FROM OUR ARCHIVES
65 YEARS AGO
On April 24, 1952, The Jerusalem Post reported from Tel Aviv on a big Mapam-sponsored demonstration against the government’s New Economic Policy, accompanied by a general workers’ strike. Israel Galili, member of the Mapam Executive Committee, resigned from his post in opposition to this anti-government move.
Lazar Goodman of Indianapolis, one of the biggest holders of Israel Bonds, told the National Welfare Council meeting in New York that he had ambassador Abba Eban’s assurance that there would be no more Indianapolis incidents, where representatives of different welfare funds and bonds had collided with each other. The National Welfare Council was now satisfied with the new Bonds-UJA agreements.
Eban was leaving for the West Coast the following day, where he was expected to address more meetings under the auspices of the Israeli consulate, presenting an overall picture of Israel’s needs. In each town he would also speak at private meetings selling Israel Bonds.
In Washington, Henry Byroade, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, said he would make maximum efforts to expedite the flow of aid to Israel.
50 YEARS AGO
On April 24, 1967, The Jerusalem Post reported that the Foreign Affairs Ministry had announced that David Ben-Gurion was leaving for Germany to join the official delegation representing Israel at the funeral ceremonies for Dr. Konrad Adenauer.
The Passover holiday began that night. For Israelis it was 19th Passover since the establishment of the state. President Zalman Shazar and his wife Shazar were to celebrated the Seder at the Arza sanatorium, near Jerusalem.
The Post’s editorial described Passover as a festival of the individual, celebrating the first great emancipation of human beings from slavery to their fellow men.
25 YEARS AGO
On May 24, 2002, The Jerusalem Post reported that in a surprise turnaround, Israel decided to “postpone” its agreement to cooperate with the UN fact-finding mission, with one diplomatic official saying that Israel was afraid of being “set up.” This decision was made after consultations with prime minister Ariel Sharon, held in the office of defense minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and representatives of the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry, who had prepared Israel’s case.
A man suspected of collaborating with Israel was shot the previous day near the Jenin refugee camp.
Finance minister Silvan Shalom planned to announce a 15% to 25% tax on capital gains from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, and a 25% tax on interest earning on savings accounts. The proposals would be part of the Rabinovitch Tax Reform Committee recommendation due at the end of May, which were expected to be introduced later that year.
Three Armenian monks, who had been held hostage by Palestinian gunmen in the Church of the Nativity, managed to flee from the church and thanked Israeli soldiers for rescuing them. The monks reported that the gunmen had stolen gold and crucifixes. The robbers had also beaten a number of clergymen. − Alexander Zvielli