The Builders of the Land: Jewish Immigration from Tunis and Messianic Revival

Alongside the 18th-century migrations of the Baal Shem Tov and Vilna Gaon’s disciples, the Eastern Jewish communities also experienced a revival in immigration to the Land of Israel.

In 1777, approximately 150 people from Tunis settled in Tiberias, with another 30 arriving in Safed, soon followed by more immigrants.

A 1783 letter from the Sephardic community noted the "continuous arrival of many immigrants with their families."

The Sephardic immigrants had enough funds to rent good accommodations. One of the Vilna Gaon's disciples, among the first Orthodox immigrants to Safed, wrote in a letter that "the large number of Sephardic immigrants has considerably increased rental rates." Other Sephardic settlers spread to Hebron, Jerusalem, and Jaffa.

Dr. Aryeh Morgenstern, in his book "Messianism and Settlement in the Land of Israel," argues that a significant messianic awakening occurred across Jewish communities before 1840, in places like Morocco, Safed, Persia, Kurdistan, Beirut, Turkey, Russia, and England, particularly in Eastern Europe among the Vilna Gaon's followers and the Hasidic community.

During Muhammad Ali's reign, the influx of immigrants caused overcrowding in Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter. The Orthodox community's population doubled in the new administration's first three years, leading many to purchase properties in the "Bab al-Huta" area, a challenging distance from the Jewish Quarter.

Living in areas removed from the Jewish settlement involved risks of violence and theft. There was even a false accusation against a resident trying to murder an Arab for his blood to make Passover matzot. Morgenstern notes, "Not only individuals found housing solutions by buying houses in 'Bab al-Huta,' but the Orthodox community leadership also became involved, purchasing houses and courtyards in this area."

In August 1834, a group of immigrants led by R' Eliezer Bergman, a distinguished scholar, arrived from Germany. This group explicitly refused charitable funds, choosing instead to earn a living in agriculture, commerce, or craft in the Land of Israel.

"This group’s innovative approach... is not only in their explicit desire to immigrate and establish a settlement based on crafts, commerce, and agriculture but also in their support for settling Jews outside the Four Holy Cities."

The Creator prepares the land for His children returning to it, involving even the nations in developing the country: "The situation in Israel overall shifted during Muhammad Ali's rule. The new administration ensured safety and property protection, significantly improving conditions... Encouraged development in agriculture, providing financial grants to farmers... Diplomatic documents from 1835-6 speak of increased agricultural yields, silk industry promotion, and woolen textile factories' establishment."

R' Israel Beck, from the Hasidic community, emigrated to Safed in 1832, establishing the first modern Hebrew printing press there. His connections with Ibrahim Pasha, the ruler, allowed him to acquire a rural estate in the village of Jarmaq. R' Israel Beck moved there with over ten Hasidic families from Safed, transforming it into a thriving agricultural settlement.

Old Settlement members were not solely dependent on donations: they initiated a movement beyond city walls, formed new settlement locations, and engaged in agricultural ventures and other trades, wherever possible.