Following World War II and the Holocaust, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) was inundated with requests from Jews worldwide who wished to honor loved ones who died in the Holocaust. This led to the creation of the Martyrs Forest—a living monument to the 6 million Jews who perished during the Holocaust.
Planted beginning in 1951 along the road to Jerusalem, the forest now spans 6 million trees: one for each victim. Holocaust survivors, representatives from Jewish communities around the world and new immigrants participated in planting the trees.
Within the Martyrs Forest lies the Martyrs Children Forest, planted in 1952 to commemorate the 1.5 Jewish children murdered during the years of World War II and the Holocaust. The forest was inaugurated by youth, who planted the first saplings in a touching ceremony. In this moving project, schoolchildren across the country contributed their birthday money for the memorial through the National Teachers’ Council in collaboration with KKL-JNF.
Recently, as part of an extensive scanning initiative of KKL-JNF’s archives, rare and historic photographs have been discovered from the planting of the Forest of the Martyrs and other memorial forests. These images provide a glimpse into the pioneering efforts to honor the victims during that time.
“The pictures we have recently discovered in the scanning project are a moving testimony of the approach in commemorating those who perished in the Holocaust—through 6 million trees serving as green yahrzeit candles, reminding us of the profound tragedy that happened to the Jewish people during the Holocaust,” said Efrat Sinai, director of archives at KKL-JNF.
“Unfortunately, our reality today demands us to return to creating a memorial forest,” she continued. “Since the start of the 20th century, KKL-JNF chronicles the scenery of Israel, and we are proud to share these nostalgic sights with the public.”
