September 20, 1890 — Poet Rachel Bluwstein is Born
Rachel Bluwstein, considered one of the founding mothers of modern Hebrew poetry, is born in Russia. She begins writing poetry at age 15 and moves to the Land of Israel in 1909. After living in Rehovot and at a training farm along the Sea of Galilee, she studies agriculture in France, then settles at Kibbutz Degania in 1919. She is one of the first modern poets to write in Hebrew in a conversational style.
September 21, 2010 — Legal Scholar Shabtai Rosenne Dies
Diplomat Shabtai Rosenne, a Bar-Ilan University law professor considered an authority by the International Court of Justice, dies of a heart attack at 92. He was a major contributor to the international law of treaties and law of the sea. He formulated Israel’s 1949 armistice agreements, served as an envoy to the United Nations, and wrote the four-volume “The Law and Practice of the International Court 1920-1996.”
September 22, 1943 — Musician Ariel Zilber is Born
Singer-songwriter Ariel Zilber is born in Tel Aviv. His mother is a singer, and his father is a violinist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In the 1970s and 1980s he establishes an eclectic sound and leads multiple rock bands, then has a successful solo career. His music spans rock, pop and hip-hop. His political views draw attention away from his music as he moves toward the Orthodox right in the early 2000s.
September 23, 1920 — Shas Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is Born
Ovadia Yosef, a Sephardi rabbi, politician and community leader, is born in Baghdad. He moves to Jerusalem at age 4. He is ordained at 20 and becomes Cairo’s chief rabbi at 27 before returning to Israel, where he becomes chief rabbi in 1973. He becomes the spiritual leader of Shas when the party forms in 1983. He supports trading land for true peace. Nearly 700,000 people attend his funeral in 2013.
September 24, 1950 — Operation Magic Carpet Concludes
Two planes carrying 177 Jews to Israel from Aden mark the final flights of Operation Magic Carpet, the airlift of Jews from their ancient community in Yemen. Nearly 50,000 Yemeni Jews were flown to Israel during the 15 months of the operation, also known as On the Wings of Eagles. The operation took advantage of a change in Yemeni law after Israel’s War of Independence that allowed Jews to emigrate as long as they sold their homes and property first.
September 25, 1917 — Poet Amir Gilboa is Born
Amir Gilboa, one of Israel’s leading poets, is born as Berl Feldmann in Ukraine. He immigrates to the Land of Israel in 1937, serves in North Africa with the British army in World War II and fights in Israel’s War of Independence. His contemplative, often heavy poems draw on his military experiences and biblical issues of morality. Gilboa wins the Bialik Prize in 1971 and the Israel Prize in 1982.
September 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 several natural gas fields in the Mediterranean.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.