Jewish State
For four years, Menachem Begin was a man underground, in the fullest sense of the word—a commander of an underground force and a wanted man, hiding from the British. After Israel’s declaration of independence, Begin came out of hiding with a historic speech that transformed him into a national political figure.
Israel’s First Independence Day and “The Parade That Didn’t March”
What Israel’s Independence Day looked like before there was an Independence Day
David Ben David Cheated Death… and Missed Israel’s Birth
He swam to Haifa in 1940, unknowingly escaping the ill-fated “Patria”, then spent most of the 1948 war as a POW, saved from death more than once by his Arab Legion captors
The Israeli Declaration of Independence as You’ve Never Seen It Before
Arthur Szyk’s magnificent artwork on the Declaration of Independence highlights the deep, meaningful connection between the new Jewish state and the ancient Jewish past.
The Initial Proposals That Fell Short: How the Israeli National Emblem Was Chosen
It was a close competition between artists to see who would receive the honor of designing the National Emblem
