On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a proposal to partition Mandatory Palestine subsequent to the end of British Mandate. The resolution would create independent Arab and Jewish States and defined boundaries between the two. Jerusalem would have a special international regime with boundaries between it and the two States of Palestine and Israel. There would be a timeline for withdrawal of British forces. Despite reservations, the Jewish Agency for Palestine accepted the plan. Arab leaders rejected any partitioning, and after the Resolution was adopted by the General Assembly civil war ensued.
As the British discontinued postal services in April 1948, postal operations and post offices were transferred to the Provisional government, and the latter utilized JNF/KKL labels with overprints or in some cases (e.g., the towns of Safed and Nahariya) ad hoc postage – prior to the declaration of the State of Israel. This transition or interim period lasted from May 1 to May 15, 1948. Israel Post began to issue stamps on May 16, 1948 – a Sunday (Saturday was the Sabbath), titled Doar Ivri - Hebrew Post – as the name of the new nation had not yet been chosen.
The Jewish National Fund (JNF-KKL) began in 1901 with a Zionist vision of a homeland for Jews the world over. Inspired in part by Theodor Herzl’s The Jewish State, the JNF began initially with the purchase and the development of land in Ottoman Palestine. Over the years, the Zionist pioneering tradition, facilitated by funds raised by the JNF through charitable contributions of diaspora Jews, resulted in the expansive growth of the State of Israel. This growth came in part through the JNF’s support of land development through planting trees and forestry management; desert reclamation projects such as the building of irrigation systems, reservoirs and dams to alleviate water shortage; improvements in agricultural technology; community development and the provision of affordable housing for Israeli citizens; and other initiatives that grew in concert with expanded immigration and the growth of the land. While JNF’s goals and portfolio of initiatives has been constantly evolving, its stated mission has always been one of prosperity for its people, and the fundamental importance of Zionism to this mission.
JNF labels themselves were always a means of realizing and supporting JNF organizational goals, not only by raising funds for its initiatives but as well serving an important educational function by raising awareness of Zionist ideology. The world-in-miniature artfully portrayed on JNF labels depicts relevant aspects and important figures of Zionist history through a microscopic focus on people and places: institutions and monuments; cities and farms; statesmen and intellectuals; warrior heroes and martyrs; artists, philosophers, farmers and writers: all inspiring and contributing to the Zionist dream of a Jewish homeland.
--Michael D. Bulmash, K1966
Browse the Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.85
Brown stamp depicting a farmer at work on a tractor. Hebrew text along bottom border. Hebrew postmark. Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Construction and Defense Series 1939: Tractor with quote “Thou Shalt Bring Redemption to the Land.”
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.86
Blue stamp depicting two surveyors at work in a field. Hebrew text along bottom border. Hebrew postmark. Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Construction and Defense Series 1939: Huleh Survey Stamp.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.87
Four green stamps depicting an aerial shot of a settlement. Hebrew text along bottom border. Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Construction and Defense Series 1939: Tirat Zvi Stamp- Kibbutz with tower and stockade settlement active in defense against attacks.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.84
Four black-and-white stamps showing a man in a military uniform. Hebrew text along top and bottom borders. Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Brigadier General P.H. Kish, Chief Engineer of British 8th Army, Director of Political Department and Zionist.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.74
Four black-and-white stamps depicting a man, Saul Tsherichovsky. Hebrew text along top and bottom borders.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Saul Tchernichovsky--Hebrew Poet.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.77
Blue stamp showing a soldier in front of the flag of Israel. Several symbols surround him. Hebrew text along the bottom.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Jewish Brigade label/stamp JNF/KKL. JNF stamp commemorating the establishment of the Jewish brigade in World War II.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.75
Dark blue stamp showing a landscape with portraits of two men superimposed.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Chaim Bialik--modern Hebrew poet; and Theodor Herzl.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.78
Green stamp depicting a large building with a dome. Hebrew text along the top and bottom.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Technical Institute in Haifa.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.79
Four blue stamps depicting several large buildings. Hebrew text along the borders.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.80
Dark green stamp depicting a bearded man wearing glasses. Hebrew text along the bottom. Two Stars of David in the bottom corners.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Rabbi Abraham Kook.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.88
Brown stamp depicting bearded man. Hebrew text along bottom border. Hebrew postmark. Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Yehoshua Hankin: Zionist responsible for major land purchases in both Ottoman and Mandatory Palestine.
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KFAR ATA Interim Cover with Label Commemorating 25th Anniversary of Jezreel Valley
2021.1.64
Pale gray envelope with green stamp in the top right corner.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Kfar Ata Interim cover with Haifa overprint on JNF label/stamp commemorating 25th anniversary of Jezreel Valley (1946). Cover postmarked Kfar Ata with Haifa District overprint.
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Holon Interim Cover from Holon with Jezreel Valley Stamp
2021.1.65
Pale brown envelope with gray stamp in top left corner and writing in black ink in bottom right corner.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Holon Interim (Minhelet Haam) cover postmarked Holon, violet double ring cancellation and overprint. Jezreel Valley commemorative stamp (1946).
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Registered Cover from Tel Aviv with Stamps of Immigrant Ships and 25th Anniversary of Ramat Gan
2021.1.67
Pale gray envelope with three gray stamps and one green stamp across the top and one black stamp in the bottom left corner. Writing in green ink across the front.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Tel Aviv registered interim cover, 13 May 1948 with 4 JNF labels/stamps, Tel Aviv postmarks and violet overprint: Immigrant Ships (1946) and 25th Anniversary Ramat Gan (1947).
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Haifa Interim Cover with Construction and Defense Stamp
2021.1.68
[Front]: White envelope with gray stamp in the top right corner and writing in black ink; [Back]: printed address in black font.
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JNF-KKL Parachutists Series Stamps
2021.1.69a
Seven black and white stamps, six of men, one of a woman
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Series commemorating the group of Jewish volunteers from Palestine who gave their lives on missions sponsored by the British S.O.E. into Nazi- occupied Europe between 1943 and 1945. Of the 37 chosen, seven either died in captivity or were executed. Hannah Szenes, perhaps the best-known of the parachutists, was seized in Hungary, imprisoned and tortured, but refused to reveal the details of her mission. She was tried and executed in Budapest on November 7, 1944. She was 23 years old, a poet and songwriter whose songs are still sung in Israel today.
The names of the parachutists with their portraits on the JNF labels are: Zvi Ben Yaakov, Abba Berdichev, Perec Goldstein, Hannah Szenes, Enzo Sereni, Rafael Reisz, and Haviva Reik.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.73
Four dark blue stamps depicting a man, Mordechai Anielewicz. Hebrew text along all four borders.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Mordechai Anielewicz was founder and commander of the Jewish Combat Organization (ZOB) in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, who died at 24 fighting the Germans. A socialist-Zionist, he understood Germany’s intentions to liquidate the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto and he refused to submit passively to their intentions. While political differences in the Ghetto led to fragmentation, Anielewicz was able to create an alliance of the many different groups in the Ghetto. They were able to secure weapons and ammunition, but it was hardly enough to stand up to the Germans. They nevertheless held them off for 30 days and refused to surrender. Fighting ended May 16 1943: 7000 Jews were murdered, the remainder sent to concentration camps. The Warsaw Uprising became an important symbol of Jewish armed resistance in the Holocaust.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.82
Four blue stamps with the number 50 above a Star of David with a tiger in the center. Hebrew text in inverted arc under the Star of David and along bottom border.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Coat of Arms of First Zionist Conference Half-Century Anniversary.
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Envelope from Safed Addressed to Tel Aviv
2021.1.54
White envelope with Blue stamp in top right corner. Writing in black ink on back and front of envelope.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
The evacuation of the British on April 16, 1948, and the ensuing seizure of public buildings meant the isolation of the residents of Safed. The post office was closed and there would be no ability to obtain stamps or the machinery to apply cancels. Consequently an ad hoc stamp was designed and printed on the fronts of envelopes. A circular postmark would be used- the red double circle with bridge- until interim postmarks reached Safed.
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Interim Cover with Label Commemorating Jewish Resistance in Warsaw Ghetto
2021.1.57
White envelope with blue stamp depicting man with gun in top right.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Interim cover with black Tel Aviv postmark on a JNF label (1946) with red overprint “Doar” or “Post” commemorating the April, 1943 act of Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto to thwart the final effort of the Nazis to transport the remaining ghetto population to the death camps. The stamp contains the text ‘Revolt of the Warsaw Ghetto 19 April 1943 - 14 Nissan 5713’.
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Two Interim Covers with Eliezer Ben-Yehuda JNF Labels Cancelled in Netanya and Holon
2021.1.58ab
White envelope with blue text. “Printed Matter” in top center on front. Second envelope has map of Israel and lion printed on front.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Illustrations on Netaniya and Holon interim covers, both with violet overprints of the word Doar for Post and cancellations on Eliazer Ben-Yehuda provisional stamps (from JNF labels) of the Jewish post, celebrating the opening of the Post Office in the Jewish state, 5-16-1948.
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Interim Cover (Minhelet Ha-am) Tel Aviv Pipeline
2021.1.63
Pale gray envelope with blue stamp in the top right corner and black ink writing on the front.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Interim cover (May 1, 1948 to May 15, 1948) provisional JNF label NEGEV PIPELINE stamp (1948) of Jewish Post prior to Israel statehood with violet overprint and Tel Aviv cancellation.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.72
Two dark blue stamps depicting a man holding a rifle. Hebrew text along the bottom.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
Interim label with JNF/KKL label commemorating Jewish resistance in Warsaw Ghetto.
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Provisional Label/Stamp Used During the Period Between British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State
2021.1.89
Sheet of 28 red stamps, each with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet and each depicting a different landscape. Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Alphabet Stamps Cities and Settlements in Israel the Initials or Last Letters of Their Names Representing the Hebrew Alphabet.
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Envelope with Provisional Label Used During the Transition Between End of British Mandate and Beginning of Jewish State in Palestine
2021.1.55ab
Envelope with blue Hebrew text and Star of David. Green stamp in top right depicting large wooden boat.
Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash:
This cover contains the JNF/KKL (Jewish National Fund) label from 1946 depicting the immigrant ships bearing Jewish refugees from the Holocaust to the shores of Palestine, before being turned back by the mandatory government of Great Britain. The label is overprinted in violet with the word “Doar” or Post with a Tel Aviv double ring cancellation. It references the November 29, 1947 Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. As the British attenuated postal services in April 1948, postal operations and post offices were transferred to the Provisional government, the latter utilizing JNF/KKL stamps/labels with overprints or in some cases (e.g., the towns of Safed and Nahariya) ad hoc postage - prior to the declaration of the state of Israel. This transition or interim period lasted from May 1 to May 15, 1948. Israel Post began to issue stamps on May 16, 1948, a Sunday (Saturday was the Sabbath), titled Doar Ivri - Hebrew Post - as the name of the new nation had not yet been chosen.