Keren Hayesod Is Founded
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…
Yishuv Publishes Its First Medical Journal: Harefuah
The first Hebrew language medical journal in Palestine, “HaRufuah,” is published quarterly by the Jewish Medical Association of Palestine. The journal is still published monthly by the Israel Medical Association and distributed to all its members free of charge.
Treaty of Sevres Dissolves the Ottoman Empire
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.
Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan Writes Article Leading to Reconstructionist Movement
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.
Conference of Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) Is Founded
WIZO is founded in London by Rebecca Sieff, Vera Weizmann, and Edith Eder. Women from Palestine, England, Germany, Poland, The Netherlands, Russia, and South Africa are present at the inaugural conference.
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.
Arab Raiders Attack Tel Hai
March 1, 1920 A Shi’ite Arab militia, accompanied by local Bedouins, attacks the Jewish agricultural settlement of Tel Hai, which has served as a border outpost in the Upper Galilee between British-controlled Palestine and French-controlled…
Republic of Poland Minorities Treaty Is Signed
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.
Zionist Case Is Presented at Paris Peace Conference
A delegation of the Zionist Organization, led by Chaim Weizmann, presents the case for a Jewish homeland in Palestine to the Paris Peace Conference following World War I.
Composer Leonard Bernstein Is Born
Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts to Ukrainian-Jewish parents, Leonard Bernstein is one of the most prolific composers and conductors in American history.
American Jewish Committee Gives a Qualified Endorsement to Balfour Declaration
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 Released
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.
Spy Sarah Aaronsohn Dies
Sarah Aaronsohn, a Nili intelligence operative, dies four days after shooting herself in an effort to avoid further torture and interrogation by Turkish authorities.
Sykes-Picot Agreement Proposes Division of Conquered Ottoman Territories
A secret treaty is negotiated to divide the former Ottoman territories between Britain and France.
Correspondence Begins Between Hussein and McMahon
The Husayn-McMahon correspondence commences between the Arab leader Husayn bin-Ali and the British government official Sir Henry McMahon.
Chaim Weizmann Joins British Admiralty
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.
Revisionist Zionist Shmuel Katz Is Born
Shmuel Katz, a leader of Revisionist Zionism and a founder of the Herut Party in Israel, is born in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Joint Is Founded
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 WWI
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.
Zion Mule Corps Is Created
Rabbi Raphael della Pergola, the Grand Rabbi of Alexandria, Egypt, administers the oath of allegiance to approximately 500 volunteers for the Zion Mule Corps, known officially as the Assyrian Refugee Mule Corps.
Arthur Ruppin Purchases Land for Hebrew University
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.
Kupat Holim Clalit Is Established
At the urging of Berl Katznelson, a proposal is passed among Zionist leadership creating the Kupat Holim Clalit (General Sick Fund), a still present healthcare organization in Israel.
Poet Leah Goldberg Is Born
May 29, 1911 Poet Leah Goldberg is born in Königsberg, Prussia, now Kaliningrad, Russia. Raised mostly in Kovno, Lithuania, Goldberg begins writing poetry in Hebrew and Russian around age 12. She studies at the Universities…
