Page 201 - big friday
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Karl Schwarz was director of the Tel Aviv Museum for about fourteen years. Dr. Haim
Gamzu, who replaced him in 1947, brought a different spirit, which expressed itself inter
alia in the promotion of contemporary art and encouragement of new streams on the
local art scene, but two years later he was forced to vacate his position, and Moshe Kaniuk
took over as museum director. From 1952 the position was filled by Eugen Kolb, and in
1962 Haim Gamzu returned to his former office, now well-known amongst the public as
a sharp-tongued art critic, feared by many artists. He was director of the museum until
1976.
In 1959, with the expansion of the museum's activities and collections, the Helena
Rubinstein Pavilion was opened to the public and operated in parallel. The original
museum building, in Dizengoff House on Rothschild Boulevard, was closed in 1971,
when the museum moved to the new and spacious purpose-designed new building on
Shaul HaMelech (King Saul) Boulevard.
T he most suitable venue
A s it turned out, fate seemed to single out Dizengoff House to serve as the venue for
the most important event in the history of the Yishuv and of the state – the ceremony of
the Proclamation of the Establishment of the State, which was held there on Friday, 5th
Iyar 5708 (May 14, 1948).
O n Wednesday, May 12, 1948, the People's Administration decided that its members
would meet two days later, on Friday, May 14, to discuss and sign the Proclamation. Thus,
the date had already been set. One of the questions that arose during that brief but intense
period was where the ceremony would be held. Jerusalem was under siege; the alternative, of
course, was Tel Aviv, which is where most of the Yishuv's institutions and leaders were located.
The most appropriate venue seemed to be the large and elegant auditorium of the
HaBima theater, which could hold a large number of people. However, this suggestion
was rejected by the organizers, who felt that it was not appropriate to proclaim the
establishment of the state in an auditorium where comedies and other entertainment
was performed. There were also those who opposed the idea of having a large crowd
in the HaBima auditorium for fear that the building would be targeted and bombed.
Another proposal concerned the Great Synagogue on Allenby Street, but there were
those who protested that the occasion should not be imbued with an overtly religious
character. The idea of holding the ceremony in the building of the Histadrut Executive
Committee, likewise located on Allenby Street, was also rejected, the argument being
that the occasion should not be identified with parties that did not represent the Yishuv
as a whole. Meetings of the People's Administration took place, at that time, in the JNF
building on Zvi Hermann Shapira Street. This was unquestionably a worthy venue, but it
was too small to host the event.
U nder the circumstances, the Tel Aviv Museum seemed to be the most suitable venue.
Other Perspectives 199
Gamzu, who replaced him in 1947, brought a different spirit, which expressed itself inter
alia in the promotion of contemporary art and encouragement of new streams on the
local art scene, but two years later he was forced to vacate his position, and Moshe Kaniuk
took over as museum director. From 1952 the position was filled by Eugen Kolb, and in
1962 Haim Gamzu returned to his former office, now well-known amongst the public as
a sharp-tongued art critic, feared by many artists. He was director of the museum until
1976.
In 1959, with the expansion of the museum's activities and collections, the Helena
Rubinstein Pavilion was opened to the public and operated in parallel. The original
museum building, in Dizengoff House on Rothschild Boulevard, was closed in 1971,
when the museum moved to the new and spacious purpose-designed new building on
Shaul HaMelech (King Saul) Boulevard.
T he most suitable venue
A s it turned out, fate seemed to single out Dizengoff House to serve as the venue for
the most important event in the history of the Yishuv and of the state – the ceremony of
the Proclamation of the Establishment of the State, which was held there on Friday, 5th
Iyar 5708 (May 14, 1948).
O n Wednesday, May 12, 1948, the People's Administration decided that its members
would meet two days later, on Friday, May 14, to discuss and sign the Proclamation. Thus,
the date had already been set. One of the questions that arose during that brief but intense
period was where the ceremony would be held. Jerusalem was under siege; the alternative, of
course, was Tel Aviv, which is where most of the Yishuv's institutions and leaders were located.
The most appropriate venue seemed to be the large and elegant auditorium of the
HaBima theater, which could hold a large number of people. However, this suggestion
was rejected by the organizers, who felt that it was not appropriate to proclaim the
establishment of the state in an auditorium where comedies and other entertainment
was performed. There were also those who opposed the idea of having a large crowd
in the HaBima auditorium for fear that the building would be targeted and bombed.
Another proposal concerned the Great Synagogue on Allenby Street, but there were
those who protested that the occasion should not be imbued with an overtly religious
character. The idea of holding the ceremony in the building of the Histadrut Executive
Committee, likewise located on Allenby Street, was also rejected, the argument being
that the occasion should not be identified with parties that did not represent the Yishuv
as a whole. Meetings of the People's Administration took place, at that time, in the JNF
building on Zvi Hermann Shapira Street. This was unquestionably a worthy venue, but it
was too small to host the event.
U nder the circumstances, the Tel Aviv Museum seemed to be the most suitable venue.
Other Perspectives 199
