May 14, 1948
Israel Declares Independence
Historical context
On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion read the Declaration of Independence at the Tel Aviv Museum, eight hours before the British Mandate ended.
Archive record
Read the event, then follow its documented sources and archive threads.
- Date
- May 14, 1948
- Verified sources
- 2
- Archive threads
- 6
On this day, at 4 p.m., David Ben-Gurion read the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel at the Tel Aviv Museum. The Israel State Archives record that the ceremony was held eight hours before the British Mandate was due to end, and that the declaration was read from a mimeographed sheet. The 37 members of the Provisional Council signed a blank parchment. The official scroll was written later.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs records that Jerusalem was under siege, so the council members who lived there could not attend. Rabbi Yehuda Leib Fishman recited the Shehecheyanu blessing. The ceremony was broadcast on Kol Israel.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- The Declaration of Independence · Israel State Archives · Israel State Archives View source
- Signatories of the Declaration · Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs View source
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