| Show ZIONISM AS D FROM JERUSALEM it la in probably something in the nature of a surprise says gays the literary digest that the thirty thousand or were jews jewa who now live in jerusalem doi do not look with favor upon the actuation of the zionists in europe aking toward a restoration of the kingdom ling dom of israel in the land of their lathers eril they rather view with alarm the project of zionism A re fant bent issue of the bote aus zion a mission journal published in jerusalem brings the following intelligence gence on this matter translated for the be digest however much th the e jews of jerusa I 1 lem both from a religious and a national point of view put forth effort to nake make their individuality in the om felt and however much their rapidly increasing numbers and their activity in commercial and bust busl icess life have been making thet them a no f ti ceable factor in the city of their ance ancestors storo they nevertheless will have nothing to do with the national movement of the zionists as this found its expression in the convention at basel the writer rece recently asked an old influential jew of af jerusalem in regard to this matter he stated that the whole agitation was a swindle the real purpose of the leaders being to make money and that this was the reason why the great majority of the rabbis would have nothing to do with the project he deel declared pred that the jews had nver never sold palestine and that accordingly it was not necessary to buy that country back the only way to reacquire it t Is by and this would be hard bard lanot if not fth impossible possible intelligent observer who is in a s condition to judge will acknowledge that the effort to establish a jewish state in palestine in view of the surrounding difficulties not all of which would be caused by the turkish government ern ment would be a matter of extraordinary difficulty it really seems phenomenal that the zionist society has seriously thought of carrying out a plan and to do so with the aid of money even the jews in the sacred city are so surprised at the method proposed that they almost spontaneously have come to the conclusion that a financial speculation is at the bottom of the whole enterprise the object sought by the zionists is something entirely different from the way by which they are trying to attain it the old orthodox jew while in full agreement with the former on account of his interpretation of prophetic prediction protests most decidedly against the latter that palestine is in actually the property of the jews is on the basis of the holy scriptures acknowledged not only by the jews jewa and the christians but even by the edans the latter have it as aa an article of their faith which they too are perfectly willing to acknowledge that the time will come coma when they themselves will gain again return to their southern homes end and the jews will take their place in the promised land it is quite natural that the jew is not allowed openly to speak of his hopes of realizing this idea and it has occurred more than once that a public reference to the uprising of the israelites under mhd th as an ex example of what should take place a again ties has been punished by the aulo authorities r but the vast immigration of jews into the land of their ancestors in recent decades is founded on this hope as also the establishment of jewish agricultural colonies throughout the length and breadth of the land upon wh which be h much money and enthusiasm have been e n spent and some of which are in a flourishing condition the fact that in a comparatively short time the greater portion of the trade of the country has fallen into nto the hands of jews who have permanently settled in palestine was some thing to be expected then too that all branches of artisan work such as ab mason masonry and stone cutting are now being practised practiced by the jews of palestine can probably be explained on the grolig ground that the jewish immigrants from southern russia and southeastern europe in general were accustomed to such work but that the jews have founded agricultural colonies and are ar zealously working them to is remarkable yet there are more than twenty of these now in palestine especially along the coast districts and in the upper jordan valley all controlled and worked by jewl Je they have been thriving to a notable degree having learned what crops can be successfully raised an important factor in the prosperity or of these colonies Is the fact that they are liberally supported by wealthy jews in europe especially the it must be confessed that the success of these enterprises is a credit to jewish perseverance and intelligence they have demonstrated the fact practically all that national farming especially on the seacoast sea coast districts can satisfy even the demands of european agriculturists and more than this would not be asked in case a jewish state were re fahed in palestine these colonies show that the jews can live and thrive in their ancestral patrimony even it the zionist methods do not find their approval |
