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ISRAELS' CRADLE The National Institutions Building
The National Institutions Building in Jerusalem had been the home of the "nascent government" of the "nascent state", that on Friday, 5 Iyar 5708-1948 became the State of Israel. It was here that all the important meetings took place, that historic decisions were adopted and that guidelines were sent out to the various offices of the leadership regarding the ways to promote the establishment of the State of Israel.
The chapters of the book tell about the building even before its construction, the architectural competition of 1928, the stages of the building's construction, which took 6 years, and the key events that occurred within and around the building, in the large square in front of it, which became the "national square".
The National Institutions Building's missions were not completed in 1948, with the establishment of the State of Israel. The entities residing within it still had quite a few tasks to complete – both tasks concerning happenings within Israel and tasks related to the relationship of the state and its residents with the Jewish World.
As in the past, the building still teems with life and activity and will have stories to tell.
Yehuda Dekel is closely related to the National Institutions Building. For 38 years, he served in the Settlement Department of the Jewish Agency, eight of which as Director- General of the Department. Born in 1929, Yehuda Dekel was the son of the founders of Herzliya, a fighter in the
Palmach, who served in the IDF Reserve for decades and attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Armored Corp., during the Yom Kippur War. A graduate of Mikveh Israel, he had a master's degree in agricultural sciences from the Hebrew University. He was one of the builders of the Lachish Region, the planners of the Negev, the developers of the Jerusalem Region, Gush Etzion and the Jordan Rift Valley. He led the development of industry and tourism in the settlement enterprise. He served as Chairman of the Executive Council of the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites. He authored the book "Comradery under Fire," which chronicles the battles of Al-Nabi Yusha' in 1948, where many of his comrades had fallen. He was among the torch lighters of Independence Day 5766-2006, honoring the developers of the Negev and the Galilee. Founder of "HaReut Museum" in Metzudat Koach.
Eliyahu Dobkin, one of the heroes of this book, was one of the permanent "residents" of the National Institutions Building for over thirty years. One of the founders of "HeHalutz" Movement in Eastern Europe, he served as the Head of the Aliya Department in the Jewish Agency and
was called the "Aliya Minister for the Nascent State."
After World War II, he was the first Jewish leader who
came to thIeSBrNec97e8n-9t6ly5-7li6b85e-r1a5t-e0d death camps in IGSeBNrm97a8-n9y6,5-7685-17-4 dressed in the uniform of an American general.
Dobkin is among the signers of the Declaration of Independ9en7c8e9.6D5u7r6in8g51t5h0e first years of the9st7a8t9e6,5h7e685174 headed the Youth and the Pioneer Department and was Chairman of Keren Hayesod.
Eliyahu Dobkin also developed a rich artistic career. His collection of ancient glassware is considered one of the largest in the world and was donated to the Israel Museum during his lifetime. His daughter Nehama married Yehuda Dekel, for whom the Yehuda Dekel Library is named.
ISBN 978-965-7685-16-7
ISBN 978-965-7685-18-1
SOCIETY FOR PRESERVATION
price: NIS 11900 Excluding VAT: NIS 10250 Publisher: Yehuda Dekel Library
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9 789657 685181
OF ISRAEL HERITAGE SITES