British Parliament Debates Future of PalestineCIE+
In the midst of the 1936-1939 Arab revolt, a debate over British policy in Mandatory Palestine is held in the House of Commons.
Arab Congress Rejects PartitionCIE+
At the conclusion of a four-day conference in Cairo, Egypt, Arab leaders adopt the Resolutions of the Inter-Parliamentary Congress. The conference and resolutions are a response to the British Peel Commission Report of 1937.
Weizmann Expresses Dismay Over Britain’s Pro-Arab Position to MacDonaldCIE+
As part of the Zionist strategy to engage the British government in political negotiations, Chaim Weizmann airs his grievances against the British government for reversing their pro-Zionist policy.
Arab Rebellion Breaks Out in Palestine
Violence between Jews and Arabs quickly escalated as Arab workers went on a six-month strike as violence erupted in different parts of British-ruled Palestine.
Zionist Leaders Debate Land Purchase StrategiesCIE+
Zionist leaders debate how to confront proposed British restrictions on Jewish land purchase in Palestine.
YMCA Opens New Building in Jerusalem
The Jerusalem YMCA, still operational today, is opened by General Edmund Allenby in front of an overflow crowd.
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.
British PM MacDonald Rejects Passfield White PaperCIE+
The White Paper contained distinct threats to the geography of the Jewish National Home. The subsequent nine years saw unprecedented growth of Jewish demographic and physical presence in Palestine.
Arab Leaders in Palestine Admit Failure of Non-CooperationCIE+
In a diary entry, Frederick Kisch, the head of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency, notes that most Arab leaders “recognize that the policy of non-cooperation with the Government has been a failure.”
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.
Syria Gains Control of Golan HeightsCIE+
In border designations for states drafted primarily by Britain and France after WWI, the new state of Syria gains control of the Golan Heights.
Treaty of Sevres Dissolves the Ottoman EmpireCIE+
Following the San Remo conference in April 1920, a treaty is signed between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire in the town of Sevres, France, officially breaking up the Ottoman Empire.
Herbert Samuel Appointed First High Commissioner of Palestine Durin San Remo Conference
British Prime Minister David Lloyd George asks Herbert Samuel to become the first High Commissioner of Palestine.
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.
Ronald Storrs Is Appointed Military Governor of JerusalemCIE+
British General Edmund Allenby appoints Ronald Storrs as Military Governor of Jerusalem.
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.
Sykes-Picot Agreement Proposes Division of Ottoman TerritoriesCIE+
A secret treaty is negotiated to divide the former Ottoman territories between Britain and France.
Correspondence Begins Between Hussein and McMahonCIE+
The Husayn-McMahon correspondence commences between the Arab leader Husayn bin-Ali and the British government official Sir Henry McMahon.
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.
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.
British Make the Uganda Proposal
British Secretary of State for the Colonies Joseph Chamberlain and Theodor Herzl meet to discuss Jewish settlement. At this meeting, Chamberlain proposes that the Jewish state be created in Uganda.
Politician Ya’akov Hazan Is BornCIE+
June 4, 1899 Ya’akov Hazan, a leader in socialist politics through Israel’s first four decades, is born in Brest Litovsk, Russia. He is a founder of the Hashomer Hatzair scouting movement in Poland in 1915…
Artist Reuven Rubin Is BornCIE+
Reuven Rubin (born Rubin Zelicovici), one of Israel’s most acclaimed painters, is born in Galatz, Romania. Rubin’s family was both very poor and religious.
British Philanthropist and Zionist Alfred Mond Is BornCIE+
An early Zionist supporter in England, Alfred Mond (who would later become the first Lord Melchett) is born in England. Despite the fact that his parents were Jewish, Mond was not raised as a Jew and in fact was married in the Anglican church and raised his children as Christians.
