KKL archives

Collection description

Collection

Country:: Belgium

Holding institution:: Jewish Museum of Belgium

Holding institution (official language):: Musée Juif de Belgique

Postal address:: Miniemenstraat 21 / Rue des Minimes 21, 1000 Bruxelles

Phone number:: +32 (0)2 512 19 63

Web address:: http://www.new.mjb-jmb.org

Email:: info@mjb-jmb.org

Reference number:: JM-Brussels-Fonds KKL

Title:: KKL archives

Title (official language):: Fonds KKL

Creator/accumulator:: Keren Kayemeth Leisrael; Jewish National Fund; Fonds National Juif; Joods Nationaal Fonds

Date(s):: 1962/2003

Extent:: 2 boxes

Scope and content:: This fonds contains correspondence regarding the ‘tree planting diplomas’, correspondence exchanged between the bureau in Brussels and the central office in Jerusalem (1965-1967), and correspondence with the office in Tel Aviv (1966-1967). The fonds also contains invitations and brochures. (See boxes 247 and 248)

Administrative/biographical history:: The Keren Kayemeth Leisrael (KKL) or Jewish National Fund was founded at the Fifth Zionist Congress in Basel in 1901. The KKL was first based in Vienna (1902-1907) and then in Cologne (1907-1914), The Hague (1914-1922) and Jerusalem (from 1922 onwards). Its goal was/is to collect funds for the purchase and development of land in Palestine and later Israel. Initially, the KKL also promoted urban development and financed activities of the Zionist Organisation. Since the establishment of the Keren Hayesod (1920), the KKL was exclusively responsible for land acquisition and improvement (i.a. in the Negev desert). After the establishment of the State of Israel, its focus shifted from land purchase to the improvement and development of land (i.a. swamp drainage, combatting of soil erosion, regional development projects), afforestation, building of roads, developing national parks and nature reserves, construction of storage dams and reservoirs, providing aid and work to newly arrived immigrants, Zionist education in schools and youth movements in Israel and abroad, etc. Since the 1960s a legal and institutional framework exists to organise the administration of public and KKL-owned land in Israel, and to regulate the division of tasks between the Israeli government and the KKL. The means by which the KKL raised funds in the Diaspora – the JNF Stamps, the blue tin collection boxes (Blue Box), the Golden Book – quickly became popular symbols of Zionism. Today, the KKL is active in almost 40 countries. In Belgium, KKL sections were established in the early 1900s. (http://www.kkl.org.il/ and http://www.kkl.be/; J. Tsur, “Jewish National Fund” in M. Berenbaum & F. Skolnik (eds.), Encyclopaedia Judaica, 2nd edition, Detroit, Gale, 2007, vol. 11, pp. 308-309.)

Access points: locations:: Brussels; Tel Aviv

Subject terms:: Correspondence; Israel-Diaspora relations; Zionism; Zionism--Zionist organisations and parties

Access, restrictions:: Access requires the authorisation of the archivist of the Jewish Museum of Belgium.

Finding aids:: There is a preliminary inventory at the Jewish Museum of Belgium.

Yerusha Network member:: State Archives of Belgium

fullscreen: KKL archives

Collection

Downloads

Full record

Image fragment

Formats and links

Formats