The State of IsraelThe modern state
of Israel was established in 1948.
Many beliefs and events led to its creation including Zionism, Anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust.
ZionismZionism is a Jewish movement Jewish movement that began in Europe in the that began in Europe in the late 19late 19thth century. century.
Its goal was to establish a Its goal was to establish a Jewish homeland in Jewish homeland in Palestine.Palestine.
Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl started the started the movement movement and also led the first Zionist Congress in 1897.
After World War I, the movement grew in popularity.
In 1917, In 1917, Britain issued the Britain issued the Balfour DeclarationBalfour Declaration, which , which stated that Britain would work stated that Britain would work toward the establishment of a toward the establishment of a national home for the Jewish national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.people in Palestine.
The term ArabArab refers to a person who speaks Arabic. Arabs live in many different countries, but mainly in the Middle East and North Africa.
Many Arabs did not support Zionism.
Nevertheless, the Jewish population in Palestine continued to grow.
In just 30 years, from 1903 to 1933, the Jewish population grew from 25,000 to 238,000 as Jews moved
to the region.Around 1936, one-third of the
total population of Palestine was made up of Jewish immigrants.
Jews & Arabs in Palestine, 1920 Jews & Arabs in Palestine, 1920
× In 1920, there
was 1 Jew toevery 10 Arabs inPalestine.
× By 1947, the ratio was 2 Arabs forevery Jew.
× In 1920, there
was 1 Jew toevery 10 Arabs inPalestine.
× By 1947, the ratio was 2 Arabs forevery Jew.
The Arabs felt that they were losing control of their country
The Arabs felt that they were losing control of their country
ISRAEL
The Creation of IsraelThe history of the Jews is traced back to the Fertile
Crescent along other early civilizations.In more recent times, Palestine was part of the
Ottoman Empire, until World War I.After World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire,
Britain ruled Palestine.As more Jewish people moved into Palestine, tensions
with the Arabs increased.Clashes became violent and more frequent. In 1937, the British created a plan to divide up the
land between the Arabs and Jews, but both groups rejected it.
Although the US was not directly involved at this time, they did believe that Jewish people should be allowed to move to the area.
European Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism Anti-Semitism is hostility toward or prejudice against Jews or Judaism.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, anti-Semitism began to spread throughout Europe.
Events in Russia, Austria, and France fueled European anti-Semitism.
In Russia, anti-Jewish mob attacks, called pogromspogroms, began in 1881 and then spread to Central and Eastern Europe.
Russians blamed Jews for the assassination of the tsar, the leader of Russia.
In Austria in the late 1890’s, politicians tried to keep additional Jews from moving into the empire.
Leaders such as the mayor of Vienna encouraged anti-Semitic views and supported laws that were racist.
In each of these and many other cases, Jews were often irrationally blamed for events over which they had no control and in which they played no part.
This type of misplaced blame without proof is a common feature of racist belief system like anti-Semitism.
World War IIThe events that led to the The events that led to the
Holocaust began in 1933.Holocaust began in 1933.
From the time Adolf Hitler From the time Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of became the chancellor of Germany, the treatment of Jews Germany, the treatment of Jews in Germanyin Germany, and eventually most of continental Europe, grew worse.grew worse.
The policies of Hitler’s Nazi Party slowly eroded the rights of Jews.
The government declared that Jews were no longer German citizens and removed them from their jobs, businesses, schools, and homes.
Hitler’s
“FinalSolutio
n”
Hitler’s
“FinalSolutio
n”
The Jewish population in each country in 1942.
The Jewish population in each country in 1942.
The Nazi HolocaustThe Nazi Holocaust
6,000,00 Jews killed by the Nazis [1/2 in the concentration camps.]
6,000,00 Jews killed by the Nazis [1/2 in the concentration camps.]
As Germany took over other European countries, including Poland in 1939, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, France, much of Russia, and Austria, Jews in those locations were treated similarly or worse.
By the end of the war, By the end of the war, Hitler’s “final solution” to Hitler’s “final solution” to rid the earth of Jews rid the earth of Jews resulted in the murder of six resulted in the murder of six million Jews million Jews and the deaths of millions of other Europeans.
Often the Jews that could Jews that could flee Europe moved to flee Europe moved to Palestine Palestine during this time.
The Holocaust ended with The Holocaust ended with Germany’s defeat in World Germany’s defeat in World War II in 1945.War II in 1945.
The “Arab Legion” of the
British Army During WW2
The “Arab Legion” of the
British Army During WW2Britain promised Britain promised
to give the Arabs to give the Arabs control of control of Palestine for Palestine for helping defeat the helping defeat the Nazis.Nazis.
The United Nations support the creation of a state of Israel after World War II.
The conflict between the Arabs and the Jews continued to get worse.
In 1948, Zionism achieved its goal with the creation of Israel, the Jewish state.
In May of 1948, British rule of Palestine ended and the state of Israel was declared.
Israel Becomes a Nation:
May 15, 1948
Israel Becomes a Nation:
May 15, 1948
David Ben-Gurion,
1st Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion,
1st Prime Minister
Chaim Weizmann,
1st President
Chaim Weizmann,
1st President
Israeli and Arab Conflict
May 15, 1948, is known to Arabs as “al-Nakba,” or the catastrophe.
That is the day when the state of Israel was declared and the last of the British troops left.
The very next day, five The very next day, five Arab armies from Arab armies from surrounding countries surrounding countries invaded the new stateinvaded the new state.
These forces were then were then defeated by the Israeli defeated by the Israeli armyarmy.
Over the next several years, the Arab countries surrounding Israel and Palestine competed to lead Arab forces against the new Israel.