King George
- My Old New Land
- Dec 8, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 15
1865 - 1936.
King George V was King of the United Kingdom from 1910 to 1936.
During and after World War 1, the United Kingdom expanded its empire under with new colonies. The British Empire reached its maximum extent and included the region of Palestine.
During this period, major streets in various cities in the Land of Israel commemorated high commissioners, and city governors, like General Allenby. Among the colonial names given to central streets, King George V stood out.
On December 9, 1924, a solemn ceremony was held to name a street in Jerusalem after the British King. The ceremony was attended by High Commissioner Herbert Samuel, District Governor Ronald Storrs, and Mayor Rajab Nashashivi. A stone tablet in the three official languages to mark the celebration was fixed on the wall of a house at the corner of Jaffa Road and King George Street.
The decision to give the name King George V to streets in Haifa and Tel Aviv was made for the 25th anniversary of the King's coronation.
After the principle decision was made, the main question was which street would bear the British King's name. It had to be a main street since choosing a side street could have been interpreted as an insult to the Empire.
The ceremony, during which a central street in Tel Aviv was named after King George V, was held on May 6th, 1935. This was part of "King's Day" celebrated throughout the Empire.
Before Tel Aviv became a city, Jaffa also had a street named after the King.
With the establishment of the State of Israel, the question of purifying colonial heritage in the public sphere came up on the urban agenda. In 1950, it was decided to keep the street name as it was. That same year, with the unification of Jaffa and Tel Aviv, the street named after the British King in Jaffa was canceled.
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