The voice behind Israel’s first live radio broadcast of the declaration of independence has died. Kol Israel veteran and former editor of the station, whose influence stretched from the Haganah underground broadcasts to the official state service, passed away on October 1, 2026, at the age of 85. Kol Israel, also known as Kol Yisrael, was more than just a radio station.
It was Israel’s primary national and international radio platform, tracing its roots back to a clandestine Haganah station that began broadcasting in late 1947. This underground station became the official voice of the new state when independence was declared on May 14, 1948, and was the conduit for the first live radio broadcast of David Ben-Gurion reading the declaration.