The Old Yishuv

"The Old Yishuv” (HaYishuv HaYashan) is a term that refers to the long-time Jewish residents of the Land of Israel, as opposed to the members of the First Aliyah, the first major Zionist wave of immigration, and those who came in its wake, from 1881 onwards, who would often be referred to as "The New Yishuv" ("The New Settlement").

During the 18th century, from the moment the Old Yishuv’s status was resolved vis-à-vis the Ottoman authorities, its population increased, mainly through the arrival of Orthodox Jewish groups, including Hasidim and disciples of the Vilna Gaon.

The members of the Old Yishuv maintained continuity of Jewish presence in the Land of Israel and provided the anchor for the renewal of Hebrew settlement in the Land of Israel.

Characteristics of the Old Yishuv

The population of the Old Yishuv was concentrated in the four holy cities of the Land of Israel— Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed and Tiberias. During the 19th century, most of the inhabitants lived in Jerusalem, and the city became the largest Jewish center in the Land of Israel.

The people of the Old Yishuv survived mainly on “ḥalukah” (lit. "distribution") money, funds donated by philanthropists and charitable organizations around the world, distributed to residents by various kollels according to country of origin, membership in Hasidic sects and so forth. In a sense, the Jews of the Diaspora saw the Jews of the Land of Israel as the carriers of a metaphorical torch, symbolizing the connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, and therefore willingly supported the settlement through the ḥalukah funds. The Yishuv’s population became almost completely dependent on these funds.

Sephardim and Ashkenazim, Hasidim and Prushim (followers of the Vilna Gaon), lived in small enclaves within the walls of the holy cities, devoting their time to Torah study in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. Only a few of the Yishuv’s members (mainly from the Sephardic community) made an effort to earn a living from professional crafts or commerce, while the majority of the population refrained from productive economic activity or aspirations of financial independence. Any attempt to instill modern elements and trends into their traditional way of life met swift resistance.

The financial dependence, along with the increase in population, from about 7,000 Jews in 1800 to about 27,000 in 1880, created difficult living conditions in the cities, especially Jerusalem. The Jewish settlement was characterized by poverty and poor sanitation and hygiene. Lack of water and poor nutrition caused high morbidity and mortality.

However, in the second half of the 19th century, winds of change swept through the settlement, reflected in both an increase in the inclination to find work and the beginning of a cultural and educational boom. At the same time, the first neighborhoods outside the walls began to be built.

The Ottoman Empire’s decline coupled with the arrival of waves of Zionist immigration led to the loss of the Old Yishuv’s hegemony among the Jewish inhabitants of the Land of Israel and to a diminishment in its political power.

The Old Yishuv in the National Library

The National Library contains many items related to the Old Yishuv. Alongside books, articles and research, you can find, for example, the first items printed in Hebrew in the Land of Israel, letters from rabbis to various emissaries on the raising of funds abroad, and documents and letters dealing with modernization attempts within the community itself.

In addition, the Library’s collections contain extensive documentation of the work of prominent figures of the Old Yishuv, including Rabbi Salant, Rabbi Diskin and Rabbi Sonnenfeld. To these are added documentation of the first attempts at building neighborhoods outside the walls of Jerusalem, featuring such figures as Moshe Montefiore, Yoel Moshe Salomon and Yehoshua Yellin.

Figures of the Old Yishuv in Pictures

The people of the Old Yishuv were characterized by deep religious devotion to a strict Jewish worldview and lifestyle. Accordingly, most of them focused on Torah study and only a minority engaged in professional crafts. The heads of the Yishuv were mainly rabbis who led their communities in accordance with traditional Jewish values.

The Yishuv’s population was divided into Sephardim and Ashkenazim. The Sephardic leadership was considered united, firm and authoritative, and were even officially recognized by the Ottoman regime. The chief rabbi appointed to head the community was called “Harav Bashi” (and later “HaRishon LeZion”) and represented all the Jews before the Ottoman authorities. The Ashkenazic leadership branched out into many kollels according to community origin. At the end of the 19th century, all the Ashkenazic kollels united under the umbrella of the “General Committee of Knesset Israel.”

Eliyahu Moshe Panigel

1850-1919. Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem

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Shmuel Salant

1816-1909. Leader of Jerusalem's Ashkenazi Jews

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Yaakov Shaul Elishar

1817-1907. Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem

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Moshe Yehoshua Yehuda Leib Diskin

1817-1898. Local leader of a zealous stream of Judaism

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Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld

1848-1932. The Haredi sect's first rabbi in Jerusalem

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Yoel Moshe Solomon

1838-1912. One of the first to leave Jerusalem's walls

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David Yelin

1864-1961. Educator, linguist, and public figure

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Documents and Books About the Old Yishuv

During the Ottoman period in the Land of Israel, the community of the Old Yishuv had—like other Jewish communities in the world living under non-Jewish rule—its own unique local customs, communal institutions and quarrels. The National Library preserves books, manuscripts, photographs, calendars and recordings from that period providing a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of the people and atmosphere of the Old Yishuv. Among other things, you will find a proclamation in Yiddish attacking the wife of Rabbi Diskin, one of the leaders of Jerusalem’s zealous circles, as well as a hotel guestbook from the period, in which tourists left their impressions of their surroundings.