Spread of Modern Jerusalem

Spread of Modern Jerusalem.

A change for the better came with the Russian Jews (1881-91), who brought with them more modern ideas of life. It was impossible to find room for all in the old Jewish quarter between the traditional Zion and the Temple mount. New portions were built up north and west of the city, especially by building societies such as MaHaneh Yehudah, Sha'are zedek, and Oholeh Mosheh. In 1891 there were eighteen such societies, owning 400 houses in front of the Jaffa and Damascus gates, and 15 houses on the Mount of Olives. Other societies were founded to enable Jews to acquire landed property, e.g., Elef She'arim, NaHalat Ya'akob (1886), Hibbat ha-Arez, and Yishshub Erez Yisrael (1896). These were aided by similar societies in Europe, among them the Lema'an ziyyon, founded by Israel Hildesheimer in Berlin, the Moses Montefiore Testimonial Fund, and the Esra in Germany. In addition to the Jews, the Russians and the French Catholics have done a great deal to build up modern Jerusalem. The Russian buildings are nearly all in a walled quadrangle on the Jaffa road. They contain an insane asylum, mission-and pilgrim-houses, and a cathedral. On the Mount of Olives also the Russians have built a church and a hospice for pilgrims. A Mrs. Spofford, who claimed prophetic powers, came from America and formed a community in Jerusalem. A few years later 117 Swedish-Americans, mostly from Chicago, joined her. Visitors commenced to come in larger numbers with the opening on Sept. 26, 1892, of the narrow-gage railway from Jaffa, which was built by a French company. Bokharian Jews commenced to settle in the city in the year 1893.
(see image) Towers of David and Hippicus, Jerusalem.(From a photograph by Bonfils.)
(see image) The Wailing-Place, Jerusalem(After the painting by Bida.)On Nov. 1, 1898, the German emperor William II. visited Jerusalem in state. One of the three arches built on the Jaffa road was erected by the Jews, a deputation of whom was received by the emperor. On the following day a deputation of Zionists, with Dr. Theodor Herzl at the head, had an audience. In connection with the emperor's visit, many of the old roads had been repaired and new ones built, especially up to the Mount of Olives; and a portion of the city wall to the right of the Jaffa Gate had been torn down to make the entry to the city commodious ("P. E. F. S." 1899, p. 117). In order to assist the German colonists, the Deutsche Palästina Bank was established. This was followed in 1903 by the Anglo-Palestine Co., founded by the Zionists in connection with the Jewish Colonial Trust.

For some hundreds of years a small community of Karaites existed in Jerusalem. According to their own tradition, in 1586 they numbered 200; but on account of the plague most of them wandered away. An anonymous Italian writer of the year 1625 (Luncz, l.c. v. 86) says that their number in his day was 20, most of whom were gold-smiths. About the year 1830 there were none to be found in the city; their dwellings had been appropriated by the other Jews; but the latter were forced by the Damascus Karaites to give them up again ("Jerusalem," vi. 239). Their synagogue, to which a number of steps led down, is still standing. The oldest gravestone dates from the year 1716. In 1856 they numbered 32 (Frankl, "Nach Jerusalem," ii. 63; and see Fürst, "Gesch. des Karäerthums," iii. 129 et seq.).

Jerusalem