The poster, published by the Ministry of Education and Culture in the 1950s, is a chart of Hebrew words to be used at a clothing store. There are drawings of common articles of clothing found in the stores are with the Hebrew word written below, for example, dress, boots, gloves, heels, button, apron, handkerchief, belt, and suit. The merchandise is divided into five categories: women’s clothes, men’s clothes, haberdashery, shoes, and linens and underwear. Common phrases that a customer would need to know are also written on the poster.
The pictures illustrate the clothing and linens that were common in the Israeli wardrobe in the 1950s during the so-called “Austerity” (tzena) period (1949–1959) when food, clothing, and furniture were rationed. The styles of the clothing on the poster are simple, basic, and utilitarian. One of the phrases on the poster is: “Please put new soles and heels on my shoes,” which was probably more common than buying new shoes during the time of rationing. Due to changes in fashion and more practical ways of dressing, some of the items in this poster, such as a corsets, suspenders, petticoats, and overshoes, have become very rare today.
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Mass Immigration to Israel in the Early Years of Israel - The early years of the State of Israel were noted for the large wave of immigration from all corners of the world; in the State’s first three and a half years, 688,000 new immigrants arrived, doubling Israel’s population. The immigrants were mostly Holocaust survivors from Europe and refugees from Arab countries. This welcome influx of Jews necessitated many resources. The immigrants needed housing and jobs. They also needed to integrate into Israeli society, and there was therefore a massive campaign to teach the immigrants Hebrew.
