June 7, 1930 — Magen David Adom is Founded
Magen David Adom (Red Shield of David) is reborn as the emergency medical service for the Jewish community of Palestine in response to the Arab riots of 1929. The original Magen David Adom began in 1915 during World War I and ceased operation in 1921. The organization’s revival is the work of either nurse Karen Tenenbaum or seven men in Tel Aviv. Magen David Adom officially becomes Israel’s Red Cross affiliate in 1950.
June 8, 1963 — Educator and Politician Chaim Boger Dies
Chaim Boger, a founder of the first Hebrew high school in pre-state Palestine and a member of the second Knesset, dies at age 86. Boger attended the sixth through 20th Zionist Congresses and actively opposed a proposal to settle Jews in East Africa. He helped bring the fledgling Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium, launched in Jaffa in 1905, to Tel Aviv in mid-1909. Boger taught at the school from 1919 to 1951, including time as its principal.
June 9, 1959 — General and Politician Benny Gantz is Born
Benny Gantz, who rises to be the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and a candidate for prime minister, is born on a moshav, Kfar Ahim. He serves as a paratrooper, commands air force commandos and paratroopers, and leads the 1991 airlift of Ethiopian Jews in Operation Solomon. As the IDF chief of staff from 2011 to 2015, he oversees two campaigns against Gaza. He launches the Israel Resilience Party in late 2018.
June 10, 1964 — National Water Carrier Begins Pumping
Israel’s National Water Carrier begins pumping water out of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) for drinking and agriculture in the center and south of the state. The 81-mile-long system of pipes, canals, tunnels, reservoirs and pumping stations can carry up to 19 million gallons per hour (1.7 million cubic meters per day). Integrated with most of the water systems in Israel, the National Water Carrier crosses all types of terrain through a variety of elevations.
June 11, 2013 — Google Buys Waze
Google agrees to pay roughly $1 billion for Israel-based social mapping service Waze, reportedly outbidding Apple and Facebook. Waze attracts the tech giants not with its 50 million users, but with its real-time integration of driver-generated data about accidents, backups, gas prices, speed traps and more to develop ideal road routes. Waze grew out of a program called FreeMap Israel, which Ehud Shabtai launched in 2006.
June 12, 2014 — 3 Teens Are Abducted, Killed
Three Israelis, ages 16 to 19, are abducted while hitchhiking near Alon Shvut in the West Bank. Realizing they are in trouble after taking a ride from two men, one teen calls the police. The two attackers, believed to be Hamas members Marwan Qawasmeh and Amer Abu Aisha, hear the call and shoot the hostages. The bodies are found 18 days later. Israel launches Operation Protective Edge against Hamas on July 8.
June 13, 1950 — Harari Resolution Ends Constitution Push
The Knesset adopts the Harari Resolution, sponsored by Yizhar Harari, which says Israel will adopt a series of Basic Laws instead of crafting a constitution as a single document. The Declaration of Independence had called for a constitution by Oct. 1, 1948, but religious parties (preferring the Torah) and Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (arguing for a focus on more important tasks) are among the opponents of such a document.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
