In honor of International Women’s Day: Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael- Jewish National Fund is revealing historical photographs of the courageous women who immigrated to the Land of Israel in the early days of Zionism and knew how to build and bolster themselves there. View the rare pictures from the KKL-JNF archive.
While the “Swords of Iron” war in Israel is ongoing, we are exposed to women who heroically save lives, as they continue to fight for the rehabilitation and reestablishment of conflict riddled front line communities. These women uphold a gleaming tradition of pioneers who toiled for the people and the country. KKL – JNF archive have chosen a few photographs that illustrate the endeavors of the pioneers who went ahead of the camp.
Labor in the Field
Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim was founded in 1920 on land bought by KKL-JNF in the Jerusalem mountains. The kibbutz founders, among other things, worked on planting the forests that grace the Jerusalem landscape, and the women did not shy away from the hard labor of field preparation. In the War of Independence, during the fight for control of the road to Jerusalem, Kiryat Anavim served as a primary base for the Palmach forces, the Haganah, and the IDF. Many fallen from the war are buried in the kibbutz’s military cemetery.
Kiryat Anavim – grape picking (1920)
Photo: Ze’ev Vilnai collection, KKL-JNF archive
Women’s Farm
Hannah Meisel, a pioneer of the Second Aliyah and the first female agronomist in Israel, conceived an idea: to train women pioneers in agriculture, to allow women to integrate into professions that were, until then, considered the sole domain of men. The first Maidens’ Farm was established in 1911 on Kinneret Farm, followed by additional Maidens’ Farm in Nahalal, Petah Tikva, Afula, and other locations.
The vegetable garden at the Women’s Farm, Nahalat Yehuda, 1926
Photo: Yosef Schweig, KKL-JNF Archive
Mishmar HaEmek
Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek settled in 1926 on its allotted piece of land in the Jezreel Valley. It was Menachem Ussishkin, chairman of KKL – JNF, who suggested the Communities’ name to the pioneers living and working the land. In the War of Independence, the kibbutz lived up to its name, standing strong against the attacks of the Arab Liberation Army led by Qawuqji for 10 days. On April 4, 1948, during the first bombardment of the kibbutz, Ruth Efrati Rosenkranz was killed while on her watch in the children’s home. Her infant daughter was killed with her.
The nursery at Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek, 1934
Photo: Yosef Schweig, KKL-JNF Archive
Ayanot
Ada Maimon (Fishman), a social and women’s rights activist, established a women’s farm in Ayanot, on land bought by KKL-JNF. Ayanot, and the other women’s farms, operated as absorption centers for young single women, where the new immigrants became Hebrew pioneers. Ada Maimon and the first ten students settled on the land in January 1932, and until the residential buildings of the farm were completed, they lived together in the cowshed. She was elected to the First and Second Knesset and worked extensively to promote women’s status.
Plowing at the Women’s Farm, Ayanot 1934
Photo: Zoltan Kluger, KKL-JNF Archive
Efrat Sinai, KKL-JNF Archives Manager: “Just like in the days of the pioneers who worked to establish the state, during the War of “Iron Swords” we also met inspirational women who acted with composure and valor. KKL – JNF salutes the heroines and all women, each working in her field for Israel. I wish a happy Women’s Day to all of them.”
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