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Independence Hall, originally the Dizengoff House (), is a
history museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
and the site of the signing of Israel's Declaration of Independence. It is located on the historic Rothschild Boulevard in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
,
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. It was originally built as the home of
Meir Dizengoff Meir Dizengoff (; born Meer Yankelevich Dizengof, ); 25 February 1861 – 23 September 1936) was a Zionism, Zionist leader and politician and the founder and first Mayor of Tel Aviv, mayor of Tel Aviv (1911–1922 as head of town planning, 1922� ...
and his wife Zina. Dizengoff later entrusted architect Carl Rubin to redesign the building in the
International Style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
. Dizengoff gifted the building to the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, and it housed the Tel Aviv Museum of Art from 1932 to 1971. It is currently a museum dedicated to the signing of the
Israeli Declaration of Independence The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel (), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 (5 Iyar 5708), at the end of the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war phase and ...
and the history of Tel Aviv; it is closed to the public for renovations.


History


Dizengoff

At the vicinity of where Independence Hall now stands, sixty-six families gathered on April 11, 1909, to conduct a lottery for plots of land in a new Jewish neighborhood, to be known as Ahuzat Bayit. Meir and Zina Dizengoff acquired plot number 43, on which they built their home. It was originally a simple and symmetrical house, built of
kurkar Kurkar ( /) is the term used in Arabic and modern Hebrew for the rock type of which lithification, lithified sea sand dunes consist. The equivalent term used in Lebanon is ramleh. History Kurkar is the regional name for an aeolian quartz sands ...
stone.
Meir Dizengoff Meir Dizengoff (; born Meer Yankelevich Dizengof, ); 25 February 1861 – 23 September 1936) was a Zionism, Zionist leader and politician and the founder and first Mayor of Tel Aviv, mayor of Tel Aviv (1911–1922 as head of town planning, 1922� ...
served as the head of the new neighborhood council. In 1910, at a general meeting, the residents of Ahuzat Bayit, inspired by Theodor Herzl's ''Altneuland'' (English: Old-New Land), unanimously decided to rename their neighborhood
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
. As the neighborhood grew and became a city, Dizengoff became its first mayor. Zina was a
socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...
and hosted European-style
salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...
gatherings at the home. Dizengoff made several renovations to the property, including the addition of a rear wing where the declaration of independence took place. Dizengoff hired the architect, Carl Rubin, who redesigned the building in the
international style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
.


Tel Aviv Museum of Art

In 1930, after the death of his wife, Dizengoff donated his house to his beloved city of Tel Aviv and requested that it be turned into a museum. The house underwent extensive renovations and became the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 1932. In 1933, the museum hired the art historian, Dr. Karl Schwarz to head the burgeoning museum. Schwarz immigrated to
Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...
to take up the position, leaving behind his role as head of
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
's first Jewish museum.History
Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Retrieved on 24 November 2024
At the time of his appointment he wrote a guest column for ''
Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...
'' newspaper, setting out his vision for the museum: "A nurturing institution, from which education will emerge, reflecting the artistic development in other countries; where one can study the works of the country's great artists; ndwhich fosters and provides for artists living and working in the country — a place where new ideas are given impetus. That is what the Tel Aviv Museum should be.” He stayed on with the museum until 1947, enhancing the art collection, preparing exhibitions and creating a library for the history of art and cinema.The museum moved to its current location at 27 Shaul Hamelech Blvd, in 1971. The larger, purpose-built building was more appropriate and allowed the museum to expand.


Independence declaration

In the main hall of the building, at 4 PM on May 14, 1948 (5 Iyar 5708), in the presence of the members of the Vaad Leumi (Jewish National Council) and the leaders of the
Yishuv The Yishuv (), HaYishuv Ha'ivri (), or HaYishuv HaYehudi Be'Eretz Yisra'el () was the community of Jews residing in Palestine prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The term came into use in the 1880s, when there were about 2 ...
,
David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary List of national founders, national founder and first Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister of the State of Israel. As head of the Jewish Agency ...
proclaimed the establishment of the
State of Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, eight hours before the British Mandate of Palestine was due to end. After Ben-Gurion read the Declaration of Independence, Rabbi Fischman (Maimon) recited the Shehecheyanu blessing, and the Declaration was signed. The ceremony concluded with the singing of
Hatikvah Hatikvah (, ; ) is the national anthem of the Israel, State of Israel. Part of 19th-century Jewish literature, Jewish poetry, the theme of the Romantic poetry, Romantic composition reflects the 2,000-year-old desire of the Jews, Jewish people ...
, now Israel's national anthem. In the 24 hours prior to the ceremony, considerable efforts were made to prepare the hall. A $200 budget was allocated for the decor and decorations, and Israeli flags were loaned from the
Jewish National Fund The Jewish National Fund (JNF; , ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael''; previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') is a non-profit organizationProfessor Alon Tal, The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion ...
. Seating for the audiences was also provided by nearby cafes. A small stage was also constructed, made from timber purchases at a
thrift store A charity shop is a retail establishment run by a charitable organization to raise money. Charity shops are a type of social enterprise. They sell mainly used goods such as clothing, books, music albums, shoes, toys, and furniture donated by ...
. A portrait of
Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who was the father of Types of Zionism, modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organizat ...
was also hung in a central position above the stage. Art works portraying nudity were covered, carpets were laid on the floors and windows were darkened over fears of an air raid. The invited guests were sworn to secrecy and the art museum was closed to the public during these preparations.110 שנות היסטוריה: סיפורו של הבית שבו נולדה המדינה
YNet. 6 May 2022
In spite of the pact of secrecy, a crowd formed outside the building at noon on the day of the ceremony. The declaration and celebrations were photographed by Rudi Weissenstein.


Recent history

By the 1970s, the building was in a neglected physical state, crumbling and with
mice A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...
problems. In 1978, the hall was restored to resemble its appearance at the time of the declaration of independence and opened to the public. It has since been a museum dedicated to the signing of the declaration and the history of
Tel Aviv-Yafo Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
. The upper floors of the building have housed a Bible museum, featuring archaeological artifacts and works of art with biblical themes. However, as the surrounding Rothschild Boulevard underwent a revival, and neighboring properties were restored, the hall appeared shabby and rundown in the 1990s and 2000s. In 2009, the "Independence House Law" was enacted to "restore and preserve the building ..as it is of national and historical importance in the history of the people and the state." Urgent renovations on the building were undertaken by architect Uri Glazer in 2012. During these works, a ceramic relief by German-born Israeli artist, Chava Samuel was discovered behind a board. In 2013, it was revealed that the building was earmarked for a major renovation project in the coming years, creating an "innovative museum" in the space. The building is currently closed to the public as it undergoes these extensive renovations.Independence Hall
''Secret Tel Aviv''. Retrieved on 23 November 2024
Glazer and Gal & Matsliah Architects won a design competition to restore the building and are being assisted by the engineer, Moshe Kazes.


Gallery

File:PikiWiki Israel 69787 telaviv council in dizengoffi39s house.jpg, 16 Rothschild Boulevard (Dizengoff House), home of Meir and Zina Dizengoff, in 1910, Dershowitz collection File:Karl Schwarz Tel aviv musem003.jpg, Art historian, Dr. Karl Schwarz, who headed TA Museum of Art, 1935 File:Karl Schwarz Tel aviv musem004.jpg, Dr. Karl Schwarz at Tel Aviv Art Museum in 1935 File:Karl Schwarz Tel aviv musem005.jpg, Carl Rubin, Meir Dizengoff and Moshe Kaniuk during the renovation of the Tel Aviv Museum, 1935, Meir Dizengoff Collection, Eretz Israel Museum. File:Karl Schwarz Tel aviv musem007.jpg, Walter Tzedek, Meir Dizengoff's coffin placed in the Tel Aviv Museum, September 24, 1936. Meir Dizengoff Collection, Eretz Israel Museum. File:Karl Schwarz Tel aviv musem010.jpg, Avraham Soskin, Hall of Eastern European Art, 1939, Collection of the Eretz Israel Museum. File:Karl Schwarz Tel aviv musem011.jpg, Avraham Soskin, Tel Aviv Museum Library, upper floor (after 1946-1947), Eretz Israel Museum collection. File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - Tel Avivians waiting for the delegates to leave the museum building after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.jpg, Locals gathered outside as Independence was declared inside the building on 14 May, 1948 File:Invitation to the Independence Ceremony P1080466.JPG, Invitation to the Independence Ceremony File:721441 size.jpg, Rudi Weissenstein, the declaration of independence ceremony, 14 May 1948 File:PikiWiki Israel 46947 Tel Aviv Museum building.jpg, Tel Aviv Art Museum between 1948-1951 File:Tel Aviv-Yafo (997008136679805171).jpg, Beno Rothenberg, museum visitors in 1954 File:היכל העצמאות.jpg, Independence Hall in 2013 File:PikiWiki Israel 74102 the house of independence.jpg, Renovations underway at Independence Hall in 2023


References


External links


Independence Hall IsraelIndependence Hall
{{Authority control Modernist architecture in Israel City museums in Israel Buildings and structures in Tel Aviv 1932 establishments in Mandatory Palestine 1978 establishments in Israel Museums in Tel Aviv Israel National Heritage Site Religious museums in Asia Bible-themed museums, zoos, and botanical gardens Israeli Declaration of Independence