This is an acknowledgment from Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael (KKL) (also known as the Jewish National Fund [JNF]) of a donation made by WIZO members in Ramat Gan to their friend Mrs. Kesselman and her husband on the occasion of their son Aryeh’s bar mitzvah. The note is typed in a standard form with the name of KKL, Jerusalem written in Hebrew. Behind the text is a watermark with the letters קקל (KKL). On the right-hand side is the text, “Letter of Holy Contribution for the Redemption of the Land by Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael,” and on the left-hand side is a map of the Land of Israel. The letter was issued at the Tel Aviv branch of KKL branch on the 14th of Sivan, 1938. In the centre of the letter is a personal greeting from the donors, “Our warm blessings are extended to you on the occasion of your son Aryeh’s bar mitzvah,” together with wishes that he will be “a loyal son to our nation and our land and may you merit to see, together with him, the rebirth of Israel on its land.”
Aryeh Kesselman was killed a decade later in the War of Independence on November 21, 1948, when his jeep rode over a mine in the Negev.
This is an example of JNF donations that we give in honour of celebrations such as bar mitzvahs and weddings. With the money that was donated, the JNF purchased land in Israel for Jewish settlement.
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Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael/Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) – KKL-JNF was founded in 1901 at the Fifth Zionist Congress for the purpose of raising money to purchase land in Israel, which would become the Jewish homeland. The well-known “blue boxes” were used by Jews all over the world to collect this money. The work of KKL-JNF can be divided into three phases. The first 50 years were dedicated to purchasing land. During the next 50 years KKL-JNF developed the land including planting over 220 million trees, building infrastructure such as roads and parks, and helping new immigrants to settle. In the current phase KKL-JNF is putting its emphasis on caring for the environment and solving the perennial problem of water scarcity.
Wizo - The Wizo organization worked to advance the interests of women and children in the Land of Israel and took part in elections prior to the establishment of the State of Israel and in elections to the First Knesset, in which they won one seat. Wizo is an organization of Jewish and Zionist women in Israel and the Diaspora founded in the 1920s in the wake of the the Balfour Declaration and the Zionist renewal. Its initials stand for: Women’s International Zionist Organization.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah – Bar mitzvah for boys or bat mitzvah for girls refers to the ages, 12 and 13 respectively, at which a Jew becomes obligated to fulfil the Jewish commandments and is allowed to participate fully in Jewish ritual and law. Since the Middle Ages, Jewish families have celebrated this milestone with a variety of different ceremonies and celebrations that have developed over time and place. In the past only boys celebrated their coming of age, but these days, in most communities, girls also celebrate. Bar and bat mitzvahs may consist of the celebrant being called up to the Torah for an aliyah, reading the weekly Torah portion or Haftarah, giving a sermon about the Torah reading, or leading the prayer service. Parties are probably the most common way of celebrating this milestone with family and friends. In recent years, participating in a social action project has also become quite common in some communities. In the past only boys celebrated their coming of age, though in recent years almost all communities celebrate also the girls' Bat Mitzvah.
