In 1926, more than 100 Egyptian teachers and officials visited Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem and elsewhere. What did they think of Jewish education and how did the local Arab population receive them?
When Shimon Peres Fantasized of an Israeli Colony in South America
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?
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…
His Way: Frank Sinatra in the Service of Israel
How Ol’ Blue Eyes managed to trick the FBI, make a special delivery down at the docks and help the Jewish state-in-the-making…
Jews in Keffiyehs? – The Headdress That Became a Symbol
Nowadays, people identify the keffiyeh as the unequivocal symbol of the Palestinian national movement. However, going back a few decades, we find documentation of senior members of the Zionist movement wearing the traditional headdress as well as members of the Palmach and even soldiers in the IDF. What changed along the way?
A Haredi Holocaust Hero in the Congo
“I am happy and proud that our mission is spreading the idea of loving one another, loving humanity, without paying attention to skin color.”
The Forgotten Holidays of David Ben-Gurion
“Ingathering of the Exiles Day” – intended to make immigrant soldiers feel welcome – was one of a number of ‘festivals’ that helped form the national ethos…
This Remarkable Woman Made the First Israeli Flag in Jerusalem
Rebecca Affachiner trailblazed across multiple continents, and she did it all as a single, religious Jewish woman…
Kirk Douglas: Star of David and Hollywood
He starred in the first Hollywood feature filmed in Israel, but the legendary actor’s connection to the Jewish state and people certainly didn’t start or stop there…
The Rabbi Who Called to Establish a Jewish State in Uganda
Why did Rabbi Reines, the founder of Religious Zionism, support the British Uganda Proposal?
