Israeli Astronomical Association

Lore & Background

The Israeli Astronomical Association began as an amateur fellowship on May 28, 1951, formed by astronomy enthusiasts immigrating from Germany and Czechoslovakia, including Dr Heilbruner and Dr Zaichik. Dr Zaichik served as the first chairman for many years until retiring due to personal health matters. In 1953, the decision to make the association national was made in the chamber of David Ben-Gurion, the country's prime minister, to promote astronomical knowledge in the newly formed state of Israel. The association was allocated territory in Givat Ram, Jerusalem, where a planetarium was built in 1956 with financial help from the Williams family of the Palestine bank (later Bank Leumi). An observatory was built in the Talabia suburb of Jerusalem in 1953, and branches were established in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Haifa, and the Galilee, though these branches are no longer active.

In 1986, due to a temporal setback and the transfer of the association's center of gravity to Givatayim, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem took over the planetarium building, including Albert Einstein's telescope given to the association in 1962. The association and the Williams family filed two lawsuits (1574/98, 8514/90) to regain management, but the observatory remained in university custody. The association currently lacks resources to continue the battle, and neither the observatory nor the planetarium in Givat Ram function for their designated purposes. In 1967, following the Six-Day War, the association inaugurated the Givatayim Observatory in Giv'atayim, chosen for its height and distance from humidity. The observatory was funded by the municipality, the association, and donations raised by manager Eng. Yossi Fooks. For 25 years it was solely managed by the association; since 1994 it has had co-management with the municipality.

The association operates as a nonprofit with hundreds of members, all volunteers. Activities include country-wide observations, astronomical weekends, conventions, and seminars. The journal Astronomy is published several times a year, along with a yearly almanac of astronomical phenomena visible in Israeli skies. The association holds ties with similar groups abroad and with national and international research institutions. Two prominent divisions are the Meteors Division, headed by Anna Levin, which reports to the International Meteors Organization, and the Variable Stars Division, headed by Ofer Gabzo, which peaked in the 1990s with thousands of observations sent annually to the American Association of Variable Star Observers.

Reader's Guide

The Israeli Astronomical Association's significance lies in its role as the primary amateur astronomy organization in Israel, established shortly after the country's founding to spread astronomical knowledge. Its history reflects both early success—building a planetarium and observatory, founding a Hebrew-language magazine—and later challenges, including the loss of its Jerusalem facilities to the Hebrew University after a legal dispute. The association's resilience is shown by its continued operation of the Givatayim Observatory, inaugurated in 1967, which remains its main activity hub. The association's volunteer-based model, with all members including functionaries serving without pay, underscores its grassroots character. Its publications, including the magazine Astronomy and an annual almanac, provide unique Hebrew-language resources for Israeli stargazers. The association's divisions, such as the Meteors Division and the Variable Stars Division, have contributed to international scientific reporting, with Ofer Gabzo setting a world record of over 22,000 variable star observations in 1992. Despite setbacks, the association continues to hold country-wide activities and maintain ties with international research institutions, fulfilling its original purpose of distributing astronomical knowledge to the Israeli public.

Did You Know?

• The association was founded on May 28, 1951, by immigrants from Germany and Czechoslovakia.
• Ofer Gabzo set a world record in 1992 with over 22,000 variable star observations in one year.
• The association's magazine Astronomy is the only Hebrew-language astronomy magazine ever published.

Founding and the Push to Go National

The Israeli Astronomical Association traces its origins to May 28, 1951, when a small circle of astronomy enthusiasts—many of them recent immigrants from Germany and Czechoslovakia—gathered to form an amateur fellowship. Among the founding figures were Dr. Heilbruner and Dr. Zaichik, the latter of whom would serve as chairman for many years before stepping down for personal health reasons. The group's ambitions grew quickly: in 1953, the decision to elevate the fellowship into a national body was made in the office of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, reflecting the young state's desire to cultivate scientific literacy. With support from the Williams family of the Palestine Bank (later Bank Leumi), the association secured a dedicated planetarium in Givat Ram, Jerusalem, completed in 1956. That same year, an observatory was erected in the Talabia suburb, and branches sprouted in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Haifa, and the Galilee—all driven entirely by volunteer effort.

The Givat Ram Planetarium and the University Dispute

The association's early Jerusalem base in Givat Ram was eventually absorbed into the expanding campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1986, as the university's territory grew, it took possession of the planetarium building, which also housed Albert Einstein's telescope—a gift from the Ben Shemen school in 1962. The university converted much of the site into office space, prompting the association and the Williams family to file two separate lawsuits (cases 1574/98 and 8514/90) seeking to restore the planetarium to its intended astronomical purpose. Despite the forceful takeover, the courts ruled the observatory would remain under university custody. Today, the association lacks the resources to continue the legal fight, and neither the Givat Ram observatory nor the planetarium functions in its original designated role. The episode stands as a painful chapter in the organization's history, representing the loss of a facility that had been central to its public outreach since the 1950s.

The Giv'atayim Observatory and a Line of Leaders

Following the Six-Day War in 1967, the association inaugurated the Giv'atayim Observatory in central Israel. The site was chosen deliberately for its elevation well above sea level and its distance from coastal humidity, making it ideal for clear-sky observations. Funding came from the Giv'atayim municipality, the association itself, and international donations raised by the observatory's manager at the time, Eng. Yossi Fooks. For a quarter-century the association managed the facility independently; since 1994 it has operated under joint management with the municipality. The observatory has seen a succession of notable leaders who simultaneously served as association chairmen, including Haim Levi, Dr. Noah Brosch (now director of Tel Aviv University's Wise Observatory), Dr. Isaac Shlosman (now an astrophysics professor at the University of Kentucky), Ilan Manulis (now heading the Technoda Observatory), and Dr. Igal Patel, who managed the site for over two decades starting in 1987. Nadav Rotenberg held the chair for ten years, and the current chair is Dr. Amit Shraga.

Scientific Divisions, Publications, and a Fading Specialization

The association's scientific output is channeled through specialized divisions and regular publications. Its journal, currently titled Astronomy (previously published under the names All the Stars of Light and The Stars in their Month), appears several times a year and remains the only Hebrew-language astronomy magazine of its kind. A yearly almanac catalogs all astronomical phenomena visible from Israeli skies. On the observational front, the Meteors Division, led by Anna Levin, conducts regular meteor observations, reports to the International Meteors Organization, holds twice-yearly lectures, and publishes shower forecasts. In 2008 a dedicated training seminar expanded the division's membership from three to ten observers. The Variable Stars Division, headed by Ofer Gabzo, reached its zenith in the 1990s when five members submitted thousands of magnitude estimates annually to the American Association of Variable Star Observers. In 1992 Gabzo set a world record with more than 22,000 observations in a single year. Today, however, Gabzo is the only member within the association who retains the specialized knowledge for this work.