Old Life, New Land: Older Persons Immigration to Mandatory Palestine

• In Event: Age, Emotion, Representation: Revisiting Jewish Migration History

Abstract

The arrival of older persons to Palestine was made possible within the framework of the
mandatory immigration regulations based on the principle of the country's “economic absorption
capacity”. This term, coined by the British in the Churchill White Paper of 1922, was the central
element in the formula used since then to limit Jewish immigration, and it became a major bone
of contention between the Zionist administration and the Mandate authorities.
Elders who came to Palestine mostly followed their sons and daughters. In addition to the
difficulties characteristic of immigration at any age, elderly immigrants are forced to have to
navigate the process of aging in a new environment, without the safety net of a familiar society,
and without the social continuity that facilitates role and functional changes in the last stretch of
their life. This interdisciplinary historical topic has a statistical basis and a theoretical framework. Its historical starting point lies in the fact that, between the years 1928-1942, 27,857 elderly and
adult people over the age of 51 arrived in Palestine, making up 13 percent of all immigrants.
At the foundation of this study is the theoretical framework of ‘Linked Lives’: This integrative
theme suggests that life is experienced in interdependence and is embedded in a large network of social relationships. This concept is particularly emphasized in the context of familial and
intergenerational relationships and recognizes that lives are interdependent and that changes in
one person's life can affect the lives of other people in their close networks.
As of today, there is almost no research in Israel on the historical-cultural questions of old age.
Therefore, the purpose of the lecture is to emphasize the unique characteristics of elderly
migration and to demonstrate how the application of ‘Linked Lives’ has often led to changes in
family structure, family living patterns, and various forms of support. The historical
sources on which this lecture is based, are correspondence from the social work department of
the Jewish Agency, personal letters and newspapers published in Palestine and Europe in the
1930s.

Author

• Galia Hasharoni, The University of Haifa