(first pic on left - scroll of proclamation of independence; pic on right- list of signatories)
(pic in middle - original invitation to independence day)
(pic below - crowd at the museum at Tel Aviv where independence was first proclaimed)
may 14th 2008 will be the modern state of Israel's 60th anniversary (although Israel celebrated Independence Day on May 8th this year. This is because the Israelis used the Hebrew lunar calendar. Independence was proclaimed on 5th Iyar (corresponding day in the Gregorian calendar was May 14th 1948). you can read about it in the news through yahoo news. no matter which day we observe (may 8th or may 14th), it will be a moment of significance to look back at 60 years of independence.
stm will be having a one hour presentation by yours truly on wednesday may 14th from 5.00-6.00pm in the conference room. i will share about briefly about what happened to israel after AD70, the history of zionism, the aliyah (return) to the land of Israel, independence day may 14th 1948 and the events after this.
if you are interested and free on that afternoon, pop down to seremban for the ppt presentation.
Comments
the war started on 15th may. a truce was called on 11th june but fighting resumed on 8th july, stopped again on 18th july, before restarting in mid-october and finally ended the next year on 24th july 1949.
by then israel had gained 50% more land compared with the 1948 partition plan.
That was what I thought having read 'O Jerusalem' by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins many years ago.
david ben gurion read as part of the proclamation of independence the words from isa 66:7f - 'before she was in labor, she gave birth; before her pain came upon her, she was delivered a son. who has heard such a thing? who has seen such things? shall a land be born in one day? shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?...'