THIRD ALIYAH

'The third Aliyah' refers to the third wave of the Jewish immigration to Israel from Europe whom came based on Zionist motives between the years 1919 and 1923 (from the end of World War I until the start of the economic crisis in the country).
A symbol of the start of the third immigration wave is arrival of the boat "Roselan" in the Jaffa Port on December 19th, 1919. The boat had 650 new immigrants and other returning inhabitants on board.
During that period about 35,000 new immigrants arrived in Israel, mainly from east European countries - from those about 45% of the immigrants arrived from Russia, 31% from Poland, 5% from Romania and only three percentages from Lithuania. Most prominent in this immigration wave is the element of the young pioneers whom arrived the country between the years 1919 until 1921, and after those years their numbers became less amongst the immigrants. The importance of those pioneers was great, just as immportant as the pioneers of the second immigration wave. Their ideology contributed a great deal to the construction of the country and so they imprinted their mark on Zionism and also on the development of the Jewish settlements in the country of Israel.

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The initiaters of the third Aliyah

The initiaters of the third Aliyah

★ Occuping the country of Israel from the Ottoman Empire to the British empire and the Balfour Declaration of 1917 that evoke hope and opened a doorway to the widening of colonization in the country of Israel.

★ The social concussions in Europe - after World War I a national awakning began amongst the eastern European nation following the birth of nine new countries.

★ The revolution and the civil war in Russia which lead to a wave of riots on the Jews, even though many Jews contributed to the revolution. The new government strived for the assimilation of the Jews and acted against the Zionist organizations.

★ The economic crisis in Europe affected also the Jews, and part of them left with the hope to start a new life in Israel.

★ In the new countries which were formed after World War I there was a "problem of with the minorities". Battles erupted between small ethnic groups which had cliquish aspirations. Poland for example, did not complete properly the contract with the minorities (after it was formed) and coincidently riots happend there.

★ The closing of gates of the United States for new immigrants.

★ The relative success of the absorption of the second immigration wave to Israel and the socialist ideologies of the wave.
In conclusion, the immigrants hung high hopes to the new future in Israel, but more than that they were pushed to immigrate due to the developments in their own countries and the growth of the nationalism aspirations of different minority groups.
The official Zionist institutions were opposed to the third immigration wave - they feared that the country would not be able to absorb such a great number of people. they even requested that only the people whom have enough economic resources would come to the country. But the harsh reality changed their expectations - the bad economic situation of Jews of eastern Europe and also the riots, obligated them to emigrate to the countries which opened their gates - United States, west Europe, and to those whom had a pioneering impulse and a Zionist recognition - Israel was suitable as their new home.