Bidspirit auction | Tachkemoni School in Jaffa, Minutes

Tachkemoni School in Jaffa, Minutes of the meeting of Committee Frankfurt a.M, 1910’s, in German - Tachkemoni School in Jaffa, Minutes of the meeting of Committee Frankfurt a.M, 1910’s, in German DOCUMENT OF COMMITTEE. FRANKFURT a. M. 1910s CALL TO DONATION TO IMPROVE EDUCATION IN TACHKEMONI SCHOOL IN JAFFA 2 pages, 29 x 22.5 cm. SOME TEARS TO BENDS The school was founded in Jaffe in 1905 by the Religious ”Agudat Achva” society Translation into English: Frankfurt a. M., P. P. This is an extremely important undertaking, for which we appeal to all faithful sons of our people and our faith for their support. We are talking about a major cultural undertaking: the establishment of a high school in the Holy Land of our forefathers, built on modern pedagogical principles while at the same time being rooted in traditional Judaism. Due to the extremely difficult situation of our fellow believers in Eastern Europe, the number of Jews resettling in Palestine is constantly growing, so that over the past two decades, the Jewish population has nearly tripled. However, Palestinian Jews are still barely able to independently meet their material needs; even less are they able to ensure a significant improvement in the spiritual level of the people, their upbringing, and education. Considering also the brewing economic upheaval in the Holy Land, our undertaking has religious, cultural, as well as socioeconomic significance. For over a decade, Palestine has witnessed a steady economic recovery. The complete restructuring of the political situation in Turkey, as well as the incorporation of Palestine into the Hejaz Railway and major Western Asian communication routes, gives the country significant agricultural, commercial, and political significance. Under these circumstances, it becomes imperative to provide the growing Jewish youth with knowledge of secular sciences so that they can support themselves and, as artisans, merchants, farmers, or government officials, take a worthy place in the country. At the same time, it is important to protect the younger generation, Palestinian youth, from religiously corrupting influences, which, unfortunately, due to the strong influx of religiously radical elements, are attempting to reassert their influence there. In recent years, particularly thanks to the blessed work of the Aid Committee of German Jews, many good schools have been built in Palestine. However, in a number of areas with a strong Jewish population, it has still not been possible to win the trust of strictly religious circles for new educational institutions. We are therefore particularly pleased that we are now in a position—with the agreement and support of the authoritative religious authorities—to transform the Tahkemoni School in Jaffa, founded by several respected members of the community, into a modern, well-run school, in accordance with our plans. A new curriculum tailored to local conditions has been prepared, and after finding an experienced German teacher, we have handed over the school's leadership to him, having first thoroughly investigated all local circumstances. Our undertaking can only be crowned with success if we receive broad moral and material support. Therefore, we ask you to assist our enterprise by using the enclosed postal receipt. However, we wish to appeal to you not only through this one-time or annual contribution: after all, joyful and sorrowful events have always inspired Jews to sacrifice for the Holy Land, and if we are also granted abundant funds, our plan will be fully realized and will enable us to expand this cultural endeavor to other places. The Committee of the Jewish High School Tahkemoni in Jaffa Central Committee Brief Chronology 1905 – On the initiative of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Kook (Rabbi Kook, then the rabbi of Jaffa), a new school, ”Tahkemoni, ” is established in the Jewish quarter of Neve Tzedek (administratively still Jaffa). The school is conceived as a religious-Zionist school: a combination of Torah and secular studies, with instruction in Hebrew. 1909–1911 – The school is already functioning as the ”Jewish High School (Mittelschule) Tahkemoni in Jaffa.” A special committee is organized from Frankfurt am Main to collect donations and publish reports on the school years of 1909/10 and 1910/11. By 1912, the school came under the auspices of the Mizrachi movement and became the first religious-Zionist educational institution of its kind in Eretz Israel (”Torah with Derech-Eretz, ” religion + modern science + Zionism). During the British Mandate, the Neve Tzedek neighborhood and the school were already perceived as part of the ”new” Tel Aviv; Tahkemoni is often called Tel Aviv's first religious school, although it originated in Jaffa. 1940s: The school building was used by the underground Haganah organization as a training ground (shooting, topography, first aid, communications) and a secret weapons depot.