Where did the State of Israel get its name?

The name Medinat Yisrael, The State of Israel, seems to make sense for the modern Jewish State. However, the choice of the name was not finalized until two days before the Declaration of the State in May, 1948.

Suggestions for the name of the new State included Yehuda, Zion, Eretz Yisrael, Yeshurun, Carmelia, Medinat HaYehudim (The State of the Jews) and Medinat HaIvrim (The State of the Hebrews).

David Ben Gurion suggested the name “Medinat Yisrael” and it was voted in by 7 out of 10 voters, yet he admitted that he was not the first one to think of the name.

Hadar Peri, in her Hebrew article: “Vayikra Shma B’Yisrael”, “Her name will be called in Israel” explains that many people claim to have given the Modern State of Israel its name.

Peri lists examples of those who said that they were the first to use the term Medinat Yisrael:

Avraham Olitzur, financial officer of Keren HaYesod, brought up the name Medinat Yisrael in a letter which was printed in the Palestine Post on May 12, 1948.

Avraham Neuhauser, son of Menachem Neuhauser claimed that his father was the first to suggest the name Medinat Yisrael in a letter that he wrote to HaAretz on January 12, 1948. His view was that it should be called Medinat Yisrael, The State of Israel rather than Eretz Yisrael since the State would not include the entire Biblical Land of Israel.

Aharon Reuveni, author, translator and brother of President Yitzchak Ben Zvi explains that in October or November 1947, he already knew that the name should be Medinat Yisrael. He wrote an article “The State- What’s her name?” that was printed in Moznaim on December 5, 1947 defending his view that Eretz Yisrael, Yehuda, Zion etc. were not good choices.

According to Ilon Gilad in an article in HaAretz in 2015, Moshe Sharet came up with the name Medinat Yisrael in 1946 or maybe even earlier and used it in his speech on March 26, 1947.

If we go further back, we see that in 1896, Yitzchak (Itchi) Fernhoff translated Herzl’s term “Judenstaat” as Medinat Yisrael, The State of Israel and not as the Jewish State.

Rav Kook also used the term Medinat Yisrael in the years 1904-1914.

The original name Yisrael is given to Yaakov in Breisheet 32:29: “No longer will your name be spoken as Yaakov, but as Yisrael, for you have contended with god and with men and you have won.”

The name Yaakov means heel, while the name Yisrael means prince. The promise is that you will not longer be stepped on by your enemies. Now, you will prevail.

May God’s promise to Yaakov be fulfilled. May we live up to the name Yisrael and be able to defeat our enemies.