PART ONE: TEXT STUDY
A brief history from 1882 to 1917:
In the 19th Century, Jews in Europe came up with a political (rather than religious) ideology to create a Jewish nation in the land around Jerusalem, due to increasing anti-semitism. Between 1882 and 1903, following the pogroms* in Russia and also events in Yemen, 30,000 Jewish people made aliyah* to South West Syria (what is now Northern Israel). This land was owned and ruled by the Ottoman Empire (which was based mainly in Turkey and Greece) and farmed mostly by Arab Muslim families who paid rent to the Ottomans. The Jews who were a part of this first organised movement settled alongside their neighbours (for the most part) and bought or rented land that they farmed communally. The immigrants from the Russian empire established towns such as Petach Tikvah, Rishon L'Tzion and Zichron Ya'kov, whilst the Yemenite Jews mostly settled in an Arab village called Silwan, on the Mount of Olives just out side of the old city of Jerusalem.
Between 1904 and 1914, another 40,000 Jews emigrated from Europe and the middle east to Palestine (the name for the area since the Roman Empire almost 2000 years ago). These people were responsible for creating the first kibbutz (a farming community based on shared ownership and communal working and living), as well as reviving Hebrew as a national language so that people from all areas of the world could speak the same language. It was in this time that Tel Aviv was established too.
During the First World War (1914-1918) the British Prime Minister needed Jewish support for the Allied forces in Europe, as well as supporting the creation of a Jewish state for moral and practical reasons. The Ottoman Empire looked like it would collapse after the war, and the British wanted to have clear passage from Egypt (which was a part of the British Empire) to India (also a part of the British Empire). Palestine was neatly placed to allow that but the British had signed an agreement that said they would not make their empire larger. Therefore, they needed to establish a friendly state in this location. In November 1917, British Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour sent a letter to Baron Rothschild to say:
''His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.''
This laid the foundation for further waves of aliyah, and for the eventual creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
In the 19th Century, Jews in Europe came up with a political (rather than religious) ideology to create a Jewish nation in the land around Jerusalem, due to increasing anti-semitism. Between 1882 and 1903, following the pogroms* in Russia and also events in Yemen, 30,000 Jewish people made aliyah* to South West Syria (what is now Northern Israel). This land was owned and ruled by the Ottoman Empire (which was based mainly in Turkey and Greece) and farmed mostly by Arab Muslim families who paid rent to the Ottomans. The Jews who were a part of this first organised movement settled alongside their neighbours (for the most part) and bought or rented land that they farmed communally. The immigrants from the Russian empire established towns such as Petach Tikvah, Rishon L'Tzion and Zichron Ya'kov, whilst the Yemenite Jews mostly settled in an Arab village called Silwan, on the Mount of Olives just out side of the old city of Jerusalem.
Between 1904 and 1914, another 40,000 Jews emigrated from Europe and the middle east to Palestine (the name for the area since the Roman Empire almost 2000 years ago). These people were responsible for creating the first kibbutz (a farming community based on shared ownership and communal working and living), as well as reviving Hebrew as a national language so that people from all areas of the world could speak the same language. It was in this time that Tel Aviv was established too.
During the First World War (1914-1918) the British Prime Minister needed Jewish support for the Allied forces in Europe, as well as supporting the creation of a Jewish state for moral and practical reasons. The Ottoman Empire looked like it would collapse after the war, and the British wanted to have clear passage from Egypt (which was a part of the British Empire) to India (also a part of the British Empire). Palestine was neatly placed to allow that but the British had signed an agreement that said they would not make their empire larger. Therefore, they needed to establish a friendly state in this location. In November 1917, British Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour sent a letter to Baron Rothschild to say:
''His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.''
This laid the foundation for further waves of aliyah, and for the eventual creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
Why was this land significant to the Jews?
(ח) וָאֵרֵ֞ד לְהַצִּיל֣וֹ ׀ מִיַּ֣ד מִצְרַ֗יִם וּֽלְהַעֲלֹתוֹ֮ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַהִוא֒ אֶל־אֶ֤רֶץ טוֹבָה֙ וּרְחָבָ֔ה אֶל־אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ אֶל־מְק֤וֹם הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י וְהָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י וְהַחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי׃
(8) I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the region of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
(א) וַיְהִ֗י אַחֲרֵ֛י מ֥וֹת מֹשֶׁ֖ה עֶ֣בֶד יְהוָ֑ה וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֔וּן מְשָׁרֵ֥ת מֹשֶׁ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ב) מֹשֶׁ֥ה עַבְדִּ֖י מֵ֑ת וְעַתָּה֩ ק֨וּם עֲבֹ֜ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן הַזֶּ֗ה אַתָּה֙ וְכָל־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לָהֶ֖ם לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ג) כָּל־מָק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּדְרֹ֧ךְ כַּֽף־רַגְלְכֶ֛ם בּ֖וֹ לָכֶ֣ם נְתַתִּ֑יו כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי אֶל־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ (ד) מֵהַמִּדְבָּר֩ וְהַלְּבָנ֨וֹן הַזֶּ֜ה וְֽעַד־הַנָּהָ֧ר הַגָּד֣וֹל נְהַר־פְּרָ֗ת כֹּ֚ל אֶ֣רֶץ הַֽחִתִּ֔ים וְעַד־הַיָּ֥ם הַגָּד֖וֹל מְב֣וֹא הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ יִֽהְיֶ֖ה גְּבוּלְכֶֽם׃
(1) After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ attendant: (2) “My servant Moses is dead. Prepare to cross the Jordan, together with all this people, into the land that I am giving to the Israelites. (3) Every spot on which your foot treads I give to you, as I promised Moses. (4) Your territory shall extend from the wilderness and the Lebanon to the Great River, the River Euphrates [on the east]—the whole Hittite country—and up to the Mediterranean Sea on the west.
(יז) וְאִם־יִפְנֶ֥ה לְבָבְךָ֖ וְלֹ֣א תִשְׁמָ֑ע וְנִדַּחְתָּ֗ וְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִ֛יתָ לֵאלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִ֖ים וַעֲבַדְתָּֽם׃ (יח) הִגַּ֤דְתִּי לָכֶם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם כִּ֥י אָבֹ֖ד תֹּאבֵד֑וּן לֹא־תַאֲרִיכֻ֤ן יָמִים֙ עַל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אַתָּ֤ה עֹבֵר֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן לָבֹ֥א שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃ (יט) הַעִידֹ֨תִי בָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֮ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ֒ הַחַיִּ֤ים וְהַמָּ֙וֶת֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הַבְּרָכָ֖ה וְהַקְּלָלָ֑ה וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּֽחַיִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן תִּחְיֶ֖ה אַתָּ֥ה וְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃ (כ) לְאַֽהֲבָה֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ בְּקֹל֖וֹ וּלְדָבְקָה־ב֑וֹ כִּ֣י ה֤וּא חַיֶּ֙יךָ֙ וְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמֶ֔יךָ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת עַל־הָאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁבַּ֨ע יְהוָ֧ה לַאֲבֹתֶ֛יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֛ם לְיִצְחָ֥ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֖ב לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶֽם׃ (פ)
(17) But if your heart turns away and you give no heed, and are lured into the worship and service of other gods, (18) I declare to you this day that you shall certainly perish; you shall not long endure on the soil that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. (19) I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life—if you and your offspring would live— (20) by loving the LORD your God, heeding His commands, and holding fast to Him. For thereby you shall have life and shall long endure upon the soil that the LORD swore to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.
(ז) כִּ֚י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ מְבִֽיאֲךָ֖ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ טוֹבָ֑ה אֶ֚רֶץ נַ֣חֲלֵי מָ֔יִם עֲיָנֹת֙ וּתְהֹמֹ֔ת יֹצְאִ֥ים בַּבִּקְעָ֖ה וּבָהָֽר׃ (ח) אֶ֤רֶץ חִטָּה֙ וּשְׂעֹרָ֔ה וְגֶ֥פֶן וּתְאֵנָ֖ה וְרִמּ֑וֹן אֶֽרֶץ־זֵ֥ית שֶׁ֖מֶן וּדְבָֽשׁ׃ (ט) אֶ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹ֤א בְמִסְכֵּנֻת֙ תֹּֽאכַל־בָּ֣הּ לֶ֔חֶם לֹֽא־תֶחְסַ֥ר כֹּ֖ל בָּ֑הּ אֶ֚רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲבָנֶ֣יהָ בַרְזֶ֔ל וּמֵהֲרָרֶ֖יהָ תַּחְצֹ֥ב נְחֹֽשֶׁת׃ (י) וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ עַל־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָֽתַן־לָֽךְ׃
(7) For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; (8) a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; (9) a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper. (10) When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.
Questions:
1. How did British and Jewish interests match up in the early 1900s?
2. What happened between 1914 and 1918 that was significant?
3. Why was the land around Jerusalem/Ottoman Palestine important for early Zionists?
1. How did British and Jewish interests match up in the early 1900s?
2. What happened between 1914 and 1918 that was significant?
3. Why was the land around Jerusalem/Ottoman Palestine important for early Zionists?
PART TWO: CREATIVE ACTIVITY
In groups, we are going to create an ideal society. Each table lives on a desert island. What sort of society is it going to be?
What does your country look like? What kind of things do you need to make a successful country? What are your top 10 laws? What are the biggest problems that your country faces?
What does your country look like? What kind of things do you need to make a successful country? What are your top 10 laws? What are the biggest problems that your country faces?
HOMEWORK
What are your family's most important family traditions? How did they start? Where do they come from? Please discuss this as a family and write down any ideas you have, and bring them to the next class.