In the early years of the state, hundreds of thousands of new immigrants arrived and hundreds of settlements were established – 116 in 1949 alone! Keren Hayesod continued its intensive fundraising activities in order to bring immigrants from throughout the world and establish new settlements. A film produced in honor of Israel’s third Independence Day shows some of the important activities supported by Keren Hayesod. It includes moving clips of children in a youth village during routine activities, Haifa Port at its height, when it was the gateway for many new immigrants, and a dance performance in the area, along with signs declaring “Keren Hayesod settlements – strongholds of might”. Also documented is the establishment of two new settlements – Numbers 501 and 502 – with the support of Keren Hayesod. The film concludes with the arrival of a plane carrying new immigrants from Iraq, in Operation Ezra and Nehemiah, one of the most important aliyah campaigns carried out by Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Photo: Independence Day 5711 – Israel’s third Independence Day, 1951 Newsreel