After the Holocaust occurred and WWII had ended, there were millions of Displaced Persons throughout Europe. Of these millions, many of them we Jews who had survived the atrocities of the Holocaust. Many of them were orphaned and alone, not knowing what to do or where to go. One idea that seemed appealing to many of these survivors was the idea of Zionism, the belief that Jews were entitled to their own state. This would lead to many European Jews making the trip to Palestine and would culminate in the founding of the state of Israel.
Zionism was not a new idea, it had been around since before the war. In 1933, when Hitler had just gained power, the Jewish Agency in Palestine had already began talks with Germany to move Jews out of Germany and into Palestine. This agreement came to be known as the Haavara Agreement. It seemed to be a win-win situation, the Germans want the Jews out of Germany and the Zionists wanted them in Palestine (Segev, 20.) However, some of the Jews in Germany wanted to stay where they were. This agreement was not met with complete acceptance in Palestine either. The right-wing Revolutionists thought that it went against Jewish honor and pride to work with Germany (Seveg, 25.) This led to a division in the global Jewish community, those of which supported the Haavara Agreement and those of which who opposed it. The opposition led a campaign to boycott Germany, both politically and economically (Seveg, 27). An example of this can be seen in the photo above of the newspaper. Eventually the Haavara Agreement won out and operated until 1939, during which time thousand of German Jews made the decision to move to the homeland, unknowingly making the decision that would save their lives.
After the war, the majority of the Jewish DPs were young and orphaned. With no family or any other ties to Europe, the idea of Zionism became very appealing. Many of these young DPs enrolled in hakhsharah, or agricultural training farms (Pratt, 98.) These DPs would then learn skills that would prepare them for life in Palestine. These DPs played a crucial role in he founding of the state of Israel. Without them, there would not have been enough numbers or support for the Zionist movement to found Israel (Pratt, 123.) In essence, the Holocaust is partly responsible for the formation of Israel. It was their experiences with he Holocaust that made Zionism appealing to the European Jewish DPs. These experiences led them to move on with their lives by traveling back to their homeland and eventually founding the state of Israel.
I liked the focus you have on the disparities between Jews on the Haavara Agreement. Learning that Palestine Jews had negotiated with Germany to send Jews to Palestine was very interesting to read about. It brings up many questions about the ethics and motivations of the more Zionist Jews.
I like the order in which you chose to write this. Could we look at these young Jewish DPs and their moves to Palestine and think that it would be easier for them to take on a nationalistic mindset for Palestine or Israel other than it would be for someone else?