This certificate was issued by JNF-KKL in honour of the planting of seven trees in the King George V Jubilee Forest. The trees were planted in the name of Maurice Pearlman by the High Wycombe Zionist Society in 1941. The forest was initially planted to commemorate King George V’s Silver Jubilee, 25 years of the king’s reign from 1910 to 1935.
In the centre of the certificate is a drawing of a man showing two boys how to plant trees. One boy is holding a spade and the other a sickle, and in front of them are four holes waiting for the trees to be planted. A woman carrying two watering cans watches them from afar. The fields and mountains in the background are reminiscent of the scenery in the north of Israel. Around the drawing is a frame that is decorated with the Star of David and with different arrangements of olive, almond, and palm branches, all trees found in Israel. At the top of the frame is the title: “King George V Jubilee Forest Eretz Israel,” a picture of King George V, and the words “Tree Fund” in English and Hebrew. Surrounding the drawing are the letters JNF in both languages and the text: “1910–1935 British Jewry’s Commemoration of the Silver Jubilee of His Majesty’s Reign, May 6th 1935.” At the bottom of the certificate is written: “Seven Trees planted in the name of Maurice Pearlman by the High Wycombe Zionist Society February 1941.”
This certificate was issued after a donation from the Zionist Society to the JNF in order to plant trees. Donations to the JNF for this purpose was very popular throughout the twentieth century. This certificate is evidence of the Zionist Societies that were established throughout the Jewish world in the twentieth century. This certificate is of particular interest, since it originates from a small community located in Buckinghamshire, 25 miles west of London. The community of High Wycombe was formally established in 1948 by evacuees from London during World War II. As in many provincial cities and towns, the community diminished in the ensuing years, presumably due to migration to the bigger cities. The High Wycombe synagogue was closed in 2011.
King George V succeeded his father in 1910 and ruled until his death in 1936. This certificate was therefore issued five years after his death. King George V was the monarch at the time of the Balfour Declaration in 1917 and was believed to be a good leader for the Jewish people. In addition to planting these trees, the Jewish people showed their appreciation for King George V by naming one of the main streets in Jerusalem after him.
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Jewish National Fund- The Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) was founded in 1901 in order to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. In the ensuing years, both during the British Mandate and after the establishment of the State of Israel, the JNF planted millions of trees, built dams and reservoirs, and developed more than 250,000 acres of land for settlement. The JNF was founded by the Zionist movement, and its campaigns aimed at attracting the support of Diaspora Jews. The blue JNF collection box symbolized the partnership between Israel and the Diaspora and was once found in many Jewish homes and organizations.
The Jewish Community of Britain – The first mention of Jews in Britain is from 1070. In the eleventh and twelfth century Jews were legally under the protection of the monarchs in return for heavy taxes and loans and lived mainly in the financial centres of London, Oxford, Lincoln, Bristol, and Norwich. In the late twelfth century, the Jews suffered from anti-Semitic restrictions, blood libels, riots, and massacres. One of the worst anti-Semitic massacres of the Middle Ages took place in York where the entire Jewish community was burnt to death at Clifford’s Tower. In 1290 King Edward I expelled all the Jews of Britain and their homes and properties were confiscated. For many centuries, Jews did not officially live in the country, but many lived secretly until the rule of Oliver Cromwell, when they were readmitted due to the intervention of the Dutch rabbi and leader, Menashe Ben Israel. Many of these new Jewish arrivals were of Spanish and Portuguese origins. An attempt to legalise Jewish presence in Britain was made in 1753 with the Jewish Naturalisation Act, and in the nineteenth century Jews received equal rights. The community prospered and comprised academics, bankers, scientists, and merchants. Among these distinguished British Jews of the eighteenth and nineteenth century were Sir Moses Montefiore, Nathan Mayer von Rothschild, and Benjamin Disraeli. Due to the good conditions, the lack of violence towards Jews, and religious tolerance, in the nineteenth century Britain became a target for Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe. The new Jewish immigrants lived mainly in the large industrial cities, especially London, Manchester, and Leeds. The East End of London became a Jewish neighbourhood where Yiddish was commonly spoken. In the twentieth century many more Jews fleeing the Nazis arrived in Britain, including the famous kindertransport, the British rescue effort of thousands of children from Nazi-occupied Europe. The Jewish community of Britain numbers over 300,000 today. This is the fifth largest Jewish community in the world and the second in Europe.
