2025-06-18 19:57 <br/> Tags: #Event #Yishuv #EarlyZionism # Jewish Immigration to Palestine - Jewish Immigration and illegal immigration to Palestine are in Hebrew called "Aliyah" and "Aliyah Bet" respectively. ---- - Pre statehood aliyah occurred in a series of 5 waves. beginning in 1882 and lasting until the creation of the state in 1948. - These waves occurred as a product of persecution, political action (Zionism), and a perceived religious destiny. - The first, second, and third waves were mostly Romanian and Russian Jews. - The fourth wave was largely polish, Soviet and Romanian but with notable arrivals from Arab countries like Yemen and Iraq. - In reaction to the rise and success of Adolf [[Hitler]] and the Nazis, the fifth wave lasting until 1939 was largely central European. - By 1939 the Jewish population in Palestine was around 449,000 accounting for ~30% of the population in Palestine. ### Aliyah Bet (Illegal Immigration) - In 1939 the British limit Jewish immigration to Palestine after attacks/riots/revolts in the recent years. - The 'Mossad LeAliyah Bet', a branch of the [[Haganah]] works with direct funding from American Jews under the [[American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)]]. - With American Jewish money the Mossad LeAliya Bet would execute expensive operations usually sending ships to European ports and smuggling the Jews to Palestine. - The most famous Aliyah Bet incident was the illegal transport of ~4,500 Jews from Europe to Palestine in 1947 aboard the [[SS Exodus]]. - The voyage was rejected by Britain upon its arrival to Palestine. - The Exodus story was exploited by Ben Gurion and sensationalized by American Jewish activist Ruth Gruber. - The [[Irgun and Lehi Zionist Paramilitary Organizations|Irgun]] was heavily involved in aliyah bet activity throughout the 1930s and 40s. - The Irgun never tried to compromise with the British authorities in Palestine. Largely in response to British limitations on Jewish immigration to Palestine, the Irgun committed numerous terror attacks on British infrastructure and officials. - The [[Revisionist Zionism|Revisionist]] youth group [[Betar]], the Revisionist party, Hatzohar, and the Revisionist paramilitary the Irgun, joined forced in 1937 to illegally immigrate Jews from Europe to Palestine. Once the ships got to Palestine they worked to blend the new Jews in with the already existing Jewish settlements in Palestine. #### References - **“Yishuv.”** _Wikipedia_. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yishuv](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yishuv). - **“Aliyah,”** _Wikipedia_, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliyah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliyah). - "**Mossad LeAliyah Bet**," *Wikipedia,* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossad_LeAliyah_Bet - "**SS Exodus,**" *Wikipedia,* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Exodus - Barnavi, Eli. “Jewish Immigration to Pre‑State Israel.” _My Jewish Learning_, [https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-immigration-to-palestine/](https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-immigration-to-palestine/).