History - Timeline of Jewish History - Modern Israel - 1950-1959

Date	Landmark Events
1950	As American Jews move to the suburbs, they build new synagogues. Joining a synagogue becomes the chief expression of Jewish identity. In 1930, a mere 20 percent of American Jewish families belong to a synagogue; by 1960, nearly 60 percent do.

16-Jan	Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg recognize Isael de jure
23-Jan	Knesset by 60-2 vote, establishes Jerusalem as Israel's capital
4-Apr	UN Trusteeship Council approves statute for the internationalization of Jerusalem.
24-Apr	Jordan annexes West Bank, including East Jerusalem
28-Apr	Britain recognizes Israel de jure
	The Knesset moves from Tel Aviv to King George St. in Jerusalem.
25-May	U.S., Britain and France issue Tripartite Declaration on Middle East
17-Jun	Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen initial Collective Security Pact, calling on them to assist an Arab state under attack.
5-Jul	The Law of Return is enacted
14-Nov	First nationwide municipal elections after independence
	The West Bank unites with Jordan.
19-May	Operation Ezra and Nehemiah brings Iraqi Jews to Israel


1951
12-Apr	Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Rememberence Day established on 27th of month of Nissan
18-May	Security Council calls on Israel to halt Huleh drainage project pending arrangements to be fixed by the Mixed Armistice Commission. Fighting erupts between Israel and Syria in demilitarized zone.
20-Jul	King Abdullah of Jordan is assassinated at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
30-Jul	Elections held for the Second Knesset
1-Sep	Security Council calls on Egypt to end its blockade of Suez Canal to shipping to and from Israel. Egypt refuses to comply
13-Sep	Palestine Conciliation Commission opens another round of talks in Paris with Israeli and Arab delegations
28-Sep	Israel offers non-agression pacts to Arab states, calls for direct negotiations and offers compensation for Arab refugee's property
	The Hula Valley reclamation program begins turning swamps into arable lands.
	Egged bus transport cooperative is founded.
7-Oct	David Ben-Gurion presents his government to the Knesset
21-Nov	Palestine Conciliation Commission announces failure of the talks
24-Dec	Libya proclaims independence



1952
1-Jan	Seven armed terrorists attacked and killed a 19-year-old girl in her home in Beit Yisrael in Jerusalem
13-May	The first graduating class of physicians is awarded degrees at Hebrew University.
23-Jul	Free Officers carry out Coup d'etat in Egypt; oust King Farouk
28-Jul	Egypt proclaimed Republic
11-Aug	Hussein proclaimed Crown Prince following illness of King Talal. Council of regents appointed
18-Aug	Ben-Gurion welcomes Egyptian revolution in Knesset
10-Sep	Israel and West Germany sign Reparations Agreement in Luxembourg
9-Nov	President Chaim Weizman dies
8-Dec	Yitzchak Ben-Tzvi elected President
	Israel participates in its first Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland.
7-Jan	Knesset summoned to approve broader negotiations with West Germany: Menachem Begin leads stormy demonstration against negotiations
9-Jan	Knesset supports negotations by 61-50
	Yiddish writers and other Jewish cultural figures are executed in the U.S.S.R. on "Night of the Murdered Poets"
	Germany agrees to provide Holocaust reparations.
	Operation Coresh - immigration of Iranian Jews.

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1953
	Egyptian republic proclaimed, Nasser takes over: 1953, 1954
12-Feb	USSR breaks diplomatic relations with Israel
	Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed for conspiring to deliver U.S. atomic bomb secrets to the U.S.S.R.
7-Dec	Ben-Gurion resigns as Prime Minister and is replaced by Moshe Sharett as Prime Minister and Pinchas Lavon as Defense Minister
13-May	U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles visits Israel
7-Jun	A youngster was killed and three others were wounded in shooting attacks on residential areas in southern Jerusalem.
9-Jun	Terrorists killed a resident of Lod, after throwing hand grenades and spraying gunfire in all directions. On the same night, another group of terrorists attacked a house in Hadera.
11-Jun	Terrorists attacked a young couple in their home in Kfar Hess and shot them to death.
20-Jul	Relations with USSR restored
2-Sep	Israel starts work on Jordan River project. Syria complains to Security Council
15-Oct	President Eisenhower appoints Ambassador Eric Johnston to help establish regional water development project based on Jordan River
October 20-28	U.S. halts economic aid to Israel until it halts work on the Jordan River project. Israel complies and aid resumed
	Ben-Gurion resigns and retires to Negev; he is successed by Moshe Sharett.
	The Academy for Hebrew Language and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) are founded.


1954
	Yad Vashem Holocaust museum opens.
1-Jan	Katzner trial opens in Jerusalem District Court. (Malkiel Greenwald was accused of libelling Dr. Rudolf Kastner regarding his alleged collaboration with Adolf Eichmann in Hungary, in 1944).
22-Jan	USSR vetoes Western draft resolutions at Security Council permitting Israel to resume work on River Jordan project.
17-Mar	Terrorists ambushed a bus traveling from Eilat to Tel Aviv at Maale Akrabim, opening fire at short range. The terrorists boarded the bus, and shot each passenger, one by one, murdering 11.
20-Mar	USSR vetoes Western draft resolution at Security Council calling on Egypt to comply with 1951 resolution on Suez Canal
17-Apr	Colonel Nasser becomes Prime Minister of Egypt
28-Sep	Egypt seizes Israeli ship "Bat Galim" at Port Said.
6-Oct	Israel offers at the UN non-aggression pact with Arab states
	Eleven Jews are arrested in Egypt on suspicion of planting bombs around Cairo. Two are hanged. Though Israel denies involvement, it is later learned Israeli Defense Minister Pinhas Lavon was behind the spy ring.
	Stern College for Women, the first liberal arts women's college under Jewish auspices, opens in New York City.
	The founding of the Conference of Major Jewish Organizations indicates a galvanization of Jewish lobby in the U.S.


1955
	Soviet bloc begins first arms sales to Egypt and Syria.
2-Jan	Two hikers killed by terrorists in the Judean Desert
17-Feb	Lavon resigns as Defense Minister amidst controvery over espionage scandal involving Israeli agents who were executed in Egypt
21-Feb	Ben-Gurion returns to government as Defense Minister
24-Feb	Baghdad Pact signed between Turkey and Iraq.
	Development town of Dimona is founded.
28-Feb	Following intensified raids into Israel, IDF raids Egyptian military installations in Gaza
24-Mar	One young woman killed and 18 wounded when terrorists threw hand grenades and opened fire on a crowded wedding celebration in Patish
April	Israel excluded from participation in Bandung Conference of Asian and African nations
May	Bar Ilan University, with its emphasis on Jewish heritage studies, opens in Ramat Gan.
22-Jun	Dr. Israel Kastner, a Hungarian Jew, was found guilty by a district court of collaboration with the Nazis; the decision was eventually appealed and overturned for lack of evidence
26-Jul	Elections for the Third Knesset, Ben Gurion again becomes Prime Minister
27-Jul	Bulgarian fighter pilots down an El Al civilian airline, killing 58 people
27-Sep	Egyptian-Czechoslovak arms deal announced
11-Oct	Arab League rejects Eric Johnston's Jordan River plan
18-Oct	Premier Sharett applies to U.S. for permission to purchase arms
20-Oct	Egypt and Syria sign mutual defence treaty
2-Nov	Ben-Gurion again becomes Israel's Prime Minister
	Nasser objects to terms of Western offer to finance the building of the Aswan Dam.
6-Dec	Israel protests to Security Council, in note dated 22 November, continued Egyptian attacks from Gaza Strip
26-Dec	Cairo announces beginning of implementation of defence pacts with Syria and Saudi Arabia

1956
	Sudan & Tunisia independence, Pakistan Republic.
18-Jan	Nasser announces new constitution for Egypt and pledges to re-conquer Palestine
25-Jan	Ambassador Eban requests Secretary Dulles permission to acquire arms in the U.S.
12-Mar	Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia announce plans to coordinate their defence
7-Apr	One young woman killed when terrorists threw 3 hand grenades into her house in Ashkelon.
	Two killed when terrorists opened fire on a car at Kibbutz Givat Chaim.
11-Apr	Three children and one youth worker killed, and five injured, when terrorists opened fire on a synagogue full of children and teenagers in Shafrir (Kfar Chabad).
April

UN Secretary General tours Middle East in an effort to reestablish armistice. Cease-fire achieved between Israel and Egypt on 19 April and with Jordan on 26 April
29-Apr	Egyptians killed 21-year-old Ro'i Rottenberg from Nahal Oz
6-May	Jordan and Egypt announce plans to unify their forces
9-May	Dulles tells NATO in Paris that the U.S. would not sell arms to Israel directly in order to avoid U.S.-USSR confrontation in the Middle East
May-October	France delivers arms to Israel under secret agreement with tacit U.S. approval
31-May	Syria and Jordan sign military agreement
24-Jun	Nasser elected President of Egypt
20-Jul	U.S. refuses aid and credits for Egypt Aswan High Dam, Britain adopts similiar position
26-Jul	Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal.
12-Sep	Terrorists killed three Druze guards in Ein Ofarim.
23-Sep	Four archaeologists killed and 16 wounded when terrorists opened fire from a Jordanian position at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel.
24-Sep	Terrorists killed a girl in the fields of the farming community of Aminadav, near Jerusalem.
4-Oct	Five Israeli workers killed in Sdom.
8-Oct	Egypt and USSR reject proposals for international supervision of Suez Canal
9-Oct	Two workers were killed in an orchard of the Neve Hadasah youth village.
25-Oct	Egypt, Syria and Jordan announce establishment of unified military command for "war of destruction against Israel."
29-Oct	Sinai Campaign launched with Great Britain and France
	Kfar Kassem massacre of 47 Arab civilians violating a curfew
2-Nov	General Assembly calls for cease-fire in Egypt, withdrawal of foreign troops, restoration of freedom of navigation
	Tel Aviv University is opened.
November 4-5	End of Sinai Campaign. Gaza Strip and Sinai occupied
5-Nov	General Assembly establishes United Nations Emergency Force
6-Nov	Israel completes occupation of Sinai save for strip along Suez Canal
7-Nov