March 29, 1967 — Sholem Aleichem’s Son-in-Law, Translator Dies
Yitzhak Dov Berkowitz, shown in 1936, was a published author and literary editor by age 19. By Zoltan Kluger, National Photo Collection of of Israel.
Writer and translator Yitzhak Dov Berkowitz dies at age 82. Born near Minsk, Berkowitz began to publish Hebrew stories in his late teens and became the literary editor of HaZeman in Vilna at age 19. He married Sholem Aleichem’s eldest daughter and translated all of Aleichem’s Yiddish writing into Hebrew. In his own writing, he mixed tradition and modernity and helped bring realism to Hebrew literature.
March 30, 1976 — 6 Israeli Arabs Are Killed in Land Protests
Israeli police officers arrest a young rioter in an Arab village in the Galilee on March 30, 1976. National Photo Collection of Israel.
Protests over the planned government seizure of about 1,500 acres of Arab land in the Galilee turn into riots in which six Israeli Arabs are killed, while soldiers, police and Arab civilians are injured. What becomes known as Land Day represents the first widespread protests by Israeli Arabs and is commemorated annually with mostly peaceful demonstrations against Israeli land-use policies.
March 31, 2002 — Sharon Condemns Arafat After Bombings
A Hamas lunchtime bombing at Haifa’s Matza restaurant killed 16 Israelis on March 31, 2002. CAMERA.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declares Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat “the enemy of Israel and the enemy of the free world” after two Second Intifada suicide bombings in one day: a Hamas attack that kills 16 Israelis at Haifa’s Matza restaurant and an Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade attack that injures four at a medical station in Efrat. Arafat, surrounded in his Ramallah compound, calls himself a martyr.
April 1, 1925 — Hebrew University Opens
Opening festivities are held at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on April 1, 1925. Central Zionist Archives.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem officially opens on Mount Scopus, fulfilling a dream first expressed in a letter from Heidelberg University professor Herman Schapira to the newspaper HaMelitz in 1882. The 11th Zionist Congress in 1913 authorizes the university, and Arthur Ruppin purchases the land the next year. Construction begins in 1918, and the first classes in chemistry and Jewish studies are held in 1924.
April 2, 1979 — Menachem Begin Visits Egypt
Prime Minister Menachem Begin visits the pyramids at Giza on April 2, 1979. Ya’acov Sa’ar, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Menachem Begin becomes the first Israeli prime minister to visit Egypt when he arrives in Cairo a week after signing the peace treaty with Egypt. He is greeted by a military band playing “Hatikva,” then enjoys a day of sightseeing, including the pyramids at Giza, war memorials and Cairo’s Gates of Heaven Synagogue. The next day, Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat discuss opening their borders to encourage tourism.
April 3, 1994 — 2nd Air Force Commander Dies
Aharon Remez, serving as Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, welcomes Prime Minister Golda Meir to London in September 1969. By Moshe Milner, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Maj. Gen. Aharon Remez, one of the founders of the Israel Air Force, dies in Jerusalem at age 74. A native of Tel Aviv, he served as a fighter pilot with the Royal Air Force in World War II. He smuggled Holocaust survivors into Palestine after the war, then obtained equipment and prepared bases for the new IAF. He became the second commander in chief of the IAF in July 1948 and served in that role until December 1950.
April 4, 1920 — Riots Break Out in Old City
The Nebi Musa pilgrimage moves through Jerusalem before rioting begins in April 1920. G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection, Library of Congress.
The Nebi Musa festival, a pilgrimage to the site Muslims believe to be Moses’ grave near Jericho, breaks into rioting in Jerusalem’s Old City, killing five Jews and four Arabs over three days. Hundreds of others, most of them Jews, are injured in the fighting, which begins on the second day of Passover. Speeches by Arab leaders spark the violence, which inspires the formation of the Haganah defense force in June.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.