The Sephardim and the Yishuv in Palestine: The Role of Avraham Albert Antébi: 1897-1916

Vol. 10, No. 3 Spring 1992 THE SEPHARDIM AND THE YISHlN IN PALESTINE: THE ROLE OF AVRAHAM ALBERT ANTEBI: 1897-1916 by Michael M. Laskier 113 This study delves into the contribution of the Sephardim in the Yishuv Q"ewish population of Palestine) to the preservation of the "Old" Yishuv (Sephardim and Ashkenazim of the pre-1882 period) as well as to the growth of the "New" Yishuv (the predominantly Ashkenazi settlers of the first and second 'aliya phases, that is, during 1882-1904 and 1904-1914). The study also probes Sephardi reaction to sociopolitical developments in the Yishuv, particularly· in Zionism and Arab-Jewish relations. These phenomena are best illustrated in the role played by Avraham Albert Antebi. Antebi (1869-1919) ranked among the most important Jewish public figures in Palestine during the final two decades of Ottoman rule. Much of his political influence resulted from the posts he held between 1897 and 1914 as a representative of the Jewish Colonization Association (lCA) in Jerusalem and as the delegate of the Alliance Israelite Universelle (AID) for Palestine. 1 However, his unofficial activities included political and financial assistance for Jewish colonization, which went beyond his ties with lCA and the AIU. Antebi was born in Damascus in 1869 to a rabbinic family of Sephardi ancestry originating from Aintab (now Gaziantep in southern Turkey). After completing his studies in a rabbinic school and at the AID school of IThis study is an e.."panded version of an article I wrote several years ago entitled: "Avraham Albert Antebi-On His Activity in Erets-Yisrael, 1897-1914," (Hebrew) Pe'amim 21 (1894): 50-52. The new version was presented as a paper at the Second International Conference on Sephardi Studies, The State University of New York, Binghamton, April 21, 1991. 114 SHOFAR Damascus, Antebi pursued his education in Paris at the AID's teachers' college-the Ecole Normale Israelite Orientale. In 1869 he was sent by the AID to Jerusalem in order to assist Nissim Behar, the architect of the AID educational network in Palestine. Behar administered the network from 1882 to 1897, when Antebi replaced him as AID delegate. Soon thereafter Antebi was also appointed to administer ICA's work in the city. Antebi's involvement with ICA augmented his influence in the Yishuv from the outset, for he was in charge of that organization's local funding apparatus-the Caisse de Prets-which granted low-interest loans toJewish artisans in Jerusalem and its environs, as well as to settlers in the Judaean colonies (moshavot)-that is, to the "New" Yishuv.2 His· financial ties enabled Antebi to establish channels of communication with affluent Arab landowners, Ottoman governors and functionaries, and the main Zionist institutions headquartered in Jaffa. As he was one of the very few Jewish public figures to master French, Arabic, and Turkish, Antebi became an indispensable intermediary between Yishuv's representatives and the Ottoman authorities. In addition to disbursing ICA's loans, Antebi used the Caisse de Prets to finance the departure of impoverished Jews for other lands. He succeeded on behalf of the "Old" and "New" Yishuv, and his correspondence with the Paris headquarters of the AID and ICA is an invaluable primary source for the study of Ottoman Palestine. By 1909, Hoveve-Zion's and the World Zionist Organization's representatives in Palestine had, with Antebi's assistance, made significant progress in negotiating land purchase with the Arabs. Antebi's other unofficial task included arbitration between Jewish settlers and their Arab neighbors in Judaea over conflicts concerning irrigation facilities and land disputes. The rural and urban Arab notables frequently referred to him as "Ra's al-YahCid": the "head of the Jews.,,3 Antebi's Ties with the Authorities and the Zionists Antebi's status notwithstanding, testimony offellow Sephardim grossly exaggerates his influence among Ottoman governors and senior functionaries in Jerusalem. Recent historians assess his influence more soberly, 'Laskier, "On His Activity," p. 54. 3Mordehai Ben-Hillel Ha-Cohen,Milhemet ha-'Amim (Hebrew), Volume 2 Oerusalemand Tel-AviV, 1929). Vol. 10, No.3 Spring 1992 115 suggesting that much of this influence hinged upon political circumstances and the disposition of the Ottoman governors. Mordehai Eliav notes: Certain...