May 9, 1998 — Dana International Wins Eurovision
Dana International performs the techno-pop song “Diva” in Birmingham, England, to become the third Israeli and the first since 1979 to win the Eurovision Song Contest. Identified male at birth in Tel Aviv in 1969, she became a drag queen at 18 and signed a record contract before having sex-reassignment surgery. She was a successful recording artist when she was selected to represent Israel over some Orthodox objections.
May 10, 1948 — Meir, Transjordan’s King Secretly Meet
Golda Meir, on behalf of the Jewish Agency, travels in disguise to Amman, the capital of Transjordan, for a secret meeting with King Abdullah. Meir and Abdullah also secretly met in November 1947, when Meir offered support for Transjordan’s plan to annex the Arab areas of post-partition Palestine if the king kept his troops out of the war against Israel. But Abdullah says he no longer is free to operate independently of his neighbors.
May 11, 1949 — U.N. Admits Israel
The U.N. General Assembly votes 37-12 with nine abstentions to admit Israel as the 59th U.N. member. The approval of Israel’s third application comes after the Security Council votes 9-1 in favor, with Egypt opposed, and after a passionate, 2½-hour speech by Israel’s ambassador, Abba Eban. The Security Council rejected Israel’s initial application in May 1948 because of doubts about the state’s viability, then said no in December.
May 12, 1943 — Mitzpe Gevulot Marks Move Into Negev
Ten Jews in tents establish Mitzpe Gevulot, the first of three agricultural outposts in the first phase of Zionist settlement of the Negev, where the Jewish National Fund has been buying land since the 1930s. The Gevulot residents soon erect a tower and fortified walls as part of a strategy of extending the Jewish footprint in Palestine in case of partition. Gevulot settlers experiment with grain cultivation, irrigation and water conservation.
May 13, 1984 — Morocco Holds Jewish Conference
Moroccan King Hassan II convenes the two-day Conference on the Jewish Communities of Morocco, where 20,000 Jews remain. Despite doubts about the king’s intentions and criticism from Syria for undermining Arab solidarity and the Palestinian cause, the conference in Rabat is a success. It draws 38 Israelis, including eight Knesset members, and sparks improving Morocco-Israel relations during Hassan’s reign.
May 14, 2018 — U.S. Embassy Moves to Jerusalem
President Donald Trump fulfills a campaign pledge by moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which has officially been Israel’s capital since 1949. A 1995 act ordered the embassy move by 1999, but, despite their own promises to put the embassy in Jerusalem, Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama signed waivers every six months to postpone the shift for national security reasons.
May 15, 1967 — “Jerusalem of Gold” Premieres
Naomi Shemer’s “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” (“Jerusalem of Gold”) premieres as one of five Jerusalem-themed songs unveiled at the Voice of Israel Song Festival. Shemer says the phrase comes from a Talmudic legend about Rabbi Akiva, who dreamed of giving his wife a “Jerusalem of gold,” or jewelry. The song is an instant hit, and Shemer adds a stanza about Jerusalem being under Israeli control after the war the next month.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.