Month: February 2020

At dawn one chilly December morning in 1936, at the height of the Great Arab Revolt, a small convoy of trucks carrying guards and a group of young people made its way to the Beit Shean Valley. The objective, which required courage, effort and singlemindedness was very clear: to establish a protected settlement in the heart of a hostile area, within one day, before nightfall. And it succeeded. Towards evening, Tel Amal (today Nir David) was standing, the first settlement in the Stockade and Tower operation, which changed the face of the settlement enterprise and determined the future borders of the State of Israel. The Stockade and Tower operation was an innovative method of establishing a settlement, protected by a wall and a watchtower, in just one day. The idea was to build everything essential in advance in order to enable rapid assembly on site, so that the residents could defend themselves while completing the construction. Thanks to the speed and element of surprise, Tel Amal was indeed constructed within just one day. 56 more settlements were built over a period of three years, as part of this operation, with the support of Keren Hayesod. Some of them were in dangerous border areas. The British were amazed to see how the Jewish Yishuv and the pioneers succeeded in overcoming all obstacles and doing the impossible

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Photo: Stockade, tower and tents at Hanita, 1938

The Bedouin youth village Neve Midbar (oasis) is an excellent example of Keren Hayesod’s activities on behalf of various population groups in Israeli society. “Every chapter in a person’s life is accompanied by a dream”, says Tamer Abu-Jafar, a young Bedouin graduate of and instructor at the Bedouin youth village in Nitzana, who recently received the President’s Award for Volunteering. “The dream of this chapter in my life is to improve the socio-economic situation of Bedouin society”. Tamer joined the “Desert Stars” association, which helps the Bedouins of the Negev. He then became a homeroom teacher in the Neve Midbar Bedouin youth village in Nitzana. At the age of 17, Tamer already understood that he wanted to achieve something. He decided to take responsibility for his life and to work to improve the lives of the next generation of Bedouin. The Neve Midbar youth village, the first of its kind in Israel, was established in 2015 in Nitzana in the Negev, with the support of Keren Hayesod, in order to create a new generation of change agents to promote coexistence and equality for members of all religions in Israel – whether Jewish, Christian, Druse, Muslim or Bedouin. The following year, over 100 students were already studying at the village. Demand is high, and the programs grow from year to year. Keren Hayesod has many programs, such as Net@, Youth Futures and pre-army academies, that support disadvantaged communities from different sectors of Israeli society, out of a true sense of mission and deep belief that the next generation will determine what our future looks like.

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Photo: Students at the Bedouin youth village Neve Midbar, 2018

John Henry Patterson was born into a Christian family in Ireland in 1867. He became an outstanding soldier in British Army. While serving in Kenya, he killed two lions that were known to be man-eaters and had killed a number of his men. This episode made him famous and Patterson wrote a book that was turned into no fewer than three Hollywood movies. Patterson later commanded the two Jewish legions that were established during World War I. In this capacity, he became acquainted with Ze’ev Jabotinsky, who had been active in setting up these legions, and they quickly became firm friends. Patterson was very impressed by the Jewish soldiers and became one of the most important Gentile Zionists in history. Together with Nahum Sokolow, Chaim Weizmann and Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Patterson is listed as a Keren Hayesod emissary to England in 1921. He also worked on behalf of Keren Hayesod in other places, including New York, Toronto, Brussels, The Hague and Prague. Large audiences came to hear his speeches. Support for Keren Hayesod from non-Jews is particularly moving. Keren Hayesod’s success in recruiting people from the ends of the earth and instilling in them a sense of mission regarding the Zionist vision is one of the organization’s major achievements!

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Photo: John Henry Patterson (1867 – 1947)

Youth Futures is an innovative Jewish Agency for Israel program funded by Keren Hayesod that provides life-changing intervention for thousands of the highest risk children in Israel’s periphery. The innovative method developed, which today is exported around the world, is based on appointing a “trustee” who takes all-round responsibility for the child, making sure that he/she doesn’t fall between the bureaucratic cracks. The trustee works with the children and their families, schools, welfare authorities and all the relevant agencies for three years. Sarit Schordiger of Eilat joined the program when she was 14, due to difficulties she was experiencing at home. She met Shiri Hermon, a young trustee working with children from the poorest socio-economic backgrounds, who didn’t see even a sliver of hope for a normal life in the future. But Sarit had a dream, and together with Shiri her life began to settle down. The program strengthened her desire to continue her studies, to succeed in the matriculation exams and to enlist in the army. The program invested Sarit with new life, and strengthened her hope and motivation to realize her potential. After finishing the army, Sarit began to work at an institute that specializes in life-saving medical tests. She met her future husband, married and is building a home for herself, step by step. There are today some 5,000 youngsters like Sarit, both Jewish and Arab, from disadvantaged families in 36 local authorities around the country who, together with their families, are receiving new hope and strength with the help of the Keren Hayesod donors.

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Photo: Youth Futures program. Akko, 2016

Keren Hayesod decided that alongside its investments in national projects, it needed to facilitate private initiative. Already in 1921, Keren Hayesod designated a large part of its income to set up various banks – a mortgage bank, a workers bank, an agricultural bank and more. These banks began to provide immediate assistance to found new settlements and neighborhoods and gave vital loans to establish factories. In 1921, Keren Hayesod founded Israel’s first mortgage bank, the General Mortgage Bank of Palestine Ltd., which helped in the construction of new neighborhoods in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Tiberias and elsewhere. In the mid 1920s, this bank was acquired by the Anglo-Palestine Bank, one of the major banks in the Land of Israel at that time (which later changed its name to Bank Leumi LeIsrael). During the global economic crisis and the collapse of the American stock exchange in 1929, financial systems throughout the world were shaken up. Keren Hayesod agreed to underwrite part of the large deficit of the Anglo-Palestine Bank, and transferred properties and shares to the bank, saving it from bankruptcy. Keren Hayesod continued to help residents through its cooperation with and support for the banking system in the Land of Israel in the years that followed as well.

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Photo: The Anglo-Palestine Bank in Tel Aviv (1923)

What happens when rabbis from Australia, Europe, Canada, South America and the United States of America come together in a call to build the Land of Israel? Well, a great deal. On Keren Hayesod’s 10th anniversary, in 1930, 500 rabbis from around the world demonstrated their support in an unprecedented campaign, a special proclamation calling to continue Keren Hayesod’s work to build the Holy Land. What led to the proclamation was a dispute between secular Zionists and workers organizations on the one hand and religious and ultra-Orthodox Jews on the other. Despite the conflict, both sides understood the critical importance of continuing to build the Land. The proclamation stated, among other things, that “this sacred enterprise, which has begun to grow and prosper, urgently requires us to raise our voices once again and to awaken you to the obligation that lies upon all of us to continue our work and our efforts in the great mitzvah that we have begun”. The language of the proclamation, uniting so many rabbis from around the world, was a revolutionary step that succeeded in bringing together Keren Hayesod and Jews all over, regardless of their beliefs or deeds. To this day, the chief rabbis continue to support the work of Keren Hayesod. We quote here the warm words of Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, one of the most important rabbis in Israel, who was the chief rabbi of Israel and chief rabbi of the city of Tel Aviv, and also served as chairman of Yad Vashem. In 2016 Rabbi Lau congratulated Keren Hayesod, saying, among other things: “I send you my heartfelt blessings. May your achievements this year, on behalf of the community and on behalf of the individual, surpass those of last year, in your work to further the State of Israel, to advance the wellbeing of its inhabitants, to bolster its standing and to strengthen it throughout the world… Keren Hayesod has many accomplishments to its credit in the history of the renewed Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel and you continue to carry the torch of history to future generations. I wish you success in whatever you do; the Lord is with you”.

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Photo: The proclamation of 500 rabbis in 1930, calling to support the activities of Keren Hayesod

Ask any Israeli about Keren Hayesod and they are likely to think you are asking for directions to the nearest street bearing that name. Why? Because almost every city in Israel has a street named “Keren Hayesod”. In appreciation to the donors and to the organization, almost every city in Israel has chosen to recognize Keren Hayesod’s significance and to name a major street in its honor. You can find these streets if you stroll through Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, Ramat Gan, Ramat Hasharon, Herzliya, Givatayim, Petah Tikva, Kfar Saba, Kiryat Shemona, Mazkeret Batya, Netanya, Afula, Tirat HaCarmel, Kfar Shmaryahu, Be’er Yaacov, Ashdod, Holon, Safed, Sderot – and the list goes on. On your next visit to Israel, go see one of the Keren Hayesod streets!

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Photo: Street bearing the name of Keren Hayesod in Jerusalem

Nine years after the founding of Keren Hayesod, the executing arm of the Zionist movement was established – the Jewish Agency for Israel. While Keren Hayesod was responsible for raising funds and channeling them in the most appropriate way to different executing entities, the World Zionist Organization saw the need to establish an executing agency in the field to implement and move forward both small and large projects. The work of Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency for Israel is intertwined and the active partnership between the two is mutually beneficial. The two organizations have collaborated on many projects. They played a key role in establishing the State of Israel in 1948 and continue to strengthen it. The Jewish Agency for Israel works mainly in the fields of immigration and absorption; it has absorbed more than 3 million immigrants and established over 450 cities and towns throughout the country. The Jewish Agency for Israel advances educational, social welfare and community projects and, together with Keren Hayesod, brings the Jews of Israel and the Diaspora closer together.

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Photo: Chairman of the United Jewish Appeal in the USA, Edward Ginsberg, during a speech marking Keren Hayesod’s jubilee in New York, July 1970

Keren Hayesod jubilee celebrations began in the spring of 1970, with the issue of a new stamp dedicated to Keren Hayesod and its main areas of activity – immigration, absorption and settlement. In addition to the stamp, a new medallion was issued in honor of the occasion, and 13,000 of them were distributed. The first medallion was given to Prime Minister Golda Meir by the chairman of Keren Hayesod at that time, Dr. Israel Goldstein. As part of the festivities, in July of that year a special session of the Knesset was held. The following day, a concert was performed by the Israel Symphony Orchestra in Binyanei HaUma (the Israel Convention Center) in Jerusalem, conducted by Zubin Mehta, with the participation of Daniel Barenboim and some of the world’s finest musicians. At the same time, more and more streets across Israel were named for Keren Hayesod, and festivities were held around the world to mark the occasion. Keren Hayesod published a review of the funds it had raised to date – the staggering amount of $1.6 billion – which was used to strengthen Israel through construction, education, social welfare and culture. And now another fifty years have passed.

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Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir (1969 – 1974) looking at the medallion given to her during Keren Hayesod’s jubilee celebrations

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Photo: The stamp issued in honor of Keren Hayesod’s jubilee in 1970, showing KH’s three main mission areas: immigration, absorption and settlement

Every year Keren Hayesod organizes missions that provide the opportunity to personally witness KH work in Israel. Visiting Israel on these missions is the ultimate expression of the connection between Diaspora Jews and Israel. Every year, Keren Hayesod organizes hundreds of visits for its donors and activists worldwide, which provide moving and unforgettable experiences. The missions include tours around the country, meetings with politicians and senior officials for updates on the situation in Israel and the region, visits to army bases and, most important, to projects supported by donors and a direct encounter with the beneficiaries. From 2016 until 2020, Keren Hayesod brought together supporters from around the world for the Walk Israel Mission – an incredible hike along the Israel Trail to benefit the Youth Futures project. Keren Hayesod missions are world-renowned as unforgettable experiences. Even people who have visited Israel many times are moved anew with each visit. Nothing beats seeing for yourself!

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Photo: Walk Israel Mission, Masada, 2017