The Haganah’s Camp Yona was located in northern Tel Aviv, on a site occupied by a luxurious hotel today; this was the location for a string of historic events, from the murder of Arlosoroff, to the shelling of the Altalena
The Heroine Who Rescued Jewish Girls from Lebanon and Syria
The riots of the “Farhud” in Iraq convinced Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi that time was running out for Jews living in Arab countries in the 1940s
WEIZAC and GOLEM: The Start-Up Nation’s Earliest Computers
Today, almost all of us carry a smartphone and own a PC or laptop at home, but the earliest computing devices couldn’t exactly fit in your pocket…
The Israeli Roots of the Penalty Shoot-Out
Cherry tomatoes, soup mandels and penalty shoot-outs – all Israeli inventions! This is the story of the most significant Israeli contribution to the beautiful game
The Story of Israel’s National Anthem
How did the only original written copy of “HaTikva” arrive at the National Library of Israel? And how does it differ from the version we know today?
That Other Time They Almost Declared a Jewish State (and No One Noticed)
In July 1943, in the midst of World War II, notable members of the “yishuv” gathered in secret in a Tel Aviv suburb, to proclaim the establishment of a Jewish government in the Land of Israel
Blood of the Maccabees: How a Little Red Flower Became the Symbol of Israel’s Memorial Day
Every year on Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, many of us wear the famous Dam HaMaccabim sticker; the connection between the flower and the occasion was made in the early days of the state
The Last Voice: The Story of Hadassah Lempel
A chilling letter found in the National Library archives tells the story of Hadassah Lempel, whose voice was the last one heard during one of the fatal Battles of Latrun in 1948
When Israelis Stood in Line for Rations
Lines, food shortages and powdered eggs. The coronavirus crisis recalls the early days of the State of Israel, when a policy of austerity was put in place
When the Spanish Flu Arrived in the Land of Israel
The pandemic known as the Spanish flu spread across the world in the early 20th century, reaching the Land of Israel as well; we took a look back at the news reports of the day
