2025-06-16 22:37
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Tags: #EarlyZionism #organization #Yishuv #Israel
# Yishuv
*The Yishuv is the overall term for the Jewish entities in Palestine prior to Israeli statehood.*
- The precursor to the state of Israel. Jewish settlement, and governing structure in Palestine up until 1948.
- The Yishuv survived on funding from outside individuals and organizations.
- The acquisition of land in Palestine was effectuated by the [[World Zionist Organization]] starting in 1908.
- The militant organization [[Bar-Giora]] was founded in 1907. The Bar-Giora became the [[Hashomer]] in 1909. The Hashomer became the [[Haganah]] in 1920. The Haganah is the precursor to the [[Mossad]] (along with all of the Israeli security system).
- In the 1920s two groups of Jews remained separate of the Yishuv: ultra-orthodox and communists.
- [[Yitzhak Ben-Zvi]] ordered the execution of Jacob De Haan in 1924. It was exceedingly rare for Jews to kill other Jews.
- Ben-Zvi, like many of the radicals operating in the Yishuv became a major Israeli politician. He is the longest serving (1952-1963) Israeli president to date.
- De Haan was an ultra-orthodox Jew opposed to the creation of a Jewish state for religious purposes, which is why he was killed.
- De Haan was also a homosexual who wrote multiple gay books while he lived in Amsterdam.
- [[David Ben-Gurion]] served as the head of multiple Yishuv wings:
- The socialist labor union [[Histadrut]].
- The [[Jewish Agency]], the governing authority of the Yishuv.
- The Haganah, paramilitary and intel precursor to the IDF and the Mossad.
#### Jewish Terrorism in the Yishuv
- The two most notable radical paramilitary groups operating during the Yishuv were the [[Irgun and Lehi Zionist Paramilitary Organizations|Irgun and Lehi]].
- Both groups used terrorist tactics against the Arabs living in Palestine and the British authorities in the region.
- The Irgun was an offshoot of the Haganah with much more extreme views and violent means.
- The Irgun was founded in 1931 by [[Ze'ev Jabotinsky]] and the Haganah assassin of Jacob De Haan, [[Avraham Tehomi]].
- The Lehi, an offshoot of the Irgun was founded in 1940 by [[Avraham Stern]].
- Stern was a leader in the Irgun before his split.
- The Yishuv's Jewish Agency, led by Ben-Gurion briefly merged the Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi to form the Jewish resistance Movement (JRM) in 1945.
- Together the JRM coordinated attacks on the British authorities.
- Among the attacks were train bombings, bridge bombings, and the King David Hotel bombing.
### [[Jewish Immigration to Palestine]]
- During British rule, the Yishuv worked to immigrate Jews in the diaspora to Palestine.
- The British was a thorn in the side for the Zionist immigration agenda much of the time.
- The Jews in Palestine worked closely with American Jewry to facilitate illegal immigration to Palestine.
- Ex. [[SS Exodus]].
#### Recommended Reading
Rise And Kill First - Ronen Bergman (first two chapters)
Against Our Better Judgement - Alison Weir
#### References
- Ronen Bergman, _Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations_ (New York: Random House, 2019).
- **“Yishuv.”** _Wikipedia_. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yishuv](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yishuv).
- Aviva Halamish, "Israel Studies: An Anthology: The Yishuv: The Jewish Community in Mandatory Palestine", *Jewish Virtual Library*, September 2009, [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/israel-studies-an-anthology-the-yishuv](https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/israel-studies-an-anthology-the-yishuv).