On This Day in Jewish History: August 21, 1933
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#onthisday, 1933, the 18th Zionist Congress convened in Prague in the shadow of newly elected, Nazi Germany. This Congress was the first to come together following the Nazi rise to power.
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At the time, British-occupied Palestine had a developing inflationary economy, and Chaim Arlosoroff, the Labor leader and leader of the Jewish Agency Political Department, had recently been assassinated by extremist, right-wing Revisionists in Tel Aviv.
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Dr. Nahum Sokolow, the president of the World Zionist Organization, opened the 18th Zionist Congress with a speech. He said that in response to the evident dangers that have begun in Germany with the Naz rise to power, the Jewish people must remain united.
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He reaffirmed the Zionist Movement’s ideals and stated that the need for a Jewish state must be brought before the international community. He emphasized that there must be a way for the Jews to find refuge in the future Israel.
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A major push of German Jews would begin the move to British-occupied Palestine en masse within the next 3-4 years – making up the Fifth Aliyah.
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German Jews brought a rich culture of cafes, art, music, and Bauhaus architecture. Tel Aviv became a bustling city growing exponentially with a strong economy while the rest of the world reeled from the Great Depression.
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By 1938-39, the British passed their White Papers which were immigration laws that exclusively limited Jewish migration to occupied-Palestine during a crucial time.
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Regardless, the underground and “illegal” migration of Jews during this time continued and would later be known Aliyah Bet – saving thousands from the clutches of the Holocaust.
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Image Source: https://dbs.anumuseum.org.il/skn/en/c6/e175558/Photos/The_opening_ceremony_of_the_18th_Zionist_Congress_
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