Learning with the National Library of Israel

UN Partition Plan: November 29, 1947

 About six months before Israel declared independence, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution that outlined a plan for partitioning the Land of Israel into two independent states: one Jewish and one Arab.  It was preceded by the UN’s unanimous conclusion in August of 1947 that the British Mandate in Palestine should be terminated.  Upon subsequent visits to Palestine by UN committee members, the majority felt that the Jewish people had a right to a country of their own. 

​

The adoption of the Partition Plan by the UN was celebrated by Jews around the world as a major step towards statehood. 

​

An examination of resources related to the Partition Plan can help students gain a deeper understanding of the situation of Jewish refugees and find out what the UN Partition Plan meant to the British, Arabs, and Jews.

​

Teaching Suggestions

This activity can be used by Jewish Studies, Israel Studies and Jewish History teachers in the lead up to Yom Ha’atzmaut  (Israeli Independence Day).

​

History and Civics teachers can use this lesson when discussing modern geopolitics and the role of the UN.

​

Relevant Links

• Recording of UN Vote, Youtube

• Matti Friedman, "The Day That Never Ended", Times of Israel, November 28, 2012

• The 29th of November, Knesset Website

• Immigration to Israel: "Exodus 1947" Illegal Immigration Ship, Jewish Virtual Library

​

Pre-class Preparation

• Teachers who are not familiar with Twitter should read this guide.

​

Necessary Equipment

• Technological devices (desktops, laptops, iPads, smartphones, etc.)

• NLI maps

• Computer with projector and screen

• Worksheet

​

Stage 1: Introduce the Partition Plan Map

• Use the discussion questions from our resource pack.

​

Stage 2: Compare & Contrast

Divide students into six groups. Distribute one of these maps to each group.

Each of these maps is related to the UN Partition Plan of 1947.

• The Land of Israel: It Was and Will Always Be Ours, c. 1948?

• Palestine Land of Dispute, Bureau of Current Affairs, Piccadilly, 1947

• L'Etat Juif, KKL, c. 1947?

• Palestine: Index to Villages and Settlements: Survey of Palestine, IDF, 1948

• City of Jerusalem Boundaries Proposed by the AD HOC Committee on the Palestinian Question, UN, 1947

•  The Borders of the Jewish State: According to the UN (in Hebrew), 1947

​

Students should answer the following questions about their maps.

1. How is the land divided on your map?

2. Who/which organization published your map?

3. Which cities/settlements appear on your map that did not appear on the original UN map?

4. What colours appear on your map? Why do you think these specific colours were chosen?

5. What is the purpose of the map? Who was the intended audience?

6. What other details can you see on your map?

7. Is your map scientifically accurate? Why or why not?

8. Does the map present a particular view of the UN Partition Plan? If so, what is it?

​

Summary: As you can see from the many maps that depict the UN Plan, November 29 was a very significant date for the Jewish people and the region in general.

In the next stage we will take a look at some of the people who were involved on that fateful day.

​

Stage 3: Video, Photos & Discussion

1. Watch "The Story of a Vote".

2. Present the following photographs of celebrations from the Leo Baeck School in Haifa on November 29, 1947.

3. Hold a class discussion, using these questions as a guide:​

• Why didn’t the Jewish people initially believe that the UN would accomplish anything substantial?

• While the Jews celebrated the UN vote, a glance at the map shows that  the Partition Plan might not have been considered a victory. Why did they nonetheless feel this way?

• Why was the timing of the end of the British Mandate critical for Jews around the world?

• Why did people feel their lives were beginning?  What happened the following day?

• Why did Ben-Gurion refer to the Jewish homeland as the “Hebrew State?”

​

Stage 4: Twitter Story - Partition Plan

• Create a hashtag for your Twitter story that must be used on every post from the teacher and/or the students, e.g., #PartitionPlan47.

• Role play: Assign each student an identity. Here are some suggestions:

  • British official

  • Member of UNSCOP

  • Jordanian Arab

  • Egyptian Arab

  • Holocaust survivor refugee

  • Member of the Haganah

• Create Twitter Accounts: Each student creates an account using their identity as a username.

• Tweeting: Each student uses their given identity to write about their experiences and thoughts on the UN Partition Plan. The tweets should include references to particular events and/or personalities and must have a strong historical basis. Each tweet must include the hashtag you assigned so that it is part of the discussion.

• Updating the Feed: Teachers can lead the discussion by including new information for the students to respond to, such as introducing a new date, event, or personality. For instance, teachers can decide that students have to tweet the events of only one certain day only or that they can introduce a few different events. Here are some suggestions:

  • Before the UN vote (1947)

  • November 29, 1947, the day of the vote

  • The ensuing months (1947-1948)

  • May 14, 1948, Israel’s Declaration of Independence

  • June 1967, before/during/after the Six Day War

• Here is an example of how teachers can introduce the date:

Teacher on TW

@teacherUNplan

Today’s New York Times Headline: "ASSEMBLY VOTES PALESTINE PARTITION; MARGIN IS 33 TO 13; ARABS WALK OUT; ARANHA HAILS WORK AS SESSION ENDS" (29/11/1947) #PartitionPlan47

*See this as an example: Tweeting 1967 on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/Tweeting67