Independence Hall

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Recently the scene of social and political protests, the building at 16 Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv is where the founding fathers of the State of Israel gathered to sign the Declaration of Independence and announce the birth of the new state. It is the ultimate symbol of the Israeli dream.

Now a museum, the design has remained authentic. The building houses the original pictures that have stayed on the wall since the historic day – May 14, 1948 – when David Ben-Gurion, then head of the People’s Council, the Zionist executive and the Jewish Agency announced the establishment of the State. It was a Friday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., and the historic announcement was made before a group of “who’s who” invited for the momentous occasion. Reading of the Declaration of Independence was followed by Rabbi Fishman Maimon reciting “shehechiyanu,” the traditional Jewish prayer of Thanksgiving, and concluded with signing of the scroll and all standing at attention to sing “Hatikvah,” the new country’s anthem.

The Building and Neighborhood’s History
Today, the original furniture is still in place, with the names of the figureheads who sat in each chair recalled with a nameplate. But the building was dedicated many years before it was elevated to landmark status. On April 11, 1909 there was a lottery for people to bid on plots of land in “Ahuzat Bayit,” a new Jewish neighborhood outside of Jaffa. Meir Dizengoff and his wife won lot #43. In 1910 the name of the new neighborhood was changed to “Tel Aviv,” meaning “hill of spring,” by the residents attending a general meeting of the neighborhood council, of which Dizengoff was chairperson. He later became the first mayor of Tel Aviv and donated the house to the city following the death of his wife in 1930. Requesting that it be used for a museum, it became the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 1936 and the hall in the museum was chosen as the site for declaring the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art moved to new quarters in 1971. In 1978 renovation was completed on the original building, and opened to the public as Independence Hall.

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