Yom Ha'atzmaut

Today is Israel's Independence Day. Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, declared the State’s independence on May 14, 1948. At 6:11 pm, President Truman officially recognized the new State. As pictured at right, Washingtonians gathered at the Jewish Agency building on Massachusetts Avenue, NW. The crowd cheered as the flag of the new State of Israel was raised on Embassy Row.

To celebrate, we invite you to peruse our online slideshow that chronicles the involvement of the Washington Jewish community in the struggle for Jewish statehood.

Copyright The Washington Post. Reproduced with permission.