Mosquito-Killing Biologist Margalith Dies CIE+ members only
Holocaust survivor Yoel Margalith is credited with saving millions of lives and preventing blindness in millions of others through the discovery of a mosquito-killing bacterium.
Deadly Carmel Forest Fire Begins CIE+ members only
The deadliest forest fire in Israel’s history broke out on the Carmel Mountain Range near the city of Haifa.
Knesset Passes Environmental Enforcement Law CIE+ members only
In a move designed to “make the polluter pay,” according to Environment Minister Raphael Eitan, the Knesset passes the Environmental Enforcement Law.
Israel and Jordan Sign Peace Treaty CIE+ members only
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordanian King Hussein sign a peace treaty at the Wadi Arava Border Crossing between Eilat, Israel and Aqaba, Jordan.
National Water Carrier Begins Pumping CIE+ members only
June 10, 1964 Israel’s National Water Carrier begins pumping water out of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) for drinking and agriculture in the center and south of the state. Initially called the Jordan Valley Unified…
Ro’i Rothberg Is Killed Near Nahal Oz CIE+ members only
Killed in an ambush along the Gaza border, Ro’i Rothberg is eulogized by Moshe Dayan. Rothberg becomes a symbol for the inability to achieve peace in Israel’s early years.
Israel Begins Jordan River Project CIE+ members only
September 2, 1953 Israel starts work on a project to divert some of the water of the Jordan River at the B’not Yaakov (Daughters of Jacob) Bridge in the north of the state for use…
David Ben-Gurion Visits Tennessee Valley Authority Projects CIE+ members only
Ben-Gurion’s trip, the first visit by an Israeli Prime Minister to the US, includes a tour of hydroelectric and water projects in Tennessee and Alabama.
Mitzpe Gevulot Established in Negev CIE+ members only
The agricultural outpost of Mitzpe Gevulot was established.
Kibbutz Givat Brenner Is Established CIE+ members only
Originally working as laborers in surrounding agricultural communities, the founding members of Givat Brenner establish agricultural and industrial infrastructure for the kibbutz, quickly making it financially stable and self-sustaining.
Religious Kibbutz Tirat Zvi Founded CIE+ members only
June 30, 1937 Kibbutz Tirat Zvi is established in the Beit She’an Valley as one of the first religious kibbutzim. The kibbutz is just west of the Jordan River and just north of what becomes…
Naharayim Power Plant Opens CIE+ members only
March 9, 1932 Pinhas Rutenberg and the Palestine Electric Co. open a hydroelectric power plant at Naharayim. It supplies much of the electricity in Palestine until its destruction by Iraqi troops during the 1948 War…
Fourth Palestine Exhibition Opens in Tel Aviv CIE+ members only
The 1929 Palestine and Near East Exhibition was the last of four smaller exhibitions which would eventually become (in 1932) the Levant Fair or Orient Fair (Yerid Hamizrach).
Moshav Nahalal Is Founded CIE+ members only
Nahalal, the first moshav ha’ovdim (workers settlement), is founded in the northwest Jezreel Valley, about halfway between Haifa and Afula.
First Kibbutz in Israel Is Established CIE+ members only
Degania Alef is established as the first Kibbutz in Israel. The idea for a communally operated agricultural settlement in the land of Israel did not, however, originate with the founders of Degania Alef.
Kibbutz Pioneer Yitzchak Ben-Aharon Is Born CIE+ members only
July 17, 1906 Yitzchak Ben-Aharon, a pioneer of the kibbutz movement, is born Yitzhak Nussboim in Bukovina, Romania, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He joins several Zionist organizations as a teenager, then walks and rides a…
First Tu B’Shevat Tree Planting in Land of Israel CIE+ members only
The custom of planting trees in Israel on Tu B’Shevat begins when Ze’ev Yavetz, an educator in Zichron Ya’akov, takes his students to plant trees on the holiday.
Joseph Trumpeldor Is Born CIE+ members only
Known for dying while defending the Jewish settlement of Tel Hai in 1920, Joseph Trumpeldor, a Zionist political activist and military hero, is born in Pyatigorsk, Russia.
Petah Tikvah Is Founded CIE+ members only
Petah Tikvah (Gateway of Hope), today Israel’s fifth largest city, is established by a group of religious Jews wishing to leave Jerusalem and establish an agricultural moshav.
