June 27, 1945 — Shin Bet Head Ami Ayalon Is Born
Ami Ayalon, who leads the Shin Bet security service and Israel’s navy, is born in Tiberias. He earns the Medal of Valor, Israel’s highest military decoration, for helping capture Egypt’s Green Island as a naval commando despite being wounded several times in the battle. He commands the navy from 1992 to 1996, when he is put in charge of the Shin Bet. He retires in 2000. He represents Labor in the Knesset from 2006 to 2009.
June 28, 1967 — Jerusalem Officially Is Reunited
Israel publishes the Jerusalem Declaration, announcing the official reunification of the city under Israeli sovereignty after the Six-Day War. Jordan lost control of the eastern part of the city and the West Bank after attacking Israel and bombarding Jerusalem on June 5. Jordan had denied access to the city’s holy sites to Jews and Israeli Arabs. By contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol promises access to people of all faiths.
June 29, 1939 — Kibbutz Givat Brenner Is Established
Kibbutz Givat Brenner, named for writer Yosef Haim Brenner, is founded 20 miles southeast of Tel Aviv by pioneers from Lithuania, Italy and Germany who had labored in nearby agricultural communities. Givat Brenner (Brenner Hill) quickly becomes financially stable and self-sustaining through agriculture and industry and becomes one of the largest kibbutzim in the Yishuv, the pre-state area of Jewish settlement in Palestine.
June 30, 2012 — Yitzhak Shamir Dies
Israel’s seventh prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir, dies at 96. Born Yitzhak Yzernitzky in Poland during World War I, he made aliyah in 1935 and enrolled in the Hebrew University. He joined the Irgun in 1937, then jumped to the more militant Stern Gang during World War II. He changed his name to Shamir to help hide from the British. He was first elected to the Knesset in 1973 and became prime minister at the head of Likud in 1983.
July 1, 1244 — Jews Are Granted Rights in Austria
Frederick II, the duke of Austria since 1230, issues a charter extending rights to Jews as a way to boost the economy. The charter encourages Jewish money lending and immigration to an outlying area and guarantees protection. Frederick is the first European ruler to claim Jews as his subjects, and his charter serves as a model for such documents across the continent during the Middle Ages. It remains in effect until Austria expels its Jews in 1420.
July 2, 2011 — National Trail Founder Uri Dvir Dies
Uri Dvir, a founder of Shvil Yisrael (the Israel National Trail), dies at 80 in Tel Aviv, where he was born. While working for the Ministry of Tourism in 1960, he established a school for tour guides. He later launched Beit Berl College’s department for Land of Israel studies. He planned and initiated the Israel National Trail, a 620-mile hiking path that runs from Kibbutz Dan near Lebanon to Eilat on the Red Sea.
July 3, 1982 — Jewish Theater Conference Opens
The First International Conference and Festival of Jewish Theater, a five-day gathering, opens in Tel Aviv even though many Israeli participants are serving in the Lebanon War, which began June 6 and sparked a German boycott of the festival. Sponsored by Tel Aviv University’s theater department with the National Foundation for Jewish Culture and the Kinneret Foundation, the festival includes 20 theatrical works, four workshops, films, seminars and lectures.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.