Jerusalem.
Observers of the economic development in Palestine have recently noted a new revival in one of the country’s oldest Jewish industries. In recent years, so much attention had been focused on the various branches of the citrus industry that profitable and sound agricultural Palestine enterprises have become synonymous with orange plantations. That Palestine once derived great benefit as well as reputation in the world’s markets through its wine industry has almost been lost sight of.
The fact of the matter is that when the first steps were made to create in the Holy Land a new Jewish agricultural class, the vineyards rather than the speculative orange growth, was the center of attention. The late Baron Edmund de Rothschild, who single-handedly did as much, if not more than all groups or agencies combined for the sound development of the country and of the Jewish agricultural settlement, invested about 50,000 francs in the furtherance of the Palestinian wine industry.
The record of the first colonies, such as Rishon Le Zion, is the story of the struggle of the pioneers to replant the vine on the ancient soil, to learn again the art of cultivating the grape, to produce, under modern conditions, what was destined to become universally known as Carmel wine, and to open for this product the world market. To this end, the late Baron Edmund de Rothschild established the famous wine cellars in Rishon, now ranked the second largest in the world.
The march of events in the world’s history temporarily played havoc with this Palestinian industry. The World War, followed by prohibition in the United States, closed what were formerly the largest markets for Carmel wines. With Russia and the United States out of the picture, and with the impoverishment in Eastern Europe the Carmel wine industry suffered a serious decline. The decline assumed such serious proportions as to cause some of the colonists to abandon their vineyards, not infrequently leading to the uprooting of the valuable vines and parceling off the land into real estate lots.
Two factors are now contributing to the new revival of the Palestine wine industry: the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment in the United States, and the considerable growth of Jewish population in Palestine since the advent of Hitlerism. These events have, in the first place, created an internal market, in Palestine itself, and in the second place, have opened up the prospect for selling large quantities of Carmel wine to the United States.
Recently an American agency for the Societe Cooperative Vigneronne Grandes Caves of Rishon Le Zion and Zichron Jacob, Ltd., has been opened in New York City under the direction of Rabbi I. M. Kowalsky and extensive preparations are now under way for the distribution in the United States of this easily marketable Palestinian product.
Observers of the Palestine scene today report that instead of destroying valuable old vineyards, new ground is being prepared for planting of new vineyards.
The arrival in Palestine of Abbas Hilmi Pasha, the ex-Khedive of Egypt, has provoked the same keen interest in Arab circles as his previous sojourns here.
There was a reception in honor of the ex-Khedive in Jericho at which the Mufti of Jerusalem and a number of his supporters were present. Speeches were delivered and, it is learned, the Husseinis urged the ex-Khedive to invest in the purchase of land here.
“The example which Your Highness would give in doing so undoubtedly would influence other wealthy Arabs in this country and elsewhere to follow suit,” the Mufti is reported to have said, adding that it would form the nucleus for a large Arab land redemption company.
It was the Emir Abdullah’s intervention with the High Commissioner which secured permission for the ex-Khedive’s prolonged stay this time, says Mokattam of Cairo quoting its Palestine correspondent. The permit is for a month, states the paper, and may be extended for two more months. Arab interest in the former ruler of Egypt has been constant, rising to its peak during his visits, owing to the reports of his great wealth. In addition to owning large property in Egypt and Turkey, he receives an annual grant of £30,000 from the Egyptian government for having renounced success rights to the throne.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
