July 18, 1999— Songwriter Meir Ariel Dies
Meir Ariel’s service as a paratrooper in the battle for Jerusalem in June 1967 inspired his song “Jerusalem of Iron.”
Folk-rock singer-songwriter Meir Ariel, known as the “Man of Words” for his poetic lyrics, dies at 57 of Mediterranean spotted fever, contracted from a tick bite. Many of his songs become Israeli classics through recordings by the likes of David Broza, Arik Einstein and Shalom Hanoch. One of his most famous songs is “Jerusalem of Iron,” a response to “Jerusalem of Gold” inspired by his service as a paratrooper in the Six-Day War.
July 19, 1940— 1st JNF Chairman Max Bodenheimer Dies
(From left) Max Bodenheimer participates in a Zionist delegation to Jerusalem with David Wolffsohn, Theodor Herzl, Moses Schnirer and Joseph Seidener in 1898. National Photo Collection of Israel.
Early Zionist leader Max Bodenheimer dies five years after immigrating to Jerusalem. Born in Germany in 1865, Bodenheimer published his first Zionist article, on whether Russian Jews are a nation, in 1891. He attended the First Zionist Congress, became close to Theodor Herzl, and served as the first president of the Zionist Federation of Germany and the first Jewish National Fund chairman. In the 1930s he aligned with Revisionist Zionism.
July 20, 1949— Syria, Israel Sign Armistice
Lt. Col. Mordecai Makleff (right) represents Israel at the armistice signing July 20, 1949, while Shabtai Rosenne (second from left) serves as legal counsel. National Photo Collection of Israel.
Israel signs an armistice with Syria, the last of four Arab countries to sign such agreements after the War of Independence. Israel signed agreements with Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan before opening negotiations with Syria on April 5 under the mediation of Ralph Bunche. The armistice does not create permanent borders or lead to peace talks. It creates three demilitarized zones between the countries and a U.N.-staffed buffer zone.
July 21, 1948— U.S. Opposes Stationing Troops in Israel
Philip Jessup was the acting U.S. representative to the United Nations in July 1948 when he expressed opposition to stationing U.S. peacekeeping troops in Jerusalem.
Responding to a U.N. request for U.S. Marines to be stationed temporarily in Jerusalem to support a truce, Philip Jessup prepares a memo for Secretary of State George Marshall on why the United States should say no. Jessup, the acting U.S. representative to the United Nations, argues among seven points that the U.S. public would oppose such a use of the military, it would hurt U.S.-Arab relations, and it would fuel Soviet propaganda.
July 22, 1939— Actress Gila Almagor Is Born
Gila Almagor, shown in 2016, starred on stage, in film and on television. By Mark Neyman, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Gila Almagor, the “queen of the Israeli cinema and theater,” is born in Haifa four months after a sniper killed her policeman father. She makes her debut for the Habima Theatre at 17 in “The Skin of Our Teeth.” She establishes herself as a leading lady at Tel Aviv’s Cameri Theatre beginning in 1958. She appears in 10 TV series and more than 40 films, including “Munich” and “The Debt,” and writes two autobiographical novels.
July 23, 1984— Israel Elects 11th Knesset
Likud’s Yitzhak Shamir and Labor’s Shimon Peres, with Moshe Shahal between them, sign the coalition agreement dictating that they will take turns as prime minister after the election for the 11th Knesset. Nati Harnik, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Israel holds the election for the 11th Knesset. Shimon Peres’ Labor-led Alignment wins 44 seats, while the ruling Likud, led by Yitzhak Shamir, receives 41 seats in the 120-person parliament. Rather than try to form a coalition with some of the smaller parties, Labor and Likud agree to create a national unity government. Peres serves as prime minister for the first two years of the government, and Shamir takes over for the next two years.
July 24, 2013— Sons of Former Chief Rabbis Win the Positions
Chief Rabbis David Lau (left) and Yitzhak Yosef visit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his sukkah in September 2013. Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Haredi Rabbis Yitzhak Yosef and David Lau are elected to 10-year terms as Israel’s chief rabbis — Yosef for the Sephardim and Lau for the Ashkenazim. Each wins 68 of the 147 ballots cast. Yosef’s father, Ovadia Yosef, was chief rabbi from 1973 to 1983. Lau’s father, Yisrael Meir Lau, was chief rabbi from 1993 to 2003. The religious Zionists back the runners-up, Shmuel Eliyahu and David Stav, in a bid to reform the rabbinate.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
