September 5, 1971 — 11 Olympians Are Killed in Munich
A flag flies at half-staff as a crowd at the Lod airport awaits the arrival of the bodies of the slain Israeli Olympians on Sept. 7, 1972. By David Eldan, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Palestinian terrorists with Black September kill two Israeli team members and take nine others hostage during the Summer Olympics in Munich. The terrorists demand the release of 236 prisoners and a plane to Egypt. The nine hostages and five of the eight terrorists are killed during a botched German rescue attempt at the Munich airport. The other three are released the next month after the hijacking of an airliner.
September 6, 1840 — 9 Jews Are Freed After Damascus Blood Libel
A Moritz Daniel Oppenheim painting depicts a rabbi preparing his defense during the 1840 Damascus Affair.
Nine Damascus Jews falsely accused of killing a Franciscan Capuchin friar, known as Father Thomas, and his servant to harvest their blood are freed by order of Muhammad Ali, the Ottoman pasha. Four other Jewish prisoners facing the blood libel have died in prison. Known as the Damascus Affair, the case caused an international furor and marked the first organized American Jewish effort to support fellow Jews overseas.
September 7, 1907 — Ben-Gurion Arrives in Jaffa
David Gruen (front row, second from left) poses in Plonsk in 1906 with the Poalei Zion group Ezra, of which he was a founding member.
Three years before changing his last name to Ben-Gurion, David Gruen arrives in Jaffa to make aliyah with his girlfriend, Rachel Nelkin, and other young adults from Plonsk, Poland. Gruen, a member of the Poalei Zion (Workers of Zion) socialist group in Poland, settles in Petah Tikvah to work in agriculture. In his first postcard home, written the day of his arrival, he declares that he is “full of courage and full of faith.”
September 8, 2010 — Tank Designer Tal Dies
Israel Tal, best known for leading the committee that developed Israel’s Merkava tank, is shown in 1966 during his time as the IDF armored commander. By Moshe Milner, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Former Israeli armor commander Maj. Gen. Israel Tal, best known for leading the 1970 committee that designed and developed the Merkava (Chariot) tank, dies at 85. Born in Palestine in 1924, Tal served in the British army’s Jewish Brigade in World War II and was renowned as a military strategist. The Merkava, the first Israeli-made tank, was deployed in 1979 as part of Israel’s effort to become less reliant on foreign arms suppliers.
September 9, 1948 — Cinema Director Alon Garbuz Is Born
Alon Garbuz organized retrospectives of leading filmmakers and launched specialty film festivals during his four decades leading the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. By Gidi Orsher.
Alon Garbuz, the director of the Tel Aviv Cinematheque for four decades, is born in Givatayim. He becomes the deputy director when Tel Aviv launches a municipal art house cinema in 1973 and succeeds to the top job in 1975. Under his leadership, the cinematheque establishes a permanent home in 1989 and becomes Israel’s top film society, highlighting foreign movies, classics and the best of Israeli filmmaking.
September 10, 1956 — Archaeologist Eilat Mazar Is Born
Archaeologist Eilat Mazar holds a jar fragment from the 10th century B.C.E. with a Canaanite inscription, the oldest alphabetical text found in Jerusalem. By Oria Tadmor, courtesy of Eilat Mazar.
Eilat Mazar, a third-generation archaeologist, is born. Her best-known work involves Jerusalem’s City of David, including remnants of what she believes to be King David’s palace and a portion of the city walls from the Second Temple period. Her dig near the Temple Mount in July 2013 uncovers a jar from the 10th century B.C.E. with a Canaanite inscription that is the earliest alphabetical text found in Jerusalem.
September 11, 1881 — Literary Pioneer Yosef Haim Brenner Is Born
Arab rioting in Jaffa in 1921 cut short Yosef Haim Brenner’s acclaimed literary career. Central Zionist Archives.
Yosef Haim Brenner, a leading literary figure of the early 20th century, is born in Novi Mlini, Ukraine. He publishes his first short story collection in Hebrew, “Out of a Gloomy Valley,” as a teenager in 1900. He edits a Hebrew publication in London before moving to Palestine at 28. As an essayist, novelist and poet, he experiments with techniques such as blending languages. He is killed in Arab riots in Jaffa in 1921.
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.