Customer Reviews

Zion Before Zionism 1838-1880

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Zion here refers to the Sanjak of Jerusalem, an area that included a swath a slightly to the north of Jerusalem, south to Hebron thru to Jaffa, Gaza and El Arish in the Sinai. It did not include Nablus, Haifa, Nazareth or Tiveria to the north and west. At the beginning of the period Jerusalem itself is a small town of 10,000, 40% Jewish, 30% Muslim and 30% Christian, though quickly swells by 1939 by another 3000 Jews who flee Tiveria because of a plague. Christians and Jews faced severe restrictions under the ruling Turks which Blumberg describes. What the Turks called "Palestine" at that time consisted of 7 "pashaliks" which included Lebanon and a large chunk of Syria. There were no roads. Access to Jerusalem would involve an offshore anchoring at Jaffa, a small boat to shore, acquiring some guards and bribing several clans for guarantees of safe access along a footpath inland. .

The author focuses on the relationships between the various European Consuls with the ruling Pashas and their relationships with the local population. Most notable was unusually liberal Kiamel Pasha from Feb 1855 to April 1857 who was the first to allow foreigners to purchase property which led to the first structures to be built outside of Jerusalem's ancient walls. (The Moses Montefiore Windmill and artist workshops; the Russian diplomatic compound.) The Consuls bicker amongst themselves and were often charged by Christian organizations from their home country with a secondary purpose of converting Jews. Interestingly various groups of Ashkenazic Jews sought protection under the diplomatic umbrella of various foreign powers who seemed confused as to whether or not they were an asset or a liability. It makes for an interesting reading.

Overall I enjoyed the book but I found it too short. The actual text is 156 pages with the remaining third a glossary, index and citation footnotes. The historical context is well laid out against the background of the Mehmet Ali insurgency in Egypt (1832 - ~1842), the political impact of the Crimean War and how the introduction of the telegraph began to change the nature of diplomacy. The book is very centered on the politics of Jerusalem itself with some mention given to relations with clan leaders in Hebron and Abu Gosh. The British Consul James Finn is perhaps the most prominent but there is good coverage given to the other European powers ans well as the relative situations of the Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jewish communities.

A couple of maps and time-line diagrams would have helped. The writing is crisp and clear but one should be interested in the period before hand - its not something I'd recommend just for the sake of reading. Its a good backgrounder about politics and life in another time.

1838: For the first time in hundreds of years, Jews could have a permanent home in the Islamic holy city of Jerusalem. "Zion Before Zionism: 1838-1880" follows the early days of the Jewish immigration back to the holy land of Jerusalem, although the region was still under control of the Ottoman Turks. Focusing on the early attitudes and interactions with the native Palestinians of the region, "Zion Before Zionism: 1838-1880" is a thoroughly informed and informative history sure to educate its readers on an oft-forgotten time in the Zionism movement. Highly recommended to both history shelves and community library Judaic studies shelves.