Abstract
Following World War I a dramatic change occurred in the attitude of the Jewish community of Damascus towards Zionism. Indifference to and ignorance of the new settlements in Palestine turned to curiosity and a desire to participate in Zionist activities. This article treats the encounter of the Jewish community of Damascus with the exiles from Palestine, who arrived in Syria towards the end of the war, and the ramifications of that encounter. On the eve of the war the situation of the Damascus community was in severe decline. Many young men, lacking economic possibilities emigrated from Syria to the west, thereby weakening the community's leadership. The war intensified the situation. In October 1917 the first group of exiles form Palestine arrived in Syria, including leaders of the Yishuv. They began to work actively in Damascus. The exiles described the situation of the local community most critically, accusing the Jews of hindering them more than helping them. Notwithstanding, the exiles did their best to help the community and to disseminate the Zionist ideal among the Jews of Damascus. Their activities took the form of philanthropic assistance, Zionist education, and reconstruction of the community's institutions. The Jews of Damascus actually sensed that the 'old order' had collapsed and they needed to find an alternative orientation that would provide them with a clear identity and replace the 'old order'. Because of their proximity to Palestine the Zionist alternative seemed to be the one that could provide the Damascus Jews a special status. Furthermore, the Zionist alternative appeared to be developing successfully. The upheaval in the community's fate reached its climax in the summer of 1918 with the testimony of the Jewish delegation from Damascus at the King-Crane commission. In spite of many threats from hostile Arab parties, the leaders of the Jewish community of Damascus did not refrain from supporting the Zionist claims for Palestine.
Translated title of the contribution | The Encounter of Exiles from Palestine with Damascus Jewry in the Twentieth Century |
---|---|
Original language | Hebrew |
Pages (from-to) | 183-207 |
Journal | Zion |
Volume | 61 |
State | Published - 1996 |