Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Independence Hall
בֵּית הָעַצְמָאוּת Beit HaAtzma'ut
A small museum room on Rothschild Boulevard where the State of Israel was declared in about half an hour.
A house of 1910; the declaration read here on 14 May 1948
Visiting Independence Hall
- What to wear
- Anything.
- Photography
- Permitted in the hall. No flash during the talk.
- Cost
- Ticketed and inexpensive. Restoration work has disrupted opening hours for years, so confirm before you go.
- When to go
- A weekday morning, then coffee on the boulevard.
- Access
- Steps at the historic entrance; ask about the accessible route when you book.
What to wear at every site in Israel
Etiquette
- DoVisits run as timed talks in the hall. Book a slot rather than arriving to wander.
- DoThe talk ends with the original recording and Hatikvah. Most people stand; standing and sitting are both normal.
- AvoidThe room is small and the acoustics carry. A whispered conversation during the recording is audible to everyone.
- DoPhotography is fine in the hall between talks.
- DoThe boulevard outside is part of the visit. The kiosks on the central strip stay open all week.
Local tip
Read the first paragraph of the declaration before you arrive. The talk assumes you roughly know the text and spends its time on what happened in the room instead.
Hours, prices, access and security arrangements change: check official sources before you go, and follow the instructions of site and security staff. In an emergency, call the local emergency number (in Israel: police 100, ambulance 101, or 112 from a mobile).
The history of Independence Hall
A private house first
The building was the home of Meir Dizengoff, on one of the first plots of Ahuzat Bayit, the sand-dune settlement that became Tel Aviv. He gave it to the city and it opened as the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 1932.
14 May 1948
David Ben-Gurion read the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel in the museum hall that afternoon, hours before the British Mandate expired. The venue was kept quiet until close to the time, for fear of an air raid.
What happened in the room
The reading and the signing took roughly half an hour. Musicians of the Palestine Philharmonic played Hatikvah from the floor above, and the ceremony was broadcast live on radio.
Kept as it was
The hall has been preserved with its long table, microphones, the portrait of Herzl and the flags behind it. The building has been under long restoration, so check what is open before you travel.
Hebrew for the visit
Phrases
- שְׁנַיִם, בְּבַקָּשָׁהshnayim, bevakashaTwo, pleaseשְׁנַיִם is the masculine two, used for most market goods. Counting out loud on its own, Israelis say shtayim.
- כַּמָּה זֶה עוֹלֶה?kama ze oleh?How much does this cost?Hebrew says a price “rises”. The same verb means to go up and to immigrate to Israel.
- אַתָּה מְדַבֵּר אַנְגְּלִית?ata medaber anglit?Do you speak English?To a woman: אַתְּ מְדַבֶּרֶת אַנְגְּלִית (at medaberet anglit). Most younger Israelis will answer in English.
- זֶה הַבִּקּוּר הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁלִּי בְּיִשְׂרָאֵלze habikur harishon sheli beYisraelThis is my first visit to IsraelA reliable opener. Be ready for recommendations, and for someone to insist you visit their own city.
Words
- אֶרֶץeretzland; country; earthIsraelis say בָּאָרֶץ, “in the land”, to mean in Israel.
- עֲלִיָּהaliyamoving to Israel; being called up to the TorahBoth senses come from “going up”. You go up to the land, and up to the reading desk.
- חָדָשׁchadashnewFeminine: חֲדָשָׁה. Same root as חֹדֶשׁ, month.
- שָׁנָהshanayearFeminine, but the plural ends in -im. Learn it as a pair with עִיר and עָרִים.
- בַּיִתbayithouse; homeThe plural בָּתִּים is irregular. In compounds it becomes בֵּית, as in בֵּית סֵפֶר.
- שָׁלוֹםshalompeace; hello; goodbyeOne word for hello, goodbye and peace. Safe at any hour and with anyone.
Market and Money: all the phrases · All 157 phrases in the phrasebook
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