Jaffa, Israel

Jaffa (Hebrew alphabet יפו, Standard Hebrew Yafo, Tiberian Hebrew Yāp̄ô; Arabic يافا Yāfā; also Japho, Joppa), Israel, is part of the municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo in the Tel Aviv District. It is a port city on the Mediterranean Sea and the historic gateway into Israel. It is mentioned several times in the Bible, and according to legend, was where the prophet Jonah sailed from on his way to Nineveh. It was an important city in the Arab middle east, prior to the establishment of Israel. During the Crusades it was the centre of the County of Jaffa, part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

History

Name sources

Jaffa or Yaffo is one of the most ancient port cities in the world. Some claim that Jaffa was named after Japheth, one of the three son of Noah, who built it after the Great Flood. An Hebrew etimiology says that the city is called Jaffa because of its beauty (Yofi in Hebrew). The Hellenist tradition refers the names to "Iopeia" which is Cassiopeia, the mother of Andromeda.

Ancient peroid

The ancient Jaffa was built on 40-meters hill (known as the "Jaffa Hill") that had a startegic advantage of wide sight field which oversaw the coastline. Moreover, the hill was compfortable for fortifications and defence. At the feet of the hill there were water fountains which sprung fresh waters.

Jaffa is first refered to at Egyptian letter of 1470 BC, glorifying its conquest by Pharaoh Thutmose III which used an old trick: he hid armed warrior in large baskets and gave the baskets as present to the city's governor. The city is also refered to in the al-Amarna Mound's letter, in its Egptian name Ya-Pho. The city was under Egyptian rule until around 800 BC.

Jaffa is mentioned at the Book of Joshua as the border of the Dan Tribe territory, and it appears that Dan (which the entire coastal plain in named after it Gush Dan) lived along the shore and erned its living from shipmaking and sailing (this is mentioned in the poem of Deborah the prophet, in her complain "דן למה יגור אוניות" ("Why Dan will dwell in ships?"), for Dan did not helped Judge Barak Ben Avinoam in their war). However, it is more likely the Jaffa was inhabited by Philistines.

King David and his son King Solomon conquered Jaffa and ruled it, and via its port the cedar wood which used for the building of the First Temple have arrived. The city remained in Jewish hands even after the split of the Kingdom of Israel, and Jonah the prophet started there his journey to Nineveh (during the times of King Jeroboam II). In 701 BC the city port was used by Sennacherib king of Assyria to invade Israel in the time of King Hezekiah (חזקיהו).

Christian Jaffa

It was there that St. Peter raised to life the widow Tabitha, a name interpreted Dorcas (Acts, ix, 36–42), whose tomb is still the object of a popular pilgrimage. Being without importance during the first centuries of Christianity, Jaffaa did not possess a bishop until the fifth century. It was captured during the crusades, and became the centre of the county of Jaffa and Ascalon in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. One of its counts, John of Ibelin, wrote the principal book of the Assizes of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Retaken by Saladin in 1187, it was surrendered to Richard Coeur de Lion in 1192.

Each of the Christian sects in Jaffa maintained a church of its own: Roman Catholics, Maronites, Armenian, Qebtic, Scottish, and Anglican Lutherans. The Roman Orthodox maintained a church, a monastery for Saint Michael, and another church known by Saint George. The Latin sect maintained a church, a monastery for Saint Peter, and another one for Saint Anthony as well.

The Ottoman peroid

On March 7, 1799 Napoleon I of France captured Jaffa and his troops proceeded to kill more than 2,000 Albanian captives.

During 1917 the Ottomans banished all of Jaffa residents as they fear the British army will occupy the city. The Brits indeed occupy the city but let its residents return after a year.

Under the British mandate

Jaffa was well known for its cash crops as citrus and Bananas. In 1945, Arabs planted 146,316 dunums with Citrus, while 66,403 dunums were planted by Jews. Until the establishment of Tel Aviv and the era of the British Mandate Jaffa was the most advanced city in Palestine in the development of its commercial, banking, fishing, and agriculture industries. Jaffa had many factories specializing in cigarette making, cement making, tile and roof tile production, iron casting, cotton processing plants, traditional handmade carpets, leather products, wood box industry for Jaffa orange, textile, presses and publications. It should also be noted that the majority of all publications and newspapers in Palestine were published in Jaffa.

During 1917–1920, there were thousands Jewish residents in Jaffa. A wave of Arab pogrom attacks during 1920 and 1921 (known as "Meoraot Tarpa" by the Jews) caused many Jewish residents to flee Jaffa and resettle in Tel Aviv. The 1921 riots started on a May Day parade (May 1, 1921) which soom turn into a violent event. The Arab rioters started attacking Jewish people and buildings, and among their victims were the residents of "The House of Immigrants" and the Jewish author Yosef Haim Brenner.

In the end of 1922 Jaffa had 32,000 residents while Tel Aviv had 15,000. However, in 1927, Tel Aviv had 38,000 residents. The Jews of Jaffa lived on the outskirt of Jaffa, just near to Tel Aviv. The old city of Jaffa, which was controlled by the Arabs, was almost empty of Jews. During the 1930's both cities had together 80,000 residents.

The 1936–1939 Great Arab uprising caused Jaffa great damage and lost of economical power.

• Urban warfare between the British forces the Arab rioter, caused a lot of destruction to the city's narrow allies and the British demolished many houses belonged to rioters and militants.
• Jewish and British citizens prefered to do their business in a safer places, and therefore moved their business out of Jaffa.
• As a reaction to the strike of the Arab seaport workers, the Jews built a modern seaport in Tel Aviv, which stopped the dependence in the Arab seaport and caused Jaffa to lose a major source of income.

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war

The UN's Special Commission on Palestine in 1947 recommended that Jaffa would become part of the planned Jewish state, but due to the large Arab majority it had been redesignated as an enclave in the Arab state before the partition plan was adopted by the General Assembly.

The Arabs rejected the planned and the next day following November 29, 1947, launched wave of riots and attacks on nearby Jewish settlements. During December 1947, Arab residents of Jaffa and the nearby Salame village attacked the "The Hope Neighborhood" (Shechunat ha-Tikva) in Tel Aviv. As a result, the Irgun started to launch counter-raids against Jaffa, often also hurting the civilian population. In February 1948, Jewish workers were slain by the Arabs in a factory after being disarmed by the Brits. The killing caused great uprising and Jaffa became a battle ground between Arabs and Jews. On March 13, 1948, the first Davidka mortars were used against the city. The bombardment caused many Arab residents to flee, although the noise created by the mortar was much larger than the damage it caused.

On May 25, 1948, the Irgun (Etzel) paramilitary group began an assault on the city, occasioning the mass flight of most of the inhabitants. At one stage British forces engaged the Irgun in battle, but they did not commit enough resources to defend the city. Laater, Hagannah fighter assist the Etzel. A formal surrender to the Jewish forces was made on May 13, one day before Israel's declaration of independance. To comemorate the conqquest of Jaffa, the "Conquers Garden" was planted in the city.

Pre May 1948 The normal Arab population of around 75,000 was already down to 55,000. On the day of surrender less than three weeks later, only about 4,500 Arabs remained. Most of the Arab population fled, while others, particularly the poor segments living in Jaffa's Old City, remained. They form the basis of the modern Arab population of Jaffa. The refugees have not been allowed to return to their homes and are now scattered over the world, many living in refugee camps. (see more details in the article Palestinian refugees)

Displacement of the Arab Population

The reason why so many Arabs fled might have been the massacre at Deir Yassin on April 9, where 254 Palestinians by a combined force drawn from Irgun and from Lehi, known to the British as the "Stern Gang". The capture of Jaffa differed from the earlier conquests in that under the U.N. plan it was supposed to remain as a Palestinian enclave between neighbouring Tel Aviv and areas to the south and east designated as part of the Jewish state.

However according to Jewish intelligence officer Slunuel Toledano there were other factors as well which caused the Arabs to leave to quote, "The Etzel [Irgun] had been shelling Jaffa for three weeks before the Haganah [regular army] entered, making the Arabs very much afraid."

After the conquest, Irgun forces indulged in widespread looting. Reported Jon Kimche, former editor of the Jewish Observer and Middle East Review, the official organ of the Zionist Federation of Britain: "For the first time in the still undeclared war, a Jewish force commenced to loot in wholesale fashion." At first the young Irgunists pillaged only dresses, blouses and ornaments for their girl friends. But this discrimination was soon abandoned. Everything that was movable was carried from Jaffa-furniture, carpets, pictures, crockery and pottery, jewellery and cutlery.

The occupied parts of Jaffa were stripped. Historian Michael Palumbo wrote of Jaffa: "Not content with looting, the Irgun fighters smashed or destroyed everything which they could not carry off, including pianos, lamps and window-panes. Ben Gurion afterwards admitted that Jews of all classes poured into Jaffa from Tel Aviv to participate in what he called 'a shameful and distressing spectacle."

Soon after occupation, the Zionists blew up and bulldozed most of Jaffa's (75%) Arab section, and only the al-'Ajami, Old City, and small part of al-Mansheyyah survived demolition. Mostly (if not all) Jaffa's Suqs were obliterated including Suq al-Nahaseen, Suq al-Balabseh, Suq al-Maslakh, ..etc. In 1954, Jaffa became the suburb of Tel Aviv, and since then both cities are known by Tel Aviv-Yafo. Currently, Jaffa's Old City neighbourhood is being renovated, and mostly it is being inhabited by artists.

Jaffa's main port has been closed and all its shipping has been diverted either to Tel Aviv or Ashdod ports. Jaffa's main Clock Square now called Kikar Hagana (The Haganah's Square) and Jaffa's main street Bistress-Iskandar 'Awad is now known by Rehev Mifrats Shelomo. Jamal Basha street name has been changed to Jerusalem Street, and big portion of al-Manshiyyah neighborhood became a public park. It also should be note that currently Jaffa's Arab population numbers around 10,000 people.

Modern Jaffa

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the population of Jaffa had swelled considerably and new suburbs were built on the sand dunes along the coast. By 1909, the new Jewish suburbs north of Jaffa were reorganized as the city of Tel Aviv.

Modern Jaffa has a heterogeneous population of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The city is now an integral part of the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo.

Jaffa is a major tourist attraction with an exciting combination of old, new and restored. It offers art galleries, souvenir shops, exclusive restaurants, sidewalk cafes, boardwalks and shopping opportunities. It offers a rich variety of culture, entertainment and food (fish restaurants).

Restoration of the Old City

The poverty of the population threatened the continuation of active life in Jaffa as a thriving city. In 1968, the Government of Israel and the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality decided to establish a corporation for the Development of Old Jaffa, entrusting to it the task of averting the total destruction of Old Jaffa's glorious past.

Old Jaffa has since become one of Israel's foal tourist attractions. It is filled with artists' quarters, studios and art galleries. Shops catering for Judaica, archaeology, jewelry aid art, line its narrow alleys which are named after the signs of the Zodiac.

Visitors from both Israel and abroad enjoy dining in its unique restaurants or simply wandering around. People seem to gaze in fascination at the sight of the ancient Port and the rocks, and some are dumbstruck by the beauty of Jaffa harbour set against the back drop of the city of Tel Aviv -the first Jewish city in modern times—a vital, dynamic and vibrant metropolis that never sleeps—and which has grown out of Jaffa. Old Jaffa in itself is a quaint city, more picturesque than ever, with romantic paths and gardens. All this, together with the Mediterranean's sun-drenched waves and the special lighting effects at night, serve to excite and arouse the senses and the soul.

Visitors arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel can hear about the old homes in a booklet called The Opinionated Tourist Guide. The guide is given to tourists, who can read that "the most beautiful homes in the country are the old Arab ones made of stone, built in the early part of the century, that dot the capital and some streets of Haifa and Jaffa ... They cost a fortune, however-$I million is not uncommon and there aren't many of them for sale.

Places to see

• The Clock Square, built in 1906 in honor of Sultan Abed al-Hamid II's 25th anniversary, became the center of Jaffa and it is centered between Jaffa's markets.
• The Abulafia bakery in Yeffeth Street (the main street of Jaffa) is a famous restaurant and a symbol of Jewish-Arab coexistance.
• Mahamoudia Mosque which was built by Abu Nabut (the city governer during the 19th century) and includes a water fountain ("Savil") for pilgrims.
• St Peter Church, a Franciscan church, built in the 19th century on the remains of Crusaders' fortress, which serves also as a hostel. It is told than Napoleon stayed in that church while it was an hostel.
• The Andromeda rock, according to legends this was the rock to whome beautiful Andromeda was chained.
• The Zodiac alleys, a network of restored alleys, full with art galleries, which lead to the Jaffa seaport.
• Jaffa's Old Seaport.
• Jaffa's Hill, a center for archeological excavations of the ancient cities. The most ancient remain are Egyptian gates, about 3,500 years old, which were restored.
• The Lybian Synagogue called "Beit Zunana" was purchased by the Jewish landlord Zunana in the 18th century. During the 19th centuri it stopped using as synagogue and became an hostel and later a soap factory. In 1948 it was reestablish as synagogue to the Lybian Jewish immigrants and in 1995 it became a museum.

References

• Morris, Benny. The Birth of the Palestine Refugee Problem. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
• Nakhleh, Issa. Encyclopedia of the Palestine Problem. (2 vols.). New York: Intercontinental Books, 1991.
• Palumbo, Michael. The Palestinian Catastrophe: The 1948 Expulsion of a People from their Homeland. Boston: Faber and Faber, 1987.
• Quigley, John. Palestine and Israel: A Challenge to Justice. Durham: Duke University Press, 1990.
• Segev, Tom. The First Israelis. New York: The Free Press, 1986.
• Silver, Eric. Begin: The Haunted Prophet. New York: Random House, 1984.

External link

• Tel Aviv official website (English) (Hebrew)
• Arab Jaffa seized before Israel's creation in 1948. Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.