Abu-Ezam

The Abu-Ezam (or Abu-Etham) family is a Palestinian Christian family formerly engaged in numerous businesses, most notably in the manufacturing, and education sectors. Prior to the 1948 Palestinian exodus, they were considered one of the wealthiest families in Palestine. The majority of their wealth derived from the collective and privately held ownership of businesses in the city of Ramla in modern-day Israel..

History

During the early decades of the twentieth century in Palestine, the majority of the Arab population sustained itself primarily through agricultural and pastoral pursuits. The large socioeconomic gap between wealthier, land-owning classes and the Fellah, or laboring class, was typical of the historic Palestinian economy prior to the Nakba. The Abu-Ezam family was entrepreneurial during the time between 1900 and 1940 when manufacturing in Palestine saw considerable growth. The number of manufacturing enterprises grew in size from around 1,240 in 1913 to 3,505 in 1927 (with 17,955 workers) and about 6,000 (with 40,000 workers) in 1936.

Industrialization of the Palestinian Economy

The Abu-Ezam family played a role in the industrialization of the Palestinian economy that took place in the mid-1930s in the costal region of Palestine, owning approximately 1/5 the factories with over 100 workers in 1937. They are known to have promoted education through various investments, particularly in the sciences..