August 23, 1903 — Herzl’s Last Zionist Congress Opens
The Sixth Zionist Congress, the last presided over by Theodor Herzl, convenes in Basel, Switzerland. It is the largest so far, with approximately 600 delegates, and explores a proposal for a Jewish homeland in Uganda. On a 295-178 vote with 98 abstentions, the congress decides to send a commission to East Africa to investigate an interim Jewish home there before a move to the Land of Israel, but the Seventh Zionist Congress rejects the idea.
August 24, 1926 — Playwright Nissim Aloni is Born
Playwright and translator Nissim Aloni is born in a poor neighborhood in the south of Tel Aviv that inspires his work. The Habima Theatre produces the first of his 12 plays, “Most Cruel the King,” about King Jeroboam I, in 1953. His next play, “The King’s Clothes,” establishes him as one of Israel’s leading playwrights and a stage revolutionary. He earns the Bialik Prize in 1983 and the Israel Prize in 1996.
August 25, 2004 — Israel Wins First Olympic Gold
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 triumphantly came back for 2004.
August 26, 1903 — Russian Newspaper Publishes ‘Protocols’
“The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” the most widely distributed antisemitic publication in history, is first published in Znamya, a Russian newspaper. Plagiarizing the dialogue from an 1864 French political satire, the pamphlet most likely was written in the late 19th century in Paris. It gains attention and is widely distributed after World War I, including by Henry Ford. The Times of London proves it is a fraud in 1921.
August 27, 2001 — PFLP Commander is Assassinated
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Secretary-General Abu Ali Mustafa is killed when helicopter-fired missiles strike his office in Ramallah. Israel takes responsibility for the assassination after a weekend of violence that killed 11 Israelis and Palestinians. Mustafa is the highest-ranking Palestinian official killed so far in the Second Intifada. The Palestinian Authority calls for three days of mourning.
August 28, 1898 — Second Zionist Congress Convenes
The Second Zionist Congress opens in Basel, Switzerland, with 400 delegates, nearly double the size of the First Zionist Congress in 1897. The new participants include Theodor Herzl’s father, Jakob, and Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel. 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.
August 29, 1897 — First Zionist Congress Starts
Spearheaded by “The Jewish State” author Theodor Herzl, the First Zionist Congress opens in Basel, Switzerland, for three days of meetings with roughly 200 attendees. Herzl invites Jews and non-Jews who support the cause. The congress unanimously adopts the Basel Program, which declares that “Zionism aims at establishing for the Jewish people a publicly and legally assured home in the Land of Israel.”
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.