The end of the beginning

Studies dealing with the first decade of the State of Israel are now at their zenith. During the past several years, books, dissertations and articles have appeared which deal with the crystallization of the new State's rapidly changing form, its foreign and defence policies. There have also been studies dealing with the mass immigration, the State's absorption of Holocaust survivors and its attitude towards them, dilemmas pertaining to the relationship between religious and non-religious, particularly with regard to educating immigrant children. Other studies have concentrated upon the Sinai Campaign, the dynamics which brought about the retaliation strikes, and those loaded questions pertaining to 'the new Germany' and the complex relationship between Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett.1 Despite this plethora of studies appearing during the past few years, we are still at the formative stage of delineating the first outlines, always partial and often blurred, of the picture known as 'Israel's first decade'. Nevertheless, the time has come to try and pose the first historiographical questions. By their very nature, these questions pertain both to the general nature of the period and to the general nature of its study. One of the first such questions concerns the meaning of the term 'the first period of the State's history'. In this connection, two chronological terms are often used. One is 'the first decade', the other is 'The Fifties'.2 The two terms are similar, but not identical. As the State of Israel was established in 1948, the first decade ends in 1958 while the 'fifties' end two years later, in 1960. Do these terms have a historical significance? In 1958, when the State of Israel marked ten years from its founding, the term 'the first decade' was loaded with symbolic and ceremonial significance. The State of Israel commemorated this period with a series of publications, gatherings and ceremonies: the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) parade was held that year in Jerusalem (as opposed to previous years when it had been hosted in other cities) the 'Binyanei Ha'Uma', the large convention hall in Jerusalem, hosted the 'exhibition of the decade' and a special album, edited by

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