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[[File:BILU-SEPT1882.png|thumb|Bilu charter, 1882]]
[[File:MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF GEDERA AND THE BILU - beith Moshe Mintz.JPG|thumb|Bilu Museum in [[Gedera]]]]
[[File:Bilu members Ze'ev Vladimir Dubnov, Ya'acov Shertok and Chaim Chissin in Russia in 1890.jpg|thumb|Bilu members Ze'ev Vladimir Dubnov, Ya'acov Shertok and Chaim Chissin in Russia in 1890]]
[[File:Israel Belkind.jpg|thumb|[[Israel Belkind]] (founder of movement).]]
'''Bilu''' ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: ביל"ו; also Palestine Pioneers) was a [[Jews|Jewish]] movement of the late 19th century, fueled predominantly by the immigration of [[Russian Jews]], whose goal was the agricultural settlement of the [[Land of Israel]]. Its members were known as Bilu'im, and the movement sought to inspire Jewish peopleJews to migrate to [[Ottoman Palestine]]. The Bilu'im rejected progressive notions such as emancipation[[Emancipation]] and assimilation as viable options for Jewish survival. The movement collapsed as a result of the challenging farming conditions in Palestine and a lack of funding to sustain the settlers.
==Etymology==
Originally the movement was called Davio, an [[acronym]] of the Hebrew words from the Book of Exodus: "Speak unto the children of Israel that they will go forward." The movement's name was later changed by the movement'sits founder, [[Israel Belkind]], to "Bilu", which is an acronym based on a [[Verse (bible)|verse]] from the [[Book of Isaiah]] ([[Isaiah 2:5|2:5]]) "בית יעקב לכו ונלכהונלכה" Beit Ya'akov Lekhu Venelkha ("House of [[Jacob]], let us go [up]").
==History==
=== Formation ===
The wave of [[Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire#1881–1884|pogroms in 1881–1884]], known as "Southern Storms",<ref name=":4">{{cite journal |last1=Laskov |first1=Shulamit |title=The Biluim: Reality and legend |journal=Studies in Zionism |date=March 1981 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=17–69 |doi=10.1080/13531048108575798 }}</ref> amongst Jews, in conjunction with Tsar [[Alexander III of Russia]]'s [[antisemitic]] [[May Laws]] of 1882 prompted mass emigration of Jews from the [[Russian Empire]]. The Jewish peopleJews in Russia had originally hoped to move out of the [[Pale of Settlement]] (the territory that they were confined to by the authorities), but their hopes were dashed by a proposition from the Russian government for the Jews to move out of Russia entirely.<ref name=":4" /> Thus many Jews left; many went to North America, and a smaller group went to Palestine.<ref name=":7">Kimmerling, Baruch. ''Clash of Identities: Explorations in Israeli and Palestinian Societies''. Columbia University Press, 2008, 277.</ref>
On 6 July 1882, the first group of Bilu pioneers emigrated from Russia and arrived in [[History of Palestine#Ottoman period|Ottoman Palestine]]. The group consisted of fourteen university students from [[Kharkiv]] led by [[Israel Belkind]], who was later a prominent writer and historian.{{Citation Theneeded|date=December Bilu movement was powered by a group ethos amongst the explorers as opposed to the individual goals that motivated other pioneers to Ottoman Palestine.2023}}
=== Initial hopes and challenges ===
The arrival of Bilu pioneers arrival marked the beginning of the [[First Aliyah]].<ref name=":3">{{cite journal |last1=Halperin |first1=Liora R. |title=Forging beginnings: Commemorative cultures and the politics of the "First Aliyah" |journal=Journal of Israeli History |date=2 January 2020 |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=53–76 |doi=10.1080/13531042.2020.1810420 |s2cid=222137781 }}</ref> They attempted to use farming societies as a way to relieve Jewish economical and social tensions from the Pale of Settlement.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Bartal |first1=Israel |title=Farming the land on three continents: Bilu, Am Oylom, and Yefe-Nahar |journal=Jewish History |date=22 October 2007 |volume=21 |issue=3–4 |pages=249–261 |doi=10.1007/s10835-007-9046-3 |s2cid=154573837 }}</ref> Jewish peopleJews were not farmers in the Pale of Settlement, so inthey movingsaw the "return" to Palestine, theyas reconnecteda withreturn to their historical practice of farming.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tobenkin |first1=Elias |title=Jews in Eastern Europe Becoming Farmers |journal=Current History |date=June 1925 |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=386–391 |id={{ProQuest|1310912346}} |doi=10.1525/curh.1925.22.3.386 |jstor=45329997 |s2cid=251852128 }}</ref> As of 1882, there were 525 members in the Bilu movement, all of whom were controlled by the KharkovKharkiv group or "The Central Bureau,". The Kharkov group controlled the affairs of all Bilu pioneers until theall entiretymembers of the membership waswere brought to [[Jaffa]]. The group aimed to set up a model settlement for all Jewry.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |author=Ḥisin, Ḥayyim |title=A Palestine diary : memoirs of a Bilu pioneer, 1882-18871882–1887 |date=1976 |publisher=Herzl Press |oclc=999842435 }}{{pnpage needed|date=April 2023}}</ref> The KharkovKharkiv group attempted to buy enough land from Turkey forso that the entirety of the membership tomight settle thesethe prospective land, which would enable the Jews to own the land which they were hoping to farm. The Ottoman Empire startedResponding to placelocal governmentpressures, restrictionsthe onOttoman whoauthorities couldstarted buyrestricting lands,Jewish asland a result of local pressures,purchase<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Campos |first1=Michelle U. |title=Between 'Beloved Ottomania' and 'The Land of Israel': The Struggle over Ottomanism and Zionism among Palestine's Sephardi Jews, 1908-131908–13 |journal=International Journal of Middle East Studies |date=2005 |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=461–483 |id={{ProQuest|195595226}} |jstor=3879641 |doi=10.1017/s0020743805052165 |s2cid=162801222 }}</ref> and restricted Jewish entryimmigration to theirthe empire.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Dowty |first1=Alan |last2=Epstein |first2=Yitzhak |title='A Question That Outweighs All Others': Yitzhak Epstein and Zionist Recognition of the Arab Issue |journal=Israel Studies |date=2001 |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=34–54 |id={{Gale|A73711093}} {{Project MUSE|14458}} {{ProQuest|195265293}} |jstor=30245563 |doi=10.1353/is.2001.0003 }}</ref> Bilu pioneers sought approval from the Ottoman Empire to immigrate to Palestine on the grounds of seeking refugeerefuge from Russian oppression, but leadership in the Ottoman empire refused to take more refugees in order to avoid further political discourse.<ref name=":6">{{cite thesis |id={{ProQuest|275973458}}} |last1=Podhurst |first1=Robert |date=2002 |title=Sociological analysis of a national movement: Jewish colonization of Palestine, 1881–1914 }}</ref> Most Bilu'im returned to Russia after receiving the unwelcoming news that they were not welcome in Palestine. However, fourteen members of the movement continued on to Palestine without the permission of the Ottoman Empire and arrived in July 1882.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Weisman |first=Tyler |date=April 4, 2014 |title=Zionism, 1862-18971862–1897: Foundations of a Movement |url=http://libjournals.unca.edu/ncur/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1106-Weisman-1.pdf |journal=}}</ref> Some members of the Central Bureau went to Jaffa, but shortly after, arrival funds ran dry, and the group could not afford to send for the rest of the members waiting in Russia.
=== The situation in Palestine ===
Most of the Jewish population consisted of [[Sephardim]]. The [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] population was much smaller and much less well off.<ref name=":0" /> Some Jews took a short stay at the Jewish farming school in [[Mikveh Israel]] with the hopes of furthering their agricultural abilities; Jews were not farmers in Russia. However, this stay was cut short due to hostile encounters with Orthodox [[Old Yishuv and the lack of alignment]] with theopposing Orthodox idealisticworld views of how Jews should live. The continued hostility from the Orthodox Jewish population drove Russian immigrants out of the Mikveh Israel.<ref name=":5" /> After leaving, the hopeful settlers joined [[Hovevei Zion]] ("Lovers of Zion"), unofficially led by [[Leon Pinsker]]. Members aided in establishing [[Rishon LeZion]] ("First to [[Zion]]"), which was an [[agricultural]] [[cooperative]]. However, Jewish aspiration for agricultural societies did not align with the skill sets many immigrants possessed, which caused them to reach out for help from Baron [[Edmond James de Rothschild]] and [[Maurice de Hirsch|Baron Maurice de Hirsch]]. The settlers had previously refused help because the Barons wanted some control over how the colonies they would be funding would operate.<ref name=":5" /> After the Bilu'im admitted to needing help, Hirsch and Rothschild provided funding that led to the establishment of the local [[wine]] industry as a result of more successful agricultural work. In 1886, construction began on a winery in [[Rishon Lezion]]LeZion that became a successful wine-exporting enterprise.
In the winter of 1884, another group of Bilu pioneers founded [[Gedera]]. Gedera was established on a tract of land purchased from the Arab village of [[Qatra]] by [[Yehiel Michel Pines]] of the Hovevei Zion through the auspices of the French consul in [[Jaffa]].
== Goals for the movement ==
The articlesBilu weremovement's asideology followsconsisted of six articles:<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Salmon |first=Yosef |date=1978 |title=Ideology and Reality in the Bilu "'Aliyah " |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41035804' |journal=Harvard UkranianUkrainian Studies |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=430–466 |jstor=41035804 }}</ref> ▼The Bilu movement aimed to present its ideology to young Jews via six articles.
# theThe return of the people Israel to their historic land ▼▲The articles were as follows:<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Salmon |first=Yosef |date=1978 |title=Ideology and Reality in the Bilu "Aliyah" |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41035804 |journal=Harvard Ukranian Studies |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=430–466|jstor=41035804 }}</ref>
# theThe rejection of any discussion of national spiritual revival in favor of Jewish settlements in Palestine as the beginning of national rebirth ▼# theThe dismissal of European Jewish emancipation and other progressive ideas as guarantees of Jewish survival ▼# bringingBringing Jewish people to Palestine to form both physical colonies and spiritual centers ▼# theThe recognition that territory is an essential part of Jewish national survival ▼# theThe assertion of the society as pioneering and avant-garde ▼
The movement was looking to educate Jewish youth based on the notion that the Jews would be outsiders in any land except for Palestine, thewhere nativethey Jewishshould homelandconsider themselves native. Young people were the ideal audience because they were generally robust and were likely capable of manual labor. The Bilu movement sought to spread the belief that even if Jewish people were to give up their Jewish identities in order to be accepted by their neighbors, they would never achieve true acceptance, and should therefore not relinquish their Jewish identityidentities. One of the foundational beliefs of the Bilu movement was the belief that Jewish peopleJews should immigrate to Palestine. However, many Bilu'im were not financially prepared or emotionally equipped for emigration out of Europe. Leadership central to the movement, headquartered in KharkovKharkiv ( in modern day [[Ukraine ]]), made it clear to many Bilu'im that the movement could not fund a mass emigration.<ref name=":2" /> Thus, should settlers struggle, they would have to turn to outsideexternal sources for financial aid . The Bilu'im was one of the few Zionist movements that focused on both personal and national revival.<ref name=":6" /> The movement sought to reinvigorate the Jew as a farmer in addition to its goal of ensuring Jewish survival through agricultural settlements. ▼▲# the return of the people Israel to their historic land
▲# the rejection of any discussion of national spiritual revival in favor of Jewish settlements in Palestine as the beginning of national rebirth
▲# the dismissal of European Jewish emancipation and other progressive ideas as guarantees of Jewish survival
▲# bringing Jewish people to Palestine to form both physical colonies and spiritual centers
▲# the recognition that territory is an essential part of Jewish national survival
▲# the assertion of the society as pioneering and avant-garde
The Bilu'im was one of the few Zionist movements that focused on both personal and national revival.<ref name=":6" /> Scholar Baruch Kimmerling argues that the group was more religiously- than politically-motivated and that "the newcomers lacked a coherent ideological vision of the [[Jewish state]] and nation building."<ref name=":7" /> Yet "later [[History of Zionism|Zionist historiography]]" claims the group retrospectively as progenitors of Jewish political society in Palestine.<ref name=":7" /> The movement sought to reinvigorate the Jew as a farmer in addition to its goal of ensuring Jewish survival through agricultural settlements.The movement was powered by a group ethos as opposed to the individual goals that motivated other pioneers to Ottoman Palestine.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}
▲The movement was looking to educate Jewish youth based on the notion that the Jews would be outsiders in any land except for Palestine, the native Jewish homeland. Young people were the ideal audience because they were generally robust and were likely capable of manual labor. The Bilu movement sought to spread the belief that if Jewish people were to give up their Jewish identities in order to be accepted by their neighbors, they would never achieve true acceptance, and should therefore not relinquish their Jewish identity. One of the foundational beliefs of the Bilu movement was the belief that Jewish people should immigrate to Palestine. However, many Bilu'im were not financially prepared or emotionally equipped for emigration out of Europe. Leadership central to the movement, headquartered in Kharkov (modern day Ukraine), made it clear to many Bilu'im that the movement could not fund a mass emigration.<ref name=":2" /> Thus, should settlers struggle, they would have to turn to outside sources for financial aid. The Bilu'im was one of the few Zionist movements that focused on both personal and national revival.<ref name=":6" /> The movement sought to reinvigorate the Jew as a farmer in addition to its goal of ensuring Jewish survival through agricultural settlements.
=== Methods ===
The Bilu movement wanted young Jews to immigrate to Palestine in order to create farming communities.<ref name=":2" /> The Bilu idealists wished to create a new breed of Jewish farmer and reintroduced old colonist solutions to different established nations.<ref name=":1" /> The movement adopted almost the entire "maskilic" discourse, hoping for a cultural and spiritual renewal. [[Maskilim]] were people educated about in Hebrew literature but from a more secular standpoint than the religious Hebrew teachings of the Talmud. These people were often a part of the [[Haskalah]] movement, also known as the Jewish Enlightenment. By engaging in maskilic discourse, the Bilu leaders appealed their ideals to more traditional and progressive thinkers alike.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Shmuel |last=Feiner |title=Jewish Enlightenment |date=2011 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-1-283-89045-8 |oclc=843080144 }}{{pnpage needed|date=April 2023}}</ref> TheSome consider the Bilu movement spearheadedas thepioneers of [[Labor Zionism|labor zionist]] movement.<ref name=":3" />
== Collapse of the movement ==
As time went on, the number of Bilu immigrants in Palestine began to decline. It was not easy to live as an agriculturalist in Palestine. Though agriculture was a part of the society, farming settlements tend to be beholden to a scope of natural weather disasters and do require some sort of financial backing to succeed.<ref name="Aaronsohn 1995 438–453">{{cite journal |last1=Aaronsohn |first1=Ran |title=The Beginnings of Modern Jewish Agriculture in Palestine: 'Indigenous' versus 'Imported' |journal=Agricultural History |date=1995 |volume=69 |issue=3 |pages=438–453 |jstor=3744337 }}</ref> As a result of challenging farming season,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=BARTAL |first=ISRAEL |date=2007 |title=Farming the land on three continents: Bilu, Am Oylom, and Yefe-Nahar |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20728549 |journal=Jewish History |volume=21 |issue=3/4 |pages=249–261 |doi=10.1007/s10835-007-9046-3 |jstor=20728549 |s2cid=154573837 |issn=0334-701X}}</ref> a lack of financial means, and the variability of wine fit for sale,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ha'am |first=Ahad |date=2000 |title=Truth From Eretz Israel |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2979/isr.2000.5.2.160 |journal=Israel Studies |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=160–181 |doi=10.2979/isr.2000.5.2.160 |issn=1084-9513 |access-date=April 5, 2023}}</ref> the Russian Bilu'im ceased to exist. Similarly among other sects of Bilu'im, such as the activists in [[Istanbul|Constantinople]], fiscal stability proved to be a problem for advancing the movement, and many activists emigrated to Palestine. There, they worked in agriculture as best they could, but continued to struggle.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Aaronsohn |first=Ran |date=1995 |title=The Beginnings of Modern Jewish Agriculture in Palestine: "Indigenous" versus "Imported" |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3744337 |journal=Agricultural History |volume=69 |issue=3 |pages=438–453 |jstor=3744337 |issn=0002-1482}}</ref> Some emigrated to the United States, funded by the director of the Israeli Mikveh. The aforementioned Gederah became the primary Bilu settlement, and it is known as such today.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=NEUMANN |first=JOSHUA H. |title=The Jewish Battalions and the Palestine Campaign |date=1919 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23601014 |journal=The American Jewish Year Book |volume=21 |pages=120–140 |jstor=23601014 |issn=0065-8987}}</ref>
==See also==
[[Category:Forerunners of Zionism]]
[[Category:Jews and Judaism in Ottoman Palestine]]
[[Category:Words and phrases in Modern Hebrew]]
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