History

This month in Jewish history: The first permanent government of Israel

A highly abridged monthly version of Dust & Stars – Today in Jewish History.

DIZENGOFF SQUARE, named for the Tel Aviv founding father.
Supporting a ‘Free Palestine’ as part of a ‘Stop Bombing Iran’ protest following the US attack on Iranian nuclear sites, near the US Embassy in London, June 23, 2025.

From Der Judenstaat to modern Israel: Herzl’s vision in today’s world - opinion

Declaration of Independence of the United States. New Canaan, 1950. Featuring George Washington.

Looking back at George Washington’s 1790 letter, the root of American religious freedom

MAO concert (see Thursday)

Jerusalem highlights: February 13-19


Saudi Arabia opens Ancient Kingdoms Festival 2025 in AlUla

The event is part of the AlUla Moments schedule, a government-supported initiative aimed at expanding cultural tourism and encouraging deeper engagement with the area’s archaeological heritage. 

 3D reconstruction of the Late Iron Age western enclosure in Dumat al-Jandal walled oasis

This month in Jewish history: Operation Moses, Hanukkah, and Spinoza

A highly abridged monthly version of Dust & Stars – Today in Jewish History.

ETHIOPIAN IMMIGRANTS upon their arrival at an absorption center in Ashkelon, 1984.

Smooching through the ages: First kiss was 20 million years ago by early primates, scientists say

Platonic pecks are thought to be used to navigate complex social relationships or increase bonding.

  THE FAMOUS Victory over Japan Day kiss in Times Square, New York City, on August 14, 1945, captured by Alfred Eisenstaedt. The author says that a clear Israeli victory must be achieved in Gaza.

After wrongful treason conviction 130 years ago, France promotes Jewish officer Alfred Dreyfus

French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu signed the motion following a unanimous vote by the lower house of parliament in July.

French Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus (1859 - 1935), falsely accused of selling military secrets to Germany and imprisoned on Devil's Island.

Dazzling Grand Egyptian Museum aims to be economic showstopper

Officials and analysts frame the Grand Egyptian Museum as a driver of jobs, research, and tourism revenue rather than merely a showcase.

 A view shows the colossal statue of Ramses II at the entrance hall of the Grand Egyptian Museum on November 8, 2025 in Giza, Egypt.

On This Day: Yasser Arafat, PNC, announce Palestinian Declaration of Independence in Algiers

November 15 is also the birthday of Arafat's successor as PA leader, Mahmoud Abbas, who was born in Safed during the British Mandate in 1935.

Yasser Arafat raises his hand as he declares an independent Palestinian state during the PNC meeting in Algiers. November 15, 1988.

US National Archives releases Amelia Earhart records promised by Trump

Earhart's fate remains one of the most enduring mysteries of the past 88 years.

 Amelia Earhart

Before pugs or Great Danes: Doggie diversity in size and shape began at tail end of Ice Age

These findings contradict the notion that such diversity was mainly a relatively new phenomenon driven by selective breeding in recent centuries.

A Pug dog called Harley, and star of the film "Patrick" poses for photographs at the film's premiere in London, Britain June 27, 2018.

Grapevine: Yitzhak Rabin: An appreciation

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

Portrait of Yitzhak Rabin

Letters from the dead: Letter written by WWI soldiers found in bottle off Australian coast

The letter penciled in 1916 finally reached the families of Malcolm Neville, 27, and William Harley, 37, decades after their death.

Members of the Australian Lighthorse Association watch over an Anzac Day dawn service at Bogan Gate in western New South Wales. Members of the Australian Lighthorse Association watch over an Anzac Day dawn service in the western New South Wales town of Bogan Gate, located 400 km (249 miles) west of