A little background
The First Aliyah started with the realization of the Zionist vision: making the Jewish people farmers in their land. However, this Aliyah resulted in serious problems for the coming Aliyot: the problems of
Hebrew labor
and
Hebrew guards. The
. שיטת
custodianship system
of the Baron discouraged the farmers of the moshavs. They didn’t have the strength to continue the momentum of Hebrew settlement. A basic change was needed. A new kind of immigrant was needed; ones who had a different kind of social vision. Those were the people of the Second Aliyah.
The Fourth Aliyah
The Homeowners
(1924-1926)
The Fourth Aliyah was the first one to bring large numbers of people to the Land of Israel. During the two years it lasted, more than 67,000 people came to the Land of Israel. The overwhelming majority came from Eastern Europe after they had been subjected to severe economic measures and the gates of the USA had been closed to them. This Aliyah increased the population of the Yishuv from 90,000 to 150,000.
The Fourth Aliyah led to significant urban development. Citrus farming grew and Arab workers were employed. Industrial plants were erected. The acquisition of land, mainly by private people, continued.
There was also a culture flourishing during these years. In 1925, the Hebrew University was founded in Jerusalem and the Technion was opened in Haifa.
Who were the Immigrants?
The immigrants of the Fourth Aliyah came from the middle class. They worked in industry, commerce and the crafts. They came with their families and their assets. They did not come to drain the swamps, rather they purchased land, invested in building and industry and they made money. The people of the Third Aliyah, the socialists, called them the “Bourgeois Aliyah” or “The Homeowners”
The Crisis in the Fourth Aliyah
The Land of Israel suffered from a serious economic crisis in 1926. There was a huge drop in contributions from abroad, especially from Poland, where the financial situation was very bad. This resulted in a significant decline in building and many of the immigrants found themselves unemployed. A wave of migration from the Land of Israel began, leading to a glum and depressing mood. From 1926-1928, 19,000 people came to the Land of Israel, while 14,000 left.
In the summer of 1927, the Histadrut began to seek a solution to the problem. Using money from national funds and government loans from the British Mandate, different employment opportunities were offered. Factories were opened a variety of jobs were offered to the unemployed. In 1928, there was an improvement in the economic situation and a decrease in unemployment. In 1929, the flow of immigrants to the land of Israel was renewed.
Although the institutions of the state-in-the-making did not have much money at that time, they continued to redeem the land. Moreover, they began to purchase land to build cities and to establish industrial areas.
So, what else should you know about the
?Fourth aliyah
The opening ceremony of the Hebrew University
Watch the film documenting the exciting event on mount scopus, from 1925!
Tradesmen Center
Self-employed tradesmen had begun to organize in Jaffa in 1908. They continued their efforts, establishing a center whose purpose was to unite the poor immigrant tradesmen, such as shoemakers, tailors and owners of small workshops, and to form a union. Like in Europe, their activities included social welfare (charity) such as assistance to the unemployed, distributing clothing, granting low-interest loans, assistance to workshop owners who fell ill and could not support their families and the education of needy children.
Sheinkin wrote in a memorandum to the World Zionist Organization, “Tradesmen are usually craftsmen, people who have become experts in their fields. Ey are not the people who became tradesmen overnight (hinting at the people of the Second Aliyah). The craftsmen learned their skill from the time they were youngsters and grew old in their profession. There are even those who have inherited their profession and continue a family tradition.”
Haim Arlozorov
The Opening of Hebrew University
The opening ceremony of Hebrew University took place on Mount Scopus on April1, 1925. The purpose of the ceremony was to raise public awareness of the start of the Hebrew University’s activity as the Hebrew nation’s leading academic institution. It was founded by the Zionist movement in the Land of Israel.
Approximately 7000 people took part in the ceremony, including residents of the Land of Israel as well as guests from abroad, including British leaders, religious leaders, military personnel and administrators. There were government representatives and university delegations from Britain, Ireland, the USA, Holland, Egypt, Switzerland, France, Canada, Poland and Austria.
Rabbi Meir Bar Ilan
Settlements which were Founded During the Fourth Aliyah
Afula
Bat Yam
Beit Zera
Bnei Brak
Einot (agricultural school)
Ein Shemer
Gan Shlomo (Kvutsat Shiller)
Gat Rimon
Givat Brenner
Givat Hashlosha
Gvat
Hasharon
Herzliya
Kfar Aharon
Kfar Ata
Kfar Baruch
Kfar Brandeis
Kfar Ganim
Kfar Hasidim
Kfar Yehoshua
Kiryat Shaul
Magdiel
Mishmar Haemek
Nesher
Neve Ya’akov
Ramataim
Ramat Hasharon
Ramat Rachel
Ramat Yashai
Sadeh Ya’akov
Sarid
חבריא
מילים ולחן: עממי
חֶבְרַיָּא, חֶבְרַיָּא
מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה בְּלִי עֲבוֹדָה?
אֵיפֹה וְאֵיפֹה
וְאֵיפֹה נַעֲבֹד?!
בְּפֶתַח-תִּקְוָה – עֲרָבִים!
בְּנֵס-צִיּוֹנָה – בֵּדוּאִים!
בַּיֶּקֶב – בְּנֵי הָאִכָּרִים!
אֵיפֹה נַעֲבֹד?
The Opening of the Technion
At the beginning of the 20th century, it became clear that a technical school was needed in the Land of Israel. The Hevrat Ezra initiated the establishment of a technical school in Haifa.
Most of the students, starting from their first year of studies, joined the Haganah. In 1929, with the outbreak of riots, the students took part in the defense of the Yishuv in Haifa. In 1928, the Technion was recognized as a technological institute of higher learning. On February 27, 1929, sixteen students passed their exams and received a degree in engineering.