Object numberM2017/035
DescriptionBrooch. Made by the Jewish Agency for Israel in 1956. While the provenance is largely unclear, it has associations with the Jewish youth movements of the 1940s and 50s. The Jewish Agency for Israel was established in 1908 (then known as the Palestine Office) and is now the largest non-profit Jewish organisation in the world. It was envisioned by Theodor Herzl as a solution to ‘the Jewish question’, specifically to form an independent nation for the Jewish people to live in. While Herzl died before the agency was created, his vision lives on in its primary goal of assisting the immigration of Jews from the Diaspora into Israel.
The agency originally had to purchase land in Palestine to achieve its goal. Palestine, however, came under British rule following World War One. The 1917 Balfour Declaration affirmed the British intent to help the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people, although what form it would take was fairly ambiguous. In spite of strict quotas set by the British government, the Agency secretly helped many Jews to immigrate. The British intercepted many of these illegal immigrants, placing them in detention camps in Palestine and Cyprus, and it was only after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 that they were allowed to enter the country.
Over the next decade, nearly one million Jews were brought to live in Israel. The Jewish Agency helped these new immigrants to acclimatise by establishing schools to teach Hebrew and providing them with food, housing and vocational training. The Agency also looked outside of Israel towards the education of Jews living in Diaspora communities. Many Israelis were sent abroad to teach and assist in Diaspora schools, camps and youth organisations.
The agency originally had to purchase land in Palestine to achieve its goal. Palestine, however, came under British rule following World War One. The 1917 Balfour Declaration affirmed the British intent to help the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people, although what form it would take was fairly ambiguous. In spite of strict quotas set by the British government, the Agency secretly helped many Jews to immigrate. The British intercepted many of these illegal immigrants, placing them in detention camps in Palestine and Cyprus, and it was only after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 that they were allowed to enter the country.
Over the next decade, nearly one million Jews were brought to live in Israel. The Jewish Agency helped these new immigrants to acclimatise by establishing schools to teach Hebrew and providing them with food, housing and vocational training. The Agency also looked outside of Israel towards the education of Jews living in Diaspora communities. Many Israelis were sent abroad to teach and assist in Diaspora schools, camps and youth organisations.
Production date 1956 - 1956
Production periodpost-World War II
Subjectyouth movements, youth groups, Diaspora
Object namebadges
Materialmetal
Dimensions
- height: 22.00 mm
width: 40.00 mm
depth: 5.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Allyn Whitbread