Cap. 1/x
The Ashburton Guardian,
Vol. XLI, No.
9.413
Lunedi, 10 gennaio 1921, p. 4
FUTURE OF PALESTINE. - The spontaneous expressions of approval notably from Jews throughout the world, when it was announced that Great Britain had accepted the mandate for Palestine, were a striking tribute to the form of administration which has been associated with the name of the Empire. Practically coincident with the acceptance of the mandate it was authoritatively stated that with the inauguration of civil government in Palestine a new era of Eastern civilisation would commence, and the announcement of the British Government’s intention to reconstruct the country as a home for the Jewish people was received with great satisfaction. Recent cablegrams have given brief details of the progress of the work, and have also made known the condition of the Zionist Society’s appeal for funds to assist the colonisation of Jews in Palestine. Perhaps no story in history equals in human interest that of the Jewish people, who for centuries have been scattered in the four corners of the globe, but who are now to have a recognised home in the ancient land of Palestine.
New Zealanders will wish well to the effort to establish Palestine under Jewish auspices by the emigration thither of the oppressed Jews of other lands, not only because their soldier sons helped to free the land of the Turkish yoke, but also because they are lovers of freedom. The Jews have maintained a very distinct existence as a race and a sect. Their record as a nation was historically brief, but early Christendom is associated with it, and the story of the Jews dates back to remote antiquity. The idea of a national home for the Jews is not new. It was in A.D. 134 that the Emperor Hadrian took Jerusalem and drove the Jews out of their country, but it was the Mongol and Tartar invasions of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries which laid Palestine waste with such thoroughness that it has never since recovered from the shock. Napoleon, who seems to have thought of most things, proposed to found a Jewish colony in Palestine when he was besieging Acre, but the suggestion was received coldly by the Jews at that time. The revival of Palestine as a Jewish land is said to date from the year 1840, when Moheinet Ali’s claims to Syria set the Powers by the ears. Lord Palmerston, who had saved the Sultan from his Egyptian vassal, compelled the Turks to protect the Jews from the Druses and the Syrians, and appointed a Consul in Jerusalem to watch over the interests of all Jews.
The first Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, appointed in 1841, was a converted Jew.
Sir Moses Montefiore and M. Cremieux drew the attention of their coreligionists to the prospects of settlement in Palestine. Disraeli, in his novels, “Alroy” and “Tancred”, refers to the Zionists’ proposal then afloat. The movement grew. In 1840 there were said to be no more than 15.000 Jews in all Palestine. By 1880 there were 15.000 Jews in Jerusalem alone. George Eliot, in “Daniel Deronda” (1876) urged that Palestine should be “a republic where the Jewish spirit manifests itself in a new order founded on the old”. A number of the Jews driven out of Russia by the “pogroms” in 1881 and 1882 settled in Palestine, and a great impetus was given to the movement by the generous help of Baron Edmund de Rothschild and Baron Horsen, the latter of whom left 10.000.000 for the work of the Jewish Colonisation Association. In spite of the unfriendly attitude of the Young Turks, the Jews in Palestine were prospering. They were said to number 125.000 and half of these lived in Jerusalem. The idea of reigning in Jerusalem inflamed the ex-Kaiser’s theatrical imagination prior to his great gamble for world dominion. His friendship with Abdul Hamid and the famous journey to the Holy Land were step towards the goal, which, it was hoped, the war would finally attain. The comparison between British and German methods with the Jews is particularly striking. Germany’s dream of the East was empire for herself, but Britain’s support for the Zionist movement shows that she has a greater and nobler purpose in view in holding out the hand of fellowship.
The reconstruction of Palestine has been enthusiastically taken up by the Zionist Society. This organisation hopes within the next 12 months or so to place some 30.000 settlers on the land in Palestine, and if these succeed some 60.000 will probably be sent in the succeeding 12 months. If Palestine is to be developed it will be through agriculture, and though the Jews are as a whole a more than usually gifted race and excel in many directions, it is in almost every field except the art of husbandry that they have shone. However, there is no doubt that by means of irrigation and labour Palestine may once more be made into a fruitful land. With care the difficulties in the way of a realisation of the hopes of the Zionist Society may be overcome. The financial difficulties should not be insuperable, and under British direction, the speedy development of the country may be looked for.
Altri periodici del 1921. - Navigazione: Indice delle Fonti e Repertori: Cronologia - Analitico. - Forum: «Tribuna di “Civium Libertas”». - Societas: «Civium Libertas».
Top supra ↑
22-4-1921 ↓ infra → §
Cap 2x
Return of the Jews
Venerdi, 22 aprile 1921, p. 6
RETURN OF THE JEWS. PALESTINE THE OBJECTIVE. GOOD CLASS OF “PIONEERS”. Representatives of all the Jewish migration Bureaus in Central Europe met recently on the border between Poland and Czecho-Slovakia, and adopted a programme to provide for the rush ot Jews to Palestine. A statement was issued which pointed out the fact that Jews from remote portions of the globe are now arriving in Palestine. The statement reads: —
The movement of Jews to Palestine is no new phenomenon. For centuries, in fact ever since the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., there have been individuals who felt the call, and on several occasions whole groups have taken die wanderer’s staff in hand and made the pilgrimage to Palestine. But it has been reserved for our own time to see the beginning of a national return, of the rebirth of a people after so many centuries of waiting and hoping.
The class of these pioneers is very good. They are almost exclusively young men and women — about 10 per cent are women — between the ages of 17 and 25. They are called by the Hebrew name “Chalutzim”, meaning “pioneers”. They have been preparing for their future life's work in various ways. Many have left their schools and colleges and gone to till the soil with their own hands in order to be prepared to do agricultural work in Palestine, for they are all intellectuals and idealists, and they have come to the conclusion that the only sound foundation on which to build up a new Jewish nation is the agricultural life.
Housing Problem.
Apart from these purely agricultural pioneers, there are others who are being trained as bricklayers, masons, tinsmiths, plumbers, and in all other branches of the building trades. The crying need of Palestine is for houses and shelter for all the new arrivals.
An addition to the knowledge of a handicraft, Hebrew speaking is an indispensable part of the curriculum. Between 70 and 80 per cent of all who leave for Palestine can speak Hebrew. I was myself in Palestine two months ago, and visited the settlements of some of the newly-arrived “Chalutzim”, and was greatly impressed with them — the men as well as the women.
Many came from well-to-do families and had not been accustomed to hard manual work. Yet they cheerfully cleared the stones from the soil in the boiling sun, and planted seedlings for the future fruits of Palestine and, well satisfied with their labours, sat down with me in the cool of the evening to a modest — very modest— meal prepared by the women, who take turns in cooking and agricultural work. These were the students, who have thrown aside everything in order to be among the builders of Zion. And when, after the meal, there came the spirited Hebrew marching and folk songs, it was delightful to see the devotion with which they sang, their love for their people and their land.
Many in Need of Funds.
There are hundreds of thousands like them yet in Central and Eastern Europe, and the great problem is to transfer them to Palestine. There are two main ' difficulties to overcome. The first is due to the condition of Palestine. The land has been desolate for so many years that it cannot be rendered fit for habitation without the expenditure of millions.
The prospects are excellent. We have the men, and the political conditions in Palestine since the arrival of
Sir Herbert Samuel— who is now universally beloved by Jew and Arab alike — are most favourable. The enthusiasm of the Jews all over the world is growing, and I am confident that in a very few years we shall see a strong and thriving Jewish population in Palestine. The well-to-do will establish factories when once the foundations are laid.
Jews from the most remote corners of the globe are arriving in Palestine. Each has certain relations in the country he has left. What a splendid foundation for a world-wide commerce! But apart from commerce, Palestine is to be the educational centre for Jews, who will send their children to study.
Top supra ↑
4-11-1921 ↓ infra → §
Cap 3
Five people killed
The Ashburton Guardian,
Vol. XLII, No.
9377
Venerdi, 4 novembre 1921, p. 5
FIVE PEOPLE KILLED. PALESTINE DISTURBANCE. CONFLICT BETWEEN JEWS AND ARABS. (Received November 4, 9 a.m.). London, November 3. Advices received in London report serious disturbances between the Arabs end Jews in Jerusalem, during wich a bomb was thrown. - Cairo, November 3. - Five persons were killed and 15 injured in a bomb outrage at Jerusalem. Details are lacking.
Altri periodici del 1921. - Navigazione: Indice delle Fonti e Repertori: Cronologia - Analitico. - Forum: «Tribuna di “Civium Libertas”». - Societas: «Civium Libertas».