Events in the year 1931 in the British Mandate of Palestine.
Incumbents
*
High Commissioner – Sir
John Chancellor
John William Chancellor (July 14, 1927 – July 12, 1996) was an American journalist who spent most of his career with NBC News. He is considered a pioneer in TV news. He served as anchor of the ''NBC Nightly News'' from 1970 to 1982 and continu ...
until 20 November; Sir
Arthur Grenfell Wauchope
General Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope (1 March 1874 – 14 September 1947) was a British soldier and colonial administrator.
Military career
Educated at Repton School, Wauchope was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 189 ...
*
Emir of Transjordan –
Abdullah I bin al-Hussein
*
Prime Minister of Transjordan –
Hasan Khalid Abu al-Huda until 22 February;
Abdallah Sarraj
Events
* According to official statistics there were 4,075 Jewish immigrants during 1931.
[ O'Brien, Conor Cruise (1986) ''The Siege. The Story of Israel and Zionism.'' 1988 Paladin Edition. . p.202]
*5 January – Third Jewish
Assembly of Representatives election.
* 10 April – The right-wing "
revisionist"
Zionist
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
armed underground
paramilitary
A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
group "
Irgun
Irgun • Etzel
, image = Irgun.svg , image_size = 200px
, caption = Irgun emblem. The map shows both Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan, which the Irgun claimed in its entirety for a future Jewish state. The acronym "Etzel" i ...
" (meaning "Organization", a short form for the full name "National Military Organization", whose acronym in Hebrew is pronounced "Etzel") is founded by
Avraham Tehomi
Avraham Tehomi ( he, אברהם תהומי, also Avraham T'homi, 1903–1990), was a Jewish militant who served as a Haganah commander, and was one of the founders and first commander of the Irgun. He is best known for the assassination of Jacob I ...
together with several other former Haganah commanders. The founders had left the
Haganah
Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the ...
due to their objection to the official policy of
havlagah
Havlagah ( he, ההבלגה, , "The Restraint") was a strategic policy used by the Haganah members with regard to retribution taken against Arab groups who were attacking the Jewish settlements during the British Mandate of Palestine. Its core p ...
(restraint), which Jewish political leaders (who had become increasingly controlling of the
Haganah
Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the ...
) had imposed on the militia, and they demanded more decisive action against the rising Arab violence which targeted
Palestinian Jew
Palestinian Jews or Jewish Palestinians were the Jewish inhabitants of the Palestine region (known in Hebrew as ''Eretz Yisrael'', ) prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
The common term used to refer to the Jewish commun ...
s.
* 11 April – Three members of kibbutz
Yagur
Yagur ( he, יָגוּר) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located on the northeastern slopes of Mount Carmel, about 9 km southeast of Haifa, it falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council. In it had a population of , making it ...
were killed by members of a local Arab gang.
* 18 November – The
1931 census of Palestine
The 1931 census of Palestine was the second census carried out by the authorities of the British Mandate for Palestine. It was carried out on 18 November 1931 under the direction of Major E. Mills after the 1922 census of Palestine.
* Census of P ...
is carried out by the
Mandate
Mandate most often refers to:
* League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919
* Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate
Mandate may also ...
authorities under the direction of Major E. Mills.
* 22 December – Two members of
Nahala Moshav, a man and his son, killed when a bomb was thrown into their home. The attack is attributed to members of the
Black Hand Gang.
Unknown dates
* The founding of the kibbutz
Ein HaHoresh
Ein HaHoresh (, ''lit.'' "the plower's spring" / "the plowman's fountain") is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located to the north of Netanya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council. In it had a population of .
History
It ...
by
Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair ( he, הַשׁוֹמֵר הַצָעִיר, , ''The Young Guard'') is a Labor Zionist, secular Jewish youth movement founded in 1913 in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary, and it was also the name of the group ...
members from
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
who reclaimed the land.
Notable births
* 17 January –
Yaakov Gil, Israeli politician (died 2007)
*13 February –
Assaf Yaguri
Assaf Yaguri ( he, אסף יגורי, 13 February 1931 – 18 March 2000) was an Israeli soldier and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Democratic Movement for Change and Ya'ad between 1977 and 1981.
Biography
Born in Yagur ...
, Israeli politician and soldier (died 2000)
* 8 August –
Yehoshua Matza, Israeli politician (died 2020)
* 16 May –
Geula Zylberman, Jewish-Palestinian born
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
n artist
* 24 May –
Eliezer Goldberg
Eliezer Goldberg ( he, אליעזר גולדברג; 24 May 1931 – 12 March 2022) was an Israeli judge and civil servant who served on the Supreme Court of Israel, and as the State Comptroller of Israel.
Early life and legal career
Goldberg w ...
, Israeli jurist, judge on the
Israeli Supreme Court
The Supreme Court (, ''Beit HaMishpat HaElyon''; ar, المحكمة العليا) is the Supreme court, highest court in Israel. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all other courts, and in some cases original jurisdiction.
The Supreme C ...
and former
State Comptroller of Israel
The State Comptroller of Israel ( he, מבקר המדינה ''Mevaker HaMedina'', ar, مراقب الدولة, literally: ''Critic of State'') inspects, reviews, and audits the policies and operations of the government of the State of Israel. Th ...
(died 2022)
* 5 September –
Amnon Rubinstein
Amnon Rubinstein ( he, אמנון רובינשטיין, born 5 September 1931) is an Israeli legal scholar, politician, and columnist. A member of the Knesset between 1977 and 2002, he served in several ministerial positions. He is currently dean ...
, Israeli law scholar, politician, and columnist
* 20 September –
Haya Harareet
Haya Harareet ( he, חיה הררית) (20 September 1931 – 3 February 2021) was an Israeli actress and screenwriter. One of her major film roles was playing Esther, Ben Hur's love interest in the 1959 Hollywood-made film '' Ben-Hur''.
Early l ...
, Israeli actress (died 2021)
* 21 September –
Shmuel Auerbach
Shmuel Auerbach ( he, שמואל אורבך) (September 21, 1931 – February 24, 2018) was a Haredi rabbi in Jerusalem. Rav Auerbach led a large portion of more radical elements of the non-Hasidic Haredi community. His followers formed a political ...
, Israeli Haredi rabbi and ''
posek
In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...
'' (died 2018)
* 8 October –
Sara Kishon, Israeli musician, author, and art collector (died 2002)
* 27 October –
Shalom Cohen, Israeli rabbi and
rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
, spiritual leader of the
Shas
Shas ( he, ש״ס) is a Haredi religious political party in Israel. Founded in 1984 under the leadership of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Israeli Sephardi chief rabbi, who remained its spiritual leader until his death in October 2013, it primarily ...
party
* 17 November –
Amira Sartani
Amira Sartani ( he, אמירה סרטני, born 17 November 1931) is an Israeli former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment and Mapam between 1984 and 1988.
Biography
Born in kibbutz Merhavia during the Mandate ...
, Israeli politician
* 27 November –
Yaakov Ziv, Israeli computer scientist
* ''Full date unknown''
**
Michal Har'el
Michal Har'el ( he, מיכל מודעי; née Herison; 1931 – 2 March 2012), was the second Miss Israel, a women's rights activist, and one of three lifetime honorary presidents of Women's International Zionist Organization.
Biography
Michal H ...
, Israeli beauty queen (died 2012)
**
Naim Attallah
Naim Ibrahim Attallah ( ar, نعيم إبراهيم عطالله, 1 May 1931 – 2 February 2021) was a Christian Palestinian-British businessman and writer. He was the publisher of Quartet Books and the owner of The Women's Press. The Palesti ...
, Palestinian Arab businessman and writer
**
Ruth Horam, Israeli painter and sculptor
**
Avraham Katz, Israeli politician
**
Farouk Kaddoumi
Farouk al-Kaddoumi (alternative transliteration: Faruq al-Qaddumi; ar, فاروق القدومي; born 18 August 1931), also known by his kunya, Abu al-Lutf, was until 2009 Secretary-General and between 2004 and 2009 Chairman of Fatah's centr ...
, Palestinian Arab, senior member of
Fatah
Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...
**
Shaul Foguel, Israeli mathematician (died 2020)
**
Taha Muhammad Ali
Taha Muhammad Ali ( ar, طه محمد علي) (1931 in Saffuriyya, Galilee – October 2, 2011 in Nazareth) was a Palestinian poet.
Biography
Taha Muhammad Ali fled to Lebanon with his family when he was seventeen after their village came un ...
, Israeli Arab poet (died 2011).
**
**
Ram Karmi
Ram Karmi ( he, רם כרמי; 1931 – 11 April 2013) was an Israeli architect. He was head of the Tel Aviv-based Ram Karmi Architects company, and is known for his Brutalist architecture, Brutalist style.
Biography
Ram Karmi was born in Jerusale ...
, Israeli architect (died 2013)
Notable deaths
![Rachel the poet](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Rachel_the_poet.jpg)
* 16 April –
Rachel Bluwstein
Rachel Bluwstein Sela (20 September (Julian calendar) 1890 – 16 April 1931) was a Hebrew-language poet who immigrated to Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire, in 1909.
She is known by her first name, Rachel ( he, רחל ), or as Ra ...
(commonly referred to as "Rachel the poetess") (born 1890), Russia-born Palestinian Jewish poet.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1931 in the British Mandate of Palestine
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
Years in Mandatory Palestine