The National tribune., 1909-07-01
MEsoporAMrA FOR THE JEWS
Israel TO Return to the Waters Of
Babylon,

| II is of the deepest interest histori-
cally, sentimentally, racially and other
wise that Mr.. Jacob H. Shift, the bank
er, and Israel ZaIgwill, the committee
appointed by the Jewish territorial or
Iganization, are favorably considering the
ancient land of Mesopoiamia for tn.
Jewish colony. The new administration
of Turkey has invited the Jews to settle
there, and the lea Society, which has in
trust the s45.000.000 left by the late
Baron Tiirsci; for colonization purposes.
hos sent experts to spy out the lano,
who have reported that it is most fei
| tile, and irrigation Is all that is needed
to make it prolific.
1t is believed that the Zionists will
take very kindly to this scaerne. since
Mesopotamia is not far from Palestine,
| and several times the entire population
of Palestine was carried off into captiv-
| ity when they hung their harps on
the willows of Babylon and Tept when
| they remembered Zion" The Turks
promise the Jews who will settle there
home rule. 1t IS believed that an irri-
CATION system can be easily put in oper-
alton with Baron Hirsch's money, ana
that at once the 100000 Jews in Rus
sia will begin to flock thi,her and begin
life anew. Probably, also, there will he
great numbers of Jews from Poland, the
Danuban Provinces, Hungary and else
nearly so bad as in Russia, is still not
pleasant. There is less interest in the
Zionist movement in the United States,
especially among the younger Jews,
who declare that the United States is
good enough for them. and they do not
want to go anywhere else. In the Unit
ed States there are, however. $50 Zion
ist organizations, with a total member
ship of so, This is made UP. how
ever. almost wholly of older Jews of
strictly orthodox tendencies.
Mesopotamia plays such a large part
in Biblical history that it will commend
itself particularly to the Jews. Meso-
potamia is the Greek name for the
country in which were Babylon, Nine
ven and other great cities and dense
population of IS centuries ago. Strictly
speaking, as It's name implies. ii is the
land between the two great rivers of the
Tigris and the Euphrates 1t is vast
plain covered with the ruins OF the
former civilization. and almost unin-
habited except along the water courses.
It's wealth was a continual temptation
to the robber kings. and its history is a
succession of wars for its possession.
II finally passed under the rule of the
Turks. who destroyed the people and
allowed the irrigation canals to clog up.
There is no part of the land but what
can be rendered as fertile as il once
was.
In that country at one time the Jews
hourished amazingly, and gained great
wealth and political strength. With It
are associated the stories of Daniel and
the three who were cast into the fiery
furnace and the wonderful prophecies
of Ezekiel. There was the greatest
school of Rabbis. and that wonderful
work. the Babylonian Talmud, was writ
ten there. The Jews are still quite nu-
merous in Bagdad. where they have a
bench of Rabbis with synagogs and
schools. railroad will soon reach
Bagdad, and from there be extended to
India. The railroad itself is an assur-
ance of peace and order.