KKL-JNF unveils archival photos showcasing Israeli classrooms in honor of new school year

The photographs show how children learned before modern technology, whiteboards, and even before they had classrooms.

In honor of Israel’s new school year beginning on September 1, the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) Photo Archive has unveiled five rare photographs showing what Israeli classrooms looked like throughout the past century, with images spanning from 1925 to 1963.

The oldest photograph shows what it was like to study in the moshav Kfar Hasidim in August 1925, nearly 20 years before the founding of the state of Israel. With no traditional classroom, the children gathered beneath the shade of a tree to listen to their teacher.

Fifteen years later, a photograph from 1940 depicts the library of the Spitzer Girls School in Jerusalem, showing a range of girls reading together, while a photo taken in Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek in 1944 shows a young boys’ school where the students appear to be practicing their penmanship.

The final two photos are from 1961 and 1963. The first shows a student from Tzur Hadassah solving a math problem on a chalkboard, while the second, taken in Jerusalem, shows a crowded classroom of children excitedly opening and reading letters. 

Showcasing how students learned in a time before smartphones

The photographs show how children learned before modern technology, whiteboards, and even before they had classrooms.

“These photographs allow us to step for a moment into the classrooms of the past and see not only how children learned, but also what the society being built here looked like,” Efrat Sinai, Director of KKL-JNF, said. 

“Through the blackboard, the books, the desks, and even the lesson held beneath a tree, they reveal the deep connection between education, community, and a love of the land. It is a privilege to preserve these moments and share them with the public, especially as a new school year begins.”