Independence Hall

Tonight Yom HaZikaron, Israel's Memorial Day for her fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, began at sunset. A siren sounded across the country for one minute and everybody stopped what they were doing to observe a minute's silence. Tomorrow the siren will sound for two minutes at 11am and once again the country will stop to remember. Memorial ceremonies will take place across the country to respect and remember the fallen throughout the day and then, in the evening, another ceremony will take place to mark the end of Memorial Day and the beginning of  Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day.

Independence Day marks the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948. On 14th May 1948 soon-to-be Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion issued a declaration of the State of Israel at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, formerly the home of Zina and Meir Dizengoff, Tel Aviv's first mayor. It was eight hours before the termination of the British Mandate in what was then Palestine, and not long till the Sabbath. The declaration was recognised by the U.S., the Soviet Union and other countries, though not by the surrounding Arab States and the 1948 Arab-Israeli War was about to begin.

We recently had the chance to visit Independence Hall, formerly the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, where the State of Israel was declared. We learnt that the Museum of Art had been chosen as the place where the declaration ceremony would take place since it was a building held in high regard but one that also had solid walls and small windows, which could mean relative safety in the case of attack. The declaration ceremony was not widely publicised as it was feared that the British Authorities might attempt to prevent it, or that the Arab armies might invade earlier than expected. Invitations were sent out by messenger on the morning of 14th May telling recipients to arrive at 3:30 pm and to keep the event a secret. At 4 pm Ben-Gurion opened the ceremony and a spontaneous rendition of Hatikvah (The Hope) - what was soon to become Israel's national anthem - was sung. A picture of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, hung on the wall behind the podium, along with two flags which later became the official flag of Israel.

Image: David Ben-Gurion declaring Israel's independence, May 14, 1948 via Eretz Israel Museum.

Today Independence Hall is preserved as it was on that very day. Most of the exhibits are not original. Our guide explained to us that the impromptu ceremony meant that chairs and tables were borrowed from, and then returned to, local cafes. Fortunately photographic evidence, like the one above, allowed precise reconstruction, transporting the visitor back to the incredible events of that day. We were even able to listen to the original recording of the ceremony which was recorded and broadcast live on Kol Yisrael (Voice of Israel) radio station.

Image: The home of the first Mayor of Tel Aviv, Meir Dizengoff, on Rothschild Boulevard via Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and, top, as it is today.

It was most inspiring to be the in the very hall where Ben-Gurion declared statehood and frankly a bit hard to leave dry-eyed. Listening to the stories of that day makes you burst with pride at the courage and strength of our little nation and of the people who made, and continue to make, it all happen.

Tomorrow night we will join thousands of others in our local amphitheatre for a concert and fireworks, and singing and dancing in the streets. There will be Israeli flags everywhere. I will definitely take a moment to remember Ben-Gurion and the bravery of many others before and after him, who have helped create the State we have today.

Now see how far we have come and check out 'Israel: 65 years of Achievement'.