March 20, 1917 — General, Archaeologist Yigael Yadin Is Born
Yigael Yadin (left) calls on Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in Alexandria, Egypt, in June 1979. By Chanania Herman, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Yigael Yadin, a general known for his archaeological work, is born in Jerusalem. As the head of operations for the IDF, his strategies prove vital against Egypt in the War of Independence, and he becomes the Israeli military’s second chief of staff in 1949. He retires from the military in 1952 and focuses on archaeology. His important excavations include Masada, Hatzor, Megiddo and the Dead Sea caves.
March 21, 2016 — 17 Jews Airlifted From Yemen
Jewish immigrants from Yemen arrive in Israel in March 2016. By Arielle Di Porto, Jewish Agency for Israel.
The Jewish Agency secretly brings 17 Yemeni Jews to Israel, completing an effort in recent years to sneak roughly 200 Jews out of Yemen amid a civil war. About 50 Jews who refuse to leave are all that remains of a 2,500-year-old community that numbered 50,000 when modern Israel gained independence in 1948. Operation Magic Carpet from June 1949 to September 1950 flew most of Yemen’s Jews to Israel.
March 22, 1988 — Gay Ban Is Abolished
Pride is on display during the annual Tel Aviv Pride Parade in June 2019, three decades after the legalization of homosexuality in Israel. By Ted Eytan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Knesset repeals a British Mandate-era law banning sex between people of the same gender and thereby legalizes homosexuality in Israel. The repeal is the culmination of a 10-year struggle against the opposition of the religious parties, all of which skip the vote. Israel never prosecuted anyone under the homosexuality ban, but its maximum penalty of 10 years in prison created fear in the state.
March 23, 2016 — Writer Aharon Megged Dies
Aharon Megged, shown in 1952, was a member of the Academy of Hebrew Language and the literary editor for multiple publications. By Benno Rothenberg, Meitar Collection, National Library of Israel, Pritzker Family National Photography Collection, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Aharon Megged, who won almost every literary prize in Israel, including the S.Y. Agnon Prize, Prime Minister’s Prize, President’s Prize and Israel Prize, dies in Tel Aviv at 95. He wrote 35 books, as well as plays, skits and articles, and nurtured such writers as A.B. Yehoshua. His work featured society’s outsiders and often reflected on what he saw as the moral degeneration of Israel after independence.
March 24, 1966 — Israeli TV Goes on Air
Israeli television broadcasts a test transmission before going live in March 1966. National Photo Collection of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
An instructional program in math targeting seventh- and ninth-graders in 32 schools becomes Israel’s first TV broadcast. Ten years behind Jordan and six years behind Egypt, Israel launches domestic television because the educational possibilities overcome fears of negative influences. Broadcasts for the general public begin in 1968. Israelis have to wait more than two decades for a second domestic channel.
March 25, 2019 — Israel-Gaza Violence Flares
An image from an IDF video shows a strike on a Hamas building in Gaza City on March 25, 2019. Israel Defense Forces.
A rocket destroys a house in Mishmeret, north of Tel Aviv, and injures seven people. In response, the IDF bombs suspected Gaza military locations and injures seven Palestinians. Thirty rockets then are fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. Egypt brokers a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel to prevent an all-out war within two weeks of what proves to be an inconclusive Knesset election.
March 26, 1979 — Egypt, Israel Sign Peace Treaty
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin shake hands at the White House signing ceremony for the peace treaty March 26, 1979. By Ya’acov Sa’ar, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Sixteen months after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to Jerusalem and six months after the Camp David Accords, Sadat joins Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and U.S. President Jimmy Carter at the White House to sign the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country. The core of the agreement is Israel’s withdrawal from Sinai in exchange for Egyptian recognition and normal relations.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.