Inauguration ceremony of the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
(Albert Einstein on the left)

1918

– By the end of the First World War, the Ottoman Empire collapsed, the land of Israel was under the control of British military administration. The British governor of Jerusalem, Sir Ronald Storrs, and the architect, Charles Robert Ashbee, created the Pro-Jerusalem Society with the purpose of repairing the walls of the city and enacting a number of urban designing laws. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was opened in Jerusalem, its campus on Mount Scopus (Har HaTzofim) was inaugurated in 1925 with Albert Einstein present.

1919

– Pogroms break out in Ukraine which started the third Aliyah (1919–1924). Meanwhile, hospitals were built all over the country. The predecessor of the newspaper today known as Haaretz (The Land [of Israel]) was published, the Hadashot HaAretz (The News of the Land [of Israel]). The Arabs generated riots in the North, many armed clashes occurred. In 1920, the Histadrut was established, the General Organization of Workers in Israel. From the 1920s, Israel became a Hebrew intellectual and art center.

Chabad HaÁrec newspaper

Hizadrut poster

1921

– With Arab riots becoming more common, to protect Jewish lives and properties a special – originally secret – defense corps was established, the Haganah (The Defence) which operated until the birth of the State of Israel. As a response to the Arab riots, the British suspended Jewish settling temporarily. The Bank HaPoalim (The Workers’ Bank) was established, so were several other large industrial companies (e.g., Shemen – oil industry, Nesher – cement enterprise etc.). The settlement of the Jezreel valley began. The first moshav was created: Nahalal.

1922

– The League of Nations ratified the British Mandate in Palestine. Thus, until 1948 the area was under British control. The building of the Jewish National Home was officially started; however, the British continued – due to Arab riots – to limit migration. General anti-Zionism appeared at this time. Contrary to the former British promises, Transjordan which was promised to the Jews and was 77% controlled by the British, the Arabs made an emirate, which was formed to a monarchy in 1945 as Jordan.

Kibbutz Nahalal at the beginning and today

1924

– Antisemitic laws were employed in Poland and the Zionist movement was prohibited in the Soviet Union. These started the fourth Aliyah (1924–1929). The cities in Israel began to develop quickly.

1928

– The most significant political body of Palestinian Jews was established, Knesset Israel (The Assembly of Israel). A year later, the Arabs started riots in Jerusalem, in Hebron Jews were killed, attacks against the kibbutzim became regular. In 1930, the Passfield White Paper attempted to limit Jewish migration. In 1931, the Irgun Tsvai LeUmi (ETZEL, National Military Organization) tried to fight back the Arabs until the birth of the State of Israel. Their activity was judged by most Jewish bodies. Meanwhile, the cultural institutions were evolving as well. In 1932, The Tel Aviv Museum of Art was inaugurated, and a year later excavations were started in the area of Masada.

1933

– Hitler came into power in Germany, and many countries in Central Europe became right-wing. As a result of the events, the fifth Aliyah (1930–1939) began. Settlements were created on the Sharon Plain, and at the same time (along the works of several German intellectuals) the designing of a Bauhaus cityscape of Tel Aviv began. An Arab riot broke out that lasted for years, which the Jews tried to limit until British intervention.

Hitler gains power in Germany

The emergence of the Bauhaus style in the urban architecture, Tel Aviv

1936

– The Hebrew, Arab and English radio shows began. The Peel Comission suggested in 1937 that the area should be divided into a large Arab and a small Jewish State and to special zones controlled by the British. The Jews accepted the suggestion, the Arabs refused. The Arab attacks against Jewish settlements and murders became regular, so the Jews established settlements with protective purposes. In 1938, the revisionist Zionist movement, led by Vladimir Jabotinsky, committed themselves to an immediate repression of terrorist attacks by the Arabs, yet the British condemned the Jews for the problems.

1939

– The British changed their politics: they were thinking of a united state of Arab domination and sovereignty over the land of Israel. In May, they accepted the MacDonald White Paper which strongly limited Jewish migration. In September, the Second World War broke out, however the British politics still didn’t allow mass immigration for the Jews to the land of Israel. The Irgun declares war against the British, while the Haganah rented ships and started to organize the rescue of the illegal Jewish immigrants from Europe.

The „Young Aliyah” – in Nazi Germany, a Jewish organisation set up to save jewish children – its first group

Protest against the White Book outside the Habima theatre Tel Aviv

1940

– The British ordered the resettlement of “illegal” immigrants and expelled them to Mauritia. Against British activity, the Lehi (Lohamei Herut Israel = Fighters for the Freedom of Israel, its later name: Stern Gang) was created by Avraham Jair Stern. In 1941, the Haganah established its elite corps, the Palmach (Plugat Mahatz = Strike Force).

1945

– The Second World War ended. The President of the United States suggested the allowance of the migration of 100,000 Jews to the land of Israel. Meanwhile, the Arab League was formed. Despite the British limitations on migration, the seventh “illegal” Aliyah (1945–1948) began, which allowed 120,000 Holocaust survivors to migrate to the area. At the end of the Second World War, a school-network already operated in Israel (483 schools, out of which 35 were secondary schools).

The first Aliyah (immigrations):

Aliyah	Period	Number of People
First Aliyah	1882–1903	35 000
Second Aliyah	1904–1914	40 000
Third Aliyah	1919–1923	40 000
Fourth Aliyah	1924–1929	82 000
Fifth Aliyah	1930–1939	250 000
The Second World War and the years of state foundation	1939–1948	480 000