The JNF Blue Box
Zionism made in China
Production of legendary JNF Blue Boxes too expensive in Israel; bid goes to China
A symbol of Zionism for over 100 years, the legendary tin blue collection boxes distributed by the Jewish National Fund are soon to once again become staple fixtures of Jewish classrooms all over the world – but their journey won't begin in Israel.
The famous 'Blue Boxes,' often imprinted with a Star of David or map outlining Israel, were sent to communities in the Diaspora to collect coins and bank notes for Zionist undertakings in Israel.
In 1901 the Fifth Zionist Congress convened in Switzerland and agreed on the formation of the JNF, an organization to be charged with collecting donations.
A Polish bank teller named Haim Kleinman was inspired by the decision and placed a blue tin box in his office for customers to give donations. Kleinman reported the success of his collection box in the Jewish newspapers and suggested others do the same. The rest, of course, is history.
Now, as part of a project to reinstate the Blue Boxes in schools, the JNF sought to order 90,000 new boxes. But none of the relevant factories in Israel were found to be suitable, even after the president of the Manufacturers Association of Israel was asked to help.
The JNF was determined to have the boxes made in Israel and stated it was willing to pay up to triple their desired price as long as the factory was Israeli.
A factory was eventually located but the price was set at 10 times the cost of a similar deal abroad.
With no other choice left, the JNF reluctantly hired a Chinese company to resurrect this icon of modern Zionism.
"Where have we come to?" asked an outraged Effie Stenzler, chairman of the JNF: "The Blue Box has been identified with the resurrection of the Jewish people for over 100 years, with its return to its land, to working and working in that land. And here, all our attempts to make it in Israel have failed, it's terrible.
There are no sacred cows anymore. I can only hope that for next year some Israeli industrialist will step up and bring back the honor to Jewish labor."
