Jewish life in Palestine 1700-1880

First planned racist Jewish settling - charity for the "Holy Land" - contacts over the continents


Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971): History, vol. 8, col.728: Letter of appointment of an emissary from Hebron, signed by the leaders of the city's Habad (Ḥabad) community, 1827. From O. Avisar (ed.): "Sefer Hevron (Ḥevron)", Jerusalem, 1970

from: History; In: Encyclopaedia Judaica 1971, Vol. 8

presented by Michael Palomino (2007)

<JEWISH LIFE IN EREZ ISRAEL

[Racist Jewish settlers coming to Palestine]

[[In the 18th century]] Jewish society and [[racist Jewish]] settlement in Erez Israel was then in a stagnant phase, following earlier development. A certain renaissance of [[racist]] Jewish life in the land began with the groups who went there under the leadership of *Judah Hasid (Ḥasid) (1700) from Europe and Hayyim (Ḥayyim) b. Moses *Attar from the Maghreb (1742). Social and religious activity in eastern Europe brought over groups of both Hasidim (Ḥasidim) [[Orthodox Jews]] (1777 [[from Poland]]) and Mitnaggedim ([[Mitnagdim, "opponents"]], 1808-10 [[from Lithuania]]).

By the mid-19th century all these [[racist Jewish]] groups, and additional immigrants, mostly of high age, had coalesced into a fixed pattern of settlement and society. Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias, and Safed were "the four lands of holiness" in which Jews customarily settled.

[The charity for the "Holy Land": 80% of the income - the community structures according to the "income"]

The income of over half of them, according to some estimates even up to 80% of the community, came from *halukkah (ḥalukkah) [[charity for the "Holy Land"]]. At this time halukkah (ḥalukkah) was a much respected institution for rendering financial (col. 728)

assistance and homage by those remaining in the Diaspora, with its comforts and opportunities, to those who went to Erez Israel to represent the nation in prayer and Torah study at the holy places.

Jewish culture reached high standards in this society. Most Jews there devoted their lives to divine worship in one way or another. The halukkah (ḥalukkah) [[charity for the "Holy Land"]] distribution also imposed a pattern of social organization since the *kolel [[community]] unit was formed according to the source of halukkah (ḥalukkah) income and perpetuated the settlers' ties with their towns and regions of origin.

The Sephardi element in this society tended to engage more frequently in ordinary business and crafts than the Ashkenazi. This element was thus more congenial to the early Hovevei Zion and Zionist comers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was also the background for the choice of the Sephardi pronunciation for modern Hebrew by its pioneer Eliezer *Ben-Yehuda.

The capitulation system helped to keep the [[racist Jewish]] settlers in touch with the consuls of their lands of origin. While abroad the meshullahim (meshullaḥim) (emissaries) not only collected money for the halukkah (ḥalukkah) but also brought the message of Erez Israel to the Diaspora, and kept Jews everywhere in living contact [[...]].> (col. 729)

[[The fact that 80% of the encome came from charity was not enough to hinder more Jews to come to Palestine. The Arabs are not mentioned at all in the article...]]

Sources
Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971): History, vol. 8, col. 727-728	Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971): History, vol. 8, col. 729-730