March 14, 1972 — Black Panthers Steal Milk
Black Panthers march along Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv on May Day in 1973. By Moshe Milner, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Israel’s Black Panthers, who seek equality for Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, steal crates of milk meant for wealthy Jerusalem neighborhoods and hand them out across poor neighborhoods to protest poverty. Operation Milk enrages Prime Minister Golda Meir, who sees the Robin Hood-style effort as a provocation and says Israel has no shortage of milk. Eventually, the Black Panthers pay for the stolen milk.
March 15, 1939 — Irgun Radio Begins Broadcasting
An Irgun poster in the 1930s reflects the underground movement’s willingness to fight for the Land of Israel.
Kol Tzion HaLokhemet (“Voice of the Fighting Zion”), the underground radio network operated by the Irgun, broadcasts for the first time. The network’s messages include news the British would censor. The Hebrew broadcasts from Tel Aviv often feature Irgun leader Menachem Begin. Aside from a brief period after the British capture the transmitter in 1944, the station regularly broadcasts until May 14, 1948.
March 16, 1722 — Jewish Berliners Receive New Constitution
An image from the Jewish Encyclopedia shows Berlin’s Old Synagogue, which opened in 1714 as the city’s first synagogue.
Berlin’s Jewish community is reorganized under the Aeltesten Reglement after Prussian authorities issue new statutes regulating the community. The new constitution reinforces Jewish communal autonomy within Prussia, which insists on the collective responsibility of the Jewish population. The constitution establishes two permanent chief elders with the help of a board elected every three years.
March 17, 1992 — Knesset Passes Basic Law on Human Dignity
Amnon Rubinstein submitted the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty to the Knesset, arguing that “the Jewish people have a long and continuing love affair with human rights.”
The Knesset enacts the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, adding a statement of support for core human rights to the Basic Laws that substitute for a constitution. Such a law had long been blocked by concerns about conflicts with Jewish law, but Israeli political reforms sparked by scandals cleared the way. The law declares that basic human rights in Israel are based on a recognition of the value of individuals, the sanctity of life and freedom.
March 18, 1975 — Ford Reassesses U.S.-Israel Relationship
Israeli Defense Minister Shimon Peres, Ambassador to the United States Simcha Dinitz and Gen. Abraham Tamir are among the officials watching IDF Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur initial the Sinai II agreement with Egypt on Sept. 1, 1975.
The United States begins a “reassessment” of its relationship with Israel because of the frustrations of President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger over a refusal to withdraw from the Sinai without a pledge from Egypt not to use force against Israel. Kissinger freezes arms sales to Israel and advises every department to “put Israeli activities at the bottom of the list.” Israel holds firm to its positions, however.
March 19, 2012 — ‘Photoshop Law’ Passes
Rachel Adato, a physician and Knesset member for the Kadima party, co-sponsored the “Photoshop Law” in the hope of improving Israel teens’ self-image and reducing the incidence of eating disorders.
The Knesset adopts the “Photoshop Law,” requiring adult fashion and commercial models to have a body-mass index of at least 18.5, as well as clear notification of any alteration or digital manipulation of an image. The law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2013, comes in response to the death in 2007 of an Israeli model who weighed 60 pounds because of anorexia related to her efforts to meet professional demands to lose weight.
March 20, 1899 — Jewish Colonial Trust Is Incorporated
The Jewish Colonial Trust raised money through certificates such as this one from 1907.
The Jewish Colonial Trust, proposed at the First Zionist Congress and approved at the Second Zionist Congress, is incorporated in London. The trust is a central development bank to support the growth of a Jewish home in the Land of Israel through economic development, land purchases, trade and industry, and capital for savings banks. The trust creates a subsidiary, the Anglo-Palestine Bank, in 1902 to carry out its objectives.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.