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Jonathan Schwab and Yael Steiner trace how a simple blue tzedakah box became a conduit for diaspora longing and real-world nation building, turning pocket change into forests, land purchases, and a powerful sense of shared ownership over Israel. From Tu Bishvat rituals and childhood nostalgia to kibbutzim, propaganda maps, and modern controversies over JNF land policy, they reveal how this humble pushka evolved from a household charity can into a charged symbol of identity, memory, and the politics embedded in every inch of soil.
Click here to see a picture of Yael’s great grandmother’s blue box.
Here is a link to the Blue Box, New Edition, on the JNF’s website.
Click here to read about the Jewish National Fund in the Encyclopedia Judaica.
Click here to read excerpts from Eric Engel Tuten’s history of the JNF.
Here are links to protests in Canada and Colorado.
Be in touch. Write to us at nerds@unpacked.media. We want to hear from you. This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a brand of OpenDor Media.
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For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
