Hovevei Zion

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hovevei Zion (transliterated Hebrew, alternatively Hibbat Zion; English translation: [Those who are] Fond of Zion) organizations are considered the forerunner and foundation of the modern Zionist movement.

The first aliyah: Biluim used to wearing traditional Arab headdress, the keffiyeh

Some of the first Zionist groups were established in Eastern European countries in the early 1880s with the aim to promote Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel, then a part of Ottoman Empire, and advance Jewish settlement there, particularly agricultural. Most of them stayed away from the politics.

In 1882, a group of Hovevei Zion enthusiasts founded Rishon LeZion, the first Zionist settlement in the Land of Israel. They later were reinforced by Bilu pioneers who strengthened the settlement and enlarged it. For many years, text books gave Bilu the credit for the establishment of Rishon, but in the last decades — after a campaign by the veterans of Rishon and their descendants — Hovevei Zion were given the credit as the founders of the city.

In 1884, thirty-six delegates met in Kattowitz, Germany (today Katowice, Poland). Rabbi Samuel Mohilever was elected the president and Leon Pinsker the chairman of the organization they named Hovevei Zion. The group tried to secure financial help from Baron Edmond James de Rothschild and other philanthropists to aid Jewish settlements and to organize educational courses.

In the Russian Empire, waves of anti-Jewish pogroms of 1881-1884 (some allegedly state-sponsored), as well as the May Laws introduced by Tsar Alexander III of Russia in 1882, deeply affected Jewish communities. Numerous informal groups sprung up, varied in their views, political and religious affiliation, size and activities. The group of Warsaw was found by Zamenhof, who was working on the first grammar of yiddish ever written, published under the pseudonym "Dr. X" only in 1909, in Lebn un visnshaft, in the article "Vegn a yidisher gramatik un reform in der yidisher shprakh".

In order to attain legal recognition by the authorities, the Russian branch of Hovevei Zion had to meet a demand to be registered as a charity. Early in 1890 its establishment was approved by the Russian government as "The Society for the Support of Jewish Farmers and Artisans in Syria and Eretz-Israel," which came to be known as "The Odessa Committee." It was dedicated to the practical aspects in establishing agricultural settlements and its projects in 1890-1891 included help in the founding of Rehovot and Hadera and rehabilitation of Mishmar HaYarden.

In 1897, before the First Zionist Congress, "The Odessa Committee" counted over 4,000 members. As the Congress established the World Zionist Organization, most of the Hovevei Zion societies joined it.