To mark the Chanukah holiday, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) is unveiling a nostalgic collection of five black-and-white images from its historical archive, capturing special moments captured on camera between 1926 and 1969.
Among the images are kindergarten children in 1926 holding illustrated placards spelling out the word “Chanukah” in Hebrew; a group of participants in the 1949 Torch Relay carrying torches representing different communities across the country, including Tirat Zvi, Modi’in, Eilat and Yehiam; children lighting small torches with candles in 1969; participants from the Israeli Scouts youth movement at the President’s Residence after the Torch Relay, photographed against the backdrop of a lit chanukiyah; and the lighting of a chanukiyah in Mitzpe Modi’in in Ben Shemen Forest in 1963.
Several of the photos document the Torch Relay, which was held throughout Israel during the eight-day holiday for decades. A moving tradition, it connected communities, youth movements and educational institutions around a shared spirit of unity and the passing of light.
Participants walked or ran with torches as a symbol of the Hasmonean legacy and the passing of the flame from generation to generation. Among its stops was the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
Since its earliest days, KKL-JNF has consistently documented the sights that formed an inseparable part of shaping Israel—from young communities and pioneering men and women at work, to national leaders, holidays and special events.
