Page 41 - Rehavia advanced 130918

Advanced level – ‫רמה מתקדמת‬

The National Institutes Building

The National Institutes Building served as a national center in Jerusalem. Many
national ceremonies were held in the building's courtyard such as the bringing of the
first fruits or the delivery of speeches. On May 14, 1948, members of the national
administration who were in besieged Jerusalem could not get to Tel Aviv for the
Declaration of Independence so they held an alternative "Independence Ceremony"
for the residents of Jerusalem. Hundreds of people came to the ceremony and
cheered when they heard the historic declaration of the establishment of the State of
Israel.

The importance of the place also exposed it to attacks. Anton Daoud, a Christian
Arab, the driver of the American Consul General in Jerusalem, was a well-known
figure to the security detail of the National Institutes Building. Daoud lived near
two secretaries who worked in the building and was accustomed to bringing them to
work every day. Because he was so well-known, he was allowed to enter the
building's courtyard without undergoing a security check. In March,1948, as every
morning, he arrived at the building, parked his car at the entrance to the building,
and got out. The guard became concerned that there was an empty car parked at the
entrance to the building but, because he recognized it as Daoud's car he did nothing
except move it to the entrance to the Keren Hayesod wing of the building. In the
explosion, the second floor of the Keren Hayesod wing collapsed. Twelve people
who worked in the building were killed, among them Lev Yaffe, the administrator
of Keren Hayesod. Forty-four people were injured.

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