Jerusalem Economic hardship during the early 20th Century

Distribution of meals at a Jerusalem soup kitchen, early 1920s.

In the post-WWI era (c. 1921–1922), Jerusalem faced severe economic hardship as traditional support networks from war-torn Europe collapsed.

Outside the Dreyfus Soup Kitchen in the Old City, hundreds of local families and children lined up daily for hot meals provided by relief initiatives funded by the newly formed American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Understanding this era is essential to grasping contemporary Israel.

The early partnership between global diaspora philanthropy and local infrastructure laid the foundation for modern Israel’s robust civil society, non-profit sector, and deep-rooted traditions of international Jewish solidarity.

Photo source: unknown.