History events
1882 — (26nd of Iyar, 5642) Russian «May Laws» issued
1919 — (15nd of Iyar, 5679) The Jewish sports club Maccabi București was founded in Bucharest
1932 — (9nd of Iyar, 5692) Hitler’s «Voelkischer Beobachter» advised the Jews of Germany to leave the country because “we National Socialists will certainly clear all Jews out of every position they occupy in Germany
1941 — (18nd of Iyar, 5701) Nazi occupiers in Netherlands forbid the playing Jewish music
1944 — (22nd of Iyar, 5704) Nazi deportation of Jews from greater Hungary began with the deportation of 14,000 Jews from Munkacs to Auschwitz. The roundup is directed by Eichman with “the full cooperation of the Hungarian police.”
1948 — (6nd of Iyar, 5708) Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia invade the state of Israel on its second day of existence. As soon as the Mandate ended, the Arab armies attacked with the aim of driving the Jews into the sea;
1948 — (6nd of Iyar, 5708) On Cyprus, the British open the gates of the detention camps. Thousands of Jews who had been imprisoned in their attempt to reach Eretz Israel, would now be free to leave for the new national Jewish home
1948 — (6nd of Iyar, 5708) The American office of Magen David Adom (the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross) opened a blood bank for Israel in New York City that was soon packed with donors
1948 — (6nd of Iyar, 5708) Voice of Israel (Kol Israel) was born simultaneously with the birth of the State of Israel. Operations for Kol Israel were in the old Palestine Broadcasting Service facilities left behind when the British left Palestine. The first Kol Israel broadcast was made from Tel Aviv as David Ben-Gurion read the Declaration of Independence for the Jewish State.
1948 — (6nd of Iyar, 5708) In a radio Broadcast Menachem Began said today «It is Hebrew arms which decide the boundaries of the Hebrew State; so it now in this battle; so it will be in the future.»
1948 — (6nd of Iyar, 5708) The Battles of the Kinarot Valley began tonight when Israeli observers reported that “many vehicles with full lights” were “moving along the Golan ridge east of the Sea of Galilee.” The observers were describing the movement of a Syrian infantry brigade accompanied by at least one tank battalion and one artillery battalion that was on its way to attack Kibbutz Ein Gev. Among the Jewish forces facing the Syrians were elements of the Golani Brigade. Thanks to an arms embargo, the Israelis had no artillery, tanks or combat aircraft to face this onslaught
1948 — (6nd of Iyar, 5708) An Iraqi brigade invaded at Naharayim on May 15, 1948, in an unsuccessful attempt to take the kibbutz and fort but the Arabs were able to occupy and loot the power plant which was the creation of Pinhas Rutenberg.
1948 — (6nd of Iyar, 5708) On the first day of the invasion of Israel by five Arab Armies, the Egyptian 6th Battalion, “backed by armored vehicles, mortars, cannons and aircraft, attacked Kibbutz Nirm which was defended by a force of forty Jewish fighters who after seven hours drove the attackers who retread “leaving behind somewhere between 30 and 35 dead.”
1952 — (20nd of Iyar, 5712) Founding of Sde Boker (Cattle Rancher’s Field) in the central Negev hills. Sde Boker began as a horse-breeding community. Later sheep were added to the breeding activity. As the desert was reclaimed orchards were planted by the settlers. Sde Boker’s most famous settler was David Ben-Gurion who first moved there in 1952 when he resigned as Prime Minister in 1952.
1953 — (1nd of Sivan, 5713) The Jerusalem Post reported that Kfar Saba celebrated its 50th anniversary
1967 — (5nd of Iyar, 5727) Israel holds the Independence Day parade in Jerusalem without the usual numbers of heavy artillery and tanks. The full parade is not held because of an agreed limitation of tanks in the city, as laid down in the armistice agreement with Jordan. Egypt accuses Israel of having sent the «missing tanks and other weaponry to the north.» Egypt names May 17 as the day on which Israel will invade Syria. A new song is born: «Yerushalayim shel Zahav» — «Jerusalem of Gold» by Naomi Shemer is performed for the first time on Independence Day. It soon becomes a kind of second national anthem
1974 — (23rd of Iyar, 5734) A cell from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine infiltrated into Israel from Lebanon. They entered an apartment in Ma’a lot, killing the Cohen family including their four year old son. The terrorist then stormed Netiv Meir School. “They took 105 students and 10 of their teachers hostage. They were from a religious high school in Safed and who were staying the school during a class trip.” The terrorists killed 22 students and three of the teachers before the IDF could mount an effective rescue mission
2007 — (27nd of Iyar, 5767) Four people were wounded by a barrage of at last 19 Qassam Rockets fired by Hamas terrorists at the western Negev town of Sderot.
People
1818 — (9nd of Iyar, 5578) Bogumil Dawison, Polish-German actor, born
2001 — (22nd of Iyar, 5761) Twenty year old Idit Mizrahi of Rimonim was murdered today when terrorists fired bullets at car carrying her, her father and her brother who were traveling to attend a family wedding