Sept. 22, 2000 — Poet Yehuda Amichai Dies
Yehuda Amichai, the poet laureate of Jerusalem, dies of lymphoma at 76. Born in Germany, Amichai made aliyah with his family in 1935. He served with the British army in World War II, then with the Palmach. Themes of war, peace and loss are prominent in his poetry, including “God Takes Pity on Kindergartners,” which Yitzhak Rabin read during his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 1994.Sept. 23, 2003 — Diplomat Simcha Dinitz Dies
Sept. 23, 2003 — Diplomat Simcha Dinitz Dies
Simcha Dinitz, whose career as a diplomat included serving as ambassador to the United States from 1973 to 1978, dies at 74. He played a key role in securing airlifted U.S. weapons for Israel during the Yom Kippur War in October 1973. “He was a superb representative of his country whose role in saving his country in the 1973 war has never been adequately appreciated,” Henry Kissinger said.
Sept. 24, 1996 — Rioting Responds to New Tunnel Exit
A northern exit from the Western Wall Tunnel to the Via Dolorosa opens to the public, leading to three days of Palestinian riots. The tunnel is an extension of the Western Wall’s plaza in an area buried and covered by buildings in the Muslim Quarter. Tourists entered and exited from the plaza until the northern exit’s construction. The project is seen as an expression of Israeli sovereignty over all of Jerusalem.
Sept. 25, 1982 — Israelis Protest Massacre in Lebanon
An estimated 400,000 protesters in Tel Aviv answer the massacre in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon with a demand for an investigation into Israel’s role. The demonstration, organized by 4-year-old group Peace Now, involves roughly 10% of Israel’s population. The Lebanese Christian Phalangist militia, an Israeli ally, killed 400 to 3,500 Palestinians in the camps.
Sept. 26, 1955 — Oil Is Found in Heletz
Oil is discovered in Heletz, a moshav founded by Yemeni immigrants in southern Israel that becomes the site of the state’s first successful oil wells. The field contains an estimated 94.4 million barrels of oil. After the discovery, 33 wells are completed by the end of 1957, and oil production begins in 1960. Israel later discovers oil in the Golan Heights and natural gas in the Mediterranean.
Sept. 27, 1950 — Third Maccabiah Games Open
The Third Maccabiah Games, rescheduled after being canceled by the British in 1938, begin in the 50,000-seat stadium in Ramat Gan. The first games held in an independent Israel draw 800 athletes from 20 countries. Addressing the opening, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion says, “Existence in our ancestral home requires physical might no less than intellectual excellence.”
Sept. 28, 1970 — Egypt’s Nasser Dies
Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser dies of a heart attack at 52 after brokering a cease-fire between Jordan’s King Hussein and PLO leader Yasser Arafat. Shortly before his death, the man who had vowed to wipe out Israel, lost Sinai in 1967 and waged the War of Attrition along the Suez Canal accepted U.S. negotiating initiatives and expressed a willingness to reach peace with Israel.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.