Surviving the war : American assistance to the jewish community of Palestine, 1914-1917
Author
Duru, Nur
Advisor
Kohn, Edward P.
Date
2013Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
115
views
views
58
downloads
downloads
Abstract
During the nineteenth century, in hope of finding a solution to the eternal
“Jewish Question”, a movement that envisioned a Jewish homeland in Ottoman
Palestine took root among European Jewry. The Ottoman Empire had no intention of
harboring another nationalist movement within its territories and thus took measures
to prevent the colonization of Palestine. However, Jewish immigrants made use of
the capitulations, which provided foreigners with extraterritorial privileges, to curb
Ottoman measures and go forward with immigration into Palestine. With the
outbreak of World War I, the Ottomans abolished the capitulatory system and left the
movement without the capitulations which was vital for the continuation of
immigration. Additionally the difficulties of the war created unfavorable conditions
for the Jewish community of Palestine. The disruption of the traditional way of life,
accompanied by the difficulties of war rendered the future of the community questionable. At this point, the United States of America took on the duty of
protecting and assisting the community. This thesis attempts to deal with how the
United States assisted the community from the beginning of the war up till the
rupture of Ottoman-American relations in 1917. How the United States helped the
community and through what channels, will be explained.
Keywords
Jewish immigrationZionism
American Zionism
Morgenthau
Palestine
Ottoman Palestine
Capitulations