This photograph was taken on May 14, 1948 outside the Tel Aviv museum where David Ben-Gurion was declaring the creation of the State of Israel. The picture shows a large group of people of all ages gathered outside of the museum. In the front are photographers, holding their cameras ready to take photographs as soon as people begin to exit from the hall. Behind the photographers are military personnel wearing a variety of uniforms. Spectators can be seen standing behind the photographers and soldiers, on the balconies of the buildings facing the museum, and climbing trees to get a better view. The people, some smiling, are all facing in the same direction, toward the museum, and the anticipation of the crowd is palpable.
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Declaration of the State of Israel – On November 29, 1947 the United Nations voted on the Partition Plan which called for the creation of two states: one Jewish and one Arab. Following the decision, the British chose May 15, 1948 as the day that they would leave Israel. The Arab states rejected the Partition Plan, and fighting broke out between Arabs and Jews. As of April 12 1948, the leadership of the Yishuv met to determine the steps necessary to create a state. The Americans, whose support would be needed once a state was created, urged the Yishuv to postpone declaring statehood and to accept a “temporary” UN trusteeship. However, on May 12, 1948, the leadership of the Yishuv decided they would declare the state on May 14. David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the creation of the State of Israel at the Tel Aviv Museum, which is now called “Independence Hall.” Ten minutes after the proclamation, the United States of America became the first country to recognise the new state.
Hatzalmania (PhotoHouse) – Rudi (Rudolph) Weissenstein (1910–1992) was born in Czechoslovakia, where he studied photography from his father before going to school in Vienna. Weissenstein moved to Israel in 1935 after experiencing anti-Semitism. In Israel, he began working as an independent photographer, taking photographs all over Israel and providing pictures of the pre-state development which were spread all over the world. In 1940, Weissenstein opened the Pri-Or Photo House, later known as Hatzalmania or PhotoHouse, where he built an archive of his work along with documentation about the subjects. After his death in 1992, his wife and, later, his grandson continued to run the Photo House.
