I3: Israel's Birth

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The Story Begins...

The immediate history of Yom Ha'Atzmaut begins with 19th century Jewish nationalism, namely Zionism. Theodore Herzl was an Austrian journalist who cared little for his people until - serving as a reporter in Paris - he was shaken by the fate of another Jew, Alfred Dreyfus. Captain Dreyfus had been accused and publicly condemned for high treason. When it later transpired that the evidence was forged, the Dreyfus affair caused an uproar in France and left a lasting impression on Herzl who saw this as a reflection of the "Jewish problem" - the innocent Jew forced to suffer because of baseless hatred.

Moved by the experience, he hastily wrote a pamphlet entitled "The Jewish State" in which he outlined the idea that Jews must return to their own national homeland. This ultimately led to the first "Zionist Congress" which was held in Basle, Switzerland in 1897 when the challenge was accepted "to create for the Jewish people a home in Palestine". The Congress resolved to increase settlements in Palestine, strengthen Jewish national consciousness, and obtain as much world political support as possible. On his return to Vienna, Herzl made this entry in his diary:

If I were to sum up the Basle Congress ...it would be like this: at Basle I founded the Jewish State. If I were to say this today I would be met by universal laughter. In five years perhaps, and certainly in fifty, everyone will see it.

Support grew rapidly and the Congress became an annual event. However, progress on the political front was painfully slow. It took twenty years for international recognition of the historic connection between the Jewish People and Palestine. On November 2nd 1917, the British Foreign Secretary, Arthur Balfour wrote:

His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish People, and will use her best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this...

In December 1917 British forces, including three Jewish Legion battalions comprising thousands of Jewish volunteers, entered Jerusalem and ended four centuries of Turkish Rule. In 1922, the League of Nations (the pre-U.N. body) mandated Great Britain to help in the formation of a Jewish National home. During the Mandate years, the Jews developed their land and community: Farming and factories expanded, the Jordan river was harnessed for electrical power and new roads were built. Schools for the Arts were established, exhibition halls were constructed and the Hebrew language was cultivated in books and theatres.

Early Immigration

Motivated by Zionism and encouraged by British sympathy, successive waves of immigrants arrived between 1919 and 1939, each contributing to the developing Jewish community. By 1923, 35,000 Russian Jews had arrived. These pioneers established kibbutzim and moshavim. By 1932, another 60,000 Jews, mostly from Poland had arrived and settled mainly in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem. The last major immigration before W.W.II comprised some 165,000 German Jews. Coming from Western Europe, their education, skills and experience raised business standards and broadened the community's cultural life.

The Struggle for Independence

The Jewish community's efforts to rebuild the country were opposed from the outset by extreme Arab nationalists. Their strong hatred erupted in periods of intense violence in 1920s and '30s when Jews were attacked, transport was harassed and fields and forests were set on fire. Attempts to reach a dialogue with the Arabs were ultimately unsuccessful. Zionism and Arab nationalism were polarised into a potentially explosive situation. Recognising this problem, the British government, having already partitioned the territory under the Mandate (1922), recommended a further partition (1937), dividing the land into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. The Jewish leadership accepted the idea and were ready to negotiate. The Arabs were against any partition plan.

In May 1939, continuing large-scale Arab anti-Jewish riots led Britain to issue a "White Paper" imposing drastic restrictions on Jewish immigration, despite its consequence of denying the Jews of Europe a place of refuge from Nazi persecution. During W.W.II, some 26,000 men and women of the Jewish community in Palestine volunteered to join the Allied effort against the Nazis. After the war, the British intensified their restrictions on the numbers of Jews permitted to come and settle in the Land. The Jewish community responded by setting up a wide network of "illegal immigration" activities. Between 1945 and 1948 some 85,000 displaced persons who had survived the Holocaust were brought over by secret, often dangerous, routes.

With the recent Holocaust and anger concerning British policy to Jews in the area, Palestine became a world issue. Public pressure led the U.N. to take action. On November 29th 1947, the U.N. General Assembly considered the formation of two states in Palestine, Jewish and Arab. By 33 votes to 13, with both the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R for, the Partition Plan was accepted. Supreme world authority had finally approved the re-establishment of a Jewish state. Arab reaction was immediate and violent. "Volunteers" from neighbouring Arab countries came in to attack. With great hardship, the Jews managed to defend themselves.

On May 15th 1948, Azzam Pasha, Secretary General of the Arab League said in Cairo:

'This will be a war of extermination which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the crusades.'

But it was not. We survived and on Yom Ha'Atzmaut we celebrate this miracle.

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