This is an advertisement, published in 1934, for the Keter shoe company, an Israeli company which is now known as Ben Yishai shoes. The advertisement was written to encourage people to buy Keter shoes at Chanukah, the Hasmonean holiday. The advertisement begins with a play of words on the Talmudic question, “What is Chanukah?” and proceeds to answer the question. First the advertisement provides an acrostic of the word “Chanukah” meaning the Hasmoneans (Hebrew letter for H/Ch) wearers (Hebrew letter N) of Keter shoes (Hebrew letter K) were (Hebrew letter H), stating that the Hasmoneans wore Keter shoes. The advertisement promises gifts of perfumes, wine, and sweets for anyone who buys a pair of Keter shoes during Chanukah. The advert also promotes products that were produced in the Land of Israel: “And so everything at ‘Keter’ will be crowned and the products of our country will be magnified and glorified.” This is also a word play as the word keter is the Hebrew word for a crown.
Keter Shoes were the first shoe manufacturers in Israel. The factory was run by Yitzhak Hoz, and his advertising and marketing methods emphasized the low price and high quality of the shoes. The Keter shoe company used holiday themes in other adverts promoting their shoes and supporting Israeli products, such as a Purim-themed advert that can be found in the National Library collection.
During the 1930s, there were many advertisements promoting the products of newly founded Jewish companies and Jewish agricultural settlements.
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Chanuka - Chanuka celebrates the rededication of the Temple by Judah the Maccabee and his army after their victory over the Greeks in 165 BCE. One of the well-known miracles of the Chanukah story is the small portion of oil that was able to light the Menorah in the Temple and burn for eight nights. Chanukah begins on 25 Kislev and is celebrated by lighting a Chanukiya for eight nights. It is also traditional to eat fried foods (to symbolise the oil) and play with spinning tops known as dreidles.
Promotion of Jewish Produce During the British Mandate – During the British Mandate, Jews, Arabs, and the British rulers lived side by side. In the economic sphere, the Yishuv (the Jewish community in pre-state Israel) took active steps to promote the Jewish economy. By doing so, they were fulfilling the Zionist goal of creating the infrastructure for a Jewish state and providing jobs for new immigrants. The Jewish leadership promoted Jewish produce in an attempt to strengthen the Jewish economy and protect Jewish workers from the cheaper Arab labour. Another goal was to create a new “healthy” and “normal” Jewish society in Israel which would include blue-collar workers in agriculture and industry. Money from Jewish philanthropists in the Diaspora was invested in the Jewish economy for the specific purpose of creating jobs to stimulate Jewish population growth in the country. These measures were reinforced with the buildup of the conflict and violence between the Jewish and Arab population during the time of the British Mandate.
