Month: February 2020

Danny Kaye, one of the greatest American actors, singers and comics of his generation, decided to accompany the Gadna Orchestra on a trip around the world to raise funds for Keren Hayesod. 25 mesmerizing concerts concluded on December 6, 1967. Danny Kaye, known as a long-standing supporter of Israel, had volunteered to conduct the second part of each of the concerts that took place over a period of six weeks, in Europe, Canada and South America. The concerts were unforgettable. Danny Kaye used humor, changing accents with great virtuosity, conducting the well[1]known “Flight of the Bumblebee” with a flyswatter in his hand, and even holding a lively dialogue with the audience at the end of the performance. The Gadna Orchestra comprised young people ages 14 to 22. The trip introduced them to their peers around the world, with the aim of raising funds. Tickets to the shows were snapped up. In Italy, the tickets cost 25,000 lirettas and in Holland, they were sold at an especially high price. The money raised during the trip was donated to the special Security Fund set up to help Israel meet the costs and needs of the Six Day War. The show demonstrated the original thinking of Keren Hayesod, which aspires at all its events to find new ways of enlisting Jews from around the world to come to Israel, donate money to the Zionist enterprise and strengthen their connection with events in Israel.
Admit it – you, too, would have loved to be there!

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Photo: Danny Kaye and the Gadna Orchestra, October 1967

Did you know that Tel Aviv Port was established following the Great Arab Revolt and the shutdown of Jaffa Port? In April 1936, the Great Arab Revolt broke out in Jaffa, in response to the strengthening of the Jewish Yishuv. The delayed and complacent reaction of the British led to a bloody struggle that lasted some three years, costing the lives of thousands of Arabs, more than 500 Jews and dozens of British. Consequences included a general strike, during which the port of Jaffa, a major commercial artery, was shut down, causing serious harm to the economy. An immediate and creative solution was needed. With support from Keren Hayesod and the Tel Aviv municipality, an alternative pier was quickly constructed in Tel Aviv. After only one month, the first ship was already unloading its goods at the improvised port that replaced Jaffa Port. In February 1938, the British authorized operating the Tel Aviv Port as a passenger port as well, and from then on, many immigrants entered the Land of Israel through its gates.

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Photo: Carrying sacks on the pier of Tel Aviv Port, 1936

It is interesting to see how the Keren Hayesod logo has changed to suit the spirit of the times. Over the years, Keren Hayesod changed its logo a number of times, reflecting its development and renewal in different periods, in order to stay current and forward-looking. At the same time, several elements remain in all the logos. All have the two letters “K” and “H” – often on their own, but sometimes accompanied by drawings and illustrations. These drawings, which also appeared in various posters, stamps and publications, were usually related to building the country, ploughing fields, cultivating land, constructing houses, planting trees and so on. Over the years the icon of a globe was added, as well as the flag of the State of Israel. One thing has been preserved in the logos over the past 100 years: they all reflect the essential nature of Keren Hayesod and secure its position as the largest fundraising organization for the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

Imagine receiving a dried flower from a child your age from the other side of the world! Keren Hayesod came up with a creative idea to strengthen the connection between children and young people in Israel with their peers in the Diaspora. On February 29, 1956, the “Flower Campaign” was launched. Dozens of children made their way to the Keren Hayesod Hall in Tel Aviv for the opening of the “Flowers of our Country” exhibition. There, each child chose a flower, dried it and wrote a brief message on a postcard. The postcards, together with the dried flowers, were sent to children in Jewish communities around the world. The Flower Campaign lasted more than 10 years, during which 180,000 postcards were sent every year. A total of over one million personal greetings from Israel, together with dried flowers, were sent to children worldwide. In return, the Israeli children received letters and postcards from throughout the world. Years later, many of the recipients of flowers from the Diaspora attested that receiving letters from children in Israel created a deep affinity with the country. So where would you like your flower to be sent?

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Photo: Keren Hayesod poster, 1958

Who are the precious people who work behind the scenes to make sure that everything runs smoothly? Day and night, with all their hearts, sometimes under difficult conditions, the staff of Keren Hayesod and the campaigns drive forward a complex system of activities around the globe. In its first years, Keren Hayesod had only 15 employees, who managed an intricate system of emissaries, campaigns, conferences and public relations around the world. Today too, Keren Hayesod is run by a small and dedicated professional staff in the Head Office in Jerusalem and in the worldwide campaigns who are the beating heart of its widespread activities. An outstanding example of the connection between Keren Hayesod and its employees is the story of Dr. Markus Spiegel, one of KH’s first staff members, who was a lawyer and Zionist leader in Krakow, Poland at the beginning of the 20th century. Spiegel was the editor of a local newspaper, but spent most of his time conducting Keren Hayesod activities throughout the region. His work included raising funds from area residents and maintaining close contact between the Keren Hayesod offices in Jerusalem and the Krakow office. In December 1939, a few months after the German invasion of Poland, Dr. Spiegel was arrested together with other senior Keren Hayesod activists, and in 1940 he was sent to Auschwitz. Despite Keren Hayesod efforts to have him released, he was murdered that year. His oldest son, Eleazar, managed to escape from the concentration camp, and immigrated to the Land of Israel. He received an award of honor from Keren Hayesod and a scholarship to study chemistry at the Hebrew University. He changed his name to Eleazar Shafrir. After receiving the title of professor, he founded the Center for the Study of Diabetes at the Hadassah Medical School; his research gained widespread international recognition. The story of Dr. Spiegel is just one example of the special connection between Keren Hayesod and its employees. Staff members continue to be the driving force behind Keren Hayesod’s enormous success worldwide, for which we all owe them our thanks.

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Photo: Dr. Marcus Spiegel (1886-1940)

Keren Hayesod has a tradition that it has maintained religiously for years: producing beautiful calendars that have become a household name and are displayed in many offices, Zionist organizations, private homes, companies and buildings across Israel and around the world. The uniqueness of the Keren Hayesod calendars lies in the story they tell about Israel’s development. Every year Keren Hayesod creates an inspiring new calendar, sometimes featuring the work of prominent artists, that reveal new plans and vision and show the country under development. The calendars serve as a means of communication with Diaspora Jews and donors, sharing with them what is happening in Israel and showing them that their donations are bearing fruit, in every sense. The early calendars highlighted, among other things, flourishing orchards, a fertile and blooming country and agricultural bounty. Over time, the calendars became an identifying mark of Keren Hayesod and a product that was eagerly awaited around the world. To this day, Keren Hayesod calendars are printed in tens of thousands of copies in six languages, and sent to donors around the world.

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The 5709 calendar produced by Keren Hayesod (1948-1949)

“1950. Dozens of olim crowd the customs counters at the airport in Iraq, with open suitcases and unwrapped packages. Impatient customs officials are harsh. The frightened children grab on to their parents’ legs, but in the air is the exciting feeling of new beginningsˮ. This is how Shlomo Hillel, one of the leaders of the Ezra and Nehemiah rescue and aliyah operation, and later world chairman of Keren Hayesod, described the scene. Similar scenes had also taken place during the rescue operation that was launched following anti-Jewish riots in Yemen, “On the Wings of Eagles”. The Jews were forced to flee as quickly and as far away as possible. Some of them found themselves walking in the scorching desert, destitute, attacked by bandits. They stayed in refugee camps in Aden until the Jewish Agency for Israel organized an air train to fly them to Israel. This is how the operation received its popular name, “Magic Carpet”. During 1949, some 50,000 Yemenite Jews were brought to Israel, and in 1950 and 1951, 123,000 Iraqi Jews also arrived in the Holy Land. These two aliyah campaigns were among the largest and most important in Israel’s history.

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Photo: New immigrants from Iraq, 1951

What would you prefer? To hear a long lecture filled with numerical facts or to see a musical performance putting across the same content in a light and entertaining manner? In the 1980s, Keren Hayesod decided to replace the lectures that were ordinarily delivered to Jews around the world with a show that surveyed the development of the state through text, poetry and music. The show was written by Dan Almagor, a well-known Israeli writer, and featured the best Israeli artists of the period, such as Rivka Raz, Hanoch Levin and Dorit Reuveni. It was performed in Spain, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia, with enormous success. The revenues from the campaign were far higher than expected. In the 1980s, Keren Hayesod put on additional shows together with the leading Israeli ensemble of the time, “Hakol Over Habibi”; these performances raised funds beyond all expectations. To this day, leading Israeli artists travel around the world for Keren Hayesod, helping to raise funds and strengthen ties with the Diaspora. Shiri Maimon, Idan Raichel and Sarit Hadad are just a few of the Israeli artists who have taken part in Keren Hayesod campaigns in recent years.

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Photo: Dan Almagor and his ensemble before his trip abroad, 1982

The Net@ project was established in 2003 with the support of Keren Hayesod, with the aim of developing and encouraging excellence and leadership in young people from the periphery. Every year, some 1,700 youngsters take part in the after-school program in 21 locations around the country. In addition to technological training, the program empowers participants by providing leadership training and personal development, the opportunity to contribute to the community and more. Galit Tasi from Ramle is a wonderful example of someone who, with the help of the program, achieved a professional diploma and began working at Cisco Systems when she was only 17. Thanks to the program, the path to army service in an elite unit was also open to her. Before enlisting, Galit decided to give back to those who had supported her. She postponed her army service and volunteered for a year of community service in Akko, helping at-risk youth. A week before the end of her army service, Galit received an offer to work as assistant to the IDF attaché in Washington, where she is still working. Galit is one of over 4,500 graduates of the program, almost 100% of whom completed their studies with a full matriculation certificate. They were exposed to opportunities that were previously out of reach, such as army service in an elite unit, academic studies and a promising career.

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Photo: Net@ Jerusalem, 2016

Although the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra had been established just three years earlier, a financial crisis in 1939 threatened its continued existence. It turned to Keren Hayesod for assistance and was given a grant of £300. During this period, Keren Hayesod also helped several other important cultural institutions in the Land of Israel, including the Bezalel School of Art and Design, the Habima Theatre, the Ohel Workers Theatre and the Bialik Institute of Culture and Literature. Keren Hayesod provided support to build the first, beautiful concert hall in the Tel Aviv Exhibition Grounds, whose premiere concert was held in the 1930s, and to renovate Heichal Hatarbut, the home concert hall of the Philharmonic Orchestra to this day.

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Photo: The Philharmonic Orchestra on Mt. Scopus, January 1943