Young Toddlers Decorate Shabbat Mitzvah Tin Box

The students in the Young Toddler room decorated Mitzvah tin boxes to use during Shabbat on Fridays and eventually take home.

The Mitzvah tin boxes were provided by the Jewish National Fund.

The first Jewish National Fund collection tin was actually Theodor Herzl’s hat. At the Fifth Zionist Congress in 1901, Herzi removed his hat and asked delegates for donations to purchase land in Eretz Yisrael to re-establish a Jewish homeland.

Two weeks later, the iconic Blue Box, or pushke, was born. Stamped with the words “National Fund,” small tin boxes were distributed to Jewish communities across the glove and numbered over a million by World War II. Their impact was immediate, generating vital funds to develop and cultivate the land of Israel.

For many, the Blue Box is an integral part of childhood memories. More than a century after its creation, it remains a powerful symbol of the link between Diaspora Jewry and the people of Israel.