The First Aliyah
History Series / Part 3

Zionism caught fire in many Jewish hearts, and in the years between 1881 and 1901, several thousand Jews immigrated to the Land of Israel. Rabbi Wein paints the picture of the struggles the early pioneers faced in farming arid, disease-ridden land amidst hostile Arab neighbors. But as their labor bore fruit, the hatred of the Arabs was only further exacerbated. Rabbi Wein concludes this memorable lecture with a reading of anti-Zionist propaganda, eerily reminiscent of the language of Hamas today.

• how the European powers imported anti-Semitism to the Arabs
• the naive mistake of underestimating Arab enmity
• Baron de Rothschild's colonies
• comparison of the troubles of the early settlers with Israel's troubles today