June 20, 1950 — First Festival of Jewish Music Opens in Jerusalem
Leonard Bernstein, whose music was featured at the 1950 festival, conducts a concert in Be’er Sheva in 1948. Library of Congress.
Israel’s first Festival of Jewish Music begins at the historic YMCA building in Jerusalem and runs until July 1 at sites around the country. The government-organized festival features contemporary Israeli music and highlights works by Jewish composers abroad. Although most performances present classical music, including arrangements by U.S. composer Leonard Bernstein, two events showcase Israeli folk music.
June 21, 1990 — Diplomat Eliahu Eilat Dies
Eliahu Eilat presents a Torah to President Harry S. Truman on Oct. 26, 1949. Truman Presidential Library.
Eliahu Eilat, who won President Harry Truman’s U.S. recognition of Israel in May 1948 and served as Israel’s first ambassador to the United States, dies in Jerusalem at age 86. Born Eliahu Epstein in Ukraine in 1903, he was drawn to Zionism as a university student and made aliyah in 1924. He became Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1952 and served as the president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
June 22, 1989 — NBA Player Omri Casspi Is Born
Omri Casspi retired from professional basketball in the summer of 2021. By Jaripk, own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Omri Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the National Basketball Association, is born in Holon. He plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth team before making his pro debut in the 2005-06 season. The Sacramento Kings make him the first Israeli selected in the NBA Draft’s first round, picking him 23rd in 2009. Over 10 seasons with seven teams in the NBA, the forward averages 7.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He returns to Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2019.
June 23, 1944 — Photographer Alex Levac Is Born
Alex Levac is shown in 2006, the year after he won the Israel Prize for his photojournalism. By Ofer Shani, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Photojournalist Alex Levac, a 2005 Israel Prize winner, is born in Tel Aviv. He studies photography at the London College of Printing and works as a freelancer in Brazil, London and Los Angeles before making his home in Jerusalem in 1981. As a staff photographer for the daily newspaper Hadashot, he captures images of a bus hijacker in custody in 1984, disproving the official story that all four terrorists are killed in the liberation of Bus 300.
June 24, 1987 — Arabs Stage National Equality Strike
Politician Tawfiq Toubi of the Hadash party addresses residents of Sakhnin on Land Day in 1988, one of many demonstrations over the years against anti-Arab discrimination in Israel. By Nikola Abdo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Arabs hold an Equality Day strike, organized by the National Committee of Local Arab Council Heads, to seek an end to discrimination against Israeli Arabs. The leading demand is for Jewish and Arab local authorities to receive the same per capita funding. Moshe Arens, the government minister for Arab affairs, dismisses the strike as “Communist incitement,” but the government increases funding for Arab communities.
June 25, 2009 — Bridge of Strings Opens
The Bridge of Strings is prominent in an aerial view of the entrance to Jerusalem in 2011. By Moshe Milner, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Jerusalem holds a $500,000 extravaganza to inaugurate the Chords Bridge, also known as the Bridge of Strings, to serve pedestrians and the new light-rail system at the entrance to the city. Its designer, Santiago Calatrava, has built more than 40 bridges around the world, including a pedestrian bridge in Petah Tikvah, but says this is his favorite. The 1,180-foot-long bridge features 66 white steel cables hanging from a 384-foot spire.
June 26, 2004 — ‘Jerusalem of Gold’ Writer Naomi Shemer Dies
Naomi Shemer performs in Caesarea in 1991. By Nathan Alpert, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Musician Naomi Shemer, best known for writing the song “Jerusalem of Gold,” dies at 73 after a long battle with cancer. Born on a kibbutz by the Sea of Galilee, she served with the IDF’s Nahal entertainment unit and studied music at the Rubin Academy. She wrote “Jerusalem of Gold” for a festival in 1967. After the Six-Day War, the Israeli public treated the recording by Shuli Natan as the anthem of the city’s reunification.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
