ניסיון ההתיישבות בכפר אוריה ערב מלחמת העולם הראשונה

The attempted settlement at Kfar Uria is a chapter in a series of endeavors initiated by private Zionist circles to purchase land and establish agricultural settlements in Palestine during the Second Aliya. The plan to settle Kfar Uria was carried out by the Bialystok Association in 1913, and was singularly unique. The members of the Bialystok Association were religious Zionists, intent on establishing Kfar Uria as a religious—Zionist moshava. This was a novel idea at the time, and the only such attempt made by religious Zionists. The project failed, primarily due to a structural factor, i.e. the system of the 'estate' which contained many of the shortcomings of the 'absentee landlord' system. The proximity of the first World War to the early stages of settlement at Kfar Uria accelerated the failure. Another factor was the attempt to impose a religious way of life on the laborers of the Second Aliya. This was doomed to failure in light of the character of the workers and their attitude towards religion, and thereby contributed to an already exacerbated relationship between the administration and the workers. By bringing in Arab laborers and yeshiva students the situation was alleviated somewhat, but at the same time this constituted a departure from Zionist principles. The step was not to the liking of the Bialystok Association, but was carried out by the local administration for lack of a better solution. Even this step, however, could not prevent the ultimate failure.