Secret Invitation to Attend the Declaration of Israel's Statehood A rare and exciting piece of Israeli history, documenting the Birth of the Jewish State only hours before its establishment.
Dimensions: 21.3x13.5 cm. Mimeographed. On the letterhead of the 'People's Administration'
The State of Israel was declared by David Ben Gurion on Friday May 14, 1948 in the city of Tel Aviv. A very limited number of individuals were honored with a personal invitation to this extraordinary historical event. The invitations were hand-delivered by messengers, only on the morning of May 14, for fear that the British Authorities might attempt to prevent the declaration of Statehood or that the Arab armies might invade earlier than expected.
Invitees were instructed to arrive at the Tel Aviv Museum (today's Independence Hall) at 15:30 and to "keep secret the contents of the invitation and the time of the council." They were requested to wear festive, dark clothing. The declaration was broadcast live as the first transmission of the new radio station Kol Yisrael. The news was met with euphoria amongst the Jewish population, with singing and dancing breaking out spontaneously throughout the streets of the new State.
A rare and important piece of Israeliana.