Jewish migration from Lebanon post-1948
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Lebanese Jewish Migration to Israel included thousands of Jews, who moved to Israel,
Background
Mandatory rule
Tudor Parfitt writes, "the riots, which would have been quite inconceivable a short time before, were the first serious indication of dissatisfaction with British rule in the history of the colony".[3] Looking at a few examples such as Aden, Libya, and Iraq it is clear that distaste for colonial rule and resentment over the Zionist movement resounded within Muslim communities in the Arab world. These sentiments led to several acts of violence against Jews throughout the Arab world. What resulted was fear and distrust within Jewish communities, prompting the emigration of hundreds of thousands to Israel. "There is little doubt however that the riots, separated from the mass immigration by about four years, were a central factor in bringing it about".[4] In 1949 alone Israel witnessed an immigration of nearly two hundred and thirty five thousand Jews.[5] By 1954, the number of immigrants to Israel since the founding of the Jewish state reached 725,000 (half the population) broken down as such:[6]
Like many other Arab states, the Lebanese experienced deep resentment for their new lack of autonomy. Yet, unlike many other Arab states, Lebanon did not experience the same levels of dissatisfaction with their European colonizers.
Jews have been present in Lebanon since biblical times, and have been a fundamental part of Lebanese society.
We address the government of the Republic of Lebanon with feelings of profound gratitude…for safeguarding our rights and interests as a religious minority; we are loyal and sincere citizens.[12]
Zionism in Lebanon
In the case of Lebanon, Zionism was never received by the Jewish population to an extent to warrant significant riots or anti-Jewish violence. In a letter to Colonel
Zionism and the Lebanese Maronite Christian Community
Zionists perceived Lebanon as a unique state in the Arab world.[
This positive relationship between the Zionist and Maronite community soon spread to the
Violence in Arab Countries
As the Zionist movement grew in strength, so did anti-Jewish sentiments in Arab countries. Tudor Parfitt describes the situation in Aden writing,
"Arab concern with the problem of Palestine had been transformed into a deep local resentment of Jews by a number of factors. A certain unaccustomed assertiveness on the part of the Jewish community in Aden, the fact that the Jews hoisted Zionist flags on V.E. day and of course the very visible flow of Jewish refugees into Aden from the Yemen bound for Palestine combined to create an entirely new atmosphere".[23]
Traditionally Jews and Muslims coexisted in relative peace in Aden, but now Aden became a place of increasing tensions, culminating in several riots. Fears over the partitioning of Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state led to small Arab strikes in October 1947 in Aden.[24] Similarly, on 30 November, tensions arising from anti-Zionist sentiments culminated in violence throughout the Middle East. "After the United Nations proposal to partition Palestine, on November 30th, passions boiled over throughout the Arab world and Jewish blood was shed in Palestine, Damascus, Aleppo, Beirut and Baghdad".[25] Leading up to and even after the creation of Israel in 1948, anti-Jewish violence spread throughout the Arab world.
Riots in Tripoli, Libya on 4 November 1945 followed the pattern of the riots in Aden. "The rioting, which involved shop looting, arson, and physical attacks, grew in intensity".[26] Accounts of various informants during the riots describe "mostly poorer Muslims of all ages participated in the riots, while wealthier notables stood by and watched. Women also took part by cheering on the rioters with high-shrilled cries".[27] Like Aden and Tripoli, Libya: Iraq, Syria, Morocco, and Egypt simply to name a few, experienced anti-Jewish violence. Not only did this violence occur as a reaction to the rise of Zionism and the state of Israel, but also as a symbol of dissatisfaction with foreign rule.
Emigration from Middle Eastern countries other than Lebanon
From 1948-1975, Israel experienced an immigration of 1,570,000 Jews.[28] Of these, 751,000 came from Islamic countries, nearly 48% of all emigrating Jews.[29] By 1954, of the 725,000 Jewish emigrants, 326,000 came from Muslim countries including Iraq, Yemen, Iran, and Aden.[30] It seems that Arab-Jewish tension over the creation of Israel created inhospitable conditions for Middle Eastern Jews, including anti-Jewish riots, bombings, and criminal charges. These conditions grew out of years of growing dissatisfaction with European colonization, and Zionism on the part of the Muslims within Arab countries.
"Throughout 1947 the Aden Commissioner of Police noted a steady deterioration in relations between Jews and Muslims which was marked by a growth in petty assaults on Jews…Arab concern with the problem of Palestine had been transformed into a deep local resentment of Jews."[31] Muslims, who had lived with Jews for centuries began to become resentful of the Zionist ideology. Muslims viewed Zionism as a betrayal of the sense of community that had grown between the cohabitants. Haim Saadoun in referencing an article written by Mohammed Kholti in 1934 writes, "they (the Jews) had betrayed the Muslims because their loyalty should have been to the Sherifian Empire whose hospitality had been well known from centuries."[32] Many Jews were labeled as Zionists, and as Muslim distaste for Zionism grew, so did Muslims dislike of Jews as a whole. This resentment grew into active forms of violence, forcing many Jews to emigrate.
Civil war and anti-Jewish violence in Lebanon
Shulze writes that while anti-Jewish violence was not unheard of in Lebanon "in the context of overall Lebanese attitudes towards its Jewish citizens, Lebanon is far from an ‘anti-Semitic [sic]’ country".[33] Instead, Shulze offers the few instances of anti-Jewish violence as evidence for her claim. She writes, "The few anti-Jewish incidents merit a closer look, not because of the incidents themselves but because of the Lebanese reaction to them, in essence, was protective of Jews".[34]
One incident of Jew-hatred in Lebanon occurred, like many other anti-Jewish incidents across the Arab world, during the Arab-Israeli wars. During this time Arab nationalists threatened violence against Lebanese Jews. As a result, the Lebanese government quickly launched military and paramilitary soldiers to the Jewish quarter, including many Muslim soldiers. Yet, what is most striking about this instance, and evidences the good Jewish-Muslim relationship within Lebanon, was a statement by Jewish community president Joseph Attieh. Attieh stated that the Jewish community "felt exactly as safe with either Muslim or Christian military and police forces".[35]
A second incident occurred in 1975, and serves to further the idea of strong and positive Jewish-Muslim relations in Lebanon. In 1975 the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Lebanese Nationalist Movement (LNM) made moves into Wadi Abu Jamil. During this occupation both groups supplied the Jews with food and water. What is more, the PLO stationed guards at the synagogue in order to prevent vandalism. As Shulze states, "Indeed while Lebanese
It is thus evident that Lebanese sentiments as a whole were in favor of protecting the Lebanese Jewish population. The Lebanese community saw their Jewish population as an integral part of their community, they saw them as Lebanese citizens before Jews. It seems that much of this trust and commradery stemmed from favorable Lebanese-Zionist interactions, though Lebanese Jews were not prepared to immigrate to Israel. This favorable relationship with Zionism did not exist within many Arab countries and resulted in the anti-Jewish riots.[citation needed]
Nevertheless, Jews were targeted in the later years of the civil war. Isaac Sasson, a leader of the Lebanese Jewish community, who was kidnapped at gunpoint 31 March 1985, on his way from the Beirut International Airport, after a trip to Abu Dhabi. Earlier, kidnappers had also seized Eli Hallak, 60-year-old physician; Haim Cohen, a 39-year-old Jew; Isaac Tarrab; Yeheda Benesti; Salim Jammous; and Elie Srour. Cohen, Tarrab, and Srour were killed by their captors, a Shiite Muslim group called The Organization of the Oppressed on Earth, which is believed to have been part of or had links to Hezbollah. The others' fates remain unknown, but they are believed to have also been killed.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ Israel's Beauro of Statistics, Immigrants by period of immigration and country of birth
- ISBN 0-312-22228-9.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor. The Road to Redemption: The Jews of Yemen 1900-1950. p. 167.
- ^ Goldberg, Harvey. Jewish Life in Muslim Libya: Rivals and Relatives. p. 122.
- ^ N. Rogel, W.Z. Laqueur and. "American Jewish Yearbook" (PDF). American Jewish Committee Archives. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ Giladi, G.N. Discord in Zion: Conflict Between Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews in Israel. p. 77.
- ^ Giladi, G.N. Discord in Zion: Conflict Between Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews in Israel. p. 77.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 87.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 87.
- ^ Longrigg, Hemsley (1972). Syria and Lebanon Under the French Mandate. p. 125.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 91.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 92.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 96.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 96.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 96.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 97.
- ^ Eisenberg, Laura (1994). My Enemy's Enemy: Lebanon in the Early Zionist Imagination, 1900-1948. p. 13.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 96.
- ^ Eisenberg, Laura (1994). My Enemy's Enemy: Lebanon in the Early Zionist Imagination, 1900-1948. p. 13.
- ^ Eisenberg, Laura (1994). My Enemy's Enemy: Lebanon in the Early Zionist Imagination, 1900-1948. p. 13.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 90.
- ^ Maktabi, Rania. "The Lebanese Census of 1932 Revisited. Who are the Lebanese" (PDF). Retrieved 6 December 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor. The Road to Redemption: The Jews of Yemen 1900-1950. p. 165.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor. The Road to Redemption: The Jews of Yemen 1900-1950. p. 165.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor. The Road to Redemption: The Jews of Yemen 1900-1950. p. 166.
- ^ Goldberg, Harvey. Jewish Life in Muslim Libya: Rivals and Relatives. p. 111.
- ^ Goldberg, Harvey. Jewish Life in Muslim Libya: Rivals and Relatives. pp. 111–112.
- ^ Giladi, G.N. Discord in Zion: Conflict Between Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews in Israel. p. 77.
- ^ Giladi, G.N. Discord in Zion: Conflict Between Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews in Israel. p. 77.
- ^ Giladi, G.N. Discord in Zion: Conflict Between Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews in Israel. p. 77.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor. The Road to Redemption: The Jews of Yemen 1900-1950. p. 165.
- ISBN 0-312-22228-9.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 97.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 97.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 97.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2000). Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations. p. 98.