In the first photograph that was published as a postcard, Balfour is being greeted at the power station in Tel Aviv by a number of local dignitaries. The three men in the centre of the postcard are (from left to right) Lord Balfour, Meir Dizengoff, the mayor of Tel Aviv, and Chaim Weizmann, the then president of the Zionist Organization. This postcard was published by Moshe Ordmann.
The second photograph was taken by Moshe Ordmann and shows Balfour being welcomed at the Zionist club in Tel Aviv by officials and local dignitaries.
The third photograph shows Lord Balfour (seated centre) during a visit to the Meir Shfeya Youth Village in March 1925. Standing to his right is Nahum Sokolow, who served as translator for Balfour; seated to his left is Chaim Weizmann. There are other men and women in the photograph and a child, probably a pupil from the youth village. The photo was donated to NLI in 1969.
All of these photographs were created during Lord Balfour’s 1925 trip to Israel. The photographs were taken by Moshe Ordmann, a famous publisher of postcards at the time. In these images colour has been added to what were originally black and white images in order provide a more vivid rendering of the occasions.
During his trip to Israel, Lord Balfour visited many locations and was given a warm reception wherever he went. In several places, even those where he was not scheduled to stop, entire villages turned out to greet and applaud him. In these images, as well as numerous testimonies from the time, we can see the excitement and deep sense of gratitude that was felt by the citizens of Israel during the period following the Balfour Declaration.
Balfour visited Tel Aviv accompanied by Chaim Weizmann, who later became the first president of the State of Israel, and Nahum Sokolow, chair of the Zionist Executive who had been a key figure in the negotiations for the Balfour Declaration. On March 26, Balfour was welcomed by crowds of Tel Aviv residents who lined Allenby Street, where he received honorary citizenship of the city. Balfour also visited the Herzliya Gymnasium high school and was then taken to cut the ribbon of the newly named Balfour Street, where he cut the ribbon at the entrance to the street. He also visited the theatre that evening. The following day he visited the Tel Aviv power station and other factories, and a luncheon was held on the beach. Upon his departure from Israel, he was presented with a scroll of Ezra and Nehemiah.
