Exiled Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie Arrives in HaifaCIE+
Exiled because of Italy’s incursion into Ethiopia, Selassie spends a few weeks in Jerusalem contemplating how best to gain global support for his country.
Judah Magnes Outlines Hebrew University ExpansionCIE+
Opening the 1933-34 academic year, Judah Magnes, the president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, outlines an expansion plan for the university.
Recha Freier Establishes Youth Aliyah in GermanyCIE+
The same day that Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul Von Hindenburg, Recha Freier establishes the Committee for the Assistance of Jewish Youth.
First Maccabiah Games Open in Tel AvivCIE+
The first Maccabiah Games, an international Jewish Olympics, open in Tel Aviv.
Palestine Jewish Agency Expands to Include World Jewish RepresentativesCIE+
The Jewish Agency holds its first meeting on August 12, the day after the conclusion of the Congress. With so many Jews having immigrated to the US over the previous four decades, American presence in the Jewish Agency had become financially and politically significant for Zionism’s key growth in the United States.
13th Zionist Congress Convenes in CzechoslovakiaCIE+
Convened in Carlsbad, Czechoslovakia, the Thirteenth Zionist Congress discusses details of the Palestine Mandate and particularly the prerogatives of the Palestine Zionist Executive (PZE) that guide Jewish immigration and settlement in Palestine.
Zionist Leader Nahum Sokolow Meets With U.S. PresidentCIE+
Nahum Sokolow, serving as President of the Executive Committee of the World Zionist Congress, meets with President Warren Harding in Washington, D.C.
First Nurses Graduate in the Land of IsraelCIE+
Twenty-two women graduate from the Nurses’ Training Institute at Rothschild Hospital in Jerusalem. They are the first to receive nursing degrees in the Land of Israel.
Keren Hayesod Is FoundedCIE+
December 24, 1920 The World Zionist Congress in London launches Keren Hayesod (Hebrew for the Foundation Fund, now known in English as the United Israel Appeal) to raise money for the Zionist movement and fulfill…
Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan Writes Article Leading to Reconstructionist MovementCIE+
Rabbi Mordechai M. Kaplan, publishes “A Program for the Reconstruction of Judaism” in the Menorah Journal. His ideology eventually leads to the creation of a fourth American Jewish denomination, the Reconstructionist movement.
First Jewish Congresswoman Bella Abzug Is Born
Bella Abzug is born in the Bronx, New York to an Orthodox Jewish immigrant family from Russia. Elected in 1970, she serves three terms in Congress and is the first Jewish woman to be elected to the House of Representatives.
Poland Protects Jews Through Minorities Treaty
During the Paris Peace Conference, one of the major initiatives undertaken by the Allies is recognition of minority rights in European states. While addressing the rights of minorities in general, the Polish Treaty specifically mentions Jewish cultural and civil liberties.
Weizmann Sends Warning to British GeneralCIE+
Chaim Weizmann warns that unless world Jewry secures a place of their own they will be faced by a terrible catastrophe.
Composer Leonard Bernstein Is BornCIE+
Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts to Ukrainian-Jewish parents, Leonard Bernstein is one of the most prolific composers and conductors in American history.
AJC Gives Qualified Endorsement to Balfour DeclarationCIE+
Although its support of the Balfour Declaration was tepid, the AJC did recognize that a Jewish homeland could provide safety for Jews still suffering oppression in other lands.
Balfour Declaration Is ReleasedCIE+
In seeking official government endorsement for the Zionist cause from a great power, the leadership of the Zionist Organization successfully obtains support from the British government in 1917 by way of the Balfour Declaration.
Chaim Weizmann Joins British AdmiraltyCIE+
Chaim Weizmann, first President of Israel, then working as a chemist in Manchester, England, is appointed to the British Admiralty as an Honorary Technical Adviser on acetone supplies.
The Joint Is FoundedCIE+
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is founded with the merger of the Central Relief Committee and the American Jewish Relief Committee.
Private U.S. Aid Arrives for Jews in Palestine in WWICIE+
Responding to a plea from Henry Morgenthau, United States Ambassador to Turkey and American Jewish leaders, led by Louis Marshall and Jacob Schiff, quickly raise $50,000 in aid for the Jewish community in the Palestine.
Arthur Ruppin Purchases Land for Hebrew UniversityCIE+
Arthur Ruppin, head of the Palestine Office of the World Zionist Organization, purchases the estate of Sir John Gray Hill on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem for the purpose of building a university.
American Jewish Leader Max Fisher Is Born in Pittsburgh
Max Fisher is born in Pittsburgh to Russian Jewish immigrants. He dedicates much of his life to the Jewish State, raising hundreds of millions of dollars through his career as a leader in nearly every Jewish organization in North America.
Protocols of the Elders of Zion Is PublishedCIE+
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the most widely distributed anti-Semitic publication in history, is first published in Znamya, a Russian newspaper.
Sixth Zionist Congress BeginsCIE+
The Sixth Zionist Congress, the last to be presided over by Theodor Herzl, convenes in Basel, Switzerland. It is the largest Zionist Congress held to date, with approximately 600 delegates in attendance.
Second Zionist Congress ConvenesCIE+
The Second Zionist Congress convenes in Basel, Switzerland. 400 delegates, including Theodore Herzl’s father, participate in the Second Congress, which is nearly double the size of the First Congress held the previous year.
