Picture a Day: The Return of the Palace Hotel to Jerusalem

Picture a Day: The Return of the Palace Hotel to Jerusalem: Palace Hotel in the Mamilla section of Jerusalem (circa 1930) When the Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin el Husseini built the Palace Hotel i...

Picture a Day: What Is Behind the Mysterious Sealed Gates of Jeru...

Picture a Day: What Is Behind the Mysterious Sealed Gates of Jeru...: "Hulda Gates" on the southern side of Jerusalem's Old City. The picture shows the sealed " Triple Gate " (circa 1900) This summer the Y...

Picture a Day: Yom Kippur 100 Years Ago -- Or More: Photographic...

Picture a Day: Yom Kippur 100 Years Ago -- Or More: Photographic...: Jews at the Kotel on Yom Kippur (circa 1904) See analysis of  the graffiti on the wall for dating this picture. The graffiti on the Wa...

Picture a Day: Beneath the Old City of Jerusalem Lies a Huge Cave...

Picture a Day: Beneath the Old City of Jerusalem Lies a Huge Cave...:  Five men in " Solomon's Quarry ," circa 1910. Another picture of the group can be found  here Beneath the Old City of Jerusalem, not f...

Picture a Day: Blowing the Shofar on the New Year 80 Years Ago --...

Picture a Day: Blowing the Shofar on the New Year 80 Years Ago --...:  Yemenite Jew blowing the shofar (circa 1935)  "Blow the Shofar at the New Moon...Because It Is a Decree for Israel, a Judgment Day...

Picture a Day: Special Rosh Hashanna feature: Treasures from the...

Picture a Day: Special Rosh Hashanna feature: Treasures from the...: Tashlich prayer on the Brooklyn Bridge, 1919. The Near Year prayer is traditionally said at a body of water where the worshipper "casts...

Picture a Day: EArtHqUAkE! in the Holy Land in 1927. New picture...

Picture a Day: EArtHqUAkE! in the Holy Land in 1927. New picture...: The earthquake of July 11, 1927. Partial collapse of mosque and minaret on Mt. of Olives  85 years ago a powerful earthquake struc...

Picture a Day: Who Is Colonel Coventry? Mystery Pictures of Brit...

Picture a Day: Who Is Colonel Coventry? Mystery Pictures of Brit...: " Col. Coventry driving into Jerusalem from railroad station" 1916 Here is a series of pictures of a Colonel Coventry entering Jerusale...

Picture a Day: British Mandate's 1938 Annual Report Details the A...

Picture a Day: British Mandate's 1938 Annual Report Details the A...: British military raid for arms at Jaffa Gate, Jerusalem, July 1938  The Arab Revolt in Palestine (1936-1939) was a full scale attack...

Picture a Day: Why Did These British Forces Look So Bewildered?

Picture a Day: Why Did These British Forces Look So Bewildered?:  Library of Congress caption : "Haifa, result of terrorist acts and government measures. H.M.S. British marines and police in control ...

Picture a Day: What History Lies behind the Facade of the Mt. Zio...

Picture a Day: What History Lies behind the Facade of the Mt. Zio...: The Mt Zion Hotel in Jerusalem today ( photo: Ron Peled ) The Mt. Zion Hotel is situated on the historic Hebron Road not far from Jerusa...

Picture a Day: The Hebron Massacre, August 24, 1929. Re-Posting...

Picture a Day: The Hebron Massacre, August 24, 1929. Re-Posting...: The destruction of the Avraham Avinu Synagogue in Hebron in 1929     On the eve of the anniversary of the Hebron massacre on August 24...

Picture a Day: The Cliffs in Judea Overlooking Solomon's Pools --...

Picture a Day: The Cliffs in Judea Overlooking Solomon's Pools --...:  Solomon's Pools . The photo is dated between 1860 and 1880. No name is attributed to the photo. The photo and handwritten caption are...

Picture a Day: Jewish Shopkeepers in Jerusalem's Old City -- More...

Picture a Day: Jewish Shopkeepers in Jerusalem's Old City -- More...: The Getty Research Institute labels this picture as a " Jeblanier jeuf  à  J é r usalem, " taken in 1890 (sic). The Jewish merchant's ...

Picture a Day: The Jerusalem Windmill Will Soon Turn and Mill Aga...

Picture a Day: The Jerusalem Windmill Will Soon Turn and Mill Aga...: "View of building and windmill built by Sir Moses Montefiore."  The negative was probably made by British Sergeant Henry Phillips in Ma...

Picture a Day: This Is What Abraham Lincoln Would Have Seen. Ra...

Picture a Day: This Is What Abraham Lincoln Would Have Seen. Ra...: "He said he wanted to visit the Holy Land and see those places hallowed by the footprints of the Saviour. He was saying there was no city ...

Picture a Day: Zion Gate in Jerusalem -- More Pictures Uncovered ...

Picture a Day: Zion Gate in Jerusalem -- More Pictures Uncovered ...: Zion Gate (circa 1898)  The photo was captioned "Jerusalem" with no further detail. The American Colony photographic collection in the...

Picture a Day: The Hardships of Aliya (Immigration) to the Land o...

Picture a Day: The Hardships of Aliya (Immigration) to the Land o...: Ferry boat brings Har Zion passengers into Tel Aviv port.  The ship is identified in the caption as a "Jewish Agency ship." The Arab ...

Picture a Day: In the Face of Assad's Rabid Rampage -- What Ale...

Picture a Day: In the Face of Assad's Rabid Rampage -- What Ale...: The Aleppo Citadel (circa 1870) by French photographer  Félix Bonfils (1831-1885) The city of Aleppo is one of the oldest in the Middl...

Picture a Day: Old Jewish Men in the Old City An incredible pho...

Picture a Day: Old Jewish Men in the Old City An incredible pho...: Jewish Quarter Street  (1934-1939)  Pre-Tisha B'Av feature  We found this picture to be an incredibly engaging portrait of an old Jew...

Picture a Day: July 24 -- Anniversary of the Laying of the "Found...

Picture a Day: July 24 -- Anniversary of the Laying of the "Found...: Laying the foundation stone for Hebrew University, July 24, 1918 The dream of establishing a university in Jerusalem had been expressed ...

Picture a Day: Anniversary of the Bombing of the British Military...

Picture a Day: Anniversary of the Bombing of the British Military...: King David Hotel 1946 On July 22, 1946, the Irgun resistance organization blew up a section of the King David Hotel, killing 91 British...

Picture a Day: The Great and Electrifying Pinchas Ruttenberg. Wh...

Picture a Day: The Great and Electrifying Pinchas Ruttenberg. Wh...: Pinchas Ruttenberg 1879 - 1942 In the pantheon of Zionist and Israeli historical heroes several names stand out -- Herzl, Ben-Gurion, W...

Picture a Day: Another Mystery Photograph, This Time from Jaffa

Picture a Day: Another Mystery Photograph, This Time from Jaffa: The Library of Congress caption reads "Jaffa" and that the picture was taken between "1898-1946" The American Colony photographers wer...

Picture a Day: The Sabbath Walk to the Western Wall -- An Ancie...

Picture a Day: The Sabbath Walk to the Western Wall -- An Ancie...: Jews at Western Wall (circa 1917). Note presence of women, Ashkenazi Jews with the fur hats, and Sephardi Jews with the fez. From the ...

Picture a Day: The Jewish Valero Family Owned the Land outside of...

Picture a Day: The Jewish Valero Family Owned the Land outside of...: Chaim Aharon Valero (1845-1923)  By some accounts , the Valero family arrived in Jerusalem in the 18th or 19th centuries from Turk...

Picture a Day: Celebrating July 4th in the Holy Land 100 Years Ag...

Picture a Day: Celebrating July 4th in the Holy Land 100 Years Ag...:  4th of July commemoration in Jerusalem with flags and toy guns (circa 1905).  Note the Swedish flag; some of the American Colony mem...

Picture a Day: The Jewish State in Formation Required Major Indus...

Picture a Day: The Jewish State in Formation Required Major Indus...: Palestine Potash Company on the shore of the Dead Sea (c 1937). Note the airplane, upper right corner of picture. In the late 19th and...

Picture a Day: Steamroller in Jerusalem 100 Years Ago -- an Updat...

Picture a Day: Steamroller in Jerusalem 100 Years Ago -- an Updat...: " Steamroller (sic) in Jerusalem " with U.S. and Turkish flag outside of the Old City's Jaffa Gate We recently posted a feature on a ...

Picture a Day: Another Mystery Photo Identified. New depth to th...

Picture a Day: Another Mystery Photo Identified. New depth to th...: " A Jewish colony " dated sometime between 1898 and 1946. Where and when was the picture taken? The buildings in the circles help identi...

Picture a Day: Another Mystery Photo -- A Steamroller in Jerusale...

Picture a Day: Another Mystery Photo -- A Steamroller in Jerusale...: " Steamroller on Jerusalem Street" is the caption The Library of Congress provides little information about this dynamic picture in Jer...

Picture a Day: Ultra-Orthodox Jews also Established Agricultural ...

Picture a Day: Ultra-Orthodox Jews also Established Agricultural ...: The  blacksmith of Kfar Chassidim and former resident of a Polish shtetl.  (1935) Many of the kibbutz and moshav agricultural communit...

Picture a Day: What Is "Carding Cotton?"Old photograph shows old ...

Picture a Day: What Is "Carding Cotton?"Old photograph shows old ...: Jews carding cotton The caption on this picture from the Library of Congress' American Colony collection reads "Jews Carding Cotton " so...

Picture a Day: How Strange Does the American Colony Story Get? ...

Picture a Day: How Strange Does the American Colony Story Get? ...: Jacob Eliahu Spafford  Meet Jacob David Eliahu, born in 1864 to Turkish Jewish parents in Palestine. Jacob and his parents were conve...

Picture a Day: Who Was Mendel Kremer? Jewish pharmacist, Turkish...

Picture a Day: Who Was Mendel Kremer? Jewish pharmacist, Turkish...: British commissioner Samuel (center), Chief Rabbi Kook (in  fur hat), and Mendel Kremer in white suit (1925).  Who was this man? Centra...

Picture a Day: A Mystery Picture of a "Triumphal Arch in Jerusal...

Picture a Day: A Mystery Picture of a "Triumphal Arch in Jerusal...: " Triumphal arch " in Jerusalem, sometime between 1898 and 1946 Where? Why? When? There are many pictures in the American Colony collec...

Picture a Day: Why the Photographer Loved Yemenite Jews 120 Years...

Picture a Day: Why the Photographer Loved Yemenite Jews 120 Years...: " Arab Jew from Yemen " (circa 1900) Skim through the pages of Israel Daily Picture and you will see dozens of pictures of Yemenite Jew...

Picture a Day: Shavuot, One of the Jewish Pilgrimage Festivals. V...

Picture a Day: Shavuot, One of the Jewish Pilgrimage Festivals. V...: Russian pilgrims on the way to Jericho. See more pictures of Russian pilgrims - Women's hostel in Jerusalem (1899) Russian Pilgrims a...

Picture a Day: Jerusalem Day, Celebrating the Reunification of Je...

Picture a Day: Jerusalem Day, Celebrating the Reunification of Je...: Larsson's famous 1917 picture  of the surrender of Jerusalem to two British sergeants Lewis Larsson was one of the founders of the ...

Picture a Day: The Book of Ruth Comes Alive in Antique Photos Ta...

Picture a Day: The Book of Ruth Comes Alive in Antique Photos Ta...: " Ruth the Moabitess "  The Jewish holiday of Shavuot- Pentecost will be celebrated next week .  The holiday has several traditional n...

Picture a Day: Jerusalem Day, Celebrating the Reunification of Je...

Picture a Day: Jerusalem Day, Celebrating the Reunification of Je...: Larsson's famous 1917 picture  of the surrender of Jerusalem to two British sergeants Lewis Larsson was one of the founders of the ...

Picture a Day: Another Mystery Picture: Who, What, Where and When...

Picture a Day: Another Mystery Picture: Who, What, Where and When...: The "family" in this undated stereographic photo . (Two of the men appear to be blind. Four of the men are smoking or holding cigarettes...

Picture a Day: You Are Invited to the Wedding of Barukh and Khann...

Picture a Day: You Are Invited to the Wedding of Barukh and Khann...: The wedding of Barukh and Khanna, circa 1870. The bride and groom are beneath a tallit serving as the chuppa (canopy). Channa is the t...

Picture a Day: Ancient Pictures of the Western Wall, Including On...

Picture a Day: Ancient Pictures of the Western Wall, Including On...: The Kotel in the 1860s.  Note how narrow and confined the alleyway was.  ( Palestine Exploration Fund ) This photograph from the Pal...

Picture a Day: Zichron Yaakov, 130 Years Old, Is One of the Jewel...

Picture a Day: Zichron Yaakov, 130 Years Old, Is One of the Jewel...: Zichron Yaakov synagogue  (circa 1900) and here Zichron Yaakov was one of the first new Jewish settlements in Palestine, established in ...

Picture a Day: Lag B'Omer Commemorated Next Week. How Was It Ce...

Picture a Day: Lag B'Omer Commemorated Next Week. How Was It Ce...: The Enigmatic Photograph from the Library of Congress: A Jewish Children’s Parade a Long Time Ago   Many questions : Who, Why, Whe...

Picture a Day: A 1913 Film of Eretz Yisrael. If a Picture is Wor...

Picture a Day: A 1913 Film of Eretz Yisrael. If a Picture is Wor...: The 11th Zionist Congress met in Vienna in August 1913.  Four months earlier, in April, a film crew left Odessa by ship to pr...

Picture a Day: Ancient Pictures of an Ancient Jewish Community in...

Picture a Day: Ancient Pictures of an Ancient Jewish Community in...: Jews sitting in their Samarkand Sukka  (circa 1870) See another view of the Sukka here Bukharan Jews, from what is today the Central A...

Picture a Day: Jews Celebrate Lag B'Omer This Week. How was it ...

Picture a Day: Jews Celebrate Lag B'Omer This Week. How was it ...:  Meron and tomb of Shimon BarYochai  (circa 1930)   Wednesday evening Jews around the world will celebrate Lag B'Omer ,...

Picture a Day: The Turks Defeated the British in Gaza 95 Years ag...

Picture a Day: The Turks Defeated the British in Gaza 95 Years ag...: In the early 1900s, the British Empire relied on the Suez Canal to maintain communications and trade with India, Australia and New Zealand. ...

Picture a Day: Newly found pictures show Deir Yassin's commanding...

Picture a Day: Newly found pictures show Deir Yassin's commanding...: View from the trenches looking west toward the Kastel stronghold and Tel Aviv beyond, 1917. The caption on a similar photo reads "Kast...

Picture a Day: April 1 -- The Anniversary of Hebrew University's ...

Picture a Day: April 1 -- The Anniversary of Hebrew University's ...: Balfour lays the Hebrew University foundation stone , 1918 The establishment of the Hebrew University on Mt. Scopus was clearly a moment...

Picture a Day: The "Other" Passover Commemoration -- The Samarit...

Picture a Day: The "Other" Passover Commemoration -- The Samarit...: Samarian high priest  Yitzhak ben Amram ben Shalma ben Tabia (circa 1900). View other pictures of priests here and here  The Samarita...

Picture a Day: Passover in the Holy Land: Pilgrimage to Jerus...

Picture a Day: Passover in the Holy Land: Pilgrimage to Jerus...: " Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives, showing the throngs in the city at Passover time (1911)" Passover is one of the three pilgrimage fe...

Picture a Day: The Gates of Jerusalem -- Herod's Gate Part 8 of a...

Picture a Day: The Gates of Jerusalem -- Herod's Gate Part 8 of a...: Herod's Gate (circa 1898) Herod's Gate is located at the northeast corner of Jerusalem's Old City between Damascus Gate and Lion's Gate,...

Picture a Day: Purim in the Holy Land: Tales of Disguise, Mirth a...

Picture a Day: Purim in the Holy Land: Tales of Disguise, Mirth a...: The American Colony's " Book Club " (1898). Almost certainly not Purim-related, but great costumes! Purim provides the Jewish comics' c...

Picture a Day: Incredible 1925 Film of Jerusalem, Commissioned by...

Picture a Day: Incredible 1925 Film of Jerusalem, Commissioned by...: Albert Kahn , 1914 ( Albert Kahn Museum ) While the American Colony photographers were assembling their collection of pictures of the H...

Picture a Day: Another Mystery Picture from the Library of Congre...

Picture a Day: Another Mystery Picture from the Library of Congre...: Captioned " Turkish procession ," dated between 1898 and 1918. Click on the picture or the link to enlarge the picture   The Library o...

Picture a Day: The Gates of Jerusalem -- The New Gate Part 7 ...

Picture a Day: The Gates of Jerusalem -- The New Gate Part 7 ...: The New Gate (circa 1900), still unpaved  The Old City of Jerusalem is surrounded by four kilometers (2.5 miles) of walls built by the...

Picture a Day: The Mount of Olives' 3,000 Year Old Cemetery, De...

Picture a Day: The Mount of Olives' 3,000 Year Old Cemetery, De...:  Funeral procession to Mt of Olives (circa 1900). See another view of the procession here An estimated 150,000 Jews have been buried...

Picture a Day: A Tribute to the Besieged Syrians in Homs and Hama...

Picture a Day: A Tribute to the Besieged Syrians in Homs and Hama...: Ancient noria (water wheel) in Hama on the Orontes River The American Colony photographers were based in Jerusalem for the 60 years of ...

Picture a Day: Preview: The Sabbath Walk in Jerusalem's Old City ...

Picture a Day: Preview: The Sabbath Walk in Jerusalem's Old City ...: " Orthodox Jews on their usual walk to the Wailing Wall" (circa 1935) Here are two photographs of the forthcoming feature on worshi...

Picture a Day: Chaim Nachman Bialik, Israel's National Poet His F...

Picture a Day: Chaim Nachman Bialik, Israel's National Poet His F...: Tens of thousands attended Bialik's funeral in Tel Aviv, outside of the synagogue, July 16, 1934  The poems of Chaim Nachman Bialik (...

Picture a Day: Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish New Year for Trees, Is Cele...

Picture a Day: Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish New Year for Trees, Is Cele...: Reforested hills along the road from Jaffa to Jerusalem, near Bab el-Wad, or Sha'ar HaGuy (circa 1930) The Jewish National Fund was est...

Picture a Day: The Tensions between Jerusalem's Religious and Sec...

Picture a Day: The Tensions between Jerusalem's Religious and Sec...: " Police intercede in Orthodox attempt to break up the Maccabee football game" (1930s) The neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo in northern Jer...

Picture a Day: Today, It's Called "Forex." Then It Was Called ...

Picture a Day: Today, It's Called "Forex." Then It Was Called ...: Jewish money changer (1930s) For millennia the commerce of the world has had to deal with different currencies. The Bible refers to vari...

Picture a Day: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It ... Rain

Picture a Day: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It ... Rain: " Snowballing on Jaffa Road" in Jerusalem (1942) Israelis love to see snow. The ski slopes on Mt. Hermon in the Golan Heights are clog...

Picture a Day: These Kibbutzim of the Jezreel Valley Were Dedicat...

Picture a Day: These Kibbutzim of the Jezreel Valley Were Dedicat...: The children of Geva (circa 1930) Kibbutz Geva and Kibbutz Ein Harod were established in the early 1920s in the Gilboa region of the Jez...