September 6, 2007 — Israel Destroys Syrian Reactor
In Operation Orchard, conducted in secret but with the knowledge of President George W. Bush’s administration, eight Israeli aircraft destroy a suspected nuclear reactor at the military site of Al Kibar in northeastern Syria. Information about the reactor, believed to have been built with North Korean help, came from a secret Mossad raid on a Syrian official’s home in Vienna in March 2007.
September 7, 1865 — Rav Kook is Born
The first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Palestine, Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook, known for promoting religious Zionism and for writing religious books, is born in Griva, Latvia. He becomes the head rabbi of Jaffa at age 38. Stuck in Europe during World War I, he rallies British Jews in support of Zionism. He becomes chief rabbi of Jerusalem in 1919 and serves as chief rabbi of Palestine from 1921 to 1935.
September 8, 1908 — Theologian Eliezer Berkovits is Born
Orthodox theologian and ardent Zionist Eliezer Berkovits is born in Nagyvarad, Transylvania. He serves as a rabbi in Berlin until 1939, when he is forced by the Nazis to leave after countering their propaganda with his first book, “What Is the Talmud?” He holds pulpits and teaches in England, Australia and the United States until he retires to Israel in 1975. He champions liberal Orthodoxy, including rights for women.
September 9, 1993 — PLO, Israel Recognize Each Other
Four days before the White House signing ceremony for the self-rule agreement of the Oslo Accords, the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Yasser Arafat and Israel’s Yitzhak Rabin exchange letters formally recognizing each other’s existence. The PLO agrees to renounce terrorism and accepts Israel’s right to exist in peace and security. Israel agrees to recognize the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestinian people.
September 10, 1923 — Gush Shalom Founder Uri Avnery is Born
Journalist and peace activist Uri Avnery is born in Beckum, Germany. His family escapes to Palestine in the 1930s, and he grows up in extreme poverty in Tel Aviv. After fighting in the War of Independence, he focuses on a potential partnership between the Israeli and Arab national movements. He serves in the Knesset three times. He founds the Gush Shalom peace movement in 1993 and develops a friendship with Yasser Arafat.
September 11, 1921 — Moshav Nahalal is Founded
Moshav Nahalal, an agricultural settlement combining a kibbutz’s communal principles with private land ownership, is founded in the northwestern Jezreel Valley between Haifa and Afula by 80 families who came to the Land of Israel during the Second Aliyah (1904 to 1914). Both the principles of Nahalal and its layout, designed by Richard Kaufman in concentric circles, serve as models for other moshavim.
September 12, 1977 — Singer Idan Raichel is Born
Singer, composer and producer Idan Raichel is born in Kfar Saba. His music incorporates Israeli, Middle Eastern, Ethiopian and other international sounds. After working as a session musician for such performers as Riki Gal, Ivri Lider and Mickey Kam, he builds a studio in his parents’ basement and records a demo with a range of artists and singers, launching the award-winning Idan Raichel Project collective.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.