Independence Hall or Dizengoff House, Tel Aviv

It is here the signing of Israel's Declaration of Independence took place. Located on the historic Rothschild Boulevard one of the most expensive streets in Tel Aviv, this hall was actually the home of Meir Dizengoff (Tel Aviv's First Mayor). From 1932 to 1971, it housed the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. At 4 pm on a Friday, May 14, 1948 when David Ben Gurion, proclaimed the birth of Israel in 17 minutes at the main hall of this building, it was a historic moment. The Jewish dream of about two thousand years became a reality. At the day of Independence, the hall was prepared in haste, and chairs from nearby cafes provided the seating for over 300 invitees. One can see the very chairs where Israel's founding fathers and mothers (with their names written on it) listened to David Ben Gurion declare Israel's statehood in 1948 under the big portrait of Theodor Herzl (Father of Zionism). Here is link for a nice article about Israel's declaration of independence.

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1999/4/Shelley%20Kleiman%20-%20The%20State%20of%20Israel%20Declares%20Ind