Jews in Ottoman Gaza

 From this article:

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Enjoying Each Other's Company in the Land of Israel

Did Jews strive to live in and immigrate to the Land of Israel, throughout all the centuries and despite the loss of political, military and economic independence?

Of course we did.

One new example I found, from the 12th century, in Cathedra, in an article by Oded Zinger:

'I and you will enjoy each other's company 

until God decrees our death in the Land of Israel'

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Contra Attempts At Identity Theft

One of my themes is the attempts by Arabs to discount the historical Jewish connection with the Land of Israel, prior to political sovereignty, during and even after the same, through 18 centuries of exile from power.

And now, we have this:

A 1,500 year old seal bearing an image of the seven-branched Temple Menorah was discovered near the city of Akko.

A ceramic stamp from the Byzantine period (6th century CE) was discovered in excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is currently conducting at Horbat Uza east of Akko [known as] “bread stamps” because they were usually used to stamp baked goods.

According to Gilad Jaffe and Dr. Danny Syon, the directors of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “...The Temple Menorah, being a Jewish symbol par excellence, indicates the stamps belonged to Jews, unlike Christian bread stamps with the cross pattern which were much more common in the Byzantine period”. According to Syon, “This is the first time such a stamp is discovered in a controlled archaeological excavation, thus making it possible to determine its provenance and date of manufacture. The stamp is important because it proves that a Jewish community existed in the settlement of Uza in the Christian-Byzantine period. The presence of a Jewish settlement so close to Akko – a region that was definitely Christian at this time – constitutes an innovation in archaeological research”.

Yes, Jews were definitely here before the Arabs arrived in the 7th century.  The Jews hung on in the face of hostility, of foreign rule, of oppression, of great difficulties.

This was our country, we Jews acted like it was, sought to stay here, sought to return under all circumstances.

No one can steal that identity of ours as a national group with Eretz-Yisrael as our national homeland.

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Jews In Gaza

If you can read Hebrew, you'd know from this article that Jews were reported residing in Gaza in the period following the retreat of the Crusaders in 1291.

In 1481, a visitor indicates a large synagogue was serving the community.  Rabbinical responsa on issues of observance of laws of agriculture in the 15th century are recorded.  A Reb Meshulam of Volterra visited Gaza in 1395-96 and reported houses and fields of Jews and as they were well developed, it is surmised that upwards of a century earlier did the Jews recreate their lives there.

And see my Chronology of Jewish Presence in the Land of Israel or here at this blog.
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