The Week of June 6

"The past is never dead. It's not even past" – William Faulkner 

The Birth of Marc Chagall, July 7, 1887 The Jewish-Russian-French artist, one of the greatest surrealist artists, was born in the town of Liozna, Belarus. His works, which combine fantasy, Jewish folklore, and intense color, shaped modern art. In Israel, the Chagall Windows at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital are among his most recognized and beloved works.

Thought: The incomprehensible power of art lies in its ability to create a universal human experience. I think only sports can compete with this ability.

Image: Marc Chagall - More about Marc Chagall

Operation Dani, July 9, 1948 During the War of Independence, one of the IDF's largest and most important operations began, aimed at widening the corridor to Jerusalem and capturing the cities of Lod and Ramla. The operation dramatically changed the demographic and strategic map of central Israel.

Thought: There is nothing more "central Israel" than the Lod and Ramla area. And to think that this wasn't a given less than 80 years ago. It's insane!

Image: A Hotchkiss H39 tank of the 8th Brigade at Lod Airport, July 10, 1948. More about Operation Dani

Enactment of Basic Law: The Knesset, July 12, 1958 The Knesset enacted the Basic Law that regulates its status, composition, procedures, and election. This is one of the central Basic Laws that form the constitutional foundation of the State of Israel. The law anchors the principle of the Knesset's sovereignty as the legislative authority, establishes the proportional representation electoral system, the number of Knesset members (120), and the length of its term. As part of Israel's "emerging constitution," this Basic Law is a cornerstone of the country's parliamentary-democratic regime.

Thought: Immediately after the establishment of the state, the commitment of Ben-Gurion and the entire leadership was to create a constitution as quickly as possible. To this day, Israel has no constitution. The immense complexity that characterizes the State of Israel, also, and perhaps mainly, from an internal demographic perspective, and the cynical use that political leaders make of deepening internal conflicts within Israeli society to generate political capital for themselves, have led to a situation where I don't see even a single issue that could garner the support of two-thirds of the public's elected representatives (the majority required to draft and enact a constitution).

The First Transatlantic Satellite Broadcast, July 10, 1962 Using the "Telstar" communications satellite, the first television images were transmitted between the United States and Europe. The event marked the beginning of the era of immediate global communication, turning the world into a smaller "global village."

Thought: It is precisely the powerful globality we are experiencing that is recreating locality. To stand out in a world that looks, sounds, likes, and posts stories identically in every corner, localness is required.

Image: A model of the Telstar 1 satellite. More about the first satellite broadcast in history

World Population Day, July 11 An international awareness day observed annually, established by the United Nations in 1989. Its purpose is to raise awareness of issues related to global population growth, such as family planning, poverty, health, and human rights, against the backdrop of the world's population reaching five billion people two years earlier.

Thought: In a world where we are approaching the eight billion people mark, is the greatest challenge managing resources or managing loneliness?

Image: Population density by country. More about World Population Day