In the late 1950s, relations between Israel and France were blossoming, thanks in large part to the young Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Shimon Peres. Among various collaborations, Peres raised an unusual idea: Why not settle tens of thousands of Israelis in French Guiana, a remote South American colony? Who was in favor? Who wasn’t? And what did David Ben-Gurion think of it?
The Botched Hit That Sparked the First Lebanon War
The failed attempt on Ambassador Shlomo Argov’s life led to one of the most complicated and difficult episodes in Israel’s history
An Eternal Love Song: 10 Classic Israeli Hits Inspired by the “Song of Songs”
A tour through the Bella and Harry Wexner Libraries of Sound and Song – Legacy Heritage Foundation at the National Library of Israel reveals the biblical Song of Songs is ever-present in contemporary Israeli music
The Suicide of the Man Who Loved David Ben-Gurion
“My life’s work has been to serve you”: The tragic death of Nehemiah Argov, David Ben-Gurion’s trusted aide…
Mapping 50 Years of Zionist Pioneering
The desert was pushed back, the swamps were dried up and water reached every corner of the land – this historic map celebrated 50 years of the Zionist enterprise…
When Topol Fled From ‘Fiddler’… Twice
Chaim Topol was originally disgusted by ‘Fiddler on the Roof’. Soon after changing his mind, war in Israel took him off the stage…
The Chaotic Origins of Israel’s International Airport
Confusion and combat preceded the grand opening of Israel’s main airport, some six months after the young state’s founding
“Jews Shooting Jews”: A Look Back at the Days of the Altalena Affair
The Altalena affair remains one of the most controversial episodes in the history of the State of Israel | The Altalena’s sinking was the climax of a dramatic internal crisis that lasted for three tense days | An in-depth examination of the sequence of events offers a more complex picture | Featuring new photos of the curfew enforced in Tel Aviv
Donating Pocket Money for Jewish Refugees in Cyprus
In 1947, Britain was still holding tens of thousands of Jewish immigrants in camps in Cyprus, many of them Holocaust survivors. The children of the Yishuv joined in the aid effort, donating their pocket money and clothing so that the displaced children could stay warm in the cold winter months.
When Tintin Was Abducted by the Irgun in Haifa
Why was Mandatory Palestine changed to the imaginary “Emirate of Khemed” in “Land of Black Gold”, the 15th volume in the comic series, “The Adventures of Tintin”?
