What was Jewish life like before World War 2?

Answer 1

Israel proclaimed its Independence on 19 May 1948. Before that, there was not any State on the territory of Palestine except Jordan which was not an independent State either as all the territory of Palestine was under the British Mandate.

Answer 2

When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, Jews were living in every country of Europe. A total of roughly nine million Jews lived in the twenty-one countries that would be occupied by Germany during World War II. By the end of the war, two out of every three of these Jews would be dead, and European Jewish life would be changed forever. In 1933 the largest Jewish populations were concentrated in eastern Europe, including Poland, the Soviet Union, Hungary, and Romania. Many of the Jews of eastern Europe lived in predominantly Jewish towns or villages, called shtetls. Eastern European Jews lived a separate life as a minority within the culture of the majority. They spoke their own language, Yiddish, which combines elements of German and Hebrew. They read Yiddish books, and attended Yiddish theater and movies. Although many younger Jews in larger towns were beginning to adopt modern ways and dress, older people often dressed traditionally, the men wearing hats or caps, and the women modestly covering their hair with wigs or kerchiefs. In comparison, the Jews in Western Europe -- Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium -- made up much less of the population and tended to adopt the culture of their non-Jewish neighbors. They dressed and talked like their countrymen, and traditional religious practices and Yiddish culture played a less important part in their lives. They tended to have had more formal education than eastern European Jews and to live in towns or cities. Jews could be found in all walks of life, as farmers, tailors, seamstresses, factory hands, accountants, doctors, teachers, and small-business owners. Some families were wealthy; many more were poor. Many children ended their schooling early to work in a craft or trade; others looked forward to continuing their education at the university level. Still, whatever their differences, they were the same in one respect: by the 1930s, with the rise of the Nazis to power in Germany, they all became potential victims, and their lives were forever changed.

Answer 3

Return to Israel had been a long-standing hope on the part of many Jews, but not all took it entirely seriously. Since about 1880 there was steady trickle of Jews who returned, and Zionism provided a further impetus. In November 1917 the British government, which was at war with the Ottoman Empire issued the Balfour Declaration, which promised the Jews a 'national home' in Palestine. The next month British forces took Jerusalem. After World War 1 the Palestine Mandate was established under British rule. (It covered the area of modern Israel, Palestine and Jordan). The arrival of larger numbers of Jews led to clashes with the Arabs in the area. These cultimated in what is oftend described as the Arab Revolt 1936-1939. Please see the link for further detail.

Answer 4

after - 14 May 1948