Page 204 - big friday
P. 204
R edressing the injustice
The project received a swell of support at the beginning of 2010. Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu held a ceremonial cabinet meeting in Tel Hai, where he announced an impressive
project to "strengthen the infrastructure of the national heritage".
C abinet Secretary Zvi Hauser prepared a detailed action plan. As a first stage, heritage sites
were defined: they included archaeological sites; sites with a connection to Jewish heritage;
sites associated with Zionist history; and collections, archives and artistic works in various
realms that should be preserved, shown to the public, and protected as cultural assets. An
impressive budget was promised for the project.
In October, 2010, Reuven Pinsky, who served as Director of the Old City Basin in the
Jerusalem Development Authority, was appointed head of the heritage program.
The project personnel have received more than two hundred different proposals for
renovating heritage sites, and they undergo a careful selection process. As a first stage, some
20 sites were approved, and Dizengoff House, or "Independence Hall", was one of the most
prominent among them.
T he public tender issued by the State Archivist, as required in accordance with the
Independence Hall Law, was awarded to the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality, which placed the
execution of the project in the hands of the Land of Israel Museum. Hezi Zviel, who had led
complex projects to establish visitors' centers at historic sites, was chosen to lead the work.
T he Independence Hall Project is continuing apace, and topics and ideas are being raised
Thousands of visitors arrive each month. In the hall where the ceremony took
place, they listen to a recording of the historic declaration
202 The Friday That Changed Destiny
The project received a swell of support at the beginning of 2010. Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu held a ceremonial cabinet meeting in Tel Hai, where he announced an impressive
project to "strengthen the infrastructure of the national heritage".
C abinet Secretary Zvi Hauser prepared a detailed action plan. As a first stage, heritage sites
were defined: they included archaeological sites; sites with a connection to Jewish heritage;
sites associated with Zionist history; and collections, archives and artistic works in various
realms that should be preserved, shown to the public, and protected as cultural assets. An
impressive budget was promised for the project.
In October, 2010, Reuven Pinsky, who served as Director of the Old City Basin in the
Jerusalem Development Authority, was appointed head of the heritage program.
The project personnel have received more than two hundred different proposals for
renovating heritage sites, and they undergo a careful selection process. As a first stage, some
20 sites were approved, and Dizengoff House, or "Independence Hall", was one of the most
prominent among them.
T he public tender issued by the State Archivist, as required in accordance with the
Independence Hall Law, was awarded to the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality, which placed the
execution of the project in the hands of the Land of Israel Museum. Hezi Zviel, who had led
complex projects to establish visitors' centers at historic sites, was chosen to lead the work.
T he Independence Hall Project is continuing apace, and topics and ideas are being raised
Thousands of visitors arrive each month. In the hall where the ceremony took
place, they listen to a recording of the historic declaration
202 The Friday That Changed Destiny
