40th Anniversary of Jewish National Fund Celebrated in Palestine Today

The 40th anniversary of the Jewish National Fund will be celebrated here tomorrow throughout the Yishuv in a modest way, since the war situation prevents the celebration of the occasion in the elaborate manner in which it would have been observed under normal circumstances. The Jewish National Fund was established on Jan. 8, 1902 by the fifth World Zionist Congress held in Basle, Switzerland.

A review issued here today by the headquarters of the Jewish National Fund on the activities of the institution during the forty years of its existence, states that a total of 575,000 dunams – forty percent of the Jewish-owned land in Palestine has been acquired by the JNF. Half of the land was purchased during the last decade and all but 67,000 dunams was bought since 1922. The purchases of the last ten years were made possible by the collection of L3,380,000, approximately $15,500,000, chiefly from the United States, Britain and European countries. During the entire 40-year history of the JNF the Jews of America contributed 58 percent, those of Britain, 22 percent and Jews in different European countries 30 percent of its total funds. During 1941, when the JNF’s income reached a new peak of ?620,000, approximately $2,500,000 the United States’ share rose to 64 percent.

The resume also discloses that the land of the Jewish National Fund provides a livelihood for 51,000 villagers and for 17,000 people who live on the organization’s urban sites. Sixty percent of the Jewish agricultural workers in Palestine live on JNF land in 157 villages, which include 75 collectives and 82 cooperatives, besides 20 rural quarters, 57 workers’ camps, 12 girls’ training camps and 16 urban quarters.