THE EARLY ZIONIST MOVEMENT

The pogroms in Russia and throughout Eastern Europe resulted in a mass migration of Jews from that area to other parts of the world. Some 25,000 went to Palestine, a few thousand went to Argentina, but most went to the United States. Of those who went to the US, there was a core among them who followed the Zionist spirit. They became the vanguard of the Zionist movement in America, the hub of which was New York's Lower East Side where the majority of Jewish immigrants settled.

In 1882, Joseph Bluestone, a prominent physician, established there the first such society, the New York Lovers of Zion. Eliezer Bricker, treasurer of the second Zionist Society established in New York, extended much financial aid to the early pioneers in Palestine. Other Zionist societies were, later, founded, each with its own political points of view and aiding the early Palestinian pioneers in different ways. By 1900, 24 such organizations were located in New York alone, with a membership of 5000. These were the nucleus of the American Zionist Federation.

Some of the earliest supporters and members of the BILU were American Jews. But this was also a time when the Ottoman Empire was experiencing the rise of non-Turkish nationalisms within its borders. Therefore, fearing the rise of Jewish nationalism, a communication from the minister of foreign affaris was sent to Gen. Lew Wallace, United States minister to Turkey, in which the statement was made that Jews would be made welcome anywhere in Turkey except in Palestine. This was strongly opposed by Gen. Wallace and in 1884 he took vigorous action against the threatened expulsion from Palestine of the Lubrowsky brothers, naturalized American citizens. In 1887 and 1888 attempts were made by the Turkish government to limit the sojourn of American Jews in Jerusalem to one month—later extended to three months. This was opposed, as well, by Wallace’s successor, Oscar Straus, a Jew. Due to the support given him by Secretary of State Bayard, (and later, by Secretaries Blaine, Gresham, and Hay) who contended that the United States, by reason of its Constitution, could not recognize any distinction between American citizens in respect to their religion, successfully halted any steps to expel American citizens who happened to be Jews. As a result, it appeared that the rights of American citizens who were Jews became carefully guarded by the Turks. In 1897, some of the American delegates to the First Zionist Congress – Adam Rosenberg, Shepsel Schaffer, Rosa Sonnenschein, and Davis Treitsch, later made aliyah and greatly aided the new Zionist movement. By the next year, however, Americans, as well as other Jews who were not Ottoman citizens, were forced to seek assistance from their consuls in Palestine before their disembarkation in Jaffa.