Page 105 - ISRAEL'S CRADLE

Two models of the Blue Box
The "Gold Book" was for decades the "Book of Honor" of the Zionist Movement, Jewish communities in the world and the people of the Yishuv and the State of Israel. The creator of the idea was the first Chairman of KKL-JNF Yona Kremenezky, who proposed that people donate significant amounts in honor of loved ones or people and entities that they wished to honor, thus opening a new channel for financing the KKL-JNF's activities.
This was a great success, as attested to by the dozens of volumes of the "Gold Book" at the head office of the KKL-JNF in the National Institutions Building. There were years when "being recorded in the Gold Book" was considered one of the highest honors in Israel and the Jewish World. The list of names and institutions that were recorded constitute a unique archive for the history of the People of Israel and the Land of Israel since the early 20th century. An unusual example: The Bulgarian Jewry recorded the leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, in the "Gold Book" in honor of his country's vote in favor of the Partition Plan on November 29, 1947, which brought about the establishment of the State of Israel six months later.
For years, and until the present day, an important PR channel for KKL-JNF were the stamps. KKL-JNF stamps predated the stamps of the State of Israel and enjoyed broad circulation: over the years, over 5,000 stamps in 150 series were issued. A common practice in the educational system of the Jewish Yishuv prior to establishment of the state was to glue a KKL-JNF stamp on the annual graduation certificate of every student. KKL-JNF operated extensively in schools and to that end, a "Teachers Committee for the KKL-JNF" was established, which brought its statements to thousands of classrooms and continues to operate to this day.
On the eve of the establishment of the state, the KKL-JNF stamps became postal stamps for all intents and purposes. The British had shut down their postal services on April 30, 1948. Until the establishment of the state and the appearance of the first Israeli postal stamps on May 16, 1948, KKL-JNF stamps printed with the word "Mail" substituted for them. These stamps are purchased today by collectors at high prices.
103