Jewish Exodus Out from the Old City and the Period of the British Mandate
13 July 2008, tour leader Barak Zemer
Report submitted by Avram Finerman
Report submitted by Avram Finerman
~Turkish Period and Mishkenot
Barak started by informing us that during the Turkish period the old city was in horrible condition. Since this location is very holy to Jews, some pious individuals overcame the difficulties, and went on religious pilgrimages and immigrated to be buried on the Mt. of Olives. At the same time the Ottoman Empire was weakening and the British and other Western powers started to gain power in the area, which allowed the Christians to make compounds outside the city walls primarily for religious pilgrims. These events also led up to founding of the first Jewish community outside the city walls in 1860. This community was named Mishkenot She'ananim, meaning safe dwelling. The community had a locked iron gate and a large stone wall for protection of the new community. All of the windows face the Old City to make it the focus.
The philanthropist, Moses Montefiore, donated all the money to build this gated community. The reason he did this was to have someone to remember him and mourn his death because he had no heirs. He ensured this place would be extremely sanitary and tight security and he put up regulations to ensure that it would be more desirable that the old city. In the end, twelve of the families were Ashkenazi and twelve Sephardim to ensure no biases but at first, it was hard to convince them, until there was a huge famine in the Old City and they knew this would be much more comfortable. Sir Montefiore was the manger of the society and decided to bring most of the construction material from England. He wanted a "New Jew" who would work in industry, so he brought a windmill, but it broke quite often and took a long time to fix which was a big problem. Now a carriage Sir Montefiore used in Europe serves as a memorial for him. Later the British did not like that the Jews could spy from the windmill so they blew the top off it. (Trivia note: It was here that our tour guide Barack proposed to his wife.)
* British
When Jerusalem was conquered from the Ottomans in December 1917, Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister, sent General Allenby a message: "I want Jerusalem as a Christmas present for the British people." The Ottoman Empire’s mayor of the Jerusalem area had an order to step down and he decided to have a ceremony handing over the city of Jerusalem to the Christian world. This Ottoman Empire really struggled on whom to give the ceremony to and went to five people until finally reaching the cornel of the British because everyone else said they were not official enough. The Jews of Jerusalem celebrated as well when Allenby walked through the Jaffa Gate into the Old City because of the British promise of a Jewish State under the terms of the Balfour Declaration. The day was seen as especially propitious as because it was the first night of Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday celebrating independence from the Seleucid Greeks. At the beginning of the British Mandate, Balfour participated in the dedication of the Hebrew University. At this time, a British officer with the surname "French" was stationed on a hill near Mt. Scopus, which until this day is referred to as French Hill. (The Hebrew name for the hill is actually a misnomer as it translates "The French Hill.")
Some interesting facts:
• The British declared Jerusalem as their capital during the Mandate.
• The British found themselves facing a large wave Jewish immigration due to growing European anti-Semitism and the promise of a Jewish homeland.
• Private Harry Potter of the British is buried in the British military cemetery atop Mt. Scopus which we walk by everyday on our way to campus.
• Mishkenot She'ananim is built atop a Second Temple burial ground.
* King David Hotel
The Mandate given to Britain included the areas both to the west and east of the Jordan River (Cis- and Transjordan, respectively. In order to reward the Hashemite clan of Arabia for their support during the First World War, the British decide to carve Jordan from part of their Mandate. The hotel's construction was financed by wealthy Cairene Jews and opened in 1931. This was the period of Arab riots protesting Jewish immigration that resulted in British White Papers limiting Jewish immigration. From 1936 to 1939, a decline in tourism allowed the British to rent the southern wing of the hotel for administrative and military headquarters. In 1946, angered by the restrictions on immigration and lack of movement on British departure from Palestine, the Irgun underground, after issuing a warning the British ignored, bombed the hotel and 91 people died—both soldiers and civilians (some of who were Jewish). Since the foundation of the State, nearly all visiting dignitaries stay at this hotel (including U.S. presidents and other celebrities). With the rich history of this building, Israel has ensured the preservation of the building's original appearance. For more information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David_Hotel
*YMCA International Building
This YMCA, located across King David Street from the King David Hotel, opened in 1933 and set out to be an oasis of tolerance for members of the three monotheistic religions. The building was designed by Arthur Loomis Harmon, a partner of the same architectural firm that created New York’s Empire State Building in 1931. He included in the design religious symbolism: thus, for example, the twelve windows in the auditorium's dome to symbolize the number of the Israelite tribes, of Jesus' disciples, and of the original followers of Muhammad. The building aimed to connect to the past by having the foundation of the building replicate the ancient Herodian stones of the Old City. The purpose of this building was ultimately to unite the Jews and Arabs under their Mandate. Along with this, some Christians hoped by bringing back the Jews the second coming of Jesus would occur. For more information, see:
http://www.jerusalemymca.org/ENG/Building/Building.html
http://www.jerusalemymca.org/ENG/History/History.html
* Palace Hotel
The British allowed Jews and Arabs to build but the Palace Hotel was the only successful place the Arabs built. After many years of deterioration, the question was the balance of preservation vs. rebuilding of the hotel. It was decided to leave the outside but tear down the inside. A quote on the original outside says we should build as they have. The hotel took only one year to build, but the Arab uprising prevented it to succeed and just like the King David Hotel, it become a British military compound and completely rented out. During the occupation of the Palace Hotel, the British cared less about the Arab-Jewish conflict and instead only cared about their personal safety. During the 1930’s during upware- partition plan for the Jews and Arabs the British used this Hotel.
* Ben Yehuda Area during the Turkish Period
Rabbi Mikhala Sheva decided to build a settlement outside the city wall and bought the land with seven families and they registered it with the secretary. Then they raised enough money to build one house to start and had a raffle to see who would live in it. The Rabbi continued his program in 11 areas and died very accomplished yet very poor. This community had streets with a width large enough for a donkey with to sacks to pass through.
* General Post Office
During the Mandate period, a regular and efficient postal service was organized. In the Central Post Office on Jaffa Street, a mural depicts heavenly Jerusalem and the return of the Jews from Babylon to Zion. Then it shows families of farmers rebuilding the city. In the building, the British decided to use the languages of Hebrew, Arabic, and English, which became the official languages of Israel. During this time, the British also made a law that all buildings must have Jerusalem stone on the outside. In addition, they banned new buildings adjacent to the Old City in order to preserve its ambience. Finally, the city center became centered upon the Postal Service.
*Break for Lunch* at Kikar Safra (site of Jerusalem City Hall)
*Women’s Hostel – Prison during the British Mandate
The British took over the Russian Compound and converted the former women's hostel into a prison. This prison at first was just for thieves, but then they used it for the political opposition, especially for members of the Jewish underground. The Jews felt they needed to care for themselves so that is what made them create the Jewish Underground “Defense Haganah,” The British made it illegal to possess or use weapons, so if anyone was caught, they could face death or a life sentence. The main Jewish underground organization, the Haganah ("defense") was very popular among the Jews of Palestine and most chose to affiliate with it. In addition to the Haganah, there was two other Jewish underground groups--Lehi and the Etzel—that were deemed terrorist groups by the British. These groups opposed each other, reflecting the division within the Jewish community as to how to move toward statehood. Barak described how one would need to go through a series of three checkpoints in order to reach the prison. However, within the prison the prisoner’s main concern was their friends, family, and the status of their underground. Within the cells, the prisoners obtained a mat to sleep on, slippers and a blanket and nothing more, except for one inmate who received a bed and mattress because he kept order in the cell. Then we learned that the lowest member of the cell slept by the bucket used for human waste. The goal of many of the underground prisoners was to escape, so they continuously thought of escape methods to go back on duty.
Special treatment was granted to prisoners convicted of lesser crimes and these were housed in a cell adjacent to the bakery oven—this was desirable because the winters were freezing and there was no other source of heat. These prisoners also got the privilege of more outdoor time. The Revisionist leader, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, was among those arrested for possession of weapons. Many of the other Zionist leaders were arrested as well, which made the Zionist leaders nervous upon how the underground would do without them. With the Arabs riots in 1939, immigration became extrememly limited for Jews who wanted to leave Europe because of Hitler’s rise to power. Initially, Germany sought to solve its Jewish "problem" by allowing its Jews to emigrate; they were able to score a large propoganda victory and prepare the way for the Final Solution when no country would accept them. After that, Jews started illegal immigration into Palestine. The reaction of the new Yishuv was to destroy the infrastructure of the British to fight against the White Papers that limited immigration.
Some prisoners escaped by building tunnels with extreme caution and with the help of Jewish guards. We were told a story about a rabbi named Aryeh Levine would always come to be with the prisoner on Shabbat always and how beloved he was both by religious and secular prisoners. The Rabbi would memorize prisoners' messages to convey to their families because the prisoners could only write letters once a month. This Rabbi was even able to convince the British to build a kosher kitchen.
Some other interesting facts about the prison:
• Poor sanitation so horrible that mice ran around and mousetraps were set up nearly everywhere.
• Most of the prisoners only got a half hour of time outside in the yard. During one of the play times in 1947, there was an Arab- Jewish riot within the prison and that forced the British to separate Jews and Arabs.
• Two Jewish prisoners, Me'ir Feinsten and Moshe Barazani, facing execution, blow themselves up with a grenade smuggled into the prison within an orange. Menahem Begin was so moved by their action that he had himself buried next to them on the Mount of Olives.
Barak started by informing us that during the Turkish period the old city was in horrible condition. Since this location is very holy to Jews, some pious individuals overcame the difficulties, and went on religious pilgrimages and immigrated to be buried on the Mt. of Olives. At the same time the Ottoman Empire was weakening and the British and other Western powers started to gain power in the area, which allowed the Christians to make compounds outside the city walls primarily for religious pilgrims. These events also led up to founding of the first Jewish community outside the city walls in 1860. This community was named Mishkenot She'ananim, meaning safe dwelling. The community had a locked iron gate and a large stone wall for protection of the new community. All of the windows face the Old City to make it the focus.
The philanthropist, Moses Montefiore, donated all the money to build this gated community. The reason he did this was to have someone to remember him and mourn his death because he had no heirs. He ensured this place would be extremely sanitary and tight security and he put up regulations to ensure that it would be more desirable that the old city. In the end, twelve of the families were Ashkenazi and twelve Sephardim to ensure no biases but at first, it was hard to convince them, until there was a huge famine in the Old City and they knew this would be much more comfortable. Sir Montefiore was the manger of the society and decided to bring most of the construction material from England. He wanted a "New Jew" who would work in industry, so he brought a windmill, but it broke quite often and took a long time to fix which was a big problem. Now a carriage Sir Montefiore used in Europe serves as a memorial for him. Later the British did not like that the Jews could spy from the windmill so they blew the top off it. (Trivia note: It was here that our tour guide Barack proposed to his wife.)
* British
When Jerusalem was conquered from the Ottomans in December 1917, Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister, sent General Allenby a message: "I want Jerusalem as a Christmas present for the British people." The Ottoman Empire’s mayor of the Jerusalem area had an order to step down and he decided to have a ceremony handing over the city of Jerusalem to the Christian world. This Ottoman Empire really struggled on whom to give the ceremony to and went to five people until finally reaching the cornel of the British because everyone else said they were not official enough. The Jews of Jerusalem celebrated as well when Allenby walked through the Jaffa Gate into the Old City because of the British promise of a Jewish State under the terms of the Balfour Declaration. The day was seen as especially propitious as because it was the first night of Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday celebrating independence from the Seleucid Greeks. At the beginning of the British Mandate, Balfour participated in the dedication of the Hebrew University. At this time, a British officer with the surname "French" was stationed on a hill near Mt. Scopus, which until this day is referred to as French Hill. (The Hebrew name for the hill is actually a misnomer as it translates "The French Hill.")
Some interesting facts:
• The British declared Jerusalem as their capital during the Mandate.
• The British found themselves facing a large wave Jewish immigration due to growing European anti-Semitism and the promise of a Jewish homeland.
• Private Harry Potter of the British is buried in the British military cemetery atop Mt. Scopus which we walk by everyday on our way to campus.
• Mishkenot She'ananim is built atop a Second Temple burial ground.
* King David Hotel
The Mandate given to Britain included the areas both to the west and east of the Jordan River (Cis- and Transjordan, respectively. In order to reward the Hashemite clan of Arabia for their support during the First World War, the British decide to carve Jordan from part of their Mandate. The hotel's construction was financed by wealthy Cairene Jews and opened in 1931. This was the period of Arab riots protesting Jewish immigration that resulted in British White Papers limiting Jewish immigration. From 1936 to 1939, a decline in tourism allowed the British to rent the southern wing of the hotel for administrative and military headquarters. In 1946, angered by the restrictions on immigration and lack of movement on British departure from Palestine, the Irgun underground, after issuing a warning the British ignored, bombed the hotel and 91 people died—both soldiers and civilians (some of who were Jewish). Since the foundation of the State, nearly all visiting dignitaries stay at this hotel (including U.S. presidents and other celebrities). With the rich history of this building, Israel has ensured the preservation of the building's original appearance. For more information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David_Hotel
*YMCA International Building
This YMCA, located across King David Street from the King David Hotel, opened in 1933 and set out to be an oasis of tolerance for members of the three monotheistic religions. The building was designed by Arthur Loomis Harmon, a partner of the same architectural firm that created New York’s Empire State Building in 1931. He included in the design religious symbolism: thus, for example, the twelve windows in the auditorium's dome to symbolize the number of the Israelite tribes, of Jesus' disciples, and of the original followers of Muhammad. The building aimed to connect to the past by having the foundation of the building replicate the ancient Herodian stones of the Old City. The purpose of this building was ultimately to unite the Jews and Arabs under their Mandate. Along with this, some Christians hoped by bringing back the Jews the second coming of Jesus would occur. For more information, see:
http://www.jerusalemymca.org/ENG/Building/Building.html
http://www.jerusalemymca.org/ENG/History/History.html
* Palace Hotel
The British allowed Jews and Arabs to build but the Palace Hotel was the only successful place the Arabs built. After many years of deterioration, the question was the balance of preservation vs. rebuilding of the hotel. It was decided to leave the outside but tear down the inside. A quote on the original outside says we should build as they have. The hotel took only one year to build, but the Arab uprising prevented it to succeed and just like the King David Hotel, it become a British military compound and completely rented out. During the occupation of the Palace Hotel, the British cared less about the Arab-Jewish conflict and instead only cared about their personal safety. During the 1930’s during upware- partition plan for the Jews and Arabs the British used this Hotel.
* Ben Yehuda Area during the Turkish Period
Rabbi Mikhala Sheva decided to build a settlement outside the city wall and bought the land with seven families and they registered it with the secretary. Then they raised enough money to build one house to start and had a raffle to see who would live in it. The Rabbi continued his program in 11 areas and died very accomplished yet very poor. This community had streets with a width large enough for a donkey with to sacks to pass through.
* General Post Office
During the Mandate period, a regular and efficient postal service was organized. In the Central Post Office on Jaffa Street, a mural depicts heavenly Jerusalem and the return of the Jews from Babylon to Zion. Then it shows families of farmers rebuilding the city. In the building, the British decided to use the languages of Hebrew, Arabic, and English, which became the official languages of Israel. During this time, the British also made a law that all buildings must have Jerusalem stone on the outside. In addition, they banned new buildings adjacent to the Old City in order to preserve its ambience. Finally, the city center became centered upon the Postal Service.
*Break for Lunch* at Kikar Safra (site of Jerusalem City Hall)
*Women’s Hostel – Prison during the British Mandate
The British took over the Russian Compound and converted the former women's hostel into a prison. This prison at first was just for thieves, but then they used it for the political opposition, especially for members of the Jewish underground. The Jews felt they needed to care for themselves so that is what made them create the Jewish Underground “Defense Haganah,” The British made it illegal to possess or use weapons, so if anyone was caught, they could face death or a life sentence. The main Jewish underground organization, the Haganah ("defense") was very popular among the Jews of Palestine and most chose to affiliate with it. In addition to the Haganah, there was two other Jewish underground groups--Lehi and the Etzel—that were deemed terrorist groups by the British. These groups opposed each other, reflecting the division within the Jewish community as to how to move toward statehood. Barak described how one would need to go through a series of three checkpoints in order to reach the prison. However, within the prison the prisoner’s main concern was their friends, family, and the status of their underground. Within the cells, the prisoners obtained a mat to sleep on, slippers and a blanket and nothing more, except for one inmate who received a bed and mattress because he kept order in the cell. Then we learned that the lowest member of the cell slept by the bucket used for human waste. The goal of many of the underground prisoners was to escape, so they continuously thought of escape methods to go back on duty.
Special treatment was granted to prisoners convicted of lesser crimes and these were housed in a cell adjacent to the bakery oven—this was desirable because the winters were freezing and there was no other source of heat. These prisoners also got the privilege of more outdoor time. The Revisionist leader, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, was among those arrested for possession of weapons. Many of the other Zionist leaders were arrested as well, which made the Zionist leaders nervous upon how the underground would do without them. With the Arabs riots in 1939, immigration became extrememly limited for Jews who wanted to leave Europe because of Hitler’s rise to power. Initially, Germany sought to solve its Jewish "problem" by allowing its Jews to emigrate; they were able to score a large propoganda victory and prepare the way for the Final Solution when no country would accept them. After that, Jews started illegal immigration into Palestine. The reaction of the new Yishuv was to destroy the infrastructure of the British to fight against the White Papers that limited immigration.
Some prisoners escaped by building tunnels with extreme caution and with the help of Jewish guards. We were told a story about a rabbi named Aryeh Levine would always come to be with the prisoner on Shabbat always and how beloved he was both by religious and secular prisoners. The Rabbi would memorize prisoners' messages to convey to their families because the prisoners could only write letters once a month. This Rabbi was even able to convince the British to build a kosher kitchen.
Some other interesting facts about the prison:
• Poor sanitation so horrible that mice ran around and mousetraps were set up nearly everywhere.
• Most of the prisoners only got a half hour of time outside in the yard. During one of the play times in 1947, there was an Arab- Jewish riot within the prison and that forced the British to separate Jews and Arabs.
• Two Jewish prisoners, Me'ir Feinsten and Moshe Barazani, facing execution, blow themselves up with a grenade smuggled into the prison within an orange. Menahem Begin was so moved by their action that he had himself buried next to them on the Mount of Olives.
No comments:
Post a Comment