Members of the Bilu movement in Palestine

The First Aliyah (also The Farmers' Aliyah) was the first modern widespread wave of Zionist aliyah. Jews who migrated to Palestine in this wave came mostly from eastern Europe and from Yemen. This wave of aliyah began in 1881-2 and lasted until 1903.^[1][2] An estimated 25,000^[3]-35,000^[4] Jews immigrated to Ottoman Palestine during the First Aliyah. While all throughout history Jews immigrated to Israel (such as the Vilna Gaon's group), these were generally smaller groups with more religious motives, and did not have a purely secular political goal in mind. Image File history File links First_aliyah_BILU_in_kuffiyeh. ... Image File history File links First_aliyah_BILU_in_kuffiyeh. ... Bilu (Hebrew acronym בילו; based on a verse from the Book of Isaiah (2:5) בית יעקב לכו ונלכה Beit Yaakov Lekhu Ve-nelkha (House of Jacob, let us go [up]) was a group of Jewish idealists aspiring to settle in the Land of Israel with the political purpose to establish Jewish National Homeland... A 2003 satellite image of the region. ... This article is about Zionism as a movement, not the History of Israel. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Motto دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1683, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299–1326) Bursa (1326–1365) Edirne (1365–1453) Constantinople (1453–1922) Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 (first) Osman I  - 1918–22 (last) Mehmed VI Grand Viziers  - 1320... A 2003 satellite image of the region. ... Elijah Ben Solomon, the Vilna Gaon The Vilna Gaon (April 23, 1720 – October 9, 1797) was a prominent Jewish rabbi, Talmud scholar, and Kabbalist. ...

Eastern European immigration

Reasons for immigration

The immigration to Palestine occurred as part of the mass emigrations from Eastern Europe of approximately 3.5 million people^[5] that occurred towards the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.

A rapid increase in population had created economic problems in Eastern Europe. The problems affected Jewish societies in the Pale of Settlement, Galicia, and Romania. The Pale of Settlement (Russian: , chertA osEdlosti) was a western border region of Imperial Russia in which permanent residence of Jews was allowed, extending from the pale or demarcation line, to live near the border with central Europe. ... For other uses, see Galicia. ...

Russian persecution of Jews was also a factor. In 1881, the czar Alexander II of Russia was assassinated, and the ruling bodies blamed the Jews for the assassination. Consequently, in addition to the May Laws, major anti-Jewish pogroms swept the Pale of Settlement. A movement called Hibbat Zion (love of Zion) spread across the Pale (helped by Leon Pinsker's pamphlet Auto-Emancipation), as well as the similar Bilu movement, which both encouraged Jews to immigrate to Palestine. Tsar, (Bulgarian цар�, Russian царь; often spelled Czar or Tzar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to 1917. ... Alexander (Aleksandr) II Nikolaevich (Russian: Александр II Николаевич) (Moscow, 29 April 1818 – 13 March 1881 in St. ... On May 15, 1882, Tsar Alexander III of Russia introduced the so-called Temporary laws which stayed in effect for more than thirty years and came to be known as the May Laws. ... Pogrom (from Russian: ; from громить IPA: - to wreak havoc, to demolish violently) is a form of riot directed against a particular group, whether ethnic, religious or other, and characterized by destruction of their homes, businesses and religious centres. ... The Pale of Settlement (Russian: , chertA osEdlosti) was a western border region of Imperial Russia in which permanent residence of Jews was allowed, extending from the pale or demarcation line, to live near the border with central Europe. ... Hovevei Zion (transliterated Hebrew, alternatively Hibbat Zion; English translation: Lovers of Zion) organizations are considered the forerunner and foundation of the modern Zionist movement. ... Leon Pinsker (1821-1891) was a physician, a Zionist pioneer and activist, and the founder and leader of the Hovevei Zion movement. ... Bilu (Hebrew acronym בילו; based on a verse from the Book of Isaiah (2:5) בית יעקב לכו ונלכה Beit Yaakov Lekhu Ve-nelkha (House of Jacob, let us go [up]) was a group of Jewish idealists aspiring to settle in the Land of Israel with the political purpose to establish Jewish National Homeland...

Jews emigrated in relatively high numbers, proportionate to the Jewish population.^[clarify] About 2 million of the 3.5 million went to the United States.^[6] Only a small minority of 25,000 Jews moved to Palestine.^[7] Immigration took place in two primary stages 1881-2 and 1890-1.

The first central committee for the settlement of Israel and Syria was established by a convention of "Unions for the Agricultural Settlement of Israel" (Pukshan Congress) held on January 11, 1882 in Romania. The committee was the first organization to form group aliyahs, such as the Jewish passenger ships it set sail from Galaţi. County Status County capital Mayor Dumitru Nicolae, Social Democratic Party, since 2000 Area 246. ...

After the first wave (early 1880s) there was another spike in aliyah in 1890. The reasons for the increase were: This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

• The Russian government officially approved the activity of Hovevei Zion in 1890. That same year the "Odessa Committee" began its operation in Jaffa. This purpose of this organization was to absorb immigrants in Palestine that came as a reault of Hovevei Zion in Russia.
• Russian Jewry's situation deteriorated:
  • The authorities continued to push Jews out of business and trade.
  • Moscow was almost entirely cleansed of Jews.^[8]
• The financial situation of the settlements from the previous decade improved due to the Baron de Rothschild's assistance (orchards were planted, wineries started).

Hovevei Zion (transliterated Hebrew, alternatively Hibbat Zion; English translation: Lovers of Zion) organizations are considered the forerunner and foundation of the modern Zionist movement. ... The Odessa Committee, officially known as the Society for the Support of Jewish Farmers and Artisans in Syria and Eretz Israel, was a charitable Zionist organization in the Russian Empire. ... For other uses, see Jaffa (disambiguation). ... Hovevei Zion (transliterated Hebrew, alternatively Hibbat Zion; English translation: Lovers of Zion) organizations are considered the forerunner and foundation of the modern Zionist movement. ... The vast territories of the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest Jewish population in the world. ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... For the video game, see Ethnic Cleansing (computer game). ... Baron Edmond James de Rothschild (born August 19, 1845 - died November 2, 1934) was a philanthropist and activist for Jewish affairs and a member of the prominent Rothschild family. ...

The immigrants

Nearly all of the Jews from Eastern Europe before that time came from traditional Jewish families, hoping to improve their lives.^{[citation needed]}. The immigrants that were part of the First Aliyah, however, came more out of a connection to the land of their ancestors.^[9][10] Most of these immigrants worked as artisan and in small trade, but many also worked in agriculture. Only part of them came in an organized fashion, with the help of Hovevei Zion, but most of the were unorganized, in their 30s and had families.^{[citation needed]}

Aliyah from Yemen

The first group of immigrants from Yemen came approximately seven months before most of the Eastern European Jews who arrived in Palestine.

Settlement

The First Aliyah laid the cornerstone for Jewish settlement in Israel and created several settlements - Rishon LeZion, Rosh Pina, Zikhron Ya'aqov, Gedera etc. Rishon Le Zion in 2002 Rishon LeZion, or Rishon LeZiyyon (ראשון לציון) is a city in Israel, on the central coastal strip, in the Center District of Israel, just south of Tel Aviv, and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area (Gush Dan). ... Rosh Pina is a town in northern Israel first settled by Romanian Jews in 1882. ... Zikhron Yaaqov (זִכְרוֹן יַעֲקֹב ; unofficially also spelled Zichron Yaakov) (meaning Jacobs memorial) is a city in Israel, near Haifa, part of the Haifa District. ... Gedera, or Gdera (‎) is a town (local council) in the Center District of Israel. ...

Most settlements met with financial difficulties and most of the settlers were not proficient in farming. Baron Edmond James de Rothschild took several of the settlements under his wing, which helped them survive until more settlers with farming experience arrived in subsequent aliyot. Baron Edmond James de Rothschild (born August 19, 1845 - died November 2, 1934) was a philanthropist and activist for Jewish affairs and a member of the prominent Rothschild family. ...

Immigrants of the First Aliyah also contributed to existing towns and settlements, notably Petah Tikva. The first neighbourhoods of Tel Aviv (Neve Shalom and Neve Tzedek) were also built by members of the aliyah, although it was not until the Second Aliyah that Tel Aviv was officially founded. The Coat of Arms of Petah-Tikva Petah-Tikva (Hebrew פֶּתַח-תִּקְוָה opening of hope, Standard Hebrew Pétaḥ-Tiqva, also transliterated as Petach Tikva, Petah Tikvah, Petach Tikvah, Petaḥ Tiqwa or Petach Tiqwa) and nicknamed as Mother of Cities, is a city in the west of the Center District of Israel... For the Arab-Israeli Jew village, see Oasis of Peace Literally meaning Valley of Peace in Hebrew, Neve Shalom Synagogue (Neve Şalom in Turkish) is located in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul, Turkey. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Second Aliyah was arguably the most important and influential aliyah. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ...

Israeli historian Benny Morris wrote: This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

But the major cause of tension and violence throughout the period 1882-1914 was not accidents, misunderstandings or the attitudes and behaviors of either side, but objective historical conditions and the conflicting interests and goals of the two populations. The Arabs sought instinctively to retain the Arab and Muslim character of the region and to maintain their position as its rightful inhabitants; the Zionists sought radically to change the status quo, buy as much land as possible, settle on it, and eventually turn an Arab-populated country into a Jewish homeland.

For decades the Zionists tried to camouflage their real aspirations, for fear of angering the authorities and the Arabs. They were, however, certain of their aims and of the means needed to achieve them. Internal correspondence amongst the olim from the very beginning of the Zionist enterprise leaves little room for doubt.^[11] Aliyah (Hebrew: עלייה; ascent) is a term widely used to mean Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel (and since its establishment in 1948, the State of Israel). ...

Morris provides excerpts from three letters written in 1882 by these first arrivals:

• Vladimir (Ze'ev) Dubnow, one of the Biluim wrote to his brother, the historian Simon Dubnow, in October 1882: "The ultimate goal ... is, in time, to take over the Land of Israel and to restore to the Jews the political independence they have been deprived of for these two thousand years .... The Jews will yet arise and, arms in hand (if need be), declare that they are the masters of their ancient homeland." (Dubnow himself shortly afterward returned to Russia.)^[12]
• Ben-Yehuda, who settled in Jerusalem in September 1881, wrote in July 1882 to Peretz Smolenskin in Vienna: "The thing we must do now is to become as strong as we can, to conquer the country, covertly, bit by bit ... We will not set up committees so that the Arabs will know what we are after, we shall act like silent spies, we shall buy, buy, buy."^[13]
• In October 1882 Ben-Yehuda and Yehiel Michael Pines, who had arrived in Palestine in 1878, wrote to Rashi Pin, in Vilna: "We have made it a rule not to say too much, except to those ... we trust ... the goal is to revive our nation on its land ... if only we succeed in increasing our numbers here until we are the majority [Emphasis in original] .... There are now only five hundred [thousand] Arabs, who are not very strong, and from whom we shall easily take away the country if only we do it through stratagems [and] without drawing upon us their hostility before we become the strong and populous ones."^[14]

The Jewish Virtual Library[1] says of the First Aliyah that nearly half the settlers did not stay in Palestine. Bilu (a Hebrew acronym based on a verse from the Book of Isaiah (2:5) Beit Yaakov Lekhu Ve-nelkha (House of Jacob, let us go (up)) was a group of Jewish idealists aspiring to settle in the Land of Israel with the political purpose to establish Jewish National... Simon Dubnow (alternatively spelled Dubnov, Russian: Семен Маркович Дубнов; September 10, 1860–December 8, 1941) was a Jewish historian, writer and activist. ... For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ... Peretz (Peter) Smolenskin (1842-1885), Russian Jewish novelist, was born near Mogilev (Russia). ... For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation). ... A 2003 satellite image of the region. ... Vilnius Old Town Vilnius (sometimes Vilna; Polish Wilno, Belarusian Вільня, Russian Вильнюс, see also Cities alternative names) is the capital city of Lithuania. ...

Notes

1. ^ aliyah: Definition and Much More from Answers.com
2. ^ Scharfstein, Sol, Chronicle of Jewish History: From the Patriarchs to the 21st Century, p.231, KTAV Publishing House (1997), ISBN 0-88125-545-9
3. ^ The Zionist Century | Concepts | Aliyah
4. ^ The First Aliyah
5. ^ Industrial Revolution
6. ^ Jewish Immigration
7. ^ Martin Gilbert (1998). Israel: A History. Doubleday.  pp. 5
8. ^ History of the Jews in Russia and the Soviet Union#Mass emigration and political activism
9. ^ Palestine/Israel
10. ^ The Zionist Century | Concepts | Aliyah
11. ^ Morris, Benny. Righteous Victims: A history of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001. Vintage Books, 2001, p. 49.
12. ^ Shapira, Anita. (Heb).) Land and Power. Tel Aviv: Am Oved, 1992, p86-87 cited in Morris, Benny. Righteous Victims: A history of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001. Vintage Books, 2001, p49.
13. ^ Be'eri,Eliezer. (Heb.) The beginning of the Israeli-Arab conflict, 1882-1891. Haifa: Sifriyat Po'alim/Haifa University Press, 1985, p38 cited in Morris, Benny. Righteous Victims: A history of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001. Vintage Books, 2001, p49.
14. ^ Ibid., p38-39 cited in Morris, Benny. Righteous Victims: A history of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001. Vintage Books, 2001, p49.

The vast territories of the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest Jewish population in the world. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Further reading

• Ben-Gurion, DavidFrom Class to Nation: Reflections on the Vocation and Mission of the Labor Movement (Hebrew), Am Oved (1976)