Members of the Israel Bond Planning Commission visit Israel to see projects funded by Israel bonds.
Creator(s)
- Filmwright Productions (Producer)
- Robert I. Wertheimer
Scope and Content
Main title reads "A Visit to Israel by the Israel Bond Planning Commission." Members of the commission pose in front of a passenger jet. Henry Montor appears on the far left as you look at the screen. A banner reading "Shalom International Bond Leaders" adorns the entryway to the airport. Title card: "Tel Aviv, Israel's largest city and center of many industries." An Israel Bond Planning Commission bus passes by beach, factory, and residential property. The streets are thronging with cars, pedestrians and bicyclists. Members of the commission exit the bus and tour the Amcor appliance (?) factory. 01:02:10 A man is visible on the right filming the group. Workers use various types of machines. Close up of "Cyril Bath Co - Cleveland - Ohio" sign. Commission members admire a newly manufactured Philco refrigerator. The commission next visits the Sacksonia Spinning Mills. They again inspect the workers and machinery in action. They visit a vegetable-canning plant where assembly line workers can peppers. Title card: "Givat Brenner, one of the most prosperous farm centers in Israel". Establishing overhead shot of miles of farmland. Members of the commission sit on the grass. Women and children relax in a grassy courtyard surrounded by what appear to be apartment buildings. 01:06:41 The commission members board their bus. Title card: "The Jordan River is being widened and Lake Huleh is being drained to develop the country's agriculture." Establishing shot of a bridge over the Jordan. The river banks appear to be mid-construction, as the widening project has not yet been completed. Commission members tour the site; the wind whips up clouds of dust around them. A project official describes the project to the commission atop another bridge at a wider point in the river. The commission surveys the view: the river is wide, construction equipment litters the banks, a shepherd tends to cattle and sheep by the water. LS of the bus winding its way through the hills. Title card: "The Israel army is a great weapon for peace, training the new citizens to be successful farmers and builders." IDF soldiers march down the street. An officer guides the commission members around the base. A soldier repairs a tractor. Soldiers sit in a classroom, as the commission members observe. CUs of soldiers' faces. More shots of soldiers marching as commission members watch from the sidelines. 01:10:56 Julian Venezky appears in a close-up. He sits in a group of three men, on the left, wearing sunglasses. Soldiers, including a woman, stand at attention as the Israeli flag is raised. The bus moves on to its next destination. Samuel Rothberg, with thick dark hair and a patterned shirt, exits the bus at 01:12:01. Title card: "At the Weizmann Institute, scientists probe for new ways to develop Israel's resources." Pan down the sign on the Weizmann Institute. The commission gathers at the entrance for a photograph. They then gather in a conference room. Nice CU of Samuel Rothberg. 01:12:44 Title card: "Haifa is the greatest center of economic expansion, made possible by Israel Bonds." Establishing overhead shot of Haifa. A motorcycle policeman escorts the bus. Title card: "We went to see the new Z.O.A. house and the Haifa Technion." The Commission tours the interior of the Zionist Organization of America house. A man, presumably someone affiliated with the Z.O. A., delivers a speech to the commission in a conference hall, concludes, and shakes hands with the attendees. CU of a pamphlet about the Hebrew Institute of Technology. Title card: "The Haifa port is being enlarged. New harbor facilities are being developed with Israel bond money." Establishing shot of the port. A crane removes debris, as construction workers pass below. The commission surveys the Haifa port site. The camera pans the horizon, displaying a panoramic view of the port. Shots of a dried-up river bed. Pipes recede into the distance, from river bank to factory. 01:15:50 Title card: "When we visited the Druze village of Usfea we heard an eloquent speech from the mayor's son." Shot of the son speaking, followed by a shot of Julian Venezky accepting some food from a man wearing a head scarf. Samuel Rothberg shakes hands with villagers. CUs of Druze children. 1:16:59 Title card: "The largest single industry is the production of fertilizers and chemicals at this plant, built with the help of Israel bonds". Close up of a sign for "Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd." Exterior shot of the chemical plant. Venezky and Rothberg look at machinery. Commission members tour plant, speak with workers, and survey machinery. Title card: "Yuval Gad is the great new concrete pipe factory that holds the key to the irrigation of the Negev. This too is a major bond project." The commission surveys the Yuval Gad workers and machinery in action. The results of the work, huge concrete pipes, are shown lined up next to one another. Title card: "Beersheba - the miracle city of the desert - where 20,000 Jews are building new homes and new factories with Israel bond funds." Commission members exit their tour bus in Beersheba. They approach and enter a synagogue, and are seen meeting around a conference table. They then visit newly constructed homes as residents approach the camera and converse with the commission members. Construction laborers at work. An exterior shot shows the location of the residences in relation to a nearby factory. Commission members tour the factory. A close-up of a sign reveals the factory as belonging to "Israel Ceramic Works Harsa Ltd." Employees work indoors, shovel outdoors, and move heavy bags by hand. The bus on the road once again: interior shot shows two commission members sleeping. Title card: "Jerusalem too is experiencing a new revival, becoming the center of a variety of industrial enterprises". Establishing shots of Jerusalem, including a building riddled with bullet and/or other war damage. The commission visits a key-making factory, Optic Rexa Ltd., Jerusalem Pencils Limited (employees of which are seen preparing pencils for shipping to Dulev Plastics, Toronto, Ont., Canada), and Popper Shoe Machinery Works, where commission members inspect shoes. 01:24:48 Title card: "At Herzl's tomb we were reminded of the great dream that was now an exciting reality." Commission members visit the tomb of Theodor Herzl. Title card: "Democracy is a living force in Israel, and this is best demonstrated in the parliament, known as the Knesset." The Commission is seen entering the parliament building. Low overhead shots of the Knesset in session. They sit in on a parliamentary session, in the public seating area. Title card: "We had a long conference with the prime minister and he was gracious enough to pose with the members of the commission." 01:26:18 Samuel Rothberg, with his arm around a woman, talks to David Ben-Gurion. Julian Venezky stands on the other side of Ben-Gurion. Ben-Gurion talks to other members of the commission, including Henry Montor. Title card: "We shall never forget that bus that was our home on wheels." Interior shots of the tour bus. Title card: " --- and we will never forget the amazing progress of the people of Israel in building a modern industrial nation." Title card: "This is only a fraction of what we saw of the great achievements of the bond drive, helping Israel to go forward to achieve economic independence." Final shot of the Israeli flag.
Subjects
- JEWS
- BEN-GURION, DAVID
- FACTORIES
- AIRPORTS
- AIRPLANES
- COWS
- BICYCLES
- CONSTRUCTION
- FARMERS/FARMING
- RIVERS
- SYNAGOGUES
- BRIDGES
- LAKES
- CAMERA OPERATORS
- UNITED JEWISH APPEAL (UJA)
- SIGNS/POSTERS
- BUSES
- FLAGS
- BEACHES
Places
- Tel Aviv, Palestine
- Rehovot, Israel
- Jerusalem, Israel
- Haifa, Palestine
- , Israel
Genre
- Film
- Documentary.