Land of Israel

To mark 40 years since the passing of Moshe Dayan, one of the most iconic and photogenic figures in Israel’s history, we dove into the National Library collections and selected a handful of pictures that captured both historic and personal moments in his eventful life

The discovery of a handful of forgotten photos from a 1971 visit led us to take a retrospective look at Johnny Cash’s long-term love affair with the Land of Israel, which included five trips to the country

Chava Levine shares a bit of what she learned from working on the personal archive of Professor Dov Noy, who was described as “the world’s foremost Jewish folklorist”. The archive is now deposited at the National Library of Israel.

Amos Yarkoni was a fierce warrior and a decorated officer. He made major contributions to Israel’s security, was loved by his commanders and admired by his soldiers. The course of his life could have been completely different had he decided to fight the Jewish settlers instead of joining them.

Everyone frequented this Jerusalem movie theater: Jews, Arabs and British soldiers. So why was it destroyed, not once but twice?

In the midst of WWI, residents of Jerusalem witnessed a horrific spectacle: the hanging of five local citizens by the Ottoman authorities. A photograph of the scene has since become a Jerusalem legend linking Christians, Jews and Muslims.

Stories about dragons usually lead us to dark caves in Europe, but one classic dragon-tale may have its ancient roots right here, in the Land of Israel

Why were the residents of Mandatory Palestine banned from eating ice cream for three whole years?

Golda Meir, one of the most powerful women in Israel’s history, was the third woman in the 20th century to become a leader of a nation. Though a frequent critic of the feminist movement, Golda herself was the focus of interest and criticism due to her gender. How did she deal with it? Why did she agree to enter a synagogue in Moscow but not in Tel Aviv? And what does this have to do with the Israeli Hatmakers’ Union?