The First Knesset, which began as the Constituent Assembly, convened for the first time on the Jewish New Year for Trees, Tu Bishvat 1949.This Tu Bishvat marks the 61st birthday of the Knesset.

Seven facts about the Knesset 

1. The Knesset first convened on 14 February 1949, following the 20 January elections.

2. Every 4 years (or sooner if an early election is called, as is often the case), 120 members of the Knesset (MKs) are elected by Israeli citizens who must be at least 18 years old to vote.

3. The Knesset is guarded by the Knesset Guard.

4. The Knesset sits on a hilltop in western Jerusalem in a district known as Sheikh Badr before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and now known as Givat Ram.

5. Before the construction of its permanent home, the Knesset met in the Jewish Agency building in Jerusalem, the Kessem Cinema building in Tel Aviv and the Froumine building in Jerusalem.

6. The term “Knesset” is derived from the ancient Great Assembly or Great Synagogue (Hebrew: כְּנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה‎) which according to Jewish tradition was an assembly of 120 scribes, sages, and prophets, in the period from the end of the Biblical prophets to the time of the development of Rabbinic Judaism – about two centuries ending c. 70 CE.

7. The Knesset was reconstituted following elections in February 2009, which resulted 28 seats for Kadima, 27 for Likud, 15 for Yisrael Beiteinu, 13 for Labor, 12 for three small religious parties (5 for United Torah Judaism, 4 for National Union and 3 for Jewish Home), 11 for Shas, 7 for two Arab parties (4 for Ta’al, 3 for Balad), 4 for the non-Zionist Hadash, and 3 for the left-wing Jewish party Meretz.

More information: http://www.knesset.gov.il/ 

and http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%A1%D7%AA

E-H Dictionary

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