Evening star., 1932-01-10

land In Palestine as the inalienable
property of the Jewish people; the Pal
estine Land Development Co. l909), 70
acquire land as the agent for the Jew
ish National Fund and for other groups
and individuals, and the Jewish Colo
NAL Trust 1880, to promote under
takings and colonization schemes In
Palestine.
Herzl's efforts to obtain Palestine
through charter from the Turkish au-
thoritieS failed, but colonization went
on. His death in 1904 stimulated the
Palestine movement and conceded with
the beginning of the second wave OF
immigration, the result of a clarion call
sounded for pioneers, chalutzim, who
came to work the land for the love OF
the land By 1910 the work OF the
Jewish National Fund had transformed
the entire movement by providing the
means for settlement In the last 80
years the fund has raised over $l0,-
G0C,000, largely through day-by-day ap-
pealS to the masses Of Jews for small
gifts. The 10000 dunams $1,000 acres)
owned by the fund before the war have
increased to 100000. Not only has 1t
purchased rural land leased on hereu-
itary leasehold, but it has acquired
urban land, on which stand the Hebrew
University, the Bezalel School and, IN
Jerusalem, the Hebrew High School and
RadaSsah Hospital in Tel Aviy and the
Technical Institute in Haifa.
Population of Colonies Gain.
While the Jewish National Fund was
acquiring land, new immigrants f1ocked
in, factories were launched, new schools
built, the Hebrew language revived, and
a sand patch, now the modern all
To-, IL IT. IL AxS,, ~, sod
near Jaffe. Throughout the early years
of the twentieth century the Jewish
population, urban and rural, showed
slow but steady increase both in num-
bers and influence. At the outbreak of
the World War there were 43 Jewish
agricultural colonies with a population
of 10000 out of a total of more than
40 900 Jews.
The war completely halted coloniza-
ton for four years, but the issuance Of
the Balfour declaration in 1917 gave
renewed impetus to the Palestine. so
that when the country was freed of
Turkish rule it had $1,000 Jews. A
! few years later when the League of
Nations finally threw the gates of Pail
estine wide open to the larger num-
bers who were waiting the signal of
release from the lands of oppression,
thousands began to trek to the Holy
Land
The altered political situation after
the war brought not only the long
awaited opportunity, but the necessity
of colonization on a much larger and
more organized scale. To meet this
need the Keren Hayesod palestine
Foundation FUND.- was organized in
1920 on the basis of a voluntary tithe.
Since the Keren Hayesod began its ac-
tivities in 1921 it has raised more than
$4,000, 900, a good half Of it in the
United States. ..-
Now Own 1000, 600 Dunams.
Agricultural colonization was natu-
rally its first interest. Through its
efforts So new colonies have been set
tied since 1921. More than 100000
Jews were brought into the country.
The value of Jewish agricultural ex-
ports passed the $7,000,000 mark The
land in Jewish possession exceeds
1000 900 dunams, although nearly half
of this is owned by Baron Edmond de
Rochschild. In short. through the ef-
forts OF the Keren Hayesod and the
4, Jewish National Fund, the land was
transformed in so years.
The survivors of that pioneering
band of 1882 have lived to see Pal
estine change from a land of graves
and tombs to land Of new life as new
colonies sprang up everywhere and be-
wildering activity came to replace the
moribund existence of half century.
ago. The Jewish population is nearing
| 100000. A magnificent Hebrew uni-
versity graces Mount Scopus. A jew
/ ish engineering wizard is forcing the
Jordan to do his bidding and is cleo
| trifying the whole of Palestine. Even
the Dead Sea is becoming a sea of life
Ind in hn hof hoF nj rnl
since the Jewish National Fund was
created in response to the feeling that,
| if the Jews were to return to their
land their land must be returned to the
| Jews, Palestine still wants more Jews
and the Jews still want more land. g,