The post “Herzl ” Get Your Shekel 20th Zionist Congress Vintage Israeli Poster 1944 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>“Buy the Shekel” – 20th Zionist Congress – Herzl – Poster Designed by Otte Wallish ” Zionist organization – the 20th Zionist Congress, Buy the Shekel”.”Eretz Israel Tel-Aviv 1944 Design: Otte Wallisch. Poster with Herzl’s portrait, on the occasion of the 20th Zionist Congress and commemorating 40 years since the first Zionist Congress and the founding of the Zionist
אוטו ווליש כרזה הרצל ציונות
1944
The post “Herzl ” Get Your Shekel 20th Zionist Congress Vintage Israeli Poster 1944 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>The post Immigration and Settlement day ALIYA Vintage Poster Israel 1950 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>KEREN HAYESOD Immigration and Settlement day ALIYA Vintage Poster Israel Tel Aviv 1950
After the establishment of the State of Israeil in 1948, Keren Hayasod came out with a campaign for bringing Holocaust survivors and new immigrants from Eastern countries to work in new settlements.The poster depicts on the one hand, new immigrants, while on the other hand you have field workers both meeting each other to work and flourish the land.
The post Immigration and Settlement day ALIYA Vintage Poster Israel 1950 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>The post Worker and Immigrant Your Place With Us “The Workers Union” Israeli Vintage Poster first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>Rare Israeli Vintage Poster – “Worker and Immigrant: Your Place With Us” – 30th Anniversary of the Hebrew Worker Party
The Histadrut, also known as the “General Organization of Workers in the Land of Israel,” is Israel’s trade union organization. Established in December 1920 during the British Mandate for Palestine, it became one of the most influential institutions in Israel. Histadrut enterprises include Koor Industries Ltd., Solel Boneh, and Kupat Holim Clalit.
The Histadrut was founded in December 1920 in Haifa to advocate for the interests of Jewish workers. Prior to 1920, Ahdut HaAvoda and Hapoel Hatzair had been unable to establish a unified workers’ organization. In 1920, Third Aliyah immigrants founded Gdud HaAvoda and demanded a unified organization for all Jewish workers, leading to the establishment of the Histadrut. At the end of 1921, David Ben-Gurion was elected as Secretary. Membership grew from 4,400 in 1920 to 8,394 members in 1922. By 1927, the Histadrut had 25,000 members, representing 75% of the Jewish workforce in Mandatory Palestine.
The Histadrut became one of the most powerful institutions in the state of Israel and a pillar of the Labour Zionist movement. Aside from being a trade union, its role in state-building made it the owner of numerous businesses and factories, making it, for a time, the largest employer in the country. Until Israel began shifting away from a socialist economy, the Histadrut, along with the government, controlled most of the economy. It had a significant presence in the Israeli services sector, public transport, agriculture, insurance industries, and a substantial portion of the industrial sector.
In 1983, membership stood at 1,600,000, including dependents, accounting for over one-third of Israel’s total population and approximately 85% of all wage earners. Approximately 170,000 Histadrut members were Arabs, who were admitted to membership starting in 1959. In 1989, the Histadrut employed around 280,000 workers. However, with the increasing liberalization and deregulation of the Israeli economy since the 1980s, the role and size of the Histadrut have declined, although it still remains a significant force in Israeli society and the nation’s economy.
Following its support of the 2011 Israeli social justice protests, on February 8, 2012, the Histadrut called a general strike in support of lower-paid subcontracted and unorganized workers. They negotiated with both the government and private employers on their behalf, demanding that subcontracted workers be hired directly and offered the same pay and benefits as regular employees. A settlement was announced on Sunday, February 12, which provided some gains for subcontractors, but also imposed a 3-year moratorium on further strikes related to subcontractor issues. This period in history is often associated with social realism.
The post Worker and Immigrant Your Place With Us “The Workers Union” Israeli Vintage Poster first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>The post “GET YOUR SHEKEL” World Zionist Organization Zionist Rare Vintage Poster Israel 1935 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>“Shiklu et HaShekel” (Get Your Shekel) Zionist vintage Poster calling to donate to the “World Zionist Organization”, printed in Palestine Eretz Israel 1935.
A poster announcing the Zionist shekel (symbolic currency) used to raise funds for the World Zionist Congress
Membership in the Zionist Organization was open to any Jew who agreed with its goals and purchased the “Zionist shekel.”
The World Zionist Organization is an organization of the Zionist movement established on the initiative of Benjamin Zeev Herzl on September 3, 1897, at the first Zionist Congress convened in Basel, Switzerland. The Zionist Organization was established as an umbrella organization, to unite the activities of all Zionist bodies in the world.
The Zionist Organization is one of the national institutions that worked to fulfill the goal of the Zionist movement – the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The agreement between all parts of the Zionist movement to unite behind the demand for the establishment of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel was formed only near the establishment of the State of Israel. At the beginning of its path, the Zionist Organization represented the Jewish community in Eretz Israel before the Ottoman rule and later the entire Jewish people. In 1929, the executive activities of the Zionist Organization passed to the Jewish Agency, and the Zionist Organization remained a policy-making body.
Designed by Moshe Vorobechik
The post “GET YOUR SHEKEL” World Zionist Organization Zionist Rare Vintage Poster Israel 1935 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>The post Israeli Poster “Special operation for a besieged nation” (Hebrew LaAm BeMatzor), 1947 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>Vintage Israeli Poster on behalf of “HaMif’al HaMeyuhad LaAm BeMatzor” [Special operation for a besieged nation]. Levin-Epstein Printing Press, Tel-Aviv, 1947. Design: Franz Kraus.andlt;/pandgt;
Colorful poster calling to donate to “LaAm BeMatzor” fund raising campaign, founded in 1947 to assist the Ha’apala (illegal immigration) project and to support the families of Jewish prisoners arrested by the British. The words “Ganon VeHatzil” are cited from Isaiah’s prophecy (31:5).
The post Israeli Poster “Special operation for a besieged nation” (Hebrew LaAm BeMatzor), 1947 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>The post Voice Of Jerusalem “GET YOUR SHEKEL” World Zionist Organization Zionist Rare Vintage Poster Israel 1941 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>A poster announcing the Zionist shekel (symbolic currency) used to raise funds for the World Zionist Congress
Membership in the Zionist Organization was open to any Jew who agreed with its goals and purchased the “Zionist shekel.”
The World Zionist Organization is an organization of the Zionist movement established on the initiative of Benjamin Zeev Herzl on September 3, 1897, at the first Zionist Congress convened in Basel, Switzerland. The Zionist Organization was established as an umbrella organization, to unite the activities of all Zionist bodies in the world.
The Zionist Organization is one of the national institutions that worked to fulfill the goal of the Zionist movement – the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The agreement between all parts of the Zionist movement to unite behind the demand for the establishment of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel was formed only near the establishment of the State of Israel. At the beginning of its path, the Zionist Organization represented the Jewish community in Eretz Israel before the Ottoman rule and later the entire Jewish people. In 1929, the executive activities of the Zionist Organization passed to the Jewish Agency, and the Zionist Organization remained a policy-making body.
Designed by Otte / Otto Wallish
The post Voice Of Jerusalem “GET YOUR SHEKEL” World Zionist Organization Zionist Rare Vintage Poster Israel 1941 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>The post “Land Of Promise” Extremely Rare Vintage Movie Poster Palestine Eretz Israel 1933-5 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>ONE OF THE RAREST POSTERS THAT MADE IN PALESTINE ERETZ ISRAEL HUGE VINTAGE POSTER OF THE MOVIE “THE LAND OF PROMISE” 1933-5
Film Poster – “Land of Promise” by Keren HaYesod – Otte Wallish – Jerusalem, 1935 Advertising poster for the film “Land of Promise” produced by Keren HaYesod. Printed on two conjoined sheets of paper. Jerusalem: Monsohn Lithographic Press, [1935]. Design: Otte Wallish (signed in the plate in upper left corner: “M/W Wallish”). A poster designed by Otte Wallish for the Keren HaYesod’s propaganda film “Land of Promise”. The film was produced by the “Urim” company managed by Leo Herman and was directed and edited by Yehuda Lehman. Lyrics were written by Nathan Alterman and the music composed by Daniel Sambursky. The film premiered in Berlin, in May 1935, and was later screened in the USA, Palestine and Britain. In August 1935, the film won first prize for documentary films at the international film festival in Venice. The film continued to be used by Keren HaYesod to raise funds for the settlement of Palestine until the 1950s. The poster consists of two parts. The top part features a fine color illustration of a pioneer sowing the land, with musical notes on top. The lower part indicates the name of the film and the names of its creators, followed by the showtimes at the “Zion” cinema in Jerusalem in late October 1935 (printed in Hebrew and English, within a black frame; printer’s name in the corner of the black frame – “Azriel Press”. See another version of lower part of the poster, printed for the screening of the film at the “Armon Theater” in Haifa, in). There is another version of this poster, also consisting of two parts, the lower of which reads “Keren HaYesod Sows – the Hebrew People Reap” (Hebrew; see: “Keren HaYesod Sows – the Hebrew People Reap, Keren HaYesod Posters 1920-2010”, Keren Hayesod publishing, 2010, p. 22). 194X64 cm (two conjoined sheets of paper). Good condition.
Images From The Film
WATCH THE MOVIE
The post “Land Of Promise” Extremely Rare Vintage Movie Poster Palestine Eretz Israel 1933-5 first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>The post 25 Years of The Betar Struggle” Vintage Israeli Poster. 1947 – Beitar Etzel Jabotinsky first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>BETAR BEITAR ביתר ביית”ר בית”ר
Ze’ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky (1880 – 1940) was a Zionist leader – the founder of the Revisionist Movement and Betar, a writer, poet, publicist and translator. He was born in Odessa, Russia on October 18th, 1880 and was given a liberal education with little formal Jewish education. At the age of 18, he left to study law in Italy and Switzerland, while serving as a correspondent in these countries for notable Russian journals. His writings – some signed under the penname “Altalena” – granted him a reputation as an accomplished writer in the Russian language. While in Italy he leaned towards liberalism and hoped that in the future it will be adopted by all mankind.
Following the Kishinev Pogroms in 1903, Jabotinsky devoted himself to Zionist activity. He struggled for minority rights in Russia and was elected soon thereafter as a delegate to the Sixth Zionist Congress, the last one attended by Theodore Herzl.
In his Zionist work, Jabotinsky requested to establish a chain of educational institutions that will teach in the Hebrew language. He envisioned that the revival of the Hebrew language will be fundamental in the recognition of a Hebraic culture and in the implementation of Zionism.
During the years 1908 – 1910, Jabotinsky dealt with, simultaneously to his work as a reporter, Zionist propaganda in Constantinople. At the outbreak of the First World War, he had foreseen the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. He demanded that the Zionist movement will not remain passive in the bloodshed and become active and join the great powers in their struggle against Turkey – thus setting an historical fact that the Jewish nation was involved in the conquest of Eretz Yisrael from the Turks. This led to an argument among Zionist leaders which was later incorporated in the differences of opinions between the Revisionist Movement and other Zionist parties. Jabotinsky was a keen supporter of activism in politics for achieving the goals of Zionism.
At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Jabotinsky served as a military correspondent and was stationed at different fronts. In Alexandria, Egypt, he met with Joseph Trumpeldor and became active in the formation of the Jewish Legion within the British Army. The first legion was established in August 1917 and he served in it, participating in battles in the Jordan Valley and in the conquest of As-Salt in Transjordan from the Turks.
Following the war, he settled in Jerusalem and until 1919 he served as head of the state department of the Delegate’s Committee. In this capacity he called for an immediate massive Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael. In 1919 he referred to the historical right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.
The Zionist aspiration to establish a state in Eretz Yisrael of Jewish majority and sovereignty was publicly and sincerely promoted by Jabotinsky. When he referred to the future constitution of the State of Israel he had asked to guarantee equal civil rights and cultural autonomy for the Arab minority.
In his article “On the Iron Wall” (1932), Jabotinsky established that the Arabs of Eretz Yisrael are a “living nation,” and that there are very few chances of them acknowledging the implementation of Zionism in Eretz Yisrael. For this reason, he had said, there is a need to establish an “iron wall” – a fortified military front – and to stubbornly defend the Zionist position.
Jabotinsky’s plan was based at first on collaboration with Great Britain, assuming that the latter will implement the mandate it supported in Balfour’s declaration. However, when Britain backed out from its support of the Zionist stand, Jabotinsky warned of a possible betrayal by the government of the British Mandate and advocated to rebel against it.
During Passover 1920, Jabotinsky led the defense forces in Jerusalem during Arab riots. He was arrested by the British for illegal possession of weaponry and sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment and penal labor in the Acre Prison. The worldwide public reaction to his sentence gained him his parole.
In 1921 he was elected as member of the First Assembly of Representatives, but he had stayed in London for his political work. The same year he was also elected to the Executive of the Zionist Organization, taking part in the establishment of “Keren Hayesod” (United Israel Appeal). Two years later he retired from the Executive in protest against the policy of Chaim Weizmann, which he felt was not doing enough to promote the establishment of a Zionist state.
In 1923 he founded and headed the Betar Movement in Riga, Latvia – aimed to educate youth in a militant and national spirit. The movement’s basic guidelines were dedicated to the national idea and not to individual status (thereby separating between Zionism and socialism), to the glorification of the people and their way of life, and to the education in the spirit of pioneering and defense. Members of Betar were obligated to serve with the various legions of Betar (labor or defense) for two years after making Aliyah, as part of the plan to keep manual labor in Jewish hands and to maintain the lives and property of the Jewish people.
The Betar movement was active in “Aliyah Bet,” in the renewal of Jewish seamanship, and even in organizing training in aviation. Betar was also the core of the National Workers’ Union and of the Etzel underground movement.
In 1925, Jabotinsky formed the Revisionist Zionist Alliance – a movement which advocated the establishment of a Jewish state within the historical boundaries of Eretz Yisrael on both banks of the Jordan River, and promoted political activism. The Alliance was defined within the framework of the Zionist Organization and, as its head, Jabotinsky was once again part of the organization. However, repeated differences of opinion intensified between him and leaders of socialist Zionist parties on matter concerning foreign policy, social-economic issues, and the expansion of the Jewish Agency. As a result, Jabotinsky became a leading spokesman of the opposition within the Zionist Congress.
The social regime which Jabotinsky envisioned was one based on minimal control and dependent on the free will of its citizens. He had seen democracy as the regime that fit his vision of equal civil rights, despite his acknowledgment that it will not have the power to solve all problems that may arise. Though he considered democracy as the rule of the majority, he also believed its true essence lies in its protection over minorities.
Jabotinsky believed that taxes collected by the state should be used to provide its citizens with five necessities: Food, lodging, clothing, education, and well-being. He objected to a socialist regime as he believed that such rule was in contrast to human character, which is individualist in its nature. Objections were raised against his appreciation towards the bourgeoisie class.
His attitude toward religion and tradition was one of great respect and appreciation. In one of his articles he expressed his appreciation towards the great role fulfilled by religion in keeping the national uniqueness of the Jewish people. He had also seen observance of religion as a private matter reflecting personal beliefs, and expressed his protest towards attempts at religious coercion.
Jabotinsky was a keen supporter of women’s rights.
Jabotinsky returned to Eretz Yisrael in 1928 as editor of the daily newspaper “Doar HaYom,” and conducted a variety of political activities. In 1929 he was reelected to the Assembly of Representatives, remaining in the opposition. He had tried to awaken the Yishuv toward political action and demanded that it should have official representation in London and Geneva. Jabotinsky was supportive of aggressive acts to emphasize the sufferings of the Jewish people.
The 1929 riots in Palestine, in which the British stood by the Arab offenders, had brought Jabotinsky to ask that the British declare that the Jewish people have the right to ask for different partners in their land. At the end of that year he traveled abroad to hold a series of lectures, but his reentry to the country was denied by the British.
In 1932, after the 17th Zionist Congress held in Basel rejected the definition of Zionism as creation of a Jewish majority in Eretz Yisrael, Jabotinsky retired from the Zionist Organization. In 1933 he concentrated most of his time on clearing the names of his fellow movement members who were accused of murdering Chaim Arlozoroff. The following year in London, he and David Ben-Gurion signed three documents intended to reduce the tensions between the right-wing and left-wing factions in the Yishuv and the Diaspora. Despite their mutual agreement, the documents were not approved by the members of the Zionist Organization.
In April 1934, Betar and the Revisionist Zionist Alliance removed themselves from cooperating with the Histadrut and the national institutions and formed the National Labor Federation (NLF), which sponsored social compromise and cooperation between the social classes. These were to be achieved by national arbitration triggered by the classes themselves.
In 1935 the Zionist Organization issued an order forbidding its members to conduct independent political activities. Jabotinsky retired soon thereafter and in the same year he formed the New Zionist Organization (NZO) in Vienna and was elected as its president.
Before the outbreak of the Second World War, Jabotinsky warned that the Jewish people are facing destruction and called to the Diaspora Jewry to “exterminate the Diaspora before it exterminates them.” During this time he began to work in accordance with a “Policy of alliances” – befriending countries seeking to solve their “problem” of a Jewish minorities – even if their motive is anti-Semitic. With the help of the Polish Government he had hoped to arrange an organized evacuation of 1.5 million Jews from Eastern Europe to Eretz Yisrael. The Zionist and Jewish organizations fiercely objected to this plan, fearing that it will increase anti-Semitism in Poland and in other countries. From 1936 and onwards he worked to promote illegal immigration meant to save Jews from the hands of the Nazis. Under his leadership, the NZO and Betar were active in organizing the “Af Al Pi” Aliyah.
“There is only one solution to the misfortune of the Jewish people… On both sides of the Jordan River there is a territory in which we could – if we would only be permitted – house all of our refuges, from Germany and other countries, refuges of the past, present and the future – if we would only be permitted.”
During 1934 – 1935, Jabotinsky presented along with his movement a petition demanding that the Mandate Government abide to its commitments towards the Jewish people and provide shelter in Eretz Yisrael to every Jew who seeks it. The petition was referred to European governments, the League of Nations and to the King of the United Kingdom. Despite the objection of the Zionist Organization to the petition, it was signed by more than 600,000 Jews from 24 countries. However, it did not bring its anticipated turning point. Jabotinsky continued to protest against the inefficiency of the standard political means and claimed for a true political assault.
As the Nazi regime in Germany grew stronger, Jabotinsky despaired in his hopes that Britain, which issued the “White Paper of 1939,” will renew its partnership with the Jewish people. He turned to the only option left at that point: Objecting to the British Mandate and relying on the liberating forces of the Jewish youth.
The ETZEL – National Military Organization in the Land of Israel – was established in 1931 after a split with the Hagana branch in Jerusalem. Those who retired drew great criticism over the Hagana’s incompetence during the 1929 riots. During the first years of its formation Jabotinsky was barred from entering Eretz Yisrael, but he had great influence on its creation. In 1936 the Etzel became the militant branch of the Revisionist Zionist Alliance. Jabotinsky was supportive of its actions against the policy of restraint towards the Arab rioters against Jews (1936 – 1939). In 1937 he was named as the Supreme Commander of the Etzel – a title he held until his death. He was the initiator of the plan for an armed rebellion which he intended to head. His plan was to board a ship in October 1939 towards Eretz Yisrael with masses of armed young men, and upon their arrival to initiate a rebel against the British, as well as to declare a provisional government for the Jewish state. This plan was never implemented because the Second World War broke out on September 1st.
As the War broke out, Jabotinsky lobbied in the United States and Great Britain for establishment of a Jewish defense force to fight alongside the Allied Forces against Nazi Germany. In 1940, he left for the United States, where he passed away from a heart attack on August 4th 1940, during a visit to a Betar summer camp in New York. In his will he ordered that the removal of his remains for burial in Eretz Yisrael should only be executed by a Jewish government in Eretz Yisrael. This was fulfilled in 1964, when Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, unlike his predecessor David Ben Gurion, ordered Jabotinsky to be brought for burial in Israel. The remains of Ze’ev Jabotinsky and his wife Johanna were interred on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
Jabotinsky left an extensive literary legacy. His books, articles and speeches were his tools for spreading his beliefs and fighting for them, as well as the manifest of his movement. In his literary creations there are poems, stories, novels, translations, and an autobiography. Most of these were written in Russian and some in Hebrew. Jabotinsky’s writings and manuscripts, as well as all publications on him worldwide in different languages, are preserved in the Jabotinsky Institute in Tel Aviv.
On March 23rd 2005, the Jabotinsky Law was passed, setting a memorial day (29th of Tammuz) in his honor.
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]]>The post Fabric badge of the Betar movement, Eretz Israel. Embroidery of the seven-cane lamp, complete Eretz first appeared on VINTAGE ISRAELI POSTERS.
]]>BETAR BEITAR ביתר ביית”ר בית”ר
תג בד של תנועת בית”ר, ארץ ישראל. רקמה של מנורת שבעת קנים, מפת ארץ ישראל השלמה, מצב מעולה
Ze’ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky (1880 – 1940) was a Zionist leader – the founder of the Revisionist Movement and Betar, a writer, poet, publicist and translator. He was born in Odessa, Russia on October 18th, 1880 and was given a liberal education with little formal Jewish education. At the age of 18, he left to study law in Italy and Switzerland, while serving as a correspondent in these countries for notable Russian journals. His writings – some signed under the penname “Altalena” – granted him a reputation as an accomplished writer in the Russian language. While in Italy he leaned towards liberalism and hoped that in the future it will be adopted by all mankind.
Following the Kishinev Pogroms in 1903, Jabotinsky devoted himself to Zionist activity. He struggled for minority rights in Russia and was elected soon thereafter as a delegate to the Sixth Zionist Congress, the last one attended by Theodore Herzl.
In his Zionist work, Jabotinsky requested to establish a chain of educational institutions that will teach in the Hebrew language. He envisioned that the revival of the Hebrew language will be fundamental in the recognition of a Hebraic culture and in the implementation of Zionism.
During the years 1908 – 1910, Jabotinsky dealt with, simultaneously to his work as a reporter, Zionist propaganda in Constantinople. At the outbreak of the First World War, he had foreseen the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. He demanded that the Zionist movement will not remain passive in the bloodshed and become active and join the great powers in their struggle against Turkey – thus setting an historical fact that the Jewish nation was involved in the conquest of Eretz Yisrael from the Turks. This led to an argument among Zionist leaders which was later incorporated in the differences of opinions between the Revisionist Movement and other Zionist parties. Jabotinsky was a keen supporter of activism in politics for achieving the goals of Zionism.
At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Jabotinsky served as a military correspondent and was stationed at different fronts. In Alexandria, Egypt, he met with Joseph Trumpeldor and became active in the formation of the Jewish Legion within the British Army. The first legion was established in August 1917 and he served in it, participating in battles in the Jordan Valley and in the conquest of As-Salt in Transjordan from the Turks.
Following the war, he settled in Jerusalem and until 1919 he served as head of the state department of the Delegate’s Committee. In this capacity he called for an immediate massive Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael. In 1919 he referred to the historical right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.
The Zionist aspiration to establish a state in Eretz Yisrael of Jewish majority and sovereignty was publicly and sincerely promoted by Jabotinsky. When he referred to the future constitution of the State of Israel he had asked to guarantee equal civil rights and cultural autonomy for the Arab minority.
In his article “On the Iron Wall” (1932), Jabotinsky established that the Arabs of Eretz Yisrael are a “living nation,” and that there are very few chances of them acknowledging the implementation of Zionism in Eretz Yisrael. For this reason, he had said, there is a need to establish an “iron wall” – a fortified military front – and to stubbornly defend the Zionist position.
Jabotinsky’s plan was based at first on collaboration with Great Britain, assuming that the latter will implement the mandate it supported in Balfour’s declaration. However, when Britain backed out from its support of the Zionist stand, Jabotinsky warned of a possible betrayal by the government of the British Mandate and advocated to rebel against it.
During Passover 1920, Jabotinsky led the defense forces in Jerusalem during Arab riots. He was arrested by the British for illegal possession of weaponry and sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment and penal labor in the Acre Prison. The worldwide public reaction to his sentence gained him his parole.
In 1921 he was elected as member of the First Assembly of Representatives, but he had stayed in London for his political work. The same year he was also elected to the Executive of the Zionist Organization, taking part in the establishment of “Keren Hayesod” (United Israel Appeal). Two years later he retired from the Executive in protest against the policy of Chaim Weizmann, which he felt was not doing enough to promote the establishment of a Zionist state.
In 1923 he founded and headed the Betar Movement in Riga, Latvia – aimed to educate youth in a militant and national spirit. The movement’s basic guidelines were dedicated to the national idea and not to individual status (thereby separating between Zionism and socialism), to the glorification of the people and their way of life, and to the education in the spirit of pioneering and defense. Members of Betar were obligated to serve with the various legions of Betar (labor or defense) for two years after making Aliyah, as part of the plan to keep manual labor in Jewish hands and to maintain the lives and property of the Jewish people.
The Betar movement was active in “Aliyah Bet,” in the renewal of Jewish seamanship, and even in organizing training in aviation. Betar was also the core of the National Workers’ Union and of the Etzel underground movement.
In 1925, Jabotinsky formed the Revisionist Zionist Alliance – a movement which advocated the establishment of a Jewish state within the historical boundaries of Eretz Yisrael on both banks of the Jordan River, and promoted political activism. The Alliance was defined within the framework of the Zionist Organization and, as its head, Jabotinsky was once again part of the organization. However, repeated differences of opinion intensified between him and leaders of socialist Zionist parties on matter concerning foreign policy, social-economic issues, and the expansion of the Jewish Agency. As a result, Jabotinsky became a leading spokesman of the opposition within the Zionist Congress.
The social regime which Jabotinsky envisioned was one based on minimal control and dependent on the free will of its citizens. He had seen democracy as the regime that fit his vision of equal civil rights, despite his acknowledgment that it will not have the power to solve all problems that may arise. Though he considered democracy as the rule of the majority, he also believed its true essence lies in its protection over minorities.
Jabotinsky believed that taxes collected by the state should be used to provide its citizens with five necessities: Food, lodging, clothing, education, and well-being. He objected to a socialist regime as he believed that such rule was in contrast to human character, which is individualist in its nature. Objections were raised against his appreciation towards the bourgeoisie class.
His attitude toward religion and tradition was one of great respect and appreciation. In one of his articles he expressed his appreciation towards the great role fulfilled by religion in keeping the national uniqueness of the Jewish people. He had also seen observance of religion as a private matter reflecting personal beliefs, and expressed his protest towards attempts at religious coercion.
Jabotinsky was a keen supporter of women’s rights.
Jabotinsky returned to Eretz Yisrael in 1928 as editor of the daily newspaper “Doar HaYom,” and conducted a variety of political activities. In 1929 he was reelected to the Assembly of Representatives, remaining in the opposition. He had tried to awaken the Yishuv toward political action and demanded that it should have official representation in London and Geneva. Jabotinsky was supportive of aggressive acts to emphasize the sufferings of the Jewish people.
The 1929 riots in Palestine, in which the British stood by the Arab offenders, had brought Jabotinsky to ask that the British declare that the Jewish people have the right to ask for different partners in their land. At the end of that year he traveled abroad to hold a series of lectures, but his reentry to the country was denied by the British.
In 1932, after the 17th Zionist Congress held in Basel rejected the definition of Zionism as creation of a Jewish majority in Eretz Yisrael, Jabotinsky retired from the Zionist Organization. In 1933 he concentrated most of his time on clearing the names of his fellow movement members who were accused of murdering Chaim Arlozoroff. The following year in London, he and David Ben-Gurion signed three documents intended to reduce the tensions between the right-wing and left-wing factions in the Yishuv and the Diaspora. Despite their mutual agreement, the documents were not approved by the members of the Zionist Organization.
In April 1934, Betar and the Revisionist Zionist Alliance removed themselves from cooperating with the Histadrut and the national institutions and formed the National Labor Federation (NLF), which sponsored social compromise and cooperation between the social classes. These were to be achieved by national arbitration triggered by the classes themselves.
In 1935 the Zionist Organization issued an order forbidding its members to conduct independent political activities. Jabotinsky retired soon thereafter and in the same year he formed the New Zionist Organization (NZO) in Vienna and was elected as its president.
Before the outbreak of the Second World War, Jabotinsky warned that the Jewish people are facing destruction and called to the Diaspora Jewry to “exterminate the Diaspora before it exterminates them.” During this time he began to work in accordance with a “Policy of alliances” – befriending countries seeking to solve their “problem” of a Jewish minorities – even if their motive is anti-Semitic. With the help of the Polish Government he had hoped to arrange an organized evacuation of 1.5 million Jews from Eastern Europe to Eretz Yisrael. The Zionist and Jewish organizations fiercely objected to this plan, fearing that it will increase anti-Semitism in Poland and in other countries. From 1936 and onwards he worked to promote illegal immigration meant to save Jews from the hands of the Nazis. Under his leadership, the NZO and Betar were active in organizing the “Af Al Pi” Aliyah.
“There is only one solution to the misfortune of the Jewish people… On both sides of the Jordan River there is a territory in which we could – if we would only be permitted – house all of our refuges, from Germany and other countries, refuges of the past, present and the future – if we would only be permitted.”
During 1934 – 1935, Jabotinsky presented along with his movement a petition demanding that the Mandate Government abide to its commitments towards the Jewish people and provide shelter in Eretz Yisrael to every Jew who seeks it. The petition was referred to European governments, the League of Nations and to the King of the United Kingdom. Despite the objection of the Zionist Organization to the petition, it was signed by more than 600,000 Jews from 24 countries. However, it did not bring its anticipated turning point. Jabotinsky continued to protest against the inefficiency of the standard political means and claimed for a true political assault.
As the Nazi regime in Germany grew stronger, Jabotinsky despaired in his hopes that Britain, which issued the “White Paper of 1939,” will renew its partnership with the Jewish people. He turned to the only option left at that point: Objecting to the British Mandate and relying on the liberating forces of the Jewish youth.
The ETZEL – National Military Organization in the Land of Israel – was established in 1931 after a split with the Hagana branch in Jerusalem. Those who retired drew great criticism over the Hagana’s incompetence during the 1929 riots. During the first years of its formation Jabotinsky was barred from entering Eretz Yisrael, but he had great influence on its creation. In 1936 the Etzel became the militant branch of the Revisionist Zionist Alliance. Jabotinsky was supportive of its actions against the policy of restraint towards the Arab rioters against Jews (1936 – 1939). In 1937 he was named as the Supreme Commander of the Etzel – a title he held until his death. He was the initiator of the plan for an armed rebellion which he intended to head. His plan was to board a ship in October 1939 towards Eretz Yisrael with masses of armed young men, and upon their arrival to initiate a rebel against the British, as well as to declare a provisional government for the Jewish state. This plan was never implemented because the Second World War broke out on September 1st.
As the War broke out, Jabotinsky lobbied in the United States and Great Britain for establishment of a Jewish defense force to fight alongside the Allied Forces against Nazi Germany. In 1940, he left for the United States, where he passed away from a heart attack on August 4th 1940, during a visit to a Betar summer camp in New York. In his will he ordered that the removal of his remains for burial in Eretz Yisrael should only be executed by a Jewish government in Eretz Yisrael. This was fulfilled in 1964, when Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, unlike his predecessor David Ben Gurion, ordered Jabotinsky to be brought for burial in Israel. The remains of Ze’ev Jabotinsky and his wife Johanna were interred on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
Jabotinsky left an extensive literary legacy. His books, articles and speeches were his tools for spreading his beliefs and fighting for them, as well as the manifest of his movement. In his literary creations there are poems, stories, novels, translations, and an autobiography. Most of these were written in Russian and some in Hebrew. Jabotinsky’s writings and manuscripts, as well as all publications on him worldwide in different languages, are preserved in the Jabotinsky Institute in Tel Aviv.
On March 23rd 2005, the Jabotinsky Law was passed, setting a memorial day (29th of Tammuz) in his honor.
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]]>Proclamation to the Jewish in America
The poster shows the achievements of the Jewish National Fund in the wilderness
Printed in NY
קרן הקיימת לישראל קק”ל כרזה פוסטר חיים ויצמן
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