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Hall of Independance |
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The independence of the state of Israel was declared on this very spot. This building on Rothschild Street used to be home of Meir Dizengoff, Tel Aviv's first mayor. This is the very place in which Israel's independence was declared in the 14th of May 1948.
The museum’s Hall of declaration remains intact, the original setting untouched in order to commemorate this extraordinary moment in the history of the Jewish people. The portrait of Herzel, the first man to vision the state of Israel, hangs over the microphones and tables. This is where the concept of Zionism received the official standing it longed for, the place in which the Jewish people's entitlement of a state was finally recognized. Admission is free. Address: 16 Rothschild Boulevard Tel: (03) 517-3942 |
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For those who know their Zionist history, this place will strike a surprisingly moving chord. I stopped here on my first and solo visit to Israel in 1988. Even though non-Jewish, I had been obsessed with Zionism and Israeli history since the age of 12, and had seen pictures of this place for years -- the classic photo of David Ben-Gurion reading the Declaration of Independence to a packed crowd, with a photo of Theodore Herzl visible above him. It was, of course, the birth of the State of Israel.
When I walked into the hall and saw it preserved exactly as it was that day, I surprised myself (and attendant, the only other person there) by bursting into tears. He then played a recording of Ben-Gurion reading the proclamation proclaiming Jewish independence after nearly 1900 years of statelessness. It was a lovely moment, and I was very glad that I had stopped. Simple place -- but some of the best places are.
If you don't care much about the history of the founding of the s...