Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-29

JEWS OWN 40 VILLAGES.
Over 5000 Acres of Land in Palestine
Under Cultivation.

\ correspondent at ,Halfa sends to
the 0smantscher Lloyd at Gonstanti
nople an interesting review of the re-
suits of Jewish colonization in Pales-
tine. Jewish colonists and other re
cent Jewish immigrants now form half
of the entire Jewish population of
Palestine and are rapidly increasing.
They are especially strong at Haifa,
Jaffa and Jerusalem.
The colonists now own 40 villages
and about 100000 acres of land. OF
this land % per cent. is under cultiva-
ton 21,000 acres in Judea, with II
colonies; $4,000 acres in Samaria, with
eight colonies; 10000 acres in Gallee
with 16 colonies, and 500 acres in the
trans Jordan country, with one colony.
The most important of these settle
mentS, which were founded between
1878 and 1902, were Pethach Titweh
O500 colonistsl, Rishon lie Zion. G00p
colonists) in Judea. Zikhron- Jacob
U000 colonists) in SAMANTHA and Rosh
Pinah fS00 colonists) in Galilee.
The early progress of these settle
ments was slow, and at the end of the
18th century they were not self sup
porting, but relied to a great extent on
the generosity of Baron Edmond dc
Rothschld In 1899 the Jewish
Colonization Association of Paris took
over the management of the colonies
and the bulk of them are now eco
nomically independent Vineyards,
oranges. olives and wheat form the
chief industries
The following Zionist organizations
are now at work in Palestine:
% The Jewish Bank of London,
with its offshoot, the Anglo-Palestin"
Company, which has branches in
Beirut. Haifa, Hebron Jaffa, Jerusalem
and Safed This institution is princi-
pally engaged in making loans at verI
low rates of interest to Jewish agri-
culturists and traders. CD The man
aging board of the Jewish National
Fund. which has planted extensive
olive orchards and purchases IAN
which is not resold, but divided into
allotments and leased TO settlers or
otherwise exploited for the. benefit o.
the fund. CD The Palestine Land De-
velopment Company. which has ac-
CURED large properties on the shores
of the Sea of Galilee. "a The Erez
Israel Colonization Company of
Cologne 60 The Berlin Jewish Wo-
mems Cultural Association, and 60
the Wolffsohn Foundation of Cologne
which is employed in building work
mems houses.
The education of the Jewish popula
tion of Palestine is mainly in the
hands of the French Alliance lsraellte
Universelle with Is schools. 10 teaeh-
ers and 2200 pupils. and of the German
Jewish Hilfsverein of Berlin, with .
schools $50 teachers and 5000 pupils
Six schools in which the Talmud ana
Torah are taught through the medium
of Hebrew are controlled by the Free
Union for the Interests of OrthoroX
Jewry of Frankfort on- Main. Tws
girls schools are managed by the
Anglo Jewish Association of London
and the Khoweweh Zion Association
of Odessa. while certain important
private schools as the Theodor Herzl
Memorial High School at Jana, the
Bezalel Arts and Crafts Scho1f
Jerusalem and the German JErtS
Unions Polytechnic School now build-
ing at Haifa. also deserve mention.
The correspondent of the Osman-
fischer Lloyd estimates the number OF
Jews resident in Palestine at loa,aah,