Hamas War

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The Land of Israel, Then, 1913, and Now

A neighbor just sent this old movie filmed in the "Kineret Farm" in 1913.



Those were the days when hard work was worshipped by the secular Zionist pioneers. Now their great-grandchildren wouldn't be such freyerim, suckers/fools. They're busy demonstrating for cheaper housing and food. They wouldn't get together to build a home for less, or choose to live in a less popular neighborhood or town.  They want to live where they want to live.

Have you noticed that the media-supported Left wing demonstrators only make demands:
"We want..."
You never hear:
"How can we help?"
"How can we make Israel a better, more successful and safer country?"

10 comments:

Beny said...

As we know, Herzl wisely planned "workhouses" in Israel for the poor who would not want to work.

It's a pity they did not listen to him...

JDL London Canada said...

Thanks for the video. My wife's father's cousin came to Israel from Poland around that time. She and her family settled in Haifa at that time, and she is still there today with adult chidren and grand children. They made the Israeli dream happen ... we need more to follow.

Batya said...

Beny, and the Labor Zionists discriminated agaisnt the Revisionists who managed to come. Not all goodness in those days.

jdl, that's wonderful.

Hadassa said...

Shalom!
Slightly OT, but... Sometimes we forget about all the men in big black hats and black jackets who worked the Land in the early days of Modern Zionism.

Leah, Maaleh Adumim said...

Hadassa - yes, the members of the "yishuv yashan" and "first aliyah" prepared the infrastructure in the 19th century, before the socialists arrived and started to rewrite the history.

there is an excellent book, unfortunately available only in Hebrew, called "Kach Zeh Haya" ("That's How It Was") by Eitan Belkind, whose parents were among the founders of Rishon L'Tzion.

also, a few years ago there was an article in Makor Rishon (also only in Hebrew) about how most of those who arrived at the beginning of the 20th century, i.e. the "second aliyah" which was supposedly all socialists, were tradesmen (merchants, craftsmen, etc) and not socialists; but they just concentrated on building a family and making a living (and while doing so - building Israel's economy too). they weren't "politically active" like the socialists, and therefore the arena was open for the socialists to rewrite history.

on the other hand - it is interesting to read the memoirs of Rachel Yanait Ben-Tzvi (wife of Yitzhak Ben-Tzvi, Israel's second president). this one is available in an English translation; although there are a few mistranslations. (e.g. the translator rendered "moshavot", which actually means a type of farming village, as "colonies".)

while written from a socialist point of view, and bashing "Nili" and the Aharonson family, it still shows how patriotic even the socialists were in those early years. (Batya, you can borrow the book from the "Shilo librarian".)

Batya said...

Leah, would you expand this comment into a post for the blog?
Hadassa, you, too...

YMedad said...

If you do not know, Yosef Trumpeldor appears at 28 - 33 seconds. His amputated arm is covered by a jacket.

Batya said...

I know, thanks for letting others who don't read Hebrew know.

Leah, Maaleh Adumim said...

ok Batya, I will send it to you, probably after Tisha B'av

Batya said...

Leah, thanks