The Turbulent Control of the Holy Land: A Century of Conflict

In the year 970 CE, led by the Fatimid commander Ja'far ibn al-Fallah, the Fatimids invaded the Holy Land. This religious Muslim group, named after Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, followed a path resembling today's Shia Islam. Their mission was a jihad to liberate the sacred land from the Abbasid Muslims, considered by them as false believers.

The Fatimids first targeted the city of Ramla, the only city built by Muslims in Israel, its name meaning 'sands' in Arabic, constructed by Arabs on the sands known in ancient sources as "Lod’s Desert." Successfully seizing Ramla and its sands, they moved northward and captured Tiberias as well.

Opposing them were the Qarmatians, another Muslim group of Persian origin. For over a year, Fatimid and Qarmatian forces clashed throughout the land from north to south, causing major suffering for the local inhabitants.

Even after the Qarmatians were defeated and left the region, a formidable Bedouin tribe continued to terrorize the residents. Identified as the "Tayy," they are speculated by researchers to be the tribe referred to by the rabbis as "that famous Tayya." They harassed the population to attack the Fatimids, destroyed crops, and left no food. A resident of Ramla wrote, "People came to Ramla searching for food but found none, and farmers wandered the markets begging."

The Holy Land became lawless, with any Arab group taking liberties. The Turks joined the chaos, sending a group called the "Kutami." They seized Tiberias, leading to widespread destruction.

Samuel ben Hoshana, a leader of the Yeshiva in Tiberias, poetically mourned, "Red-skinned savages, cruel oppressors, tormented the chosen people, invading from Zoan and this into the border of Canaan," with a note in the margins: "They told us he was drowned in the Nile," referring to a notorious rebel leader named Barjawan executed in Egypt near the Nile.

The rule of the new Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim was strong externally, restoring security but turning harshly against the Jews. He mandated Jews wear a wooden hoop weighing five pounds, symbolic punishment for the sin of the golden calf, and in bathhouses, they were forced to wear bells to announce their "impure presence". His zeal extended to destroying synagogues and Christian shrines, blaming Jews for these attacks. In 1010, Jews in Orléans, France, were punished due to the false accusation that Jews in Israel burned the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

A decade later, the population's patience with al-Hakim snapped, leading to his assassination and the abolishment of his decrees, only for Bedouins to reclaim their grip on the land. Rabbi Shlomo ben Yosef Cohen, a Gaon of Israel, recounted Bedouin rampages, looting possessions and food before setting cities on fire. "We left with nothing, empty, naked, sorrowful, lacking even personal garments or household objects."

The Jews were uncertain where to place their allegiances to avoid further decrees and pogroms. The Jews of Ashkelon decided to back Abu Harja, the city's governor, whose protection ensured they were not burdened. A found letter in the Cairo Geniza reveals Ashkelon’s Jews petitioning Egypt to support Abu Harja "for the great kindness shown to us... he spared us any worldly burden..."

Ultimately, Rabbi Shlomo ben Yosef Cohen decreed support for the Fatimid Caliph as the Bedouin and other raiders presented a worst-case scenario. Declaring support for the Fatimids in letters sent across cities, the Jews sought aid. This choice proved wise as the Fatimids increased in power, eradicating bandits and Bedouins, establishing relative peace. They rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and the cities of Ramla and Tiberias. Jewish communities in Israel experienced relative stability until the Crusader invasions.