August 22, 1952—First Israel Bonds Mission Begins
Prime Minister Levi Eshkol speaks to the Israel Bonds board of governors in New York on June 6, 1964, demonstrating the continuing importance of bond sales to the state’s development. By Moshe Pridan, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The Development Corporation for Israel, known as Israel Bonds, brings 22 American Jewish leaders to Israel on a 15-day American Champions of Israel Bonds mission, the first of its kind. They report to the Economic Conference for Israel in mid-September in Atlantic City, N.J., where the 600 delegates pledge to raise $130 million through bonds. American-purchased Israel Bonds help stabilize the economy of the young state.
August 23, 1969—Nasser Calls for All-Out War
Israeli soldiers are stationed at the Suez Canal during the War of Attrition in 1969. Egypt’s president threatened to shift from the continual skirmishing along the canal to all-out war after the Al-Aqsa arson Aug. 21, 1969. By Moshe Milner, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who has adopted devout Muslim practice since the Arab defeat in the June 1967 war, calls for all-out war against Israel in response to the arson attack on Al-Aqsa mosque two days earlier. On Sept. 25, 1969, 24 nations meeting in Morocco form the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to address the Al-Aqsa attack and to reduce threats to Islamic sites around the world.
August 24, 1954—Bank of Israel Is Established
The first governor of the Bank of Israel, David Horowitz (right), welcomes to his office David Rockefeller, the president of Chase Manhattan Bank, in March 1971. By Fritz Cohen, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The Knesset passes the Bank of Israel Law on a 55-0 vote with 14 abstentions. The law, which goes into effect Dec. 1, 1954, sets up the Bank of Israel as the central financial authority for the state. The bank is allocated 10 million Israeli pounds as its initial capital and has the authority to “administer, regulate and direct the currency system and to regulate and direct the credit and banking system in Israel.”
August 25, 2004—Israel Wins First Olympic Gold
Wearing his windsurfing gold medal, Gal Fridman is honored during a ceremony upon his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport on Aug. 30, 2004. By Moshe Milner, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Windsurfer Gal Fridman wins Israel’s first Olympic gold medal at the Summer Games in Athens and thus becomes the first Israeli with multiple Olympic medals. Born and raised in Pardes Hana-Karkur in northern Israel, he began windsurfing under his father’s instruction at age 6. He won a bronze medal at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, missed the 2000 Olympics during a hiatus, then came back for 2004.
August 26, 1955—Dulles Outlines U.S. Plan for Middle East
Secretary of State John Foster Dulles (right) meets with President Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower Presidential Library.
During a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles reveals President Dwight Eisenhower’s plan to launch covert discussions between Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Dulles says the United States will help guarantee the borders of Israel and the Arab states, and he says a loan to Israel could support reparations for Arab refugees.
August 27, 1892—Jaffa-Jerusalem Rail Line Opens
The first train from Jaffa arrives in Jerusalem on Aug. 27, 1892.
The first passenger train arrives in Jerusalem from Jaffa as part of the first railroad project in the Ottoman-controlled Levant, the Jaffa-Jerusalem railway. The 53-mile route reduces travel time from the Mediterranean port to Jerusalem from two days to four hours, contributing to the economic and social development that draws immigrants to Palestine. The difficult construction relies on Belgian rails and English coal.
August 28, 1898—Second Zionist Congress Convenes
A program lays out the plan for the opening day of the Second Zionist Congress.
The Second Zionist Congress opens in Basel, Switzerland, with 400 delegates, nearly double the size of the First Zionist Congress a year earlier. The new participants include Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel. Theodor Herzl speaks against religious Jewish opposition to Zionism, and the Congress lays the foundation for the Jewish Colonial Trust, the main financial institution for the development of Palestine.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.