Jerusalem Day 2025: Poster Collection Celebrating the Eternal City

In honor of Jerusalem Day, which will be celebrated tomorrow, we have selected iconic posters from our collection that resonate with the city to commemorate the occasion.

Jerusalem Day is a national holiday in Israel, marking the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 during the Six-Day War. The essence of Jerusalem—a pinnacle of hope and aspiration—is central to the life of the Israeli people, who returned to their land, established their state, and proclaimed Jerusalem as their eternal capital. This special day emphasizes Jewish unity and independence in Israel and abroad, with a focus on the city of Jerusalem.

Among the posters we selected is the official 45th Independence Day Poster, designed by Assaf Berg in 1993. The illustration is inspired by the verse: “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her.” (Isaiah 66:10). It depicts a playful, colorful figure celebrating the city of Jerusalem with music, set against the backdrop of the Old City.

Since the establishment of the state, an official Independence Day poster has been published annually by Israel’s Ministry of Education to commemorate the occasion. A design contest is held each year among the country’s most prominent artists. These posters typically feature symbolic motifs that reflect the identity, values, and history of the State of Israel.

The second poster we would like to highlight is an extremely rare Bezalel poster for the Jerusalem Students’ Association Ball, printed in 1939. We chose this poster as an homage to one of the most influential institutions of art and culture in Jerusalem and the Land of Israel: the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Bezalel pioneered a distinctive visual language that fuses Jewish motifs, Jerusalem symbolism, and modern design elements to communicate the Israeli and Jewish message to the world.

This vintage poster advertises a ball organized by the Students’ Association of the “New Bezalel” Art School and the Palestine Conservatoire, held on the evening of December 2, 1939, for the benefit of destitute students. The image features a snake wrapped around a tree, with apples scattered around it, and an artist’s palette at the base. It was printed by Central Printing, Jerusalem.

Another unique poster we highlight today is one of the rarest and most impressive in our collection. It was created by Frank Newbould, renowned for designing some of the most iconic British posters of the 20th century. This work was part of a series promoting tourism to British Mandate territories in the Land of Israel (the others in the series depicted Jaffa and the River Jordan). The poster features the Old City of Jerusalem and its holy sites, and measures 155 cm wide—a rare size for Israeli posters due to historical printing limitations.