National Institutions House facts for kids

The National Institutions Building is an important historical building in Jerusalem. You can find it on King George Street in the city center. This building was made for key Jewish organizations like the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization. Before Israel became a country, this building was a big symbol of the future Jewish state.

The building faced a difficult event on March 11, 1948, when it was hit by a car bomb. This was during the 1948 War of Independence. Later, something very special happened here: the State of Israel was declared on the building's balcony! This happened because some leaders, who were stuck in Jerusalem, couldn't get to the main declaration event in Tel Aviv. The building also hosted the first meetings of the Knesset (Israel's parliament). Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, even had his inauguration ceremony in its main hall.

Building the National Institutions House

The land where the National Institutions Building stands was first planned for a school. An architect named Richard Kauffmann designed the nearby Rehavia neighborhood and thought a school would fit there. However, people living in the area wanted the school closer to their homes. So, the school was built somewhere else, and the land on King George Street was given to the National Institutions.

Choosing the Design

In 1927, a competition was held to design the building. Many architects, including famous ones like Richard Kauffmann, Alexander Baerwald, Arieh Sharon, and Eliezer Yellin, submitted their ideas.

The leaders of the National Institutions had clear rules for the design:

• The building should be no more than two stories high.
• It needed to be one building but divided into three parts. These parts were for the Zionist Executive (which included the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency for Israel), the Jewish National Fund, and Keren Hayesod.
• The building had to fit well with Jerusalem's unique style.
• The budget for construction was about £30,000, which is like $2 million today.

The winning design came from architect Yohanan Ratner. He designed the building to wrap around a large open area in the front. This made the building look grand and also helped block out noise from the street. It also made the building look impressive, even though it wasn't very tall compared to other buildings nearby.

Unique Architectural Style

Ratner designed the building in the International Style, which was popular at the time. However, he also added special touches that reminded people of Jerusalem. For example, some parts of the outside look similar to the Tower of David. The windows also look like the narrow openings in the walls of the Old City.

Some people thought the building was too short. Architect Benjamin Cheikin, for instance, felt it wasn't as tall as buildings of other religious groups in Jerusalem, like the nearby Terra Sancta building.

Construction Stages

Building work started in 1928. Because of money problems, the construction happened in stages. The first floor was finished and opened in 1930. The second story was completed later, in 1936.

Memorial for Victims of Antisemitism

In 2008, a special memorial was created at the National Institutions House. It's called the Memorial to Victims of Antisemitism Around the World. This memorial is shaped like a Star of David. On it, you can find the names of Jewish people who were killed in antisemitic attacks around the world. Every year, a ceremony is held in front of this memorial to remember all these victims.

Images for kids

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  A view of the National Institutions Building.