from Israel Post; this stamp will be issued February 7, 2017:
The National Military Organization in Eretz Israel (Etsel) broke away from the Haganah paramilitary organization in the spring of 1931. In the years before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the organization operated clandestinely against Arab rioters during the revolt of 1936-1939 and took part in “Nonetheless” operations together with the Revisionist, Betar and HaTzohar groups to rescue European Jews before and during WWII. Members in Poland fought against the German enemy in the ghettos and took part in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943 as part of the Jewish Military Union, led by Pawel Frankel. Members in Eretz Israel were recruited to fight against Germany as volunteers in the British military. Etsel commander David Raziel was killed in the line of duty in Iraq on May 20, 1941. In February 1944 the Etsel, led by Menachem Begin, waged a campaign against the British authorities and government policy in Eretz Israel. Members were suppressed from within by the Haganah, but obeyed their leader’s decree never to take up arms against their brethren. Together with the Haganah-Palmach and Lehi, Etsel fighters, and especially those sentenced to death by hanging by the British Mandate courts, contributed to the establishment of the State of Israel. On July 13, 1980, the anniversary of the death of Etsel military leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Prime Minister Menachem Begin spoke at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem of those who fought both overtly and clandestinely: “Ö with their blood they sprouted the tree of freedom for their People, with their bodies they paved the way to the mountaintop”.

The Brit Hayyale Ha’Etsel organization (est. 1983) is committed to commemorating the memory of the fighters throughout the generations and to preserving their legacy.

Goals: to organize former Etsel members within a non-partisan social framework, encourage historical research, literary works and documentation to endow the legacy of the Etsel and its fighters. From the start, the organization has worked to achieve government recognition of the Etsel’s contribution to national liberation, defense of the Jewish Yishuv in Eretz Israel against Arab rioters and the struggle against the British authorities and against the Arab armies during the War of Independence. The Alliance (“Brit”) works to have the Etsel’s fallen, injured and missing declared as fallen IDF soldiers.

The organization worked to erect a memorial monument dedicated to the Acre prison escapees, to those who fell during the Altalena Affair and to those hanged on the gallows by the British. It has also established the Etsel Museum and the Etsel Museum 1948 named after Amichai Paglin (Gidi) in Tel Aviv-Jaffa in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense, as well as the Etsel Museum in Jabotinsky Shuni Park in Binyamina and the monument commemorating the 51 Etsel members who fell in the battle for Ramlah in 1948. The organization also conducts memorial services and holds services commemorating the fighters in the Etsel plots in cemeteries around Israel. The operations of the Brit, including documentation, publishing and film production, expose the public to the heroism of the Etsel fighters at the dawn of our independence.

— Yosef Kister
Jabotinsky Institute historical consultant and researcher

Description of the Stamp and First Day Cover
The stamp design is based on a photograph of Etsel combat soldiers who fought in the Menashia Battle in Jaffa (April 25-May 1, 1948).

The stamp tab features a quote from the Betar Song, written by Ze’ev Jabotinsky, and the Etsel Badge, which was presented by the Ministry of Defense to those who served in the Etsel.

The FDC features a photograph of the Etsel’s Jerusalem Regiment in formation, Jerusalem August 4, 1948.

From left to right: Mordechai Raanan and Menachem Begin.

The photographs and quote are courtesy of Jabotinsky Institute in Israel.

from Israel Post; this souvenir leaf will be issued February 7, 2017:
120 Years of the Zionist Organization of America
[Souvenir Leaf]

The ZOA, founded in 1897, is the oldest and one of the largest pro-Israel organizations in the United States. Its roster of distinguished presidents includes U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver who led the fight in America to reestablish the Jewish State, and currently, Morton A. Klein who was named one of the top five influential Jewish leaders by the Forward newspaper.

With chapters throughout the United States, ZOA works to educate the U.S. Congress, the media and the public about the ongoing Arab/Islamist war against Israel, and to strengthen and enhance the U.S.-Israel relationship. We promote the legal, religious, political and historic right of Jews to live in Judea and Samaria, and emphasize the truth that an undivided Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel and the Jewish people.

ZOA led the fight to ensure that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act was interpreted to protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment in federally funded schools. Providing programs, materials and other resources and support to students on college campuses across the country, we are building informed, strong and effective Zionist leaders for the future.

ZOA also has an Israel office in Jerusalem, which works to educate local and visiting government officials, community leaders, journalists, academics and others about ZOAís views on the important issues facing Israel.

The officeís educational and advocacy initiatives have improved security in eastern Jerusalem, addressed anti-Semitic incitement and the plight of victims of Arab terrorism, and encouraged pride in Israelís national rights and Zionist ideals.

— The Zionist Organization of America

Description of the Stamp
The photograph of the Statue of Liberty is from Fotolia. The photograph of the Knesset Menorah and the images of the Israeli and American flags are from Shutterstock.

The four symbols on the stamp represent the main areas of ZOA activity: Congress, Justice system, Higher Education and Media.

from Israel Post; these stamps will be issued February 7, 2017:
“Who is she that comes up from the desert like columns of smoke, in clouds of myrrh and frankincense, of all the powders of the merchant” (Song of Songs 3:6).

The Aromatic Plants stamp series features different types of myrrh and frankincense, aromatic plants which were very significant in the history of Eretz Israel.

Today, Aromatic Plants are mostly thought of as fragrant plants used for the production of volatile fragrant materials ñ “essential oils”, by the distillation process. However, in the distant past this process was unknown and perfumes were produced using methods of extraction or resin drainage from certain plants.

Thus, myrrh and frankincense, which grew mainly in the Red Sea area of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, became an important and precious source for perfumes.

Throughout history, these plants have been used for cosmetics, medicine and mainly for religious rituals in ancient Egyptian, Jewish, Christian and Far Eastern temples.

They are mentioned frequently in the Bible and are among the ingredients used in the incense offering made in the Temple.

The great demand for these plants led to the establishment of trade routes, where caravans of camels carried their wares from the key growing areas to Egypt, Eretz Israel and Europe. Over time, Eretz Israel became an important crossroads on the Incense Route, which was controlled by the Nabateans.

In addition, Eretz Israel was known for growing another well known aromatic plant ñ balsam, which grew mainly in the Dead Sea and Gilead area. Balsam was unique to Eretz Israel and was also used for cosmetics, medicine and incense, and was an important economic resource. Thus, the method for its production was kept confidential, as referenced in the mosaic floor in the ancient synagogue unearthed in Ein Gedi.

Frankincense
A genus (Boswellia) of the Burseraceae family that includes a number of tree and bush species from which the resin used for the incense called frankincense is derived. The resin is collected in containers after puncturing the bark of the young tree trunk.

Myrrh
A genus (Commiphora) that also belongs to the Burseraceae family which includes species of bushes from which the resin used for the incense called myrrh is derived by slicing the bark of young branches. The species most commonly used is Commiphora mirrha.

Balsam
The balsam plant is mentioned in ancient writings and is consistent with the biblical Tzori plant which served as the source for producing high quality perfume. After some deliberation regarding the identification of the plant, there is now widespread agreement among researchers identifying it as one of the myrrh species of the Burseraceae family, Commiphora gileadensis, which still grows in the southern Arabian Peninsula. This plant was introduced to Israel and acclimatized in recent years and is now cultivated in the Ein Gedi and northern Dead Sea area.

— Prof. Nativ Dudai, Ph.D
The Unit of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
Agricultural Research Organization, Newe Ya’ar Research Center

from Israel Post; these stamps will be issued February 7, 2017:
In 1972, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved an agreement to protect world heritage sites. The program included rules to assess natural and cultural sites and determine their significance to mankind’s common cultural heritage. Every country prepares a list of its sites and once a year the UNESCO World Heritage Center conducts a special meeting to choose which of the nominated sites shall be included in the list of United Nations World Heritage Sites.

In 1999, Israel joined the agreement and submitted sites for consideration, and since 2001 a number of Israeli sites have been added to the list: Old City of Acre (2001), Masada (2001), White City of Tel Aviv (2003), Biblical Tels ñ Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba (2005), Incense Route ñ Desert Cities in the Negev (Avdat, Mamshit, Haluza and Shivta) (2005), Baha’i Holy Places (2008), Nahal Me’arot Caves (2012), Maresha and Bet-Guvrin Caves (2014), Bet She’arim Necropolis (2015).

Nahal Me’arot Caves
Four caves are carved into the mountain on the southern slope of Mount Carmel, at the entrance to the Nahal Me’arot Caves. Archeological excavations conducted at the site from 1928 to the present have discovered evidence of human existence near and inside the caves over hundreds of thousands of years. Among the many findings were remnants of houses, various stone tools, jewelry, bones of animals used for food and graves.

Bet She’arim Necropolis
Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi, leader of the Jewish people in the late 2nd century CE, was buried at his behest in the cemetery in the town of Bet She’arim in the western Jezreel Valley. Many others subsequently asked to be buried near the final resting place of the admired leader. Dozens of burial caves were carved into the hillsides and on the outskirts of the town. Jews were brought from all over Eretz Israel and even from faraway lands to be buried there. The hundreds of epitaphs found in the caves provide information about the Jewish lifestyle in the 3rd and 4th centuries CE.

Maresha and Bet-Guvrin Caves
Residents of the city of Maresha, in the southern Judean plain, carved many spaces beneath their homes into the soft chalk bedrock upon which the city was built. These spaces served as water reservoirs, agricultural production facilities, storage rooms, pigeon raising, burial caves and more. After Maresha was destroyed in the 1st century BCE a new city called Bet-Guvrin was constructed nearby. In the Byzantine period, the townspeople carved bricks out of the chalk in deep, bell-shaped caves.

In June 2007, Acre, Tel Aviv and Masada stamps were issued as part of the World Heritage Site stamp series and in August 2007 the Biblical Tels and Incense Route stamps were added.

Description of the Stamps
Nahal Me’arot Caves The view from inside the cave toward the Nahal Me’arot Caves landscape (photo by Ronen Goldberg).

Carved flint hand axe from the Lower Paleolithic period found in the Tabun Cave. (photo: Midad Sokolovski; courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority).

Topographic map of Nahal Me’arot Caves (based on an Israel Antiquities Authority map).

Bet She’arim Necropolis
FaÁade of the Sarcophagi Cave, cave number 20 (courtesy of the Nature and Parks Authority, photo: Tsvika Tsuk).

Plaster relief in the shape of a menorah in the Sarcophagi Cave (photo: Shutterstock).

Partial diagram of the caves (based on a sketch in a Nature and Parks Authority pamphlet).

Maresha and Bet-Guvrin Caves
Bell cave in Bet-Guvrin (photo: Shutterstock).

Cave drawing of Cerberus, mythological hound that guards the gates of the underworld, from the Sidon Burial Cave (courtesy of the Nature and Parks Authority, photo: Jonny Limonik).

Partial diagram of the caves in the Maresha and Bet-Guvrin area (based on a sketch in a Nature and Parks Authority pamphlet).

from Israel Post; this stamp will be issued February 7, 2017:
Krav Maga is an Israeli martial art designed for self-defense, a method that allows anyone to defend him or herself against acts of violence. Krav Maga students learn how to protect themselves from arm and leg blows, strangulations, stabbing, bludgeoning and even how to deal with gun threats. Krav Maga is unique due to its simplicity and effectiveness in utilizing the attacker’s weak points. The technique was developed during the Yishuv period prior to the creation of the State of Israel, when the British Mandate government banned the bearing of arms following the 1936-39 Arab revolts. The Yishuv Council decreed that every Jewish boy and girl from the age of 13 and up must learn how to defend themselves in time of need. Krav Maga was also an inherent part of the training for members of the various underground defense organizations. The early Krav Maga was a combination of boxing and Japanese jujutsu. The jujutsu drills, however proved to be too difficult to master and therefore new, original drills, unique in their effectiveness and simplicity, were developed.

In the Yishuv, Krav Maga was initially called ìface-to-face combatî and included the use of a hoe handle as a defensive and offensive tool, providing a sense of security at a time when it was illegal to bear arms.

When the State of Israel and the IDF were established in 1948, Krav Maga became part of the standard training for combat soldiers. The head instructor was Imi Lichtenfeld, who founded the first civilian school for Krav Maga when he retired from the IDF in 1964. Lichtenfeld expanded the method to provide a solution to civilian threats, utilizing the military principles of simplicity and efficiency. In the 1980’s the method was exported outside of Israel. Today, Krav Maga is taught in every large Western city and is the chosen method of security forces in Israel and abroad.

— Aviad Segal
Israeli Fighting School for Krav Maga

Description of the Stamp and First Day Cover
The stamp presents the development of the method. The stamp features trainees practicing a side kick against a punch from the side (photo: Pini Hemo). The tab features a Krav Maga fight from the Yishuv period, when trainees used hoe handles. (courtesy of the Palmach photo curator, Palmach Museum). The First Day Cover design is based on a photo courtesy of Aviad Segal.