🔥 Important Old Jewish 1949 ISRAEL Independence Day TEL AVIV Parade Photos (38)

Description: These are historic and incredibly Important Old Jewish 1949 ISRAEL Independence Day TEL AVIV Parade Photos (38 count,) 15 of which depict the ill-fated Tel Aviv Independence Day parade in 1949 (known as the Parade that Didn't March,) or early Israeli army airplanes, 12 of them depict either the ruins leftover from the Arab - Israeli War of 1948 or late 1940's Israeli cityscapes (likely Tel Aviv,) and 8 photos are candid snapshots of various figures, including scenes at the beach, and even one photo of some Israeli military men playing basketball during their free time. This is the largest collection of original photographs of the historic 1949 Independence Day Parade in Tel Aviv outside of the nation of Israel, or a Jewish Museum institution. The only comparable photos from this historic event that you will see published online originate from the Beno Rothenberg Archive, which is part of the Meitar Collection at the National Library of Israel, in Jerusalem. Priced to Sell. This photo archive is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. I will make special considerations for Offers from Israeli museums institutions or Jewish heritage organizations. Acquired from an old estate collection in Los Angeles County, California. If you like what you see, I encourage you to make an Offer. Please check out my other listings for more wonderful and unique artworks! About these items: Israeli Independence Day Independence of the State of Israel at the end of the British Mandate. Since 1949, Independence Day has been enshrined in law as a “state holiday” as well as a sabbatical day of rest. Independence Day is celebrated from the evening of the 4th of Iyar, with the conclusion of Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Actions of Terrorism, until the following evening of the 5th of Iyar. In the case of the date falling on the Sabbath, the holiday is celebrated on an adjacent day.Declaration of IndependenceThe British Mandate ended at midnight between Friday and Saturday, May 14th–15th, 1948, in accordance with the partition plan approved by the United Nations on November 29th, 1947. The War of Independence was already being fought, with battles underway between the local Jewish and Arab populations. The People’s Council headed by David Ben-Gurion decided to declare the establishment of the state on Friday, May 5th, at 4:00 pm, before the Sabbath, eight hours prior to the end of the Mandate.Discussions on the declaration’s wording continued until the very last minute, and at the appointed time, the members of the People’s Council met for a short, festive ceremony in Tel Aviv while thousands gathered outside the building. Ben-Gurion read the declaration, and the members of the People’s Council signed the document, which became known as the Declaration of Independence. The next day, the armies of several Arab nations invaded the new State of Israel.Yom Ha'Atzmaut CelebrationsThe first Independence Day was celebrated in 1949 with a military parade in Tel Aviv and ceremonies, events and prayers held throughout the country and in Jewish communities around the world. These celebrations shaped the day’s traditional character. For the first 20 years, the main event was a large military parade. Later, the practice was limited to air force and naval displays.Independence Day is celebrated with state, local and private events. A torch-lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl marks the close of the Memorial Day events and the beginning of the Independence Day celebrations. Among the holiday’s official events are a reception for outstanding soldiers hosted by the President of Israel, the International Bible Contest for middle school and high school students and the Israel Prize ceremony. Cities across the country hold mass celebrations with live performances and fireworks.The Declaration of Independence, the events that preceded it and various Independence Day celebrations over the years are documented in an abundance of items preserved at the National Library of Israel. Among the special materials are the original manuscript of Israel’s national anthem “HaTikvah,” historical documents, photographs and posters, the Independence Haggadah, press clippings, books and articles, song recordings and lesson plans for teachers. The Library blog also features interesting stories and anecdotes related to Independence Day. Israel’s First Independence Day and “The Parade That Didn’t March”What Israel's Independence Day looked like before there was an Independence Day How is a holiday created out of thin air? Well, one method is legislation.Israel’s “Independence Day Law" from 1949 set the date for Independence Day as the 5th of the Hebrew month of Iyar, while also allowing for the holiday to be brought forward or delayed in the event that the 5th falls on a Sabbath. Additionally, the law authorizes the Prime Minister to “determine the symbols of Independence Day” and even “to instruct regarding the waving of flags and celebrations”.The question of how Israeli Independence Day came to be celebrated in the way that we are familiar with today is a complex one, and we may very well deal with that in the future, but for now, we would like to momentarily return to the 5th of Iyar, in the Hebrew year 5709 (1949), only some three weeks after the above law was passed.Confusion was the order of the day.To be completely honest, that 5th of Iyar was not exactly the only “First Independence Day” to be celebrated in Israel. It was preceded by “State Day”, held on the 20th of Tammuz (July 27th, 1948) – just a few weeks after the actual declaration of Israel’s independence. This date was chosen as it was the anniversary of Theodor Herzl’s death, with the state authorities seeking to link between Herzl’s vision and the new State of Israel which had just been established. The main event on “State Day” was the first ever military parade conducted by the young IDF. But back to the other “First Independence Day” – the 5th of Iyar, 5709, which fell on May 4th, 1949. How were people supposed to celebrate Independence Day anyways? No one knew exactly, but a few things could be taken for granted, including folk dancing in the streets (which reminded people of the jubilant spontaneous celebrations after the UN Partition Plan vote in late November, 1947). Plans were made for celebrations in towns and cities across the country, including light displays, flag-waving, concerts by municipal orchestras, torchlight parades and various rallies and marches.On the eve of the holiday, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion held a special Independence Day speech, published the next day in the papers. Many of the events included a memorial prayer for fallen soldiers, as Israel did not yet have an official day dedicated to remembering them. Ben-Gurion also hosted dignitaries from abroad at a special Independence Day reception held at his office in IDF Headquarters in Tel Aviv. But there was little doubt about the planned highlight of the day – another military parade by “our victorious army of liberation”, the Israel Defense Forces – what else? Not only one but two parades were planned, in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The Jerusalem parade went ahead without major incident, but the big story of Israel’s first Independence Day was the controversial Tel Aviv parade. “The Parade That Didn’t March”, screamed the Hebrew headline in Maariv the next morning. The name stuck and it is remembered to this day. At first, everything seemed fine. Representatives from the IDF’s various corps marched down the city’s streets: The navy, the medical corps and veterans of the pre-state Haganah organization all displayed their arms. Jewish and Druze soldiers proudly marched alongside each other. Military jeeps and artillery guns were received with cheers by onlookers while a handful of military aircraft flew overhead – all that the Israeli Air Force had at the time. And of course, it wouldn’t be a parade without a marching band! But by 4 o’clock, when the marchers were due to arrive at the main stage erected on Dizengoff Street to salute the Israeli leadership, the rumors had already begun to spread – the parade had been cancelled! “People stood and cried. Like children,” Wrote Maariv editor Dr. Ezriel Carlebach. The parade could simply not make its way to the main stage on Dizengoff Street because of mass overcrowding at the corner of Allenby and Ben-Yehuda.Carlebach described the scene: “When they [the crowd] were told for the third time that it [the parade] would not be coming because it could not clear a path from Mugrabi Square to Idelson Street, a stretch of some two hundred meters – they simply did not believe it. It could not be true. OUR army? The army that had reached all the way to Eilat, that could easily have entered Damascus, was now incapable of making it to Ben-Yehuda Street? Ridiculous, idiotic.” The humongous crowds that showed up to watch the parade had spilled over onto the streets and blocked the path of the marchers. All of the efforts by the police to open the roads ended in miserable failure. Eventually, the organizers were left with little choice but to call off the parade before the crowds slowly dispersed in bitter disappointment. A senior IDF officer present at the scene was quoted in the Herut newspaper, saying “The Israel Defense Forces managed to conquer everything except the streets of Tel Aviv”.In retrospect, it seems that organizational failures led to the debacle. The authorities apparently did not foresee the sheer quantities that showed up to watch the spectacle. Reports cited crowds numbering in the hundreds of thousands – in a country with a population of some 600,000 people. In addition, roads were only blocked off shortly before the event, further contributing to the chaos. The next day, the papers were already reporting that a commission of inquiry would be investigating the reasons for the fiasco. Following the embarrassment surrounding the Tel Aviv parade, it was decided to hold yet another “State Day” celebration on July 17th, 1949. Another parade was organized, this one on a smaller, more modest scale, in order to make amends and finally complete the unfinished march. This was the last time that Israel’s independence was celebrated on the day of Herzl’s death, and the 5th of Iyar later became solidified as the official Independence Day of the State of Israel. The practice of marking Israel’s Memorial Day on the day before Independence Day began in 1951. This was also the first year of the traditional Independence Day torch lighting ceremony on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem. The Israel Prize ceremony was first held on Independence Day, 1953, and the first International Bible Contest was held on the State of Israel’s tenth birthday in 1958.Slowly but surely, year after year, Israel’s Independence Day has developed into the national celebration we know today.All of the photographs displayed here are taken from the Beno Rothenberg Archive, which is part of the Meitar Collection at the National Library of Israel. Rothenberg documented many aspects of Israeli society, culture and life during the first few decades of the state. Israel’s first Independence Day and the parade that didn’t marchIn 1949, organizational blunders led to the debacle of an army that managed to conquer everything...except the streets of Tel Aviv How is a holiday created out of thin air? Well, one method is legislation.Israel’s “Independence Day Law” from 1949 set the date for Independence Day as the 5th of the Hebrew month of Iyar, while also allowing for the holiday to be brought forward or delayed in the event that the 5th falls on a Sabbath. Additionally, the law authorizes the prime minister to “determine the symbols of Independence Day” and even “to instruct regarding the waving of flags and celebrations.”The question of how Israeli Independence Day came to be celebrated in the way that we are familiar with today is a complex one, and we may very well deal with that in the future, but for now, we would like to momentarily return to the 5th of Iyar, in the Hebrew year 5709 (1949), only some three weeks after the above law was passed.Confusion was the order of the day.To be completely honest, that 5th of Iyar was not exactly the only “First Independence Day” to be celebrated in Israel. It was preceded by “State Day,” held on the 20th of Tammuz (July 27th, 1948) – just a few weeks after the actual declaration of Israel’s independence. This date was chosen as it was the anniversary of Theodor Herzl’s death, with the state authorities seeking to link between Herzl’s vision and the new State of Israel that had just been established. The main event on “State Day” was the first-ever military parade conducted by the young IDF.But back to the other “First Independence Day” – the 5th of Iyar, 5709, which fell on May 4th, 1949. How were people supposed to celebrate Independence Day anyways?No one knew exactly, but a few things could be taken for granted, including folk dancing in the streets (which reminded people of the jubilant spontaneous celebrations after the UN Partition Plan vote in late November 1947). Plans were made for celebrations in towns and cities across the country, including light displays, flag-waving, concerts by municipal orchestras, torchlight parades and various rallies and marches.On the eve of the holiday, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion delivered a special Independence Day speech, published the next day in the papers. Many of the events included a memorial prayer for fallen soldiers, as Israel did not yet have an official day dedicated to remembering them. Ben-Gurion also hosted dignitaries from abroad at a special Independence Day reception held at his office in IDF Headquarters in Tel Aviv.But there was little doubt about the planned highlight of the day – another military parade by “our victorious army of liberation,” the Israel Defense Forces – what else? Not only one but two parades were planned, in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The Jerusalem parade went ahead without major incident, but the big story of Israel’s first Independence Day was the controversial Tel Aviv parade. 'People stood and cried. Like children’“The Parade That Didn’t March,” screamed the Hebrew headline in Maariv the next morning. The name stuck and it is remembered to this day. At first, everything seemed fine. Representatives from the IDF’s various corps marched down the city’s streets: The navy, the medical corps and veterans of the pre-state Haganah organization all displayed their arms. Jewish and Druze soldiers proudly marched alongside each other. Military jeeps and artillery guns were received with cheers by onlookers while a handful of military aircraft flew overhead – all that the Israeli Air Force had at the time. And of course, it wouldn’t be a parade without a marching band!But by 4 o’clock, when the marchers were due to arrive at the main stage erected on Dizengoff Street to salute the Israeli leadership, the rumors had already begun to spread – the parade had been canceled! “People stood and cried. Like children,” Wrote Maariv editor Dr. Ezriel Carlebach. The parade could simply not make its way to the main stage on Dizengoff Street because of mass overcrowding at the corner of Allenby and Ben-Yehuda.Carlebach described the scene: “When they [the crowd] were told for the third time that it [the parade] would not be coming because it could not clear a path from Mugrabi Square to Idelson Street, a stretch of some two hundred meters – they simply did not believe it. It could not be true. OUR army? The army that had reached all the way to Eilat, that could easily have entered Damascus, was now incapable of making it to Ben-Yehuda Street? Ridiculous, idiotic.”The humongous crowds that showed up to watch the parade had spilled over onto the streets and blocked the path of the marchers. All of the efforts by the police to open the roads ended in miserable failure. Eventually, the organizers were left with little choice but to call off the parade before the crowds slowly dispersed in bitter disappointment. A senior IDF officer present at the scene was quoted in the Herut newspaper, saying “The Israel Defense Forces managed to conquer everything except the streets of Tel Aviv.”In retrospect, it seems that organizational failures led to the debacle. The authorities apparently did not foresee the sheer quantities that showed up to watch the spectacle. Reports cited crowds numbering in the hundreds of thousands – in a country with a population of some 600,000 people. In addition, roads were only blocked off shortly before the event, further contributing to the chaos. The next day, the papers were already reporting that a commission of inquiry would be investigating the reasons for the fiasco.Following the embarrassment surrounding the Tel Aviv parade, it was decided to hold yet another “State’s Day” celebration on July 17th, 1949. Another parade was organized, this one on a smaller, more modest scale, in order to make amends and finally complete the unfinished march. This was the last time Israel’s independence was celebrated on the day of Herzl’s death, and the 5th of Iyar later became solidified as the official Independence Day of the State of Israel. The practice of marking Israel’s Memorial Day on the day before Independence Day began in 1951. This was also the first year of the traditional Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem. The Israel Prize ceremony was first held on Independence Day, 1953, and the first International Bible Contest was held on the State of Israel’s tenth birthday in 1958.Slowly but surely, year after year, Israel’s Independence Day has developed into the national celebration we know today.All of the photographs displayed here are taken from the Beno Rothenberg Archive, which is part of the Meitar Collection at the National Library of Israel. Rothenberg documented many aspects of Israeli society, culture and life during the first few decades of the state.

Price: 2750 USD

Location: Orange, California

End Time: 2024-11-25T21:58:28.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD

Product Images

Item Specifics

All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted

Type: Photograph

Year of Production: 1949

Signed: No

Theme: Architecture, Cities & Towns, Community Life, Conflicts & Wars, Continents & Countries, Cultures & Ethnicities, Events & Festivals, Famous Places, History, Inspirational, Judaica, Militaria, Patriotic, People, Politics, Social History

Material: Paper

Original/Licensed Reprint: Original

Framing: Unframed

Country/Region of Manufacture: Israel

Subject: Biblical, Children & Infants, Cityscapes, Family, Landscape, Men, Military, Monument, Organisations, Seaside, Ships, Uniforms, World War II (1939-1945)

Vintage: Yes