This Year in Jerusalem

If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee.—Deuteronomy 30:4

Contributed

Next year in Jerusalem," the plaintive lament heard around the world during the Passover Seder, echoes the long centuries of trial and struggle experienced by a wandering and exiled people. Dispersed throughout the nations of the earth to a land they and their fathers knew not (Jer. 16:13), they have received severe punishment for their disobedience and their failure to comprehend lessons taught in the Law that would have led them to hail their Messiah (Exod. 19:5; Deut. 11:27; 1 Sam. 12:14, 15).

For over eighteen hundred years God showed exclusive favor to Israel (Amos 3:2; Psa. 147:20), making them one of the greatest nations on earth during the reign of King Solomon. Through their prophets he warned them of the consequences of continually forgetting their covenant with him and turning to serve other gods.

Their disobedience resulted in an equal time (1845 years) of no favor and the destruction of their nation (Zech. 9:12; Jer. 16:18). This period of disfavor ended in 1878. The character of this return of favor to the Jew would be so extraordinary as to make it doubtful as to whether their favor had returned.

Favor returned during a period of unprecedented trouble on the entire world (Joel 3:1, 2; 9-12). The return to the land incurred great hardships on the Jews, both inside and out of Israel. The role of the Christian who sees Israel’s part in God’s plan was to encourage the Jew by telling them that it is indeed the time (Psa. 102:13) to go up and possess the land (Deut. 1:8). Since 1878, every step made to return to the land has been met with almost insurmountable obstacles created by the various nations of the earth, so that it can without a doubt be said that the birth of the State of Israel in 1948 was a miracle of God.

Historians state that the modern state of Israel took nearly 100 years (mid 1870’s to 1970) to grow into the entity that it is today. Both ancient and modern, internal and external forces facilitated the return and growth of the Jewish state. One of these ancient forces was racial homogeneity. In the Diaspora, throughout the centuries, no host country wanted the Jew. Constant attempts were made to assimilate them and to convert them to Christianity or Mohammedenism. Where this was impossible, they were driven from nation to nation, with no hope of finding a resting place.

Jews were accused of performing heinous crimes against Christians, and were burned, tortured, massacred, and exiled so that they literally had no place to lay their heads. This period of national disfavor began in A.D. 33 when Jesus proclaimed that henceforth their house would be left desolate (Matt. 23:38), and this was fully accomplished in A.D. 70 with the loss of Jerusalem and national polity.

During the long period of their suffering and homelessness there was no relief. But viewed in a different light, even this was a mark of favor on God’s part. Had they assimilated, their identity as a race would have been lost. God, long ago, proposed to use them to bless all the families of the earth (Gen. 22:18).

Lloyd George, former Prime Minister of Great Britain rightly observed, "You [Jews] may say you have been oppressed and persecuted. That has been your power. You have been hammered into very fine steel, and that is why you have never been broken." Theodor Herzl also observed, "We are one people; our enemies have made us one."

Another force that encouraged the return at the appointed time was the inability of nineteenth century enlightenment to solve the Jewish question. The Jews of Central and Western Europe had hopes of being formally emancipated and absorbed as equals in the various countries where they lived. These hopes were crushed by continual waves of social and intellectual anti-Semitism.

In Russia and Romania freedom was impossible, and Jews were scapegoats of various reigning powers and victims of repeated deadly pogroms. By the middle of that century the devastating experiences of Jewish intellectuals in both the East and West produced a mainly secular movement based on the reaffirmation of the Jewish identity and the belief that the Jew would never be free without his own Jewish state.

These nationalist ideas soon merged with traditional religious beliefs. These two trends gave birth to Zionism as an organized political effort. Along with the early pioneer movement, they laid the foundations for the economic and social rebirth of the Jewish nation. Therefore, at the set time conditions were ripe to go up and possess the land promised to Abraham.

Prior to 1878 there had been some minor immigration to Palestine. Interest had been renewed by British writers and statesmen in the forties who began discussing the possibility of restoring the Jewish people to Palestine. By 1851 Jews comprised the majority in the cities of Safed and Tiberias, and before the turn of the century Jews comprised half of Jerusalem’s population. The Jewish immigrants that came during those years settled mainly in the four sacred cities of Jerusalem, Safed, Hebron, and Tiberias, but they were mostly supported by charity from Jews in other countries. There was, as yet, no real desire to develop the country as a homeland. These early immigrants were constantly hampered by severe government restrictions on the purchase of land. They were also in constant danger from Muslim neighbors, who continually raided their land and cities. Thus, during those years little was done to develop the land; and it was reported that Palestine was empty, silent, in waste and ruin, and empty of inhabitant. Forces were taking place in other parts of the globe to stimulate interest in returning the Jew to Palestine and in developing it as a Jewish homeland.

The Berlin Congress of Nations

In 1878 leaders of the great European powers met in the Berlin Congress of nations to settle problems regarding the Balkans and Near East after the Turko-Russian war. Greater religious and human rights were granted to subjects in the Ottoman Empire, of which Palestine was a part. This opened the way for Jews to buy land and settle in Palestine, a right long denied.

Petach Tikvah, the first modern Jewish agricultural colony in Palestine, opened in 1878. It began the physical regeneration of the land by strengthening the ties between Jews and the soil of their ancient country. Similar communities followed that soon revitalized the long dormant land.

Almost immediately following this renewed hope, numerous and repeated checks to immigration were applied by the Turkish government and later by the British. These were done on behalf of the increasing Arab population who were now being encouraged to immigrate to Palestine to arrest the increasing number of Jews coming to the country. Other laws blocked the use and sale of lands by Jews already living in the country.

Hunters of the First Aliyah

"Behold, I will send for many fishers saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks" (Jer. 16:16).

By 1880 there were 20,000 to 25,000 Jews living in Palestine, but a stronger impetus was needed to lure more exiles home. In the years 1881 and 1882 terrible pogroms broke out in Russia and Romania. In Russia alone 100,000 Jews were left without means of livelihood and 20,000 without homes. In May 1882 new restrictive laws were introduced in Russia forcing many to give up lands and move to the crowded ghetto towns of the Pale.

Such harsh conditions forced the first major Aliyah (major wave of immigration to Palestine) during the years 1882-1905. More than 25,000 Jews, mostly from Eastern Europe, arrived. This first wave of immigration settled in agricultural settlements, beginning the agricultural development of Palestine.

The Turkish government viewed this as a threat, and in June, 1882 laws were enacted preventing East European Jews from settling in Palestine. These laws allowed Jews to settle anywhere in the Ottoman Empire, except Palestine. Immigration did not completely halt, but only a trickle of the 3 million European Jews settled in Palestine during those years. Many went to the United States. These laws were not lifted until 1906.

The Fishers

During this period, another means of persuasion to lure the Jews home was born. Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement, was greatly moved by the plight of Jews suffering from anti-Semitism around the world. His booklet, The Jewish State, (1896) advocated a homeland for persecuted Jews. Along with this goal, Zionism’s main objective was to strengthen the Jewish consciousness and national feeling through organizing groups in various countries to encourage systematic settlement in Palestine. They sought to organize political efforts to gain support of Zionists’ aims by world governments. "Zionism" became a rallying cry for worldwide Jewry and many from Europe and Russia answered the call, spurred on by the proud beliefs of the movement. It proved to be a strong political force in rebuilding the country. The Second Aliyah

Despite restrictions imposed on immigration, the second Aliyah commenced in 1904 and continued through the outbreak of World War I. Approximately 40,000 immigrated during that period spurred on by the continued Russian pogroms. This wave of immigration brought the much needed agricultural and scientific expertise, plus labor, to the country; a much needed commodity in rebuilding the land.

The Balfour Declaration

One problem intervening between Israel receiving world political status was the right of the gentile powers to rule until 1914. This lease began in 606 B.C. when Israel’s last king, Zedekiah, was dethroned and the entire nation carried captive into Babylon. The gentiles had domination for 2520 years (Luke 21:24). It came to an end in 1914, as evidenced by the results of the first World War. By the end of that war all the powerful thrones of Europe had collapsed, making way for the eventual incoming Kingdom of God.

The events of and following World War I saw the ascendancy of Israel to political autonomy and eventual life as a nation, one of the major steps in the setting up of God’s kingdom.

The year 1917 saw the ousting of the Turks from Jerusalem by General Allenby, and Britain’s commitment, through the Balfour Declaration, to establish a homeland for the Jewish people. The Land of Israel reappeared on the world political map.

Further Aliyahs

The years 1919-1923 produced a third Aliyah. Thirty-five thousand Jews arrived, mainly young people and speculators who established cities, industry, and schools. This was a further step in the development of the homeland. This Aliyah was impelled by the sufferings of Jews during the war and later pogroms.

The next wave came between 1924 and 1928 when some 67,000 immigrated. Half of these were from Poland, which had suffered terrible economic crises.

Another Aliyah, occurring during the years 1929 to 1939, saw over 250,000 Jews go home. These last two groups brought an influx of many intellectuals and professionals who laid the groundwork for democracy in Israel.

More Hunters

World War II brought a new and different type of persecution, both in character and duration—the Holocaust. God used these persecutions to drive the Jew home; Satan used the situation to try to completely eradicate worldwide Jewry in an attempt to thwart the ultimate plan of God. As a result of the horrors of the Holocaust, the shocked nations of the world granted official sanction of a Jewish state and on May 14, 1948 Israel was born.

During the years 1934-1948 Jewish immigration was continually halted by British restrictions brought about by Arab pressures. But despite this, 115,000 Jews arrived in Palestine during those years.

Israel’s independence immediately removed all restrictions on Aliyah and during the years 1948 to 1987 approximately 1.8 million Jews returned and the numbers keep increasing.

Still Returning

At the end of 1988, due to relaxed government controls in Russia, Jews were free to apply for exit visas. A new, larger scale immigration began. In 1990 over 150,000 immigrants entered the country. The population of Israel by the year 2000 could reach six million, 4.8 million being Jews, as compared to a 1990 population of 4.7 million (3.8 million Jews).

The return of the exiles in recent times and the subsequent birth of the State of Israel can be well termed a miracle. Against all odds, and against what seemed insurmountable roadblocks, the Jews are still being gathered home to build the waste cities and inhabit them. The Lord promises that he shall plant them upon their land and they shall no more be pulled up (Amos 9:14; Jer. 31:8; Ezek. 37:21).