Ahead of the new academic year, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund archive is releasing five rare photos that offer a glimpse into the education system in the Land of Israel during the British Mandate and the early years of the State of Israel.
Taken between 1935 and 1973, the images capture everyday moments of students and teachers, reflecting an educational world very different from the one we know today.
“In those days, lessons were written on a blackboard with chalk, not on a screen; geography was taught with a globe and maps, not with Google Maps; and some lessons were dedicated to practical subjects that children today hardly encounter, such as sewing,” says Efrat Sinai, director of Archives at KKL-JNF. “The photographs illustrate the spirit of the era: classrooms crowded with students, heavy wooden desks and a shared focus on learning tasks.”
Sinai adds that the agency played a central role in the education system of the Jewish Yishuv and the young State of Israel.
In nearly every classroom and kindergarten, there was a designated “KKL-JNF Corner” featuring the famous blue box alongside colorful posters.
Every Friday before Shabbat, children would drop coins into the box—a small ceremony that became a symbol of education in values, Zionism and partnership in building the land.
The five photographs, now revealed for the first time, include a sewing lesson in Jerusalem in 1935, a geography class with a large globe and a nature lesson in 1945.
“Each photograph is a window into the past,” Sinai points out, “reminding us of the long journey the education system has taken—from notebooks and ink, through wooden boards, to today’s digital age.”
