Treasure Trove explores Israel’s treatment at the United Nations
On May 11, 1949, after the Security Council concluded that Israel is a peace-loving nation, the General Assembly of the United Nations decided to admit the Jewish state as the 59th member of the United Nations. The UN now has 193 members. United Nations Resolution 181 dated Nov. 29, 1947 called for the creation of […]
Treasure Trove: Israel’s first university, Technion, celebrates 100 years of education
The Technion—The Israel Institute of Technology is celebrating its centennial this year. The idea of developing an educational institution of engineers to support the development of the future state was first discussed at the Fifth Zionist Congress in 1901 and fundraising began in 1908. The cornerstone of Israel’s first university was laid in 1912 […]
Treasure Trove examines the controversial leader of an American Zionist group
This certificate represents a $1,000 donation to the Palestine Independence Fund “to aid and speed the recognition of a democratic Hebrew nation”. The fund was an arm of the American League for a Free Palestine, and the certificate states that the donation will “help underwrite Hebrew independence in recognition that only through the security and dignity […]
Treasure Trove: Herzl’s words from 1899 remain relevant to Israel’s direction today
There were 22 Zionist Congresses before the State of Israel was proclaimed in 1948. The Third Zionist Congress was held in Basel, Switzerland from Aug. 15 to 18, 1899. This is a guest card to attend the Congress. The Third Congress was the first held since a delegation of Zionists led by Theodor Herzl met […]
Treasure Trove explores what security guards and athletes have in common
“Guard and Sport” was the theme of the trading cards included in packages of Dubek cigarettes sold in Palestine in 1939. This is the cover of the album in which the complete set of 216 cards could be stored. The image is of one of the Notrim (guards) who were Jewish auxiliaries, mainly police, armed and […]
Treasure Trove recalls the 1937 Paris world’s fair and the ‘Israel in Palestine’ pavilion
The pavilion tried to popularize the idea of Jews migrating to Mandatory Palestine.
Treasure Trove is cheering for Israel’s soccer team at the Paris Olympics
The Paris Olympics open on Friday, July 26. For the first time since the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Israel will compete in the Olympic soccer tournament (the team’s first game is against Mali on July 24). Soccer (known as football outside North America) was introduced to Israel in the 1910s and was popularized by the British during […]
Treasure Trove finds some hope in today’s world through the evolution of a verse
Hatikvah (The Hope) was written in 1878 as a nine-verse poem by Naphtali Herz Imber. The poem became the lyrics of the Zionist anthem and later the anthem of the State of Israel. Born in what is now Ukraine, Imber moved to Palestine in 1882, departing in 1889 for Europe and winding up in the United States […]
Treasure Trove enjoys some light summer reading with the comic book exploits of the Jewish Hero Corps
It was 1965 and eight-year-old Alan Oirich was standing in the playground of his Long Island synagogue when his friend David told him he wasn’t planning to celebrate Hanukkah that year because Christmas was more fun. Trying to change David’s mind, Alan, a comic book fan and aspiring illustrator, went home and drew a number of Jewish […]
Treasure Trove: How a Polish-Jewish artist told Canadians about the horrors of Nazi Germany and produced beautiful illustrations
Arthur Szyk (1894-1951) was a Polish-Jewish artist whose work reflected the historic times he lived: the two world wars, the rise of totalitarianism in Europe and the birth of the State of Israel. In 1940, with the support of the British government and the Polish government-in-exile, he visited Canada to popularize the struggle against Nazism. […]
