picture: Poster calling on the public to donate to Keren Hayesod.

Must Know

The establishment of Keren Hayesod comes after the 1917 Balfour Declaration, where the British government announced it is in favour of making Palestine a national home for Jewish people. Early supporters of the organisation include well-known Zionist leaders such as Chaim Weizmann and Ze’ev Jabotinsky.

During World War II, Keren Hayesod suffered greatly in Nazi-occupied Europe. Still, the organisation was active in helping Jews fleeing the Nazis, funding the Haifa Bay as a way for Jewish refugees to reach Israel. Additionally, the organisation funded what would become Israel’s Philharmonic Orchestra as a way of providing Jewish musician refugees with employment.

Projects financed and established with funds from Keren Hayesod include but are not limited to the hebrew University of Jerusalem and Bank Hapoalim (Worker’s Bank). Today, Keren Hayesod is still active and raises funds for current projects such as elderly homes, programmes for youth-at-risk and immersive programs for Jews living in the diaspora and wishing to make Aliyah. The organisation’s head office is in Jerusalem, Israel.