Aug. 2, 1968 — Oil Flows From Eilat to Haifa
Oil reaches Haifa on the Mediterranean Sea from Eilat on the Red Sea through a land pipeline for the first time. The overland connection between Israel’s largest ports is crucial as an alternative to the Suez Canal, which remains closed to Israeli ships and to any other vessels that stop in Israel. The pipeline turns Israel into a bridge to Europe for Iranian oil, although that path ends with the fall of the shah in 1979.
Aug. 3, 1981 — Archaeologists, Haredim Battle in City of David
An excavation in Jerusalem’s Area G, on the eastern side of the City of David, is suspended amid attacks on archaeologists by Haredi Jews, most of them part of the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta. The protests are based on claims that the site includes a Jewish cemetery. Later in August, both of Israel’s chief rabbis condemn the excavation. The dig eventually reveals the 60-foot-high ruin known as the Stepped Stone Structure.
Aug. 4, 1920 — Kaplan Plants Roots of Reconstructionism
Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary, publishes “A Program for the Reconstruction of Judaism” in the Menorah Journal, expanding on discussions he had with rabbis and lay leaders. Kaplan argues that Judaism in America is defined by immigrants and has shown no signs of being self-sustaining. He emphasizes Zionism as a key component in the reconstruction of American Judaism.
Aug. 5, 1995 — Composer Menachem Avidom Dies
Composer Menachem Avidom dies at 87. One of Gustav Mahler’s cousins and a Russian native who made aliyah in 1925, Avidom studied in Paris and Beirut and became an innovator in fusing Middle Eastern and European musical theories. He began writing pieces in the new style in 1944 and in the process paved the way for Mizrahi musicians. He also served as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s general secretary.
Aug. 6, 1923 — 13th Zionist Congress Convenes
Meeting in Carlsbad, Czechoslovakia, the 13th Zionist Congress opens to discuss details about the British Mandate for Palestine and the prerogatives of the Palestine Zionist Executive, which guides Jewish immigration and settlement. A successor to the Zionist Commission, the executive changes its name to the Jewish Agency in 1929. The Congress bars non-Zionists from joining the agency, a decision reversed in 1929.
Aug. 7, 1970 — War of Attrition Ends
A ceasefire ends the War of Attrition, in which Egypt shelled Israel’s positions along the Suez Canal and the countries engaged in aerial battles and commando raids. Skirmishes and mortar attacks continued after the June 1967 war, then ramped up when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser called for war March 8, 1969. The Soviet Union cut support for Nasser after Israel shot down five MiG-21s on July 30, 1970.
Aug. 8, 1924 — Cinema Advocate Lia Van Leer Is Born
Lia Van Leer, a pioneer in Israeli film appreciation and creation, is born in Beltsy, Romania (now Moldova). She is visiting her sister, a dentist in Tel Aviv, when the Germans invade Beltsy in summer 1941, and she stays in Palestine. She marries engineer Wim Van Leer in 1952, and the two develop and promote a love of cinema. They create the Israel Film Archive, and she launches the Jerusalem Film Festival.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.