This is an advertisement which was placed in The Chicago Sentinel before Rosh Hashanah in 1958. The advertisement offers two types of “Rosh Hashanah Care Kosher food parcels” that can be sent to friends and relatives in Israel, costing either $10 or $18.25. The parcels contained a variety of food items including meat, chocolate, and dried fruit and were organised by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.
These packs were probably popular items for Americans to send their loved ones in Israel, where they would have been very well received due to the imposition of food and clothing rationing (a policy called the austerity or tzena) since the end of the War of Independence. The tzena lasted from 1948 to 1959 and was deemed necessary for coping with the huge needs of the new country: support for the new immigrants, the costs of the War of Independence, and the creation of the new state’s infrastructure. Rationing ensured that the limited state funds were fairly distributed among all of the population. For this reason, Israelis very much appreciated the supplements sent from friends or relations abroad.
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Rosh Hashanah – Rosh Hashanah is the celebration of the Jewish New Year which takes place on the first two days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. It is celebrated by blowing the shofar, lighting candles, eating festive meals, and attending services at the synagogue. Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holy days which end 10 days later with Yom Kippur. The ten-day period is called the Ten Days of Repentance, because it is believed that during this period a person’s deeds are judged and the future year is decided. It is a both a festive holiday and a solemn time of introspection which includes prayer, asking forgiveness from others, and giving tzedakah (charity). The prayers on Rosh Hashanah include asking God for a peaceful, prosperous, and healthy year. Rosh Hashanah also celebrates the creation of the world. People greet each other on Rosh Hashanah by saying: “Shana Tova (Happy New Year).” Food customs for Rosh Hashanah vary among the different communities but often include round challahs (instead of the customary long loaf), apples and honey, and pomegranates. Many people send Shana Tova cards to their friends and family.
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.
Rationing (Tzena) – Following the War of Independence, rationing was introduced in the new State of Israel. The rationing (also named the austerity or tzena) was implemented between 1948 and 1959, initially involving only food but later also clothing. The amount of calories required by each person was established by American experts, with sick and pregnant women allowed extra rations. Rationing was seen as necessary, as the country lacked the capability to produce the food that it required and was burdened by its lack of foreign currency. The new state’s financial needs were great, including the cost of absorbing huge numbers of new immigrants, a large defence budget to cover the costs of war and ongoing security, and the expense of creating the infrastructure essential for building a new state. The austerity measures were not popular but allowed Israel to meet its needs despite limited financial resources.
The Chicago Sentinel - The Chicago Sentinel, a weekly newspaper for the Chicago Jewish community, was one of the longest continuously published Jewish weeklies in the United States. The first issue of the Sentinel was published on February 4, 1911. The newspaper focused on cultural events and included many eye-catching illustrations and photographs. It also published short stories and reports about events in the various Jewish communities. The Sentinel differed from many other English-language, often highbrow, Jewish weeklies, because it reached out to the Zionist immigrants who preferred to read in English and not Yiddish. The Sentinel is a treasure trove for social, cultural, and religious historians who are interested in American Jewish life outside of New York during the twentieth century.