Old Yishuv

Jews of the Old Yishuv in 1895

Yishuv haYashan (He: יישוב הישן) (Old Yishuv) is the name given to the pre-state Jewish community in Palestine. Most members of the Old Yishuv lived in the four "holy cities," Jerusalem, Safed, Tiberias and Hebron. The term was coined to distinguish between the old-time residents of Eretz Yisrael and the Zionist newcomers, described as the New Yishuv.

Foundation

The Rishonim

The public aliyah of 300 members headed by Tosafists from England and France in 1211 struggled very hard in the new country, as there was no financial support and no prospect of making a living. The vast majority of the settlers were simply wiped out by the Crusaders who arrived in 1219, and the few survivors were allowed to live only in Acre (עַכּוֹ, Akko). There are no known descendents, indicating that if there were any survivors, they blended with the original Jewish residents, who are called Mustarabim or Maghrebim, but more precisely Murishkes.

Also Maimonides undertook a journey from Spain, via Morocco and Egypt, with the goal of settling in Israel, but was finally forced to turn back, and remained in Egypt where there was an established Jewish community (-Kehila). Finally, Nahmanides arrived in 1267 and succeeded in settling in Acre. In the year 1488, when Rabbi Ovadiya from Bertinoro successfully reached the Holy Land, more people already considered it possible to live in Eretz Yisroel.

The Exile from Spain

In 1492, when the Sephardic Jews were expelled from Spain, some took it as a call from heaven to return to their homeland, Israel. Confronted as they were with seeking a new residence, they found it reasonable to head for the country of the Prophets.

By the beginning of the 16th century an abundance of notable and scholarly rabbis was already residing in the so-called "city of the mystics", Safed. Among those Sephardic rabbis, were Rabbi Yakov bi Rav, Rabbi Moshe Cordevero, Rabbi Yosef Karo, and the Arizal. At this time there was a small community in Jerusalem headed by Rabbi Levi ibn Haviv also known as the Mahralbach; the only known Ashkenazic rabbi in that time was Rabbi Yeshaye Horowitz who also lived in Jerusalem for a short time.

Rabbi Yehuda he-Hasid

Although not all of the smaller aliyahs were successful, nothing compares to the suppress which was the result of an aliyah in year 1700, in which more than 1500 members participated. The aliyah was initiated by an Ashkenazic pious from Shedlitz, Poland who agitated for to get back to Eretz Yisroel and to pardon its soil.

While many of the passengers didn’t survive the seasickness and travel conditions, the rest were subject to a long and dreaded hassle. As they reached the Holy Land, they headed right away to Jerusalem, where they built a vast complex of buildings including a synagogue and all community needs. This was not accomplished without fortunes of bribe for the local Arabic municipality, which drained their all brought money. Even worse, they were forced to take private loans from wealthy Arabs, on high rates which they were unable to pay.

After only a few days in Israel, their leader Rabbi Yehuda suddenly died. This affected hardly the new comers, and seized their contacts in diaspora, so the pledged sums never arrived. After twenty years passed, the lenders come to conclusion that there is no hope to see the money again, so they completely destroyed the arranged buildings and expelled the members from Jerusalem to their final death.

Since then, no Ashkenazic Jew was able to enter the holy city for the circa of hundred years, since he would be captured for the debt of Rabbi Yehuda he-Hasid.

The Hasidim and Perushim

The next aliyah was in the 18th century, which could be called a double aliyah. It was Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk and Rabbi Avraham of Kaliski from the students of the Magid of Mezritch who initiated a group of Hasidim in 1777, and the disciples of the Wilna Gaon who undertook the aliyah in 1780. Most of them settled in Safed or Tiberias, but a small amount was already able to enter Jerusalem, and rebuild the ruins of the Hurvat Yehudah He-Hasid, (Destroyed Place of Judah He-Hasid).

The Earthquake in Safed

Finally it was the earthquake of 1836 which destroyed Safed, killed thousands of its resides, and contributed to the reconstitution of Jerusalem as the main base for the Yishuv haYashan.

According to Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum of Uheli, the Yismach Moshe, a disciple of the Chozeh from Lublin and great Hasidic leader, those incidents were signs that big aliyahs are not in Gods will. The argument was that God is not pleased with the human efforts to reconstitute Eretz Yisroel even when not in the form of a state, until the coming of Moshiach.

Finance

Main articles: Kollel; Halukka

Most of those settlers made the aliyah only at elderly when the financial costs are not too high, after having saved penny to penny along lifetime, in order to fund the expenses in pension. However this was not the case with all and even those who brought with them some money, did not imagine how much will be needed. Especially when an Arabic Pasha got a tip about some money, he managed right away to order an arrest against that individual, and asked the highest price for bribe to let him free.

In light of this it got important them to organize, and founded a support bone which was called Kolel. The plan was that every place of origin collected money through Pushka fundraising and similar, to support their community members in the Holy Land.

The Fight for Existence

Hovevei Zion

Even that the initial and basic intentions of the Hovevei Zion group were similar, they were diverse mainly in practical manners. The later already included a materialistic goal to develop the country with farming and workshops etc. which were not to the taste of the Yishuv haYashan. This is besides the more radical ideas as to renew the ritual of korbanoth at the ruins of the Holy Temple, and to buy off big parts of land from the Turkish government in order to establish a Jewish state.

Those plans of Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Kalischer of Thorn were very controversial, and even his colleague and biggest supporter Rabbi Eliyah Gutmacher of Greiditz later discontinued his support. At the end, the remnants of the group joined the Zionism movement of Theodor Herzl whose intentions, plans and acts conducted a real threat for the Jewish religion.

See also

• Palestinian Jews
• History of the Jews in the Land of Israel
• Mea Shearim
• Yemin Moshe
• Mishkenot Sha'ananim
• Edah HaChareidis
• Haredi Judaism
• Neturei Karta
• Hastening Redemption

References

• Shaali Shelom Yerushalaim. Berlin: private. 1726. {{cite book}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
• Blau, Moshe (1968). Al Chomothecha Yerushalaim על חומותיך ירושלים. Bnei Berak.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Sofer, Yoseph Moshe (1980,2003). Moro DeAroh Yisroel מרא דארעא ישראל (in Hebrew). Jerusalem. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
• Rosoph, David (2002). V'Zeh Shaar Hashomaim וזה שער השמים (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: private.

• HaLevanon 11 no 42, no 43