FROM OUR ARCHIVES

65 YEARS AGO

On April 30, 1952, The Jerusalem Post reported that the Fourth Independence Day celebrations, including a sports parade and flag-raising ceremony at Herzl’s Tomb, thrilled crowds and many thousands of spectators who crowded into and around the National Stadium and park in Jerusalem. In his message to the nation, president Chaim Weizmann expressed his deep regret that failing health prevented him from taking part in the celebrations and sent his warmest congratulation to the entire nation.

Israel paid tribute to all those who fell in the War of Liberation in ceremonies held throughout the country.

Commerce and industry minister Dr. Dov Joseph, accompanied by ambassador Abba Eban, met US secretary of commerce and industry Charles Brannan. They discussed the supply of US surplus foodstuffs to Israel. Eban had just returned from the West Coast, where he had made 12 speeches in four days on behalf of the United Jewish Appeal and Israel Bonds.

50 YEARS AGO

On April 30, 1967, Post reported that a 14-inch water pipe was damaged by three explosive charges laid by Syrian infiltrators at the Gan Hatzafon orchards, north of Kibbutz Hagoshrim, in Upper Galilee during the night. Tracks of three persons led to the Syrian border, 1,500 meters away. The infiltrators returned to Syria through the River Hatzbani.

In Damascus, the Al-Assefa terrorist organization announced that it had carried out three raids on Israel between April 19 and 24, 1967. It admitted that it had lost one infiltrator in an ambush prepared by the IDF.

Gen. Odd Bull, the UNTSO chief of staff, met with Syria’s top military leaders in a renewed effort to settle the border dispute between Syria and Israel.

Labor minister Yigal Allon announced that he would lead a nine-man delegation to the annual conference of the International Social Insurance Federation which was to take place in Leningrad in May that year. He would be the first Israeli cabinet minister to visit the Soviet Union.

25 YEARS AGO

On April 30, 1992, The Jerusalem Post reported that Soviet vice president Alexander Rutskoi, accompanied by his wife and son, toured sites in Jerusalem, and met with president Chaim Herzog and prime minister Yitzhak Shamir on the first day of their three-day visit in Israel. Russian vice president cited chance for “blossoming relationship” between the Soviet Union and Israel.

In another attempt to introduce confidence-building measures into the peace process, Israel proposed that Palestinians begin administering 19 hospitals in the territories.

Syrian government spokeswoman Rushre Kanafani said that any difficulties that Syrian Jews were having receiving travel visas would soon be resolved and travel would soon become routine.

Yitzhak Shamir opened the Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Memorial Day at Yad Vashem by saying that the Jewish state which arose out of the ashes of the Holocaust now stood firmly established, prepared to repel every foe who still imagines that it can destroy it. He added that “a new Jewish generation can save its own.” Shamir scored the world powers which stood silently by, while every third Jew was murdered.

– Alexander Zvielli