November 21, 1880 — Zionist Martyr Joseph Trumpeldor Is Born
A Haganah member stands guard at the Trumpeldor Memorial at Tel Hai in 1936. By Zoltan Kluger, National Photo Collection of Israel.
Joseph Trumpeldor is born in Pyatigorsk, Russia. He loses an arm while fighting in the Russo-Japanese War and spends two years as a prisoner of war in Japan. He settles in the Land of Israel in 1912, but the Ottomans deport him to Egypt at the start of World War I. He organizes the Zion Mule Corps to fight with the British. After the war, he is killed defending a Jewish settlement in the Upper Galilee from Arab attack.
November 22, 1923 — Actress Hanna Maron Is Born
Hanna Maron appears onstage in Tel Aviv in 1949. By Hans Pinn, National Photo Collection of Israel.
Hannele Meierzak, who as Hanna Maron is recognized as the actor with the world’s longest stage career, is born in Berlin. She starts acting as a child, including a role in the classic Fritz Lang film “M,” before her family makes aliyah in 1933. She builds her reputation with Tel Aviv’s Cameri Theater beginning in 1945. She loses a leg because of a terrorist attack at the Munich airport in 1970 but is acting again within a year.
November 23, 1926 — Spymaster Rafi Eitan Is Born
Rafi Eitan is sworn in as a member of the Knesset on May 4, 2006. By Amos Ben Gershom, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Rafi Eitan, whose intelligence career ranges from the high of leading the capture of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina in 1960 to the low of handling U.S. Navy analyst Jonathan Pollard as a spy in the 1980s, is born at Ein Harod. A veteran of the Palmach, he works for Israel’s secret service, the Mossad, then becomes the chief of operations of Shin Bet, the Israeli Security Agency. He serves in the Knesset from 2006 to 2009.
November 24, 1938 — British Parliament Debates Palestine
British forces operate from the Allenby Camp in Jerusalem during the Arab Revolt. By Eric Matson, National Photo Collection of Israel.
During the Arab uprising, the House of Commons holds a debate on the future of Palestine. Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald says that British troops are restoring the crown’s authority and that the British Mandate is fulfilling its promise to pave the way for a Jewish national home, but he warns against sympathy for Jews oppressed by the Nazis because Palestine can accommodate few of the Jews who might try to escape Europe.
November 25, 1940 — Immigrant Ship Patria Is Sunk
The French-built SS Patria is seen in 1918 during its service as a World War I troop transport.
The Haganah sets off a bomb aboard the SS Patria in Haifa’s harbor to prevent the British from shipping more than 1,700 Jews seeking refuge to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. The Haganah’s intent is to disable the ship, but it sinks within 16 minutes, killing 267 people, including members of the British crew. The survivors are allowed to stay in Palestine, but 1,560 others who arrived Nov. 24 are sent to Mauritius.
November 26, 2013 — Singer Arik Einstein Dies
Arik Einstein performs in November 1979. He stopped singing in public in the 1980s after being hurt in a car accident. By Ya’acov Sa’ar, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
An aortic aneurysm kills beloved singer/songwriter Arik Einstein at 74, leading thousands of fans to gather the next day in Rabin Square. A Tel Aviv native and star high school athlete, Einstein took up music during his military service. He blended folk and rock music across about 50 albums and was a driving force in the development of Israeli rock. The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth called him Israel’s all-time best singer in 2012.
November 27, 1914 — JDC Is Founded
The Central Relief Committee and the American Jewish Relief Committee agree to combine their efforts Nov. 27, 1914.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is founded with the merger of the Central Relief Committee and the American Jewish Relief Committee. The organization is a response to the distress World War I is causing Jewish communities in Europe and Palestine. The primary objective is to aid Jews worldwide in a timely and collective fashion. The JDC puts out a call for donations from “all Jews of every shade of thought.”
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.