Talk:Hebrew labor

This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Wikify

An interesting article, which should be mentioned elsewhere.

Let us wikify it into Israel_and_the_apartheid_analogy and more.

See my comment and quotes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Israel_and_the_apartheid_analogy why I think so. Zezen (talk) 10:06, 11 September 2020 (UTC)

Stick to definition, or else it becomes yet another electronicintifada.net page

The definition offered in the lead is:

"Hebrew labor" or "conquest of labor" is a term referring to the ideal adopted by some Jews in Ottoman and Mandate Palestine during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to favour hiring Jewish rather than non-Jewish workers.

And this is a reasonably correct definition - it lacks some very basic info that must be included, but at least it doesn't misrepresent the term. That precludes discussing here any real or perceived call for, or policy of, preferentially employing Jews in Israel, i.e. later than the early 20th century. That is a different topic and goes under I/P conflict, Bantustanisation, apartheid yes or no, etc. Find the right article and place it there, but not here. I am referring here to the "Israel" paragraph in this article, which is dealing with events from 2004 onwards and has no connection to the topic at hand. We cannot have one clear definition, and add at ease content that doesn't fit it however you twist it.

"Hebrew labor" as explained in the first sentence of the lead refers to a clearly defined principle of early Zionism, that sprung up as a reaction to antisemitic tropes of Jewish laziness, physical decadence and unworthiness, of exploiting the others' "honest work", etc., as opposed to the ideal of the "natural man", i.e. the peasant, who has immediate contact and a "natural" perception of mother nature, time, history, to some: spirituality, etc. (see anything from Narodniks, The Triumph of the Farmer or Industry and Parasitism and Tolstoy - look aslo here - to every other movement self-defining as "progressive" in those decades). "Hebrew labor" was a quite clearly defined concept, reacting to and going along with those schools of thought. The purpose of "Hebrew labor" was the "progress and rebirth" of the Jews, and not by any stretch of the imagination the theoretical base for removing others from the labour market - anywhere. The fact of Jewish unemployment in Palestine and the risk to the pioneers' subsistence came later and if those who were affected did invoke the "Hebrew labor" principle in their favour towards Jewish employers (did they?), that would have been a spin given to a concept, and not a way to follow it. If one starts blurring the definitions, anything and everything can be connected and interwoven into one article. There are enough topics where what has been "smuggled in" here can fit, I/P specialists will know that long list of articles better than me. But here it only deserves a "See also" link to the article of your choice where the current "Israel" paragraph has to be moved to. Even there, please stay rational and try to make the needed distinctions: Everyday workplace racism, religious fundamentalist fatwas, fascist hate speech, and fear reactions coming right after and as the intended result of terrorist attacks, Intifada-related or not, are very distinct categories and are in no way the same thing.

Encyclopedias nowadays are trying not to be propaganda platforms, but repositories of knowledge systematically organised by rational criteria. Cheers, Arminden (talk) 23:55, 28 December 2020 (UTC)

Horribly POV

Intentional, I guess, because the used sources offer the whole definition with both the idealistic and the pragmatic aspects and their consequences. Arminden (talk) 15:18, 15 September 2021 (UTC)

Article scope/title

This article should just be about "Conquest of Labor," which is the notable topic. "Hebrew labor" is part of that topic. The way it's currently written, as a single article about two topics, is confusing. Anybody watching this disagree or object to a move and rewrite? Levivich (talk) 21:34, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

+1 Move and rewrite. Regards, Goldsztajn (talk) 00:57, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

"Zionism and Israel" website

Altenmann I don't think this site is usable. It's a self-published source isn't it? Unless you have compelling reasons otherwise, I'll maybe take it to RSN. BobFromBrockley (talk) 10:07, 3 October 2025 (UTC)

@Bobfrombrockley: Self-reverted. Not all WP:SPS is bad. However the websit does have the major problem: the articles have no authors, hence we cannot evaluete their expertise. It even cannot be used in "See also" section, because the articles there do not have references to sources used, although they do look good. --Altenmann >talk 15:21, 3 October 2025 (UTC)

Thanks! BobFromBrockley (talk) 17:33, 3 October 2025 (UTC)

Requested Edit

• What I think should be changed (format using {{textdiff}}):
• Why it should be changed: Add short description
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−

[[Category:Wikipedia pages with incorrect protection templates|Hebrew labor]] [[File:DEMONSTRATORS NEAR CITRUS GROVES IN KFAR SABA, DEMANDING THE EMPLOYMENT OF JEWISH WORKERS. הפגנה של תושבי כפר סבא ליד פרדסי היישוב, למען עבודה עברית ו.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Jewish demonstrators near citrus groves in [[Kfar Saba]], demanding the employment of Jewish workers]] [[File:Kibush Haavoda street, Herzliya.jpg|thumb|Kibush Ha'Avoda street, [[Herzliya]]]] '''"Hebrew labor"''' ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: <span lang="he" dir="rtl">עבודה עברית</span>; ''Avoda Ivrit'') and "[[the conquest of labor]]<span class="noprint" style="font-size:85%; font-style: normal; "> [[[:he:כיבוש העבודה|he]]]</span>" ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: <span lang="he" dir="rtl">כיבוש העבודה</span>; ''Kibush haAvoda'') are two related terms and concepts. The first refers to the ideal adopted by some [[Jews]] in [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] and [[Mandatory Palestine|Mandate Palestine]] during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and later embraced by [[Zionism]] to favour hiring Jewish rather than non-Jewish workers. The second is the slogan for the Jews to embrace productive (industrial and agricultural) labor rather than being engaged only in trades and professions. ==Background== ===End of the Ottoman period=== During the [[Second Aliyah]] period many Jewish immigrants to [[History of Israel#Ottoman period |Ottoman]] [[Palestine (region) |Palestine]] sought year-round jobs on the agricultural tracts and plantations of their fellow Jews who had arrived during the [[First Aliyah]]. Rather than hire their fellow Jews, the immigrants of the First Aliyah were initially inclined to hire local Arabs who provided cheaper labor. Eventually the immigrant laborers of the Second Aliyah successfully unionized and emphasized their Jewish identity and shared nationalist goals in order to persuade the First Aliyah immigrants to hire them and thereby displace the Arab labor. They organized under the banner of "Hebrew Labor" and "conquest of labor". The struggle for Jewish labor, for Jews to employ only Jews, signified the victory of Jewish labor in creating a new society. This struggle was constantly pushed by the leaders of the Second [[Aliyah]] (1904-1914), who founded [[Labor Zionism]] and in the 1930s became the leaders of the [[Zionism|Zionist]] movement. Shortly after his arrival in Palestine in 1906 [[David Ben-Gurion]] noted that a [[moshav]]a, a private Jewish agricultural settlement, employed Arabs as guards. He asked himself: "Was it conceivable that here too we should be deep in [[Galuth]], hiring strangers to guard our property and protect our lives?". Soon Ben-Gurion and his companions managed to amend this situation. According to [[Shabtai Teveth]] in these early years Ben-Gurion developed the concept of'' 'Avodah Ivrit', ''or 'Jewish labour'. The leaders of the Second Aliyah agreed that Jewish labor was vital for the national revival process, as they were convinced that Jews should 'redeem' themselves by building with their own hands a new type of Jewish society. They also thought the use of Arab labor could create a typical colonial society, exploiting cheap, unorganized local labor, and would hamper further Jewish immigration. Finally they considered manual labor a good therapy for Jews as individuals and as a people. In Ben-Gurion's opinion, Jewish labor was "not a means but a sublime end", the Jew had to be transformed and made creative. In 1907, Ben-Gurion called for Jewish labor on lands owned by the [[Jewish National Fund]]. There were difficulties here, because Arabs were prepared to work long hours for very low wages, and most Jewish immigrants preferred to settle in the cities. In this context occurred the development of the concept of the [[kibbutz]], 'the co-operative settlement based on self-labour and motivated by Zionist ideals'. In a summary made in 1956, Ben-Gurion said the kibbutz movement was not started because of some socialist theory, but as an effective way to "guarantee Jewish labour". Ben Gurion said: <blockquote class="templatequote " >We do not want to create a situation like that which exists in South Africa, where the whites are the owners and rulers, and the blacks are the workers. If we do not do all kinds of work, easy and hard, skilled and unskilled, if we become merely landlords, then this will not be our homeland. (David Ben-Gurion to Palestinian nationalist [[Musa Alami]] 1934)</blockquote> ===Mandate period=== Around 1920 Ben-Gurion began to call for Jewish labor in the entire economy, and labor Zionism started striving for an absolute segregation of the Jewish and Arab national communities. In this way 'Jews and Arabs [...] would live in separate settlements and work in separate economies'. Ben-Gurion used the [[1929 Palestine riots]] and the 1936 [[Arab general strike]] as opportunities to further enforce his drive for Jewish labor. In 1930 the [[Hope Simpson Report]] blamed the Jewish labor policy for the grave unemployment in the Arab sector. According to Flapan in 1933 the [[Histadrut]] launched its first campaign to remove Arab workers from the cities. In many cases the removal of Arab workers 'took the form of ugly scenes of violence'. Reports of this in the Jewish and Arab press 'created an atmosphere of unprecedented tension'. According to Flapan this forceful eviction of Arab workers and the 'acrimonious propaganda' which accompanied the operation amplified Arab hostility and ultimately precipitated the outbreak of the [[1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine|Arab revolt in 1936]]. In 1947 the UN Special Commission on Palestine summarized the situation: <blockquote>The economic life presents the complex phenomenon of two distinctive economies—one Jewish and one Arab, closely involved with one another and yet in essential features separate. . . . Apart from a small number of experts, no Jewish workers are employed in Arab undertakings and apart from citrus groves, very few Arabs are employed in Jewish enterprises. . . . Government service, the Potash company and the oil refinery are almost the only places where Arab and Jews meet as co-workers in the same organization. . . . There are considerable differences between the rates of wage for Arab and Jewish workers in similar occupations.</blockquote> ===State of Israel=== ====After the Second Intifada==== It 1995, the Israeli [[Employment (Equal Opportunities) Law]] was amended to prohibit discrimination based on nationality. In recent times there have been attempts at reviving the practice of hiring exclusively Jewish labor in Israel and the [[Israeli-occupied territories|occupied territories]], particularly after the [[Second Intifada]]. While this is illegal in Israel since 1995, many employers, using a [[loophole]] in the law, cite overriding security concerns. Some organizations attempted to encourage "Hebrew labor" an apparently legal ways. An example is the "Hebrew Job Board" (<span title="Hebrew-language text"><span lang="he" dir="rtl">לוח עבודה עברית</span></span>) website, which was encouraging "Hebrew labor" by publishing the list of "Jew-only" businesses and warning about security risks and danger of ''hitbolelut'' ([[Jewish assimilation]]) involved in hiring non-Jews, It was found to be engaged in discrimination and ordered to pay a fine. In an appeal, the organization claimed that their purpose was the historical tradition of ''[[tzedakah]]'' (charitable work) aimed at helping Jews with their livelihoods, and vouched to amend their online activities to comply with the law. Some right-wing organizations tried to ostracize the businesses that employ Arabs. In March 2008, in light of the [[Mercaz HaRav massacre]], perpetrated by an Arab [[East Jerusalem]] resident who was initially reported to have been an employee of the seminary, Rabbi [[Chaim Kanievsky]] ruled "it is completely forbidden to hire Arabs, especially in [[yeshivas]]" due to the "concern of endangering lives". One week later the Chief Rabbi of [[Hebron]] and [[Kiryat Arba]], Rabbi [[Dov Lior]] ruled that "it is strictly prohibited to hire Arabs, or to rent houses on Israeli land to them. Their employment is out of the question, not only in the yeshivas but also in hotels or factories; basically anywhere." <div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: [[:Hilltop Youth#About the groups|Hilltop Youth § About the groups]]</div> ==Terminology== ===Hebrew labor=== "Hebrew labor" is often also referred to as "Jewish labor", although the former is the literal translation of "avoda ivrit". According to Even-Zohar the immigrants of the [[Second Aliyah]] preferred to use the word "Hebrew" because they wanted to emphasize the difference between their "new Hebrew" identity and the "old [[The "Negation of the Diaspora" in Zionism|Diaspora]] Jewish" identity. For them the word "Hebrew" had romantic connotations with the "purity" and "authenticity" of the existence of the "Hebrew nation in its land", like it had been in the past. Related to the concept of "Hebrew labor" was the concept of "alien labor". Ben-Gurion wrote about the settlers of the [[First Aliyah]]: "They introduced the idol of exile to the temple of national rebirth, and the creation of the new homeland was desecrated by ''avodah zara''". According to Shapira ''avodah zara'' means both "alien labor" and, in a religious sense, "idol worship". Along with bloodshed and incest this is one of the three worst sins in Judaism. Application of this concept to the employment of Arab workers by Jews depicted this as a taboo. === Conquest of labor === <table class="box-Empty_section plainlinks metadata ambox mbox-small-left ambox-content" role="presentation"><tr><td class="mbox-image">[[File:Wiki letter w cropped.svg|20px|alt=[icon]]]</td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">'''This section is empty.''' You can help by [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Hebrew_labor&action=edit&section= adding to it]. <span class='date-container'><i>(<span class='date'>July 2024</span>)</i></span></div></td></tr></table> ==See also== *[[Labor Zionism]] *[[Muscular Judaism]] *[[Arab general strike (Mandatory Palestine)]] *[[Antisemitic boycotts]] **[[Arab boycott]] *[[Austerity in Israel]] *[[Sursock Purchases]] ==Notes== <div> </div> ==References== <div> </div> ==Bibliography== <div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image">[[File:Commons-logo.svg|40x40px|alt=Wikimedia Commons logo|class=noviewer]]</div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Wikimedia Commons has media related to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">[[commons:Category:Hebrew labor|Hebrew labor]]</span>.</div></div> </div> <div class="refbegin " style=""> *<cite id="CITEREFEven-Zohar1996" class="citation book cs1">[[Itamar Even-Zohar|Even-Zohar, Itamar]] (1996) [1981]. "The emergence of a native Hebrew culture in Palestine: 1882–1948". In [[Jehuda Reinharz|Reinharz, Jehuda]]; [[Anita Shapira|Shapira, Anita]] (eds.). [https://books.google.com/books?id=AvU8DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA727 ''Essential Papers on Zionism'']. Essential Papers on Jewish Studies. Vol. 3. [[NYU Press]]. pp. <span class="nowrap">727–</span>729. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/0-8147-7449-0|<bdi>0-8147-7449-0</bdi>]]<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">15 September</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=The+emergence+of+a+native+Hebrew+culture+in+Palestine%3A+1882%E2%80%931948&rft.btitle=Essential+Papers+on+Zionism&rft.series=Essential+Papers+on+Jewish+Studies&rft.pages=727-729&rft.pub=NYU+Press&rft.date=1996&rft.isbn=0-8147-7449-0&rft.aulast=Even-Zohar&rft.aufirst=Itamar&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DAvU8DAAAQBAJ%26pg%3DPA727&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> Revised reprint of article of the same title from ''Papers in Zionism'' '''4''' (October 1981), pp. 167–184, [[doi (identifier)|doi]]:[https://doi.org/10.1080%2F13531048108575807 10.1080/13531048108575807]. *<cite id="CITEREFFlapan1979" class="citation book cs1">[[Simha Flapan|Flapan, Simha]] (1979). ''Zionism and the Palestinians''. [[Croom Helm]]. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780064921046|<bdi>9780064921046</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Zionism+and+the+Palestinians&rft.pub=Croom+Helm&rft.date=1979&rft.isbn=9780064921046&rft.aulast=Flapan&rft.aufirst=Simha&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> Minimal text access via Google Books (15 September 2021). *<cite id="CITEREFGorni1987" class="citation book cs1">Gorni, Yosef (1987). ''Zionism and the Arabs, 1882-1948: A Study of Ideology''. Translated by Chaya Galai. [[Clarendon Press]]. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780198227212|<bdi>9780198227212</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Zionism+and+the+Arabs%2C+1882-1948%3A+A+Study+of+Ideology&rft.pub=Clarendon+Press&rft.date=1987&rft.isbn=9780198227212&rft.aulast=Gorni&rft.aufirst=Yosef&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> No text access via Google Books (15 September 2021). *<cite id="CITEREFShafirPeled2002" class="citation book cs1">Shafir, Gershon; Peled, Yoav (2002). [https://books.google.com/books?id=obTYDj0rNZgC ''Being Israeli: The Dynamics of Multiple Citizenship'']. Cambridge Middle East Studies. Vol. 16. [[Cambridge University Press]]. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780521796729|<bdi>9780521796729</bdi>]]<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">15 September</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Being+Israeli%3A+The+Dynamics+of+Multiple+Citizenship&rft.series=Cambridge+Middle+East+Studies&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=2002&rft.isbn=9780521796729&rft.aulast=Shafir&rft.aufirst=Gershon&rft.au=Peled%2C+Yoav&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DobTYDj0rNZgC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> *<cite id="CITEREFShapira1999" class="citation book cs1">[[Anita Shapira|Shapira, Anita]] (1999) [1992]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=h4K06WBjCrAC&pg=PA64 ''Land and Power: The Zionist Resort to Force, 1881-1948''] (revised reprint ed.). [[Stanford U. Press]]. p. 64. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780804737760|<bdi>9780804737760</bdi>]]<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">15 September</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Land+and+Power%3A+The+Zionist+Resort+to+Force%2C+1881-1948&rft.pages=64&rft.edition=revised+reprint&rft.pub=Stanford+U.+Press&rft.date=1999&rft.isbn=9780804737760&rft.aulast=Shapira&rft.aufirst=Anita&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dh4K06WBjCrAC%26pg%3DPA64&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> *<cite id="CITEREFSmith2001" class="citation book cs1">Smith, Charles D. (2001). ''Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict'' (4th ed.). [[Palgrave Macmillan]]. p. 118. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780333914427|<bdi>9780333914427</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Palestine+and+the+Arab-Israeli+Conflict&rft.pages=118&rft.edition=4th&rft.pub=Palgrave+Macmillan&rft.date=2001&rft.isbn=9780333914427&rft.aulast=Smith&rft.aufirst=Charles+D.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> No text access to any edition via Google Books (15 September 2021). *<cite id="CITEREFSternhell1998" class="citation book cs1">[[Zeev Sternhell|Sternhell, Zeev]] (1998). ''[[The Founding Myths of Israel]]: Nationalism, Socialism, and the Making of the Jewish State'' (1st English ed.).</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Founding+Myths+of+Israel%3A+Nationalism%2C+Socialism%2C+and+the+Making+of+the+Jewish+State&rft.edition=1st+English&rft.date=1998&rft.aulast=Sternhell&rft.aufirst=Zeev&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> *<cite id="CITEREFTeveth1985" class="citation book cs1">[[Shabtai Teveth|Teveth, Shabtai]] (1985). ''Ben-Gurion and the Palestinian Arabs: From Peace to War''. [[Oxford University Press]]. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780195035629|<bdi>9780195035629</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Ben-Gurion+and+the+Palestinian+Arabs%3A+From+Peace+to+War&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=1985&rft.isbn=9780195035629&rft.aulast=Teveth&rft.aufirst=Shabtai&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> Minimal text access via Google Books (15 September 2021). </div> [[Category:Economic history of Israel]] [[Category:History of Zionism]] [[Category:Judaism and social class]] [[Category:Zionism in Mandatory Palestine]] [[Category:Working class in Israel]] [[Category:Labor Zionism]]

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<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">late 19th century and early 20th century Jewish ideal later embraced by Zionists</div>[[Category:articles with short description]][[Category:Wikipedia pages with incorrect protection templates|Hebrew labor]] [[File:DEMONSTRATORS NEAR CITRUS GROVES IN KFAR SABA, DEMANDING THE EMPLOYMENT OF JEWISH WORKERS. הפגנה של תושבי כפר סבא ליד פרדסי היישוב, למען עבודה עברית ו.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Jewish demonstrators near citrus groves in [[Kfar Saba]], demanding the employment of Jewish workers]] [[File:Kibush Haavoda street, Herzliya.jpg|thumb|Kibush Ha'Avoda street, [[Herzliya]]]] '''"Hebrew labor"''' ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: <span lang="he" dir="rtl">עבודה עברית</span>; ''Avoda Ivrit'') and "[[the conquest of labor]]<span class="noprint" style="font-size:85%; font-style: normal; "> [[[:he:כיבוש העבודה|he]]]</span>" ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: <span lang="he" dir="rtl">כיבוש העבודה</span>; ''Kibush haAvoda'') are two related terms and concepts. The first refers to the ideal adopted by some [[Jews]] in [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] and [[Mandatory Palestine|Mandate Palestine]] during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and later embraced by [[Zionism]] to favour hiring Jewish rather than non-Jewish workers. The second is the slogan for the Jews to embrace productive (industrial and agricultural) labor rather than being engaged only in trades and professions. ==Background== ===End of the Ottoman period=== During the [[Second Aliyah]] period many Jewish immigrants to [[History of Israel#Ottoman period |Ottoman]] [[Palestine (region) |Palestine]] sought year-round jobs on the agricultural tracts and plantations of their fellow Jews who had arrived during the [[First Aliyah]]. Rather than hire their fellow Jews, the immigrants of the First Aliyah were initially inclined to hire local Arabs who provided cheaper labor. Eventually the immigrant laborers of the Second Aliyah successfully unionized and emphasized their Jewish identity and shared nationalist goals in order to persuade the First Aliyah immigrants to hire them and thereby displace the Arab labor. They organized under the banner of "Hebrew Labor" and "conquest of labor". The struggle for Jewish labor, for Jews to employ only Jews, signified the victory of Jewish labor in creating a new society. This struggle was constantly pushed by the leaders of the Second [[Aliyah]] (1904-1914), who founded [[Labor Zionism]] and in the 1930s became the leaders of the [[Zionism|Zionist]] movement. Shortly after his arrival in Palestine in 1906 [[David Ben-Gurion]] noted that a [[moshav]]a, a private Jewish agricultural settlement, employed Arabs as guards. He asked himself: "Was it conceivable that here too we should be deep in [[Galuth]], hiring strangers to guard our property and protect our lives?". Soon Ben-Gurion and his companions managed to amend this situation. According to [[Shabtai Teveth]] in these early years Ben-Gurion developed the concept of'' 'Avodah Ivrit', ''or 'Jewish labour'. The leaders of the Second Aliyah agreed that Jewish labor was vital for the national revival process, as they were convinced that Jews should 'redeem' themselves by building with their own hands a new type of Jewish society. They also thought the use of Arab labor could create a typical colonial society, exploiting cheap, unorganized local labor, and would hamper further Jewish immigration. Finally they considered manual labor a good therapy for Jews as individuals and as a people. In Ben-Gurion's opinion, Jewish labor was "not a means but a sublime end", the Jew had to be transformed and made creative. In 1907, Ben-Gurion called for Jewish labor on lands owned by the [[Jewish National Fund]]. There were difficulties here, because Arabs were prepared to work long hours for very low wages, and most Jewish immigrants preferred to settle in the cities. In this context occurred the development of the concept of the [[kibbutz]], 'the co-operative settlement based on self-labour and motivated by Zionist ideals'. In a summary made in 1956, Ben-Gurion said the kibbutz movement was not started because of some socialist theory, but as an effective way to "guarantee Jewish labour". Ben Gurion said: <blockquote class="templatequote " >We do not want to create a situation like that which exists in South Africa, where the whites are the owners and rulers, and the blacks are the workers. If we do not do all kinds of work, easy and hard, skilled and unskilled, if we become merely landlords, then this will not be our homeland. (David Ben-Gurion to Palestinian nationalist [[Musa Alami]] 1934)</blockquote> ===Mandate period=== Around 1920 Ben-Gurion began to call for Jewish labor in the entire economy, and labor Zionism started striving for an absolute segregation of the Jewish and Arab national communities. In this way 'Jews and Arabs [...] would live in separate settlements and work in separate economies'. Ben-Gurion used the [[1929 Palestine riots]] and the 1936 [[Arab general strike]] as opportunities to further enforce his drive for Jewish labor. In 1930 the [[Hope Simpson Report]] blamed the Jewish labor policy for the grave unemployment in the Arab sector. According to Flapan in 1933 the [[Histadrut]] launched its first campaign to remove Arab workers from the cities. In many cases the removal of Arab workers 'took the form of ugly scenes of violence'. Reports of this in the Jewish and Arab press 'created an atmosphere of unprecedented tension'. According to Flapan this forceful eviction of Arab workers and the 'acrimonious propaganda' which accompanied the operation amplified Arab hostility and ultimately precipitated the outbreak of the [[1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine|Arab revolt in 1936]]. In 1947 the UN Special Commission on Palestine summarized the situation: <blockquote>The economic life presents the complex phenomenon of two distinctive economies—one Jewish and one Arab, closely involved with one another and yet in essential features separate. . . . Apart from a small number of experts, no Jewish workers are employed in Arab undertakings and apart from citrus groves, very few Arabs are employed in Jewish enterprises. . . . Government service, the Potash company and the oil refinery are almost the only places where Arab and Jews meet as co-workers in the same organization. . . . There are considerable differences between the rates of wage for Arab and Jewish workers in similar occupations.</blockquote> ===State of Israel=== ====After the Second Intifada==== It 1995, the Israeli [[Employment (Equal Opportunities) Law]] was amended to prohibit discrimination based on nationality. In recent times there have been attempts at reviving the practice of hiring exclusively Jewish labor in Israel and the [[Israeli-occupied territories|occupied territories]], particularly after the [[Second Intifada]]. While this is illegal in Israel since 1995, many employers, using a [[loophole]] in the law, cite overriding security concerns. Some organizations attempted to encourage "Hebrew labor" an apparently legal ways. An example is the "Hebrew Job Board" (<span title="Hebrew-language text"><span lang="he" dir="rtl">לוח עבודה עברית</span></span>) website, which was encouraging "Hebrew labor" by publishing the list of "Jew-only" businesses and warning about security risks and danger of ''hitbolelut'' ([[Jewish assimilation]]) involved in hiring non-Jews, It was found to be engaged in discrimination and ordered to pay a fine. In an appeal, the organization claimed that their purpose was the historical tradition of ''[[tzedakah]]'' (charitable work) aimed at helping Jews with their livelihoods, and vouched to amend their online activities to comply with the law. Some right-wing organizations tried to ostracize the businesses that employ Arabs. In March 2008, in light of the [[Mercaz HaRav massacre]], perpetrated by an Arab [[East Jerusalem]] resident who was initially reported to have been an employee of the seminary, Rabbi [[Chaim Kanievsky]] ruled "it is completely forbidden to hire Arabs, especially in [[yeshivas]]" due to the "concern of endangering lives". One week later the Chief Rabbi of [[Hebron]] and [[Kiryat Arba]], Rabbi [[Dov Lior]] ruled that "it is strictly prohibited to hire Arabs, or to rent houses on Israeli land to them. Their employment is out of the question, not only in the yeshivas but also in hotels or factories; basically anywhere." <div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: [[:Hilltop Youth#About the groups|Hilltop Youth § About the groups]]</div> ==Terminology== ===Hebrew labor=== "Hebrew labor" is often also referred to as "Jewish labor", although the former is the literal translation of "avoda ivrit". According to Even-Zohar the immigrants of the [[Second Aliyah]] preferred to use the word "Hebrew" because they wanted to emphasize the difference between their "new Hebrew" identity and the "old [[The "Negation of the Diaspora" in Zionism|Diaspora]] Jewish" identity. For them the word "Hebrew" had romantic connotations with the "purity" and "authenticity" of the existence of the "Hebrew nation in its land", like it had been in the past. Related to the concept of "Hebrew labor" was the concept of "alien labor". Ben-Gurion wrote about the settlers of the [[First Aliyah]]: "They introduced the idol of exile to the temple of national rebirth, and the creation of the new homeland was desecrated by ''avodah zara''". According to Shapira ''avodah zara'' means both "alien labor" and, in a religious sense, "idol worship". Along with bloodshed and incest this is one of the three worst sins in Judaism. Application of this concept to the employment of Arab workers by Jews depicted this as a taboo. === Conquest of labor === <table class="box-Empty_section plainlinks metadata ambox mbox-small-left ambox-content" role="presentation"><tr><td class="mbox-image">[[File:Wiki letter w cropped.svg|20px|alt=[icon]]]</td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">'''This section is empty.''' You can help by [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Hebrew_labor&action=edit&section= adding to it]. <span class='date-container'><i>(<span class='date'>July 2024</span>)</i></span></div></td></tr></table> ==See also== *[[Labor Zionism]] *[[Muscular Judaism]] *[[Arab general strike (Mandatory Palestine)]] *[[Antisemitic boycotts]] **[[Arab boycott]] *[[Austerity in Israel]] *[[Sursock Purchases]] ==Notes== <div> </div> ==References== <div> </div> ==Bibliography== <div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image">[[File:Commons-logo.svg|40x40px|alt=Wikimedia Commons logo|class=noviewer]]</div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Wikimedia Commons has media related to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">[[commons:Category:Hebrew labor|Hebrew labor]]</span>.</div></div> </div> <div class="refbegin " style=""> *<cite id="CITEREFEven-Zohar1996" class="citation book cs1">[[Itamar Even-Zohar|Even-Zohar, Itamar]] (1996) [1981]. "The emergence of a native Hebrew culture in Palestine: 1882–1948". In [[Jehuda Reinharz|Reinharz, Jehuda]]; [[Anita Shapira|Shapira, Anita]] (eds.). [https://books.google.com/books?id=AvU8DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA727 ''Essential Papers on Zionism'']. Essential Papers on Jewish Studies. Vol. 3. [[NYU Press]]. pp. <span class="nowrap">727–</span>729. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/0-8147-7449-0|<bdi>0-8147-7449-0</bdi>]]<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">15 September</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=The+emergence+of+a+native+Hebrew+culture+in+Palestine%3A+1882%E2%80%931948&rft.btitle=Essential+Papers+on+Zionism&rft.series=Essential+Papers+on+Jewish+Studies&rft.pages=727-729&rft.pub=NYU+Press&rft.date=1996&rft.isbn=0-8147-7449-0&rft.aulast=Even-Zohar&rft.aufirst=Itamar&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DAvU8DAAAQBAJ%26pg%3DPA727&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> Revised reprint of article of the same title from ''Papers in Zionism'' '''4''' (October 1981), pp. 167–184, [[doi (identifier)|doi]]:[https://doi.org/10.1080%2F13531048108575807 10.1080/13531048108575807]. *<cite id="CITEREFFlapan1979" class="citation book cs1">[[Simha Flapan|Flapan, Simha]] (1979). ''Zionism and the Palestinians''. [[Croom Helm]]. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780064921046|<bdi>9780064921046</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Zionism+and+the+Palestinians&rft.pub=Croom+Helm&rft.date=1979&rft.isbn=9780064921046&rft.aulast=Flapan&rft.aufirst=Simha&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> Minimal text access via Google Books (15 September 2021). *<cite id="CITEREFGorni1987" class="citation book cs1">Gorni, Yosef (1987). ''Zionism and the Arabs, 1882-1948: A Study of Ideology''. Translated by Chaya Galai. [[Clarendon Press]]. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780198227212|<bdi>9780198227212</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Zionism+and+the+Arabs%2C+1882-1948%3A+A+Study+of+Ideology&rft.pub=Clarendon+Press&rft.date=1987&rft.isbn=9780198227212&rft.aulast=Gorni&rft.aufirst=Yosef&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> No text access via Google Books (15 September 2021). *<cite id="CITEREFShafirPeled2002" class="citation book cs1">Shafir, Gershon; Peled, Yoav (2002). [https://books.google.com/books?id=obTYDj0rNZgC ''Being Israeli: The Dynamics of Multiple Citizenship'']. Cambridge Middle East Studies. Vol. 16. [[Cambridge University Press]]. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780521796729|<bdi>9780521796729</bdi>]]<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">15 September</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Being+Israeli%3A+The+Dynamics+of+Multiple+Citizenship&rft.series=Cambridge+Middle+East+Studies&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=2002&rft.isbn=9780521796729&rft.aulast=Shafir&rft.aufirst=Gershon&rft.au=Peled%2C+Yoav&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DobTYDj0rNZgC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> *<cite id="CITEREFShapira1999" class="citation book cs1">[[Anita Shapira|Shapira, Anita]] (1999) [1992]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=h4K06WBjCrAC&pg=PA64 ''Land and Power: The Zionist Resort to Force, 1881-1948''] (revised reprint ed.). [[Stanford U. Press]]. p. 64. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780804737760|<bdi>9780804737760</bdi>]]<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">15 September</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Land+and+Power%3A+The+Zionist+Resort+to+Force%2C+1881-1948&rft.pages=64&rft.edition=revised+reprint&rft.pub=Stanford+U.+Press&rft.date=1999&rft.isbn=9780804737760&rft.aulast=Shapira&rft.aufirst=Anita&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dh4K06WBjCrAC%26pg%3DPA64&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> *<cite id="CITEREFSmith2001" class="citation book cs1">Smith, Charles D. (2001). ''Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict'' (4th ed.). [[Palgrave Macmillan]]. p. 118. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780333914427|<bdi>9780333914427</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Palestine+and+the+Arab-Israeli+Conflict&rft.pages=118&rft.edition=4th&rft.pub=Palgrave+Macmillan&rft.date=2001&rft.isbn=9780333914427&rft.aulast=Smith&rft.aufirst=Charles+D.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> No text access to any edition via Google Books (15 September 2021). *<cite id="CITEREFSternhell1998" class="citation book cs1">[[Zeev Sternhell|Sternhell, Zeev]] (1998). ''[[The Founding Myths of Israel]]: Nationalism, Socialism, and the Making of the Jewish State'' (1st English ed.).</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Founding+Myths+of+Israel%3A+Nationalism%2C+Socialism%2C+and+the+Making+of+the+Jewish+State&rft.edition=1st+English&rft.date=1998&rft.aulast=Sternhell&rft.aufirst=Zeev&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> *<cite id="CITEREFTeveth1985" class="citation book cs1">[[Shabtai Teveth|Teveth, Shabtai]] (1985). ''Ben-Gurion and the Palestinian Arabs: From Peace to War''. [[Oxford University Press]]. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9780195035629|<bdi>9780195035629</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Ben-Gurion+and+the+Palestinian+Arabs%3A+From+Peace+to+War&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=1985&rft.isbn=9780195035629&rft.aulast=Teveth&rft.aufirst=Shabtai&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ATalk%3AHebrew+labor" class="Z3988"></span> Minimal text access via Google Books (15 September 2021). </div> [[Category:Economic history of Israel]] [[Category:History of Zionism]] [[Category:Judaism and social class]] [[Category:Zionism in Mandatory Palestine]] [[Category:Working class in Israel]] [[Category:Labor Zionism]]

Finnfrog99 (talk) 15:52, 23 January 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: according to the page's protection level, you should be able to edit the page yourself. If you seem to be unable to, please reopen the request with further details. Day Creature (talk) 16:38, 23 January 2026 (UTC)

My bad, last time I checked I wasn't extended-confirmed so I thought I had to do it this way Finnfrog99 (talk) 16:41, 23 January 2026 (UTC)

References