Israel's History:
1952

1952:
by Melissa Opper, 2002-2003 New Frontier Israel Affairs VP

1952 Overview:
The first Zimriya begins with a group of men and women in Ramat Gan. A successful reparations agreement was established with Germeny because of the Holocaust. After Chaim Weizmann died, he was succeeded by Yitzhak Ben-Zvi later on in the year. Iranian Jewish immigration moves forward with Operation "Coresh". Israel also participated in its first Olympics.

1952 In-depth:

• August, 1952
  The first Zimriya (a triennial choral festival bringing choirs from around the world to Israel) begins when a group of 450 Jewish men and women from the USA and Eastern and Western Europe disembarked in Haifa and began spontaneously singing on the pier. They brought with them their music sheets along with their bed sheets, and spent the next week traveling and singing throughout the length and breadth of Israel. Their first concert took place in Ramat Gan Stadium before 40,000 enthusiasts, who sat and listened to choral works sung by 13 international choirs and 38 Israeli choirs. Since then the celebration has been scheduled every three years.
• September 10th, 1952
  Reparations agreements with Germany is signed, despite protest demonstrations. The first bilateral agreement between Israel and Germany was signed by Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and the Israeli Foreign Minister, and later Prime Minister, Moshe Sharett. This first agreement was of course about Germany reparations. Germany - still struggling to recover from its almost total destruction after the war - pledged to pay 3.45 billion DM over a period of 11 years.
• December 8th, 1952
  Yitzhak Ben-Zvi is elected as the 2nd President of Israel, due to the death of the President at the time, Chaim Weizmann. After having been elected to the First Knesset in 1949, Ben-Zvi, a historian, because the leader of the Zionist Labor movement. He focused on the traditions, rituals, and religious art of various Jewish communities, and invited minorities to the monthly event at his residence.
• Olympic Games
  Israel participated in the Olympic Games (in Helsinki) for the first time; the most notable achievement was by Yoav Ra'anan, who took ninth place in springboard diving.
• Operation "Coresh"
  The Operation brought nearly 55,000 Iranian Jews to Israel by the end of 1952.
• Fedayeen Attacks Continue
  Because of the defeat of the Arab forces due to the creation of the State of Israel, fedayeen attacks killed 162 Israelis.