This notice is an appeal for the Matza fund of the Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes Association. The poster is written in Yiddish and English and appeals to people to donate their ”Mathonoth La’evyonim” and “Mahazith Hashekel” money from Purim to the organisation’s “Kimcha de’Pischa.”
Matanot LaEvyonim is one of the four commandments of Purim. It involves giving money to poor people for their immediate need of creating a special meal for the celebration of Purim. Machatzit HaShekel is another Purim tradition of giving charity in memory of the half shekel that was annually donated to the Temple treasury.
The poster suggests that the money collected on Purim for Matanot LaEvyonim and Machatzit HaShekel should be donated to the Matza Fund (Kimcha de’Pischa) of the Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes Association. Kimcha de’Pischa is an ancient custom with roots in the Jerusalem Talmud, which involved the distribution of Kosher for Pesach flour to poor people so that they could make matzah for the holiday of Pesach. Over time, as flour become more easily available and people stopped baking their own matzah, the custom changed and instead money is collected and distributed to assist with the needs of the holiday.
The Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes Association was founded by Rabbi Abraham Kalisker, leader of the Hasidim in Tiberias, in the 1790s. Rabbi Kalisker secured the commitment of the leaders of Polish Jewry to donate money to support their brethren in Palestine. The organisation still exists today.
The poster also includes four small images in the corners. Two are of an ancient Israeli coin, representing the shekel. In the right-hand corner is a small image of the Tomb of Rachel, and in the left-hand corner there is an image of the Western Wall.
The poster includes the address of the association, which was situated in the Knesset Israel neighbourhood of Jerusalem. While the date does not appear on the poster, the fact that the text is translated into English might signify that it was printed during the time of the British Mandate (1917-1948).
