They Meant Well

In a letter to the Irish Times, Jackie Goodall, the Director of the Ireland Israel Alliance, while dealing with the British Labour Party’s anti-Semitism controversy, includes this bit of history-in-error:

It should be remembered that the modern state of Israel was not created as a response to the Nazi genocide. The initial immigration of Jewish refugees to Palestine began in 1882, with a second wave returning just prior to the first World War, both as a direct result of vicious persecution.

The first sentence is quite true.

But why begin the theme of "initial immigration" with "refugees"?

As I have detailed (eight years ago), the Jews were always either in the Land of Israel or going to it, or being expelled from it, all throughout the centuries of dispersion and loss of political independence while being ruled by foreign conquerors and occupiers.  They were there because they believed they were commanded to be there, because they viewed that territory as their national patrimony and, based on that reality, as appears in the League of Nations Mandate decision,

Whereas recognition has thereby been given to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country

the establishment of the Jewish national home and the development of self-governing institutions are to be secured.

I wish to inform our Irish friends and supporters that Jews immigrated to then Palestine as did the students of the Vilna Gaon in 1808-09;  in 1838, Hungarian Jews immigrate; in 1777 over 300 Chassidim immigrate; during 1740-50 thousands immigrate to Eretz Yisrael under the influence of Messianic predictions of Rabbi Moses Haim Luzzatto and Kabbalist Rabbi Haim ben Attar; in 1855, Moses Montefiore bought land for agricultural purposes and acquired Mishkenot Sha’ananim, outside of the old city walls in Jerusalem for residential purposes.

This list is long - mine is over 12 pages long - but the point is that Jews repatriated themselves back to their homeland, mostly out of religious or ideological motives. Yes, after the Russian pogroms, the need to flee lands of dispersion became more pronounced.

Zionism is not a movement reflective of negativity - of pogroms, persecution and the like.  It is a most positive Jewish force.

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