I. 7.
Zionism in Practice – The Aliyot
In Eretz Yisrael, following waves of Aliyah and the Yishuv’s
natural growth, the Jewish population increased from about 50,000 in 1882
to around 650,000 at the time of Israel’s Independence in 1948.
Each wave of Aliyah was characterised by different traits that
distinguished it from its predecessors. For example, whilst the first wave
of immigration originated mainly from Russia and Rumania, the Fifth Aliyah
was predominantly from Germany and Austria.
Each wave of immigration was also propelled by a specific set
of circumstances and ideas regarding the sort of society its “members”
wished to create. If the dominant character of the first
wave of Aliyah (1881-1903) was traditionally religious, the Second
Aliyah (1904-14) was popularly considered to have been influenced by the
socialist and pioneering ethos. The Third
Aliyah (1919-1923) was composed in the main of those committed to the
building of a Hebrew workers' economy, whilst most of those who came in the
Fourth Aliyah (1924-1929) were
petit-bourgeois Jews from Poland.
There were many differences and tensions between the waves of
immigration - relations were far from simple. Even between groups who had
ostensibly a great deal in common, the differences were often overwhelming.
- Although the First Aliyah, as we have said, was primarily traditional they
found themselves in great tension with many of the Jews of the “Old
Yishuv” (pre-Zionist community in Eretz Yisrael) because of their “laxity”
and pragmatism in dealing with matters of Halachah (Jewish law).
- Both the second and the Third Aliyah (1919-23) involved socialistic pioneers,
but they saw the world in very different terms, the Third Aliyah being a product
of the First World War which led them to perceive their reality in more radical
terms.
It should not be thought that all of the “members”
of a particular wave of Aliyah - as judged by the time period - were the same,
or even similar in outlook. For example, during the Fourth Aliyah there were
many immigrants who were members of pioneering youth movements.
Nevertheless, whatever their differences, the majority of the
immigrants represented a new nationally conscious type of Jew who understood
that in one way or another, the nation needed a real living homeland, and
that they had to assume responsibility for building it. It was these Olim
who would, with the help of both Jews and Gentiles outside the country, in
due course transform the small community into a thriving state.