Israel history photo of the week: Women farmers of Israel

JPost special feature: A Library of Congress collection of photographs that document the zionist women farmers of Eretz Yisrael

By LENNY BEN-DAVID
Grandfather helping granddaughter to plow. Circa 1920. (photo credit: American Colony-Jerusalem-Photo Dept.)
Grandfather helping granddaughter to plow. Circa 1920.
(photo credit: American Colony-Jerusalem-Photo Dept.)
One of the Zionist dreams was to take Jews out of the European ghettos and create a "new man" in the fields of Eretz Yisrael.  But the dream also meant a "new woman."

The American Colony photos, taken over 90 years ago, depict farming at the Nahalal Girls' Agricultural training school, where "a better class" city girl immigrant turned to agriculture. Other images of farming life were taken in zionist colonies,  Rishon Lezion and girls' farms.  Zionist women were involved in all types of farming and agricultural work including  plowing, tending to the livestock, picking flowers and gathering almonds and grapes. The photographers of the American Colony clearly enjoyed taking photographs of these women farmers and field workers.  Here we present several of the dozens in the Library of Congress collection.More photos can be viewed at http://www.israeldailypicture.com