Ben Gurion House
Encyclopedia
The Ben Gurion House is an historic house museum in Tel Aviv
, in which between 1931-1968 served as an additional residence for Israel
's 1st Defense and Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion
, and his family, along with another additional residence, Tzrif Ben Gurion at Sde Boker
Kibbutz
in the Negev (known as his desert home), and parallelly with his official residence as Prime Minister of Israel
, at Beit Julius Jacobs in Jerusalem. It is located at 17 Ben-Gurion Boulevard , in Tel Aviv
.
's (JNF) property lands, when the first laborer neighborhood was established there at the time.
The house was designed by the Israeli architect David Tuvia, and as customary in laborer neighborhoods in Israel at the time, the house included only one room, and was worth 350 British Mandate Pound (lira eretz-yisra'elit). The house was expanded in 1946, and renovated in 1960.
(Mivtza' Kadesh, "Operation Kadesh") as a shelter
and a bedroom. From this room Ben Gurion conducted his communication with Moshe Dayan
, then his Chief of Staff, and from there he had received the updates on the events in the battlefield of the operation.
On 13 May 1948, Ben Gurion hosted the Minhelet ha'am
(People's Administration) body: Aharon Zisling
, Yehuda Leib Maimon
, and Moshe Sharett
, where they formulated and drafted the final version of the Israeli Declaration of Independence (Megilat HaAtzma'ut). The next day, they went from this house to Dizengoff House, now known as Independence Hall, and where the Tel Aviv Museum of Art
was located at the time, where Ben gurion announced on the establishment of the State of Israel.
The libraries that are located at the second floor are known for their unusual size. Ben-Gurion maintained in these libraries more than 20,000 different books, that dealt mainly with the subjects of Zionism
, history, various cultures and religions, a diverse collections of Hebrew Bible
books and more. By maintaining many books on IDF
's fallen soldiers, Ben-Gurion stressed the importance of the subject to him. The books that are written in many languages, may give an idea as to Ben-Gurion's fields of interest.
The second floor also included a toilet and a bedroom, and served only Ben Gurion himself at the time.
Three years after Ben-Gurion died, the Ben-Gurion law 1977 was legislated, in which it stipulates that the house will be open to the public, and will serve as a museum in memory of Ben-Gurion and as a commemoration of his legacy, as well "as a Reading, Reviewing and Research center", as Ben-Gurion himself requested.
The house was opened for the broad public in 29 November 1974, and as of today, guided tours and symposiums are being conducted in the house, with the purpose of depicting Ben-Gurion's charechter and life work as a leader. In addition, items of souvenirs, historical-documentary, and Ben-Gurion's titles awarded to him when he was prime minister, are being exhibited in the house.
The Boulevard in which the house is situated, was called at the time Ben-Gurion lived there, Keren Kayemet Boulevard ("Jewish National Fund Boulevard"), and was renamed Ben-Gurion Boulevard after Ben-Gurion died. The name Keren Kayemet Boulevard was then moved to a central street within a northern Tel-Aviv neighborhood, Ever Ha-Yarkon suburb, and is still named after the JNF today.
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, in which between 1931-1968 served as an additional residence for Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's 1st Defense and Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
, and his family, along with another additional residence, Tzrif Ben Gurion at Sde Boker
Sde Boker
Sde Boker is a kibbutz in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Best known as the retirement home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council.-History:...
Kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
in the Negev (known as his desert home), and parallelly with his official residence as Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
, at Beit Julius Jacobs in Jerusalem. It is located at 17 Ben-Gurion Boulevard , in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
History and Structure
The house was built in 1930-1931, where David Ben Gurion and his family lived until they settled in Sde-Boker, in 1953, after which they lived only part of each year . It was built on one of the Jewish National FundJewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...
's (JNF) property lands, when the first laborer neighborhood was established there at the time.
The house was designed by the Israeli architect David Tuvia, and as customary in laborer neighborhoods in Israel at the time, the house included only one room, and was worth 350 British Mandate Pound (lira eretz-yisra'elit). The house was expanded in 1946, and renovated in 1960.
First floor
The first floor included Renana's room, Ben-Gurion's daughter. It also served Ben gurion during the Suez CrisisSuez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
(Mivtza' Kadesh, "Operation Kadesh") as a shelter
Air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
and a bedroom. From this room Ben Gurion conducted his communication with Moshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan was an Israeli military leader and politician. The fourth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces , he became a fighting symbol to the world of the new State of Israel...
, then his Chief of Staff, and from there he had received the updates on the events in the battlefield of the operation.
Second floor
The second floor houses a four-room library. The libraries holds his personal collection of periodicals and 20,000 books, in ancient Greek, Latin, English, Hebrew, French, Turkish, German, Russian and other languages.. One of them served as Ben Gurion's study room, where he had his own study corner, in which he wrote in his diary. It also contained a special phone, that was a connected-only-line to the Defense Ministry's office.On 13 May 1948, Ben Gurion hosted the Minhelet ha'am
Provisional government of Israel
The provisional government of Israel was the temporary cabinet which governed Israel from shortly before independence until the formation of the first government in March 1949 following the first Knesset elections in January that year....
(People's Administration) body: Aharon Zisling
Aharon Zisling
Aharon Zisling was an Israeli politician and minister and a signatory of Israel's declaration of independence.-Biography:Born in Minsk in the Russian Empire , Zisling emigrated to Palestine in 1904...
, Yehuda Leib Maimon
Yehuda Leib Maimon
Yehuda Leib Maimon was an Israeli rabbi, politician and leader of the religious Zionism movement, originating from Bessarabia.-Biography:Born in 1875 in Mărculeşti, Bessarabia , Maimon studied in a number of yeshivot and received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein, the author of...
, and Moshe Sharett
Moshe Sharett
Moshe Sharett on 15 October 1894, died 7 July 1965) was the second Prime Minister of Israel , serving for a little under two years between David Ben-Gurion's two terms.-Early life:...
, where they formulated and drafted the final version of the Israeli Declaration of Independence (Megilat HaAtzma'ut). The next day, they went from this house to Dizengoff House, now known as Independence Hall, and where the Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
The Tel Aviv Museum of Art is an art museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was established in 1932 in a building that was the home of Tel Aviv's first mayor, Meir Dizengoff. The Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art opened in 1959. The museum moved to its current location on King Saul Avenue in...
was located at the time, where Ben gurion announced on the establishment of the State of Israel.
The libraries that are located at the second floor are known for their unusual size. Ben-Gurion maintained in these libraries more than 20,000 different books, that dealt mainly with the subjects of Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
, history, various cultures and religions, a diverse collections of Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
books and more. By maintaining many books on IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
's fallen soldiers, Ben-Gurion stressed the importance of the subject to him. The books that are written in many languages, may give an idea as to Ben-Gurion's fields of interest.
The second floor also included a toilet and a bedroom, and served only Ben Gurion himself at the time.
The house nowadays
In his will Ben-Gurion requested to bequest the house to the State of Israel, as is stated:Three years after Ben-Gurion died, the Ben-Gurion law 1977 was legislated, in which it stipulates that the house will be open to the public, and will serve as a museum in memory of Ben-Gurion and as a commemoration of his legacy, as well "as a Reading, Reviewing and Research center", as Ben-Gurion himself requested.
The house was opened for the broad public in 29 November 1974, and as of today, guided tours and symposiums are being conducted in the house, with the purpose of depicting Ben-Gurion's charechter and life work as a leader. In addition, items of souvenirs, historical-documentary, and Ben-Gurion's titles awarded to him when he was prime minister, are being exhibited in the house.
The Boulevard in which the house is situated, was called at the time Ben-Gurion lived there, Keren Kayemet Boulevard ("Jewish National Fund Boulevard"), and was renamed Ben-Gurion Boulevard after Ben-Gurion died. The name Keren Kayemet Boulevard was then moved to a central street within a northern Tel-Aviv neighborhood, Ever Ha-Yarkon suburb, and is still named after the JNF today.
See also
- David Ben-GurionDavid Ben-Gurion' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
- Beit Julius Jacobs
- Tzrif Ben Gurion
- Midreshet Ben-GurionMidreshet Ben-GurionMidreshet Ben-Gurion , also known as Midreshet Sde Boker, is a communal settlement in southern Israel. Located near Sde Boker in the Negev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council. In 2010 it had a population of 1,200....
- Sde-Boker
- Ben-Gurion Boulevard
External links
- Ben-Gurion house official website