“Go, Explore the Land”: the Establishment of the Israel Exploration Society
Dotan Goren
In the aftermath of the rediscovery of the Holy Land during the 19th century and the decline of the Ottoman Empire from the second half of that century, the political position of foreign powers in Palestine strengthened and they sent research expeditions to survey the length and breadth of the land of the Bible and established organizations to investigate and study it. Christian institutions likewise became involved in this endeavor. Simultaneously, interest in the history of the Land of Israel, particularly of Jewish settlement through the ages, grew among the Jews living there and those in the Diaspora. Jewish involvement in Land of Israel studies developed on three main tracks toward the end of the Ottoman period: as part of the Jewish Enlightenment movement in Europe; among certain individuals of the “Old Yishuv” in Palestine and in Jerusalem in particular; and among members of the “New Yishuv” and the Zionist movement. Despite this, no organized Jewish initiative to promote research and study of the Land of Israel arose. At the eve of World War I, as a counterweight to Christian hegemony in this area of research, the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society (hereafter: the Society, later to be renamed the Israel Exploration Society) was founded. This was the first attempt on the part of members of the Enlightenment movement in the Yishuv to create a formal body aimed at exploring the Land of Israel. In this article I shall examine the circumstances that led to the establishment of the Society, describe the phases in its organization and the renewal of its activity following World War I.
The Establishment of the Israel Exploration Society
The initiative to establish the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society included two main social elements: 1. Educators of the New Yishuv who underwent training in Europe and immigrated to Palestine, such as Dr. Abraham Jacob Brawer and Dr. Avraham Baruch Rosenstein; 2. Intellectuals of the Old Yishuv, such as David Yellin and Yeshayahu Press. In the Society’s initial phase, Rosenstein, in Jaffa, was involved in its operational and organizational aspects, enlisting the participation of humanists and scientists. He was in touch with his friend Brawer, who acted in parallel to establish the Society among Jerusalem intellectuals. According to the latter, the Society was founded during Hanukkah of 1912. In the following weeks the newspaper Haʾor reported on the plans for its founding, noting that those involved intended to create a museum in Jerusalem, to publish a quarterly research journal and to establish meteorological stations throughout the land. By formally establishing the Society Brawer and Rosenstein sought to bring the Jerusalem and Jaffa branches together to allay the tension that existed between them. An organizing committee was selected for the purpose of drafting articles of association for the Society and formulating a work plan. Two weeks prior to the founding assembly, the committee sent activists and public figures invitations to the ceremony, which was held in the National Library in Jerusalem on 6 April 1913. The Society’s seat was established as Jerusalem with the Jaffa branch as a secondary one. In view of his extensive public and research activity, Yellin was appointed chairperson of the Society’s board and Brawer served as its secretary. A Jerusalem committee was appointed to manage and organize the Society whose members were David Yellin, Abraham Jacob Brawer, Aharon Meir Mazie and Eliezer Meir Lipschuetz. The Jaffa branch’s committee members included Avraham Baruch Rosenstein, Abraham Solomon Waldstein and Mordechai Borochov. The main impetus for the establishment of the Society at that time was the desire to create a Jewish response to the foreign research institutions in the country, as stated by Brawer:
“… we have been shamed by the activities of foreigners: British, French and German—exploring the Land of Israel. Even Czarist Russia has a scientific society for the study of the Holy Land, while among us, only one man, already aged and blind [ Abraham Moses Luncz] dealt with the exploration of the Land, publication of scientific reports and the collection of material some 30 years ago…”
However, there were several other secondary reasons for the creation of the Society. In the winter of 1912/13 a tunnel was discovered on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem leading to the Old City that was blocked without undergoing scientific investigation. At that time trade in archaeological artifacts was widespread in the city’s markets and entirely lacking supervision. These were but examples of weakening Ottoman rule as regards archaeology in Palestine. This prompted Brawer to found a sort of “antiquities department” whose job would be to examine archaeological discoveries throughout the Jewish areas, depositing artifacts in the Hebrew Museum at Bezalel in Jerusalem. The initiative for the establishment of the Hebrew University and Jewish research institutes for the study of the Land of Israel led by academics and supported by Jewish philanthropists in Europe and America also contributed to the decision to found the Society.
Organization of the Society
A week after the founding of the Society (April 1913) Yellin announced its creation and its aims, character and first steps to Menahem Ussishkin, head of the Odessa Committee:
“…last week the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society was established. Its aim is the exploration of the land, past and present, in terms of both archaeology and the natural sciences. We already have over 40 members in Jerusalem, Jaffa and the colonies, individuals with higher education and among them professionals in the fields relevant to the Society’s aims. Now we shall attempt to enlist supporting members in Palestine and abroad. Articles of association have been drafted and will soon be publicized…”
Yellin welcomed the initiative to establish a university in Palestine and expressed the hope that, whatever was decided “…the institution be founded in Jerusalem, as the only way it could garner the affection of all of the parties among out people.” He states that Jewish-American philanthropist Nathan Strauss purchased a lot in the city for 30,000 Franc and that the plan is to construct an archaeological institute upon it. One month later (May 1913) the Hebrew press in Palestine published the articles of association of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society and its aims were presented: a work plan and its organizational framework: “1. Scientific exploration in all of the fields relating to the Land of Israel; 2. Distribution of scientific information about the Land of Israel in Hebrew; 3. Preservation of ancient remains and natural wonders; 4. Collection of all information related to the Land of Israel.” For public relations purposes the Society issued an announcement emphasizing its national importance and advantages over the foreign research institutions active in Palestine. This announcement was sent to Jewish newspapers and to key figures in Palestine and abroad, together with a questionnaire for candidates for membership in the Society, and was supposed to advance its goals and shape its future content:
“…the Society aims to explore the land of our forefathers past and present. It will place particular emphasis upon the periods during which our nation dwelt in its land. There is substantial room for work on the periods following the destruction of the Second Temple, the creation of the Mishna, the Jerusalem Talmud and midrash, which Christian scholars have barely touched upon… we shall likewise attempt to become scientifically acquainted with the present-day situation as regards the natural resources of the land: its mountains and valleys, its caves and streams, its plants and animals, and regarding its inhabitants and in particular the Jewish inhabitants of their diverse communities… a further advantage of our young Society over those founded prior to its establishment is that it was founded in Palestine itself and its members live here… we are able to achieve many things that are more difficult for foreigners who come here, despite their financial resources and expertise, because we have the backing of an educated population that will help us considerably… provided it understands the importance of our work. If we now note only the excavations underway at various sites, we too will be able to collect scientific information at every historic site and in Jerusalem in particular. The foreigners established meteorological stations at few locations and we can found an entire network from Metula to Jamama [Ruhama]. While we do not have a government or a wealthy church to found institutes and support researchers, together with our forces scattered around the country and their encouragement, we can be very active. Aside from the primary scientific goal, our Society has another practical objective: to diffuse information about the country among the masses of our people in Palestine and abroad by printing popular scientific books and conducting scientific excursions and through the assistance that we will offer our members from abroad when they come to visit our country. The Society will also attempt to protect ancient remains and the natural environment from lawless destruction and prevent antiquities being taken abroad by merchants who devote themselves to that purpose alone.”
News of the establishment of the Society received much acclaim among the Jews, including scholars and academics, from Palestine and the Diaspora, and they sent greetings wishing it success in its endeavors. “…may you succeed in carrying out this good and useful (almost sacred, I would say) project that you have initiated. Certainly in every place with people who love our sacred land and our people and its faith, you shall find members and assistance and may the Lord your God be with you and may you succeed.”
In the following months the founders of the Society continued to conduct publicity campaigns in Palestine and abroad in order to enlist members and financial support for their work. At the end of 1913, Rosenstein lectured on the importance of the Society and its goals at the Herzliya Hebrew secondary school where he taught. He asked those present, including teachers from the colonies, to join forces and provide information concerning its activity. At the same time Brawer attended the 11th Zionist Congress in Vienna in order to obtain support for the Society among committee delegates and guests. He hoped that with the assistance of Yellin, who attended the congress as the emissary of the Society for the Maintenance of the Historical Places in Palestine, he might be able to meet with the Zionist leadership. This hope quickly faded and he met only with lower ranking people, who agreed in principle with the idea of the establishment of the Society, but belittled its aims: “Go ahead and study the land for your enjoyment, but we have come to increase the colonies in Palestine.” Upon his return to Jerusalem, Brawer was overwhelmed by the turmoil of the War of the Languages, which began during his time at the Zionist Congress. He left Palestine for a vacation during the winter of 1914, until proper working conditions at schools could be established. During his stay abroad, World War I began and all of the plans for the Society’s development and activities were put on hold. In his memoirs, Brawer notes that even before the start of the war, there was a battle for the hearts of donors between the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society and the Society for the Maintenance of the Historical Places in Palestine, which worked to purchase sites of symbolic significance for the Jewish people in the Land of the Forefathers and Yellin headed both organizations. “Those who received letters from the Society for the Maintenance of the Historical Places in Palestine and then from the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society reacted with suspicion to both, because societies and funds with big names… were active in Jerusalem with no real benefit aside from taking money from them…”
Renewal of the Society’s activity during the Mandatory period
Following World War I, the Society for the Maintenance of the Historical Places in Palestine did not continue its activity and ceased to exist. The reasons for its failure to renew its activity during the Mandatory period are not entirely clear and there were probably multiple causes. At the beginning of this period (February 1920) there arose the question of unifying the cultural institutions in Palestine under the aegis of the Zionist Commission. Apparently, when the activity of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society was renewed, Yellin made the decision to disband the Society for the Maintenance of the Historical Places in Palestine, to promote the success of the former. Contributing to this cessation of its activity was the policy of the British mandatory administration regarding the holy places and historic sites in Palestine, based upon implementation of a status quo principle for the holy places, the establishment of the Mandatory Department of Antiquities (in July 1920) and the publication of the government’s Antiquities Law (in October 1920), which developed from the Antiquities Order (1918) of the military government. With this policy the government restricted the purchase of sites of historical interest and prevented their restoration by Jews, who were thus left with no option but to conduct archaeological excavation for which the required permit obtained from the government Department of Antiquities was awarded only to recognized archaeological institutions. Moreover, all land transactions were frozen and the land registration offices were closed under orders of the military government. Only upon creation of the civil administration and publication of the Lands Transfer Order (September 1920) were the lands offices reopened and land transactions once again possible.
The year following the war several attempts were made by the heads of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society to renew its activity. According to Rosenstein, technical problems prevented renewal of activity in Jerusalem, so that on 27 September 1919 the founding gathering was held of the renewed Society which was called the Hebrew Society for Land of Israel Studies. The new Society published an announcement titled: “Do You Know the Land?” in which its aims were declared: “Aiding in the exploration of our land and publicizing its information among our brethren,” signed by Dr. Rosenstein (chairman), the agronomist Dr. Melekh Zagorodsky (secretary), and the educator Dr. Avraham Tsifroni (treasurer). A month later (15 November 1919), members of the Jerusalem committee of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society gathered and discussed ways of renewing its work. Prominent among those attending were Yellin, Press, Eliezar Ben-Yehuda, Yosef Meyuchas, Shmuel Rephaeli, Dr. Yitzhak Levi and Rosenstein. At the conclusion of the gathering, it was decided that the Society would focus upon two research aims: 1. historical-archaeological; 2. natural sciences. It was decided to invite the Jews of the city to the founding ceremony.
On 29 November 1919, the founding assembly of the renewed Society, called the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, was held at the hall of the National Library in Jerusalem. At the opening of the assembly, its chairman Yellin emphasized need for the Society “…particularly now, in this period of revival…” and the cultural and national importance of the exploration of the land and devoting “all of our intellectual strength” to the task: so long as the nations of the world devote considerable effort to exploring the Land of Israel and its antiquities while we stand back. Not only out of jealousy of others; even if others were not involved in this we must deal with this subject.” The Society enjoyed support for its aims and the blessings of Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Hacohen Kook, who was unable to attend the founding meeting: “We heartily congratulate the honorable meeting and its lofty aim of establishing an institute for the science of antiquities of the Holy Land. I hope that the honorable committee will work seriously toward the purchase of historical places, to which a special committee should be dedicated… and I pray that the Rock of Israel and its redemption and all of our ancient virtues of years past appear in the lives of our people in the Land of our Delight as in years past.”
Following the establishment of the Society, its management was given to a temporary committee headed by Yellin, with Press as secretary. In the framework of the temporary committee’s initial activity, Yellin and Press approached Ussishkin, who headed the Zionist Commission. They emphasized to him the sacred obligation to acquire the tells of Givʿat Shaʾul (Tell el-Ful) and Betar (Khirbet el-Yahud) and agreed to fund the archaeological excavations that would be conducted at those sites. Thus, the Society sought to outrival the foreign research institutions that were eyeing their purchase. At the same time, members of the temporary committee consulted with Captain Charles Robert Ashbee, civil advisor to the Jerusalem governor Ronald Storrs, concerning whether the Society should receive an official permit to conduct archaeological excavations in a private house in the Old City of Jerusalem. Ashbee replied that one must present the request to the government in London and advised that the owner of the property request permission for repairs to his courtyard, in the course of which the area could be closely examined. He added that if important finds emerged there, he would handle transferring them to the government museum of the Pro-Jerusalem Society. The temporary committee members were not very pleased with his answers: “…under no circumstances can we agree that the antiquities that our Society finds be handed over to a general museum…” To solve this problem, they turned to Ussishkin (December 1919) to act to request that the British government grant official recognition to the Hebrew museum Bezalel as a museum of Palestine antiquities “…and that all of the artifacts found by us be exclusively housed in that museum…” Yellin and Press also reported to him that the authorities approved the new Society’s charter. A month later (January 1920), members of the temporary committee also requested that Ussishkin authorize the budgeting of the employment of Dr. Nahum Slouschz as director of research of the Society and emphasized its national importance: “Exploration of our land and its antiquities is at the same time exploration of our Bible and our history through the ages; the scientific exploration of the natural history of the land is of the greatest urgency to normalize our lives here. And now, upon our nation’s great rebirth in our land, we must be the leaders in this work. We feel the national obligation that it is our duty to continue working with ambition and with a broad approach…”
Shortly afterward, Slouschz’s employment by the Society was approved. He was appointed director of its archaeological work and scientific editor of its publications. At a meeting of the board of the Hebrew Society for Land of Israel Studies held in Jaffa, Slouschz encouraged the members to join forces with the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society in Jerusalem and work as a unified body. “…isolated individual attempts will not suffice and we must focus all of our energies and projects to create a single general institution that will develop and play the role that it deserves.” In this framework the unification of the two societies to work together was decided upon and that the members of the Hebrew Society for Land of Israel Studies would join as members of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society. Simultaneously, Yellin informed Brawer, who was in Europe and about to return to Palestine, of the renewal of the Society’s activity and enlisted him to the endeavor. In the coming months members of the temporary committee of the Society, in preparation for the general assembly, worked on consolidation of a work plan and wording of the Society’s charter. To promote their aims they embarked upon a publicity campaign to enlist contributions and new members.
On 13 March 1920 the first general assembly of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society was held at the National Library. In the opening speech Yellin reiterated the importance of its future work. He reported that Slouschz and Brawer were added to the Society’s board of directors and noted that some of its members (Yellin, Ben-Yehuda and Slouschz) were among the founders of the Palestine Oriental Society that was founded in Jerusalem two months earlier (9 January 1920) with the aim of working jointly with the scientific institutions and creating contacts with scholars of other communities (Jewish and Arab, Protestant and Catholic) involved in the study and research of Palestine and the East. Later in the assembly the Society’s treasurer Dr. Mazie presented the balance sheets and noted that the Society had 114 members, most of whom had paid their membership dues. Later Press presented a report on the growth of the Society and announced that members of the Hebrew Society for Land of Israel Studies from Jaffa had joined it. In the months that passed since its founding the Society had surveyed historical sites in Palestine to examine the possibility of conducting archaeological excavations. However legal and administrative obstacles arose in the absence of a government antiquities department and considerable financial resources were also necessary. In light of this the Society began publicity activity in the Jewish press abroad, turned to known figures in America requesting moral and financial support. As a result Michael Langa of Zikhron Yaakov gifted the ruins of the ancient synagogue at Meron to the Society, which he had purchased at the eve of World War I, and donated 1,000 Francs to purchase professional literature for the library.
At the general assemble of the Society held at the National Library on 4 May 1920, the charter was approved and a permanent board consisting of 10 Jerusalem members (Yellin, Ben-Yehuda, Press, Mazie, Brawer, Slouschz, Yossef Meyouhas, Samuel Raphaeli, Prof. Boris Schatz and Dr. Yosef Klausner) was selected. The Society put forward four main points as its aims: “1. Occasional publication of a scientific journal and publication of inscriptions from Palestine in a special volume; 2. Foundation of a Hebrew institute for the exploration of Palestine; 3. Publicizing the situation in the country through public lectures; 4. Conducting excavations in the depths of the earth of our land in order to discover its antiquities.”
At the first meetings of the board it was decided to publish a scientific journal to be called Eretz-Israel and to present a series of academic lectures. The board set the goal of editing and translating to Hebrew the outstanding foreign-language books dealing with the Land of Israel. In the following months Slouschz devoted himself to editing a book of ancient Hebrew inscriptions found in Palestine and preparations for the publication of the Society’s scientific journal. To complete the book representatives of the Society were sent to locate ancient Hebrew inscriptions in museums in Istanbul and throughout Europe and printing equipment capable of reproducing ancient Hebrew script was acquired. It was decided to found a scientific institute that would coordinate studies dealing with the Land of Israel by various disciplines. Along with the administrative work, some of the Society members began to work in the field and checked the sarcophagi, concerning which fears of disappearance had emerged, in what was thought at the time to be Herod’s Tomb. In the following months the director of the Society, accompanied by Professor John Garstang, director of the government Department of Antiquities, examined essential repairs to the Tomb of the Prophet Zechariah and Absalom’s Tomb, historical sites in the Kidron Valley at the foot of the Mt. of Olives.
In the summer of 1920 the Hebrew newspaper Doʾar Hayom reported that the deputy director of the Society, Ben-Yehuda, had met with the Palestine High Commissioner Herbert Samuel and had received the permit to conduct archaeological excavations at historic sites in Palestine. In the following days the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem was opened. On that occasion the High Commissioner spoke and recognized the importance of the exploration of Palestine. He praised the scientific institutions and scholars of all nationalities and faiths promising that “…a single constitution and equal rights would apply to all scholars regardless of nationality or race.” On that occasion Samuel lauded the creation of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society and stated that he was “certain about the future contribution to enriching research about the country.” The development and activity of the Society in the coming years are worthy of a separate investigation. One should not forget its pioneering work in archaeological excavations at Hammat Tiberias (1920–21) and Absalom’s Tomb in Jerusalem (1924), which were carried out under the direction of Slouschz and were milestones in Hebrew research on the Land of Israel.
Summary
The Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, later renamed the Israel Exploration Society, was founded in Palestine in 1912/13. The initiative for its creation was a private one on the part of intellectuals in the Jewish Yishuv who sought to create a Jewish organization that would deal with historical, geographical and archaeological research concerning the Land of Israel. There was further motivation for its establishment at that time: the unchallenged domination of foreign research institutions involved in the study of the Land of Israel; the Ottoman government’s neglect of research and preservation of archaeological remains; the initiative to establish the Hebrew University; and the organization of Jewish research institutions dealing with Land of Israel studies in the Diaspora. At the eve of World War I the Society’s leadership was formulating the Society’s charter, consolidating a work plan, enlisting financial support and new membership. The establishment of the Society enjoyed broad support from members of the Jewish Yishuv in Palestine and Diaspora communities, however its brief period of activity preceding the War prevented it from achieving its goals and its development was frozen until the post-war period. At the beginning of the British Mandate the Society’s activity was actively renewed and from then on it developed into one of the standard bearers in the research and study of the Land of Israel. On the 100th anniversary of its founding, in view of its extensive activity, the Society is worthy of a place of honor in the hall of fame of scientific institutions for the study of the Land of Israel.
