אוסף כפר הנוער עין כרם

This photographic collection tells the story of the Ein Kerem Youth Village that was founded in 1949 by Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi in the abandoned houses in the Arab village of Ein Kerem for young Holocaust survivors. This Village is yet another link in the educational activities of Rachel Yanait Ben- Zvi that combine agriculture and education. However this project is not connected to the Worker's Agricultural Farm in Talpiot. This projects stands on its own. Immediately after the capture of the Ein Kerem Village in July 1948, Rachel Yannait and her husband, Yitzchak Ben-Zvi came to the village. She decided to build the school for children who survived the Holocaust in the abandoned houses near the well. Her plans came to fruition only towards the beginning of 1949 as the 'winds of war' calmed down. The first group of youngsters moved into the village in April 1949. This group was comprised of about 250 children, from 20 different countries, orphans from Christian homes and monasteries in Western countries and refugee children from Eastern countries. Under the auspices of the Zionist Organization's Women's Council in Israel and the United States, Rachel Yanait utilized her connections and skills to raise donations, recruit educational staff and recruit institutions in Israel on behalf of this school, which followed her educational approach of integrating education and agriculture. In her book, "Our Children from East and West/The Ein Kerem Youth Village" ( Miloh Publications, Ltd., November 1977), Rachel Yanait tells the story of the founding of the village, its educational staff and programs and the of the various children's groups. Following are the details of the children's groups mentioned in the book and shown in the photographs: Group A- Arrived on April 16th 1949. The group numbered 50 children from Turkey (mostly from Izmir). Most of the children were orphans, yet a few were from well off homes that came to Israel on their own. Group B- Arrived on May 16th 1949. The group was comprised of young Holocaust survivors from Eastern Europe who came via Aliyat Hanoar. Group C- Arrived on July 7th 1947. The group was comprised of children between the ages of 11-12 years old from Bulgaria and Greece. Group D- Arrived during the month of May 1950. The children, who were from Iran, arrived through the assistance of Dr. Haviv Levy and his son who were friends of Yitzchak Ben-Zvi. Group E- Arrived in the winter of 1951. The group numbers about 40 young children who came via the Aliyat Hanoar, at first to the institution in KIryat Ono. They were transferred to Ein Kerem due to the damages their school suffered during the winter. The Ein Kerem Youth Village functioned like this for 4 years. The children were moved to Kibbutzim and the educational program that Rachel Yanait started was transferred to the Agricultural Educational wing of the government. The regional agricultural school was founded in 1952 near the Beit Zayit dam. For the first 7 years the school suffered from a lack of stability. The principals changed frequently. It was only after the appointment of Ze'ev Tischler as the principal of the school that it began to flourish. The corner stone for the new building was placed in 1960 after receiving a contribution from Alan Bronfman, a Canadian philanthropist. The children moved into the new building in 1963. One of the well-known students from the school is the author, Aharon Applefeld, who arrived there, through Aliyat Hanoar, in June 1946 as a young Holocaust survivor. اقرأ أكثر