{"id":48795,"date":"2026-04-10T01:37:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=48795"},"modified":"2026-04-09T10:38:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T17:38:35","slug":"reminder-of-hope-resilience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2026\/04\/10\/reminder-of-hope-resilience\/","title":{"rendered":"Reminder of hope, resilience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kindergarten children preparing matzah, 1925.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(photo by Joseph Schweigh, KKL-JNF Photo Archive)<\/i><\/p>\n

In uncertain times like these, as the war with Iran continues, attention often turns to the traditions and customs that have carried generations through both hardship and renewal. Against this backdrop, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael\u2013Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) has shared some rare images from its photo archive documenting Passover across the years. The images, dating from before the declaration of the state of Israel, reflect enduring elements of Jewish life, including tradition, education and communal practice.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
A festive parade of Jewish soldiers during Passover in Jerusalem, 1948. (photo by Rudolf Jonas, KKL-JNF Photo Archive, KKL-JNF Photo Archive)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among them are a photograph from the 1920s showing kindergarten children preparing matzah dough; documentation from a festive Passover parade for Israeli soldiers in 1948, the year of Israel\u2019s independence; and families in Jerusalem\u2019s Mea She\u2019arim neighbourhood participating in the burning of chametz in 1983, a year marked by the effects of the Lebanon War. Though decades apart, the scenes show how holiday practices supported community connection and hope during periods of instability.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
A wall newspaper produced in the 1950s and 1960s by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael\u2013Jewish National Fund\u2019s education department, which was displayed in Jewish schools in England. (photo from KKL-JNF Banner collection displayed in the Central Zionist Archives in Jerusalem)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The archival materials also include a wall newspaper produced in the 1950s and 1960s by KKL-JNF\u2019s education department, which was displayed in Jewish schools in England. The poster places the Exodus from Egypt alongside images of agricultural work, tree planting and communal life in the land of Israel, illustrating how Passover was given renewed meaning in the Zionist era as a bridge between a biblical narrative and a modern vision of national renewal.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
The burning of chametz in the Mea She\u2019arim neighbourhood in Jerusalem, 1983. (photo from KKL-JNF Photo Archive)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThese photographs show how people held onto tradition, community and hope during uncertain periods,\u201d noted Efrat Sinai, director of archives at KKL-JNF. \u201cViewed today, they highlight both historical experience and the sources of resilience that continue to shape Jewish life. Passover appears here as a living educational framework, a connection between Jewish communities in Israel and abroad, and a reflection of the strength of these communities across generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

KKL-JNF\u2019s photo archive, which contains tens of thousands of historical photographs, serves as a living chronicle of life in the land of Israel and beyond. Together, these materials are a reminder that the story of Israel has never been defined by hardship alone, but also by its ability to hold onto hope, tradition and the promise of brighter days ahead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 Courtesy Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kindergarten children preparing matzah, 1925.\u00a0(photo by Joseph Schweigh, KKL-JNF Photo Archive) In uncertain times like these, as the war with Iran continues, attention often turns to the traditions and customs that have carried generations through both hardship and renewal. Against this backdrop, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael\u2013Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) has shared some rare images from its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48796,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4329],"tags":[5555,4242,4330,24809,8121,400,2747],"class_list":["post-48795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-israel","tag-archives","tag-history","tag-israel","tag-keren-kayemeth-leisrael-jewish-national-fund","tag-kkl-jnf","tag-passover","tag-photography"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}