Trafford Publishing: From Desert Sands to Golden Oranges: The History of the German Templer Settlement of Sarona in Palestine 1871-1947

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From Desert Sands to Golden Oranges: The History of the German Templer Settlement of Sarona in Palestine 1871-1947

by Helmut Glenk

325 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-1334; ISBN 1-4120-3506-6; US$30.00, C$37.50, EUR24.37, £16.89

German pioneers who developed settlements and businesses in Palestine - revolutionising agricultural production during late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their ventures contributed significantly to the modernisation of Palestine and ultimately Israel.

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About the Book Testimonials Reviews About the Author Excerpts Catalogue Information

About the Book

This book is an important episode in the history of the development and modernisation of Palestine in the latter 19th and the first half of the 20th Centuries. It portrays the significant contribution made by a small group of German settlers from Wuerttemberg in southern Germany during their 80 years in Palestine. These settlers from the Temple Society first started settlements in the Holy Land in 1868. This book focuses on the settlement of Sarona which was established as an agricultural settlement on the outskirts of Jaffa in 1871. Today the former Sarona village is an inner suburb of the bustling city of Tel Aviv, Israel and the area is now known as Hakirya.
From Desert Sands to Golden Oranges is an authentic historical acount of the Sarona settlement. The achievements of the German settlers, before the first significant Jewish immigration in the 1880s, demonstrated that European settlement was possible in the Holy Land. The achievements of the Sarona settlers were regarded by some Jewish pioneers as a ''model'' similar to what the Jewish immigrants should aspire to. The settlers of Sarona left a proud heritage in the Holy Land, Palestine and Israel. Their buildings, their enterprises and their agricultural ventures will forever be remembered as having contributed significantly to the modernisation of Palestine and ultimately to the benefit of Israel.

Testimonials

"In 1868, a handful of Pietsic believers, leaders of the "Temple Society," arrived in the Holy Land in order to live according to their unique faith. Their original expectation was to become the nucleus of "God's People" in Palestine failed. Yet a small number of courageous Christians established seven flourishing settlements and made an impressive pioneer contribution to the modernisation of the Land of Israel.
135 years later, three descendents of the German settlers gathered together to bring before us the captivating story of Sarona * then a flourishing agricultural settlement in the midst of theisolated plains north of Jaffa, and today a beautiful site in the heart of the Jewish metropolis of Tel Aviv. Sarona is about to be renovated and its devoted sons are offering this impressive book to commemorate the restoration of their home town to the glory of its former days.
This fascinating account is a significant addition to the understanding of the Templer phenomenon that has left a noteworthy mark on the landscape of Israel until today, and it serves as an additional milestone in the process of the on-going conciliation between the ancestor descendents of the Templers and the Israeli public."
Dr. Yaron Perry, Head of the Schumacher institute, University of Haifa, Israel
"...an outstanding literary achievement..."
Peter Lange, President, Temple Society, Stuttgart, Germany
"This well-researched book documents the history of the German Temple Society settlement at Sarona in Palestine. It draws on documentary sources as well as recollections of surviving members of the settlement and their descendants. It is a fascinating and moving story of a settlement twice disturbed by war, the last time terminally. The narrative is most readable and well-documented, and brings to life the settlement and its people. The book stands as a memorial to the faith and achievements of the settlers."
Michael Ramsden, former Dean and Professor at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
"...a live picture of the colony, its cultural faces, the material culture, and the historical context..."
Dr. Danny Goldman, Architect and University Lecturer, Tel Aviv, Israel
"...A privilege to read this fine book..."
Dr. Charlotte Laemmle, Melbourne, Australia
"This book is an especially important contribution towards the history of Palestine. The swabian Templer settlement of Sarona was the first modern agricultural settlement in Palestine and was reputed to be a model settlement by the Jewish immigrants. The book portrays the settlement from its foundation in 1871 to the end of World War II. It is hoped that the present city fathers of Tel Aviv will recognise the historical significance of this settlement and take into account the need for its preservation during their present redevelopment discussions."
Dr. Jakob Eisler, Historian, Haifa, Israel

Reviews

About the Author

Helmut was born in 1943 at Tatura, Victoria, Australia where his parents were interned. He is a descendant of the Glenks who migrated to Palestine in 1876 and who settled in Sarona as one of the pioneering families. His paternal grandfather and grandmother, Gottlieb and Paula (nee Knoll) were both born in Sarona, Palestine in the 1880s. His father Ewald was born there in 1909. His mother Anne (nee Schurr), came from Geislingen, Germany and went ot Palestine in the 1930s. Helmut's brother, Dieter, was born in Palestine before the War. The Glenks were part of the contingent of deportees who were brought to Australia in 1941.
After the War the Glenks settled in Bayswater, Victoria, Australia. They were the first Templers from Camp in Tatura to settle in Bayswater in November 1946. Helmut grew up there and finished his primary and secondary education in the local area.
On completion of secondary schooling he joined the Victorian Public Service and studied Public Administration at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology graduating with a Diploma. After a career spanning nearly 40 years with the Victorian Public Service, during which he held a number of senior positions as well as being Chief Executive Officer of a Statutory Authority, he left the service in 2000 to pursue other interests. On leaving the VPS he was awarded Life Membership of the Institute of Public Administration for ''outstanding contribution to the achievement of the Institute's objectives and for exemplary service to the Victorian Community''.
In 2001 he was a member of the group which organised the 60th anniversary get together of the Templer internees who had been interned at Tatura in 1941.
He has co-authored a short history of the Glenk family in Bayswater (published in ''The Fruits of Bayswater/Wantrina) as well as contributing other articles for Bayswater Inside Out (a local newsletter). He was a contributor to ''Ringwood Recalls'' (a history of the first 50 years of Ringwood High School/Ringwood Secondary College). He has been interviewed on the local Community Radio on some of his childhood experiences in Bayswater.
After extensive personal research, and with research assistance from Manfred Haering and Horst Blaich, he wrote the text and illustration captions for this publication.
Helmut lives in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne with his wife Lorraine. They have three children and five grandchildren.
His interests are his family, history, travelling and reading. He is a keen vegetable gardener and likes the outdoors especially fishing and hunting.

Excerpts

INTRODUCTION
This book is an important episode in the history of the development and modernisation of Palestine in the latter 19th and early 20th Centuries. It portrays the significant contribution made by a small group of German settlers from Wuerttemberg in southern Germany during their 80 years in Palestine. These settlers from the Temple Society first started settlements in the Holy Land in 1869. This book focuses on the settlement of Sarona which was established as an agricultural settlement on the outskirts of Jaffa in 1871.
"From Desert Sands to Golden Oranges" is an authentic historical account of the Sarona settlement. The achievements of the German settlers, before the first significant Jewish immigration in the 1880s, demonstrated that European settlement was possible in the Holy Land. The achievements of the Sarona settlers were regarded by some Jewish pioneers as a "model" similar to what the Jewish immigrants should aspire to. It is the first such detailed account of an individual German Templer settlement in the Holy Land and Palestine.
The book was written after several years of extensive research. It details the settlement's foundation; the extreme hardships endured by the early settlers; the innovations in agriculture (plants and cultivation) and introduction of motorised irrigation systems; the trade skills brought and developed; orderly settlement planning and new styles of architecture and building; the traumas and internment of World War I; the rebuilding after the war; life generally in the settlement; the many and varied business enterprises; sporting, social and cultural activities during the British Mandate period; the settlers internment during World War II and their forced departure from Palestine.
"From Desert Sands to Golden Oranges" is a timely publication considering the recent historical interest within Israel relating to the pioneering work of the Germans in Palestine. A chapter deals with the issues of preservation and restoration of significant buildings and structures built by the settlers. That restoration work is now in the care of the City Council of Tel Aviv and its Preservation Team. The settlers of Sarona left a proud heritage in the Holy Land, Palestine and Israel. Their buildings, their enterprises and their agricultural ventures will forever be remembered as having contributed significantly to the modernisation of Palestine and ultimately Israel.
CONTENTS
Introduction
Table of Contents
Preface
Foreword
Key Dates and Events
1. The Templers and their Settlements in Palestine
2. The Beginning to 1900

* The Holy Land in the latter 19th Century
* Land Acquisition and Allocation - The Founding of Sarona
* Early Progress
* First Teacher and School
* Death, Disease and Extreme Hardships
* Combating Disease
* 1893-1897 Split in the Temple Society
* Land Ownership
* Viticulture
* Cattle Plague of 1895
* Kaiser Wilhelm II Visit
* Sarona at the End of the 19th Century
* Construction and Building in Sarona
* New Developments

3. 1900 to World War 1

* Impact of African Emigration
* Establishment of the Sarona Dairy
* A Vibrant Community
* A Princely Visit
* New School and Community House
* Flourishing Orange Export Industry

4. World War 1 and Internment in Egypt

* Early War Years
* First Car
* 1915 Locust Plague
* War Years 1917 - 1918
* Internment at Helouan in Egypt 1918 -1920
* Impact of the War
* Return to Sarona

5. The Early 1920s

* Rebuilding
* Influence of British Rule
* Issue of Nationality

6. Amalgamation with the Jaffa Community
7. Life in Sarona in the mid 1920s and 1930s

* Administration
* Rates and Taxes
* Aged Care
* Library Services
* Education
* Citrus Industry and the Famous Jaffa Oranges
* Dairy Industry
* Wine Industry
* Orth's Nursery
* Other Primary Industries
* Building Industry
* Houses and Homes
* Utility Services - Water and Electricity
* Other, Businesses, Enterprises and Occupations
* Overseas Workers
* Arab Workers
* Shopping
* Cars and Motor Cycles
* Sporting Activities
* Social and Other Activities

8. Religious and Family Services

* Religious Services
* Weddings
* Funerals
* Remembrance Day
* Christmas
* Easter
* Children's Birthdays

9. Special Characters
10. Pre World War II Sarona - an Overview
11. World War 2 and Internment

* Outbreak of War
* Internment in Acre
* Internment in Sarona up to July 1941
* Deportation to Australia
* Internment in Sarona from July 1941 to 1944
* Report by the Spanish Consul General 1942
* Bomb Blasts
* Internee Exchanges
* Final Days in Sarona and Transfer to Wilhelma
* Internment in Wilhelma (Camp)

12. The End of Sarona

* Unsafe Living Conditions
* Leaving Palestine

13. Sale of Sarona
14. 21st Century Restoration of Historic Houses and Buildings
15. Sarona in Song and Verse
Appendices
1. The Mayors of Sarona
2. Pioneers who died during the early years 1871 - 1874
3. Buildings and Houses built before World War 1
4. War Casualties during World Wars 1 and 2
5. Sarona Statistical Information
6. The 1941 Sarona Deportees to Australia
7. The Exchange Internees from Sarona 1941-1944
8. Internees transferred from Sarona (Camp) to Wilhelma (Camp)
9. Internees who chose to remain in Palestine
Acknowledgements
About the Authors
Bibliography
Other Reference Sources
Abbreviations
End Notes
List of Illustrations
Sourses of Illustrations
Index
Map of Tel Aviv and Jaffa
Fold-out Street Map of Sarona
CONSOLIDATION
By 1874 fourteen stone homes of the infant settlement had been built along the two main roads and another two were under construction. Some houses were single story and others double story and surrounded by a garden. Several water wells up to 20 metres deep had also been constructed. The open area behind the Community House had been planned as a little forest - wooded area, known as the "Waeldle" (little woods). In later times, many community outdoor functions were held there. 1200 trees were planted - including eucalypts, acacias and mulberry trees. The purpose of this initial planting was to provide shade from the dangerous sun's rays, cleanse the air and act as a windbreak. The settlers were planning further similar wooded areas. Many of the surrounding fields were already starting to become productive with the assistance of irrigation. At that time some orange and lemon trees had been planted as well as apricot, almond, peach, quince, olive, fig and walnut trees. In the vegetable gardens cabbage, cauliflowers, lettuce, onions, carrots, melons and "Arabic" vegetable varieties were planted. Sugar cane was a prevalent crop plant.
Over the next few years other vegetables and plants were grown - these included tomatoes, potatoes, celery, cucumbers, cress, capsicums, mustard, parsley, peppermint, garlic, radishes, lentils, beans, sugar peas and poppy seed.
Some European (German) seeds were not suitable for the hotter conditions of the Holy Land and local seeds and seeds from other areas were being experimented with.
The settlers had achieved in a few years the capacity to already export some oranges and lemons as well as selling watermelons and vegetables.
The Sarona settlers are accredited with being the pioneers in applying modern agricultural practices in the Holy Land - use of fertilisers and modern farming tools to increase production. They focussed on crops that were in demand and which they could readily sell. This "agriculture- for-profit" was an "economic" innovation rather than the existing practice in the Holy Land at that time of "self-sustained" agriculture.
Although not yet at a productive stage the settlers realised quickly that the sandy soil with its limestone base would be suitable for vineyards and wine production. They were looking to wine production as becoming an important product for the future. A variety of vines were imported from Europe. One reason why the settlers turned to vineyards was due to the volume of theft that was occurring to other crops. It was estimated a third of the crops of the Saronian farmers were stolen at that time. The wine-making grapes that were planted were not palatable to the Arabs (nor to the jackals).
Some grain crops had been planted and harvested.
The dairy industry was also in its infancy. A problem for the owners of cows was to provide proper feed. Fields needed to be fertilised to produce feed for the stock. Arab shepherds were engaged to look after the stock when it was allowed out of the cowsheds.
In the publication Die deutschen Siedlungen in Palaestina, (The German Settlements in Palestine), by Hans Brugger, reports that after the initial settlement was expanded through land purchases the diligent and hardworking Sarona farmers really made the settlement "blossom". The well maintained and properly fertilised fields yielded abundant crops. For the animals the farmers cut hay and clover and lupins were grown for special feed. Vineyards were started and 160 "oil" (presumably olive) trees planted. These trees were brought by camel from the mountains and each one cost one Franc. The trees were root tubers which had been broken from the roots of an established "oil" tree. They were approximately 3-5 centimetres in diameter and young saplings had started to grow from them.
In 1875 Joel Moshe Salomon, the famous Jewish "redeemer of land" visited Sarona and noted that:- "the heart of Israel is both saddened and filled with joy by this beautiful sight. The heart is happy when it sees how our Holy Land can be changed into God's paradise, however, we should be ashamed when we see persons here, who are not our people, but were the first ones to bring our land to blossom, whilst we lazily stand about"
Gradually the situation improved - the water supply improved, the eucalypts that had been planted grew and absorbed most of the water in the marshy areas, and the water flows in Wadi Musrara were better able to be regulated. The fields, vineyards and orchards started to provide some form of income for the settlers. Life, however, was still spartan - hard work six days a week. Sunday was a day of rest with a regular religious service.
During 1881, ten years after its founding, the settlement experienced a very dry year (no late spring rains) with a resultant drop in yields in grain crops. Hot desert winds and a vine disease -"Reblaus" (phylloxera) destroyed many grapes with detrimental effect on wine production. New root stock was imported from America to restart the vineyards. Several of the settlers resorted to use their horse and carts to ferry persons (tourists) to and from Jaffa to Jerusalem to supplement their meagre incomes. Sarona's original plan of 26 dwellings was revised and expanded during that year so as to cope with increase number of new settlers.
During the latter 1880s, Sarona, like the other Templer settlements, was faced with an overall shortage of financial resources for infrastructure development. The building of roads, development of land, and community facilities were a big burden on the struggling settlers. The Community Council introduced Frondiest (a form of compulsory labour) for the male settlers to help with the construction of roads, drainage and other community related projects. Settlers were required to do a certain number of hours community work. If they personally could not do it they were permitted to send someone else in their place. This practice of community work continued into the 20th century. Employment opportunities for tradesmen and anyone seeking a profession were very limited.
In an endeavour to overcome the financial problems of the Templer settlements in Palestine the Temple Society Central Fund was registered as a partnership with the Imperial German Consulate in Jerusalem on 10 July 1887. The purpose of the Fund was to further German colonization in the Orient and in particular the interests of agriculture, trade and commerce, by establishing credit facilities.
A separate Sarona community council with a mayor was established in 1879 to deal with local community issues. The council comprised Johannes Dreher (Mayor), Andreas Fickel and Karl Kuebler. The "mayor" was elected for four years and the "councillors" for two. The Community Council had introduced a levy called "der Zehnte" (tenth) on all income. This form of levy/tax could be paid in either cash or goods/produce. If it was paid in the latter the goods or products would be sold. The Central Council of the Temple Society dealt with religious, health and some educational matters as well as support for the poor.
In March 1883, Johannes Dreher, Mayor of Sarona, reported in his Annual Report that nine boys and one girl were born in Sarona during 1882, there were 219 residents in Sarona, including 35 school children and 43 children under six years of age. Three new homes with sheds and barns had been built and more land (small holdings) had been purchased from the Arabs. The irrigation system around Sarona had been extended. Mr Dreher also commented on the narrow dusty roadways/paths between the orange groves that were bordered by cactus hedges (prickly pear) on both sides.
A description of Sarona by Yehiel Brill, a Jewish community leader in the 1880s, states that the Sarona settlement was designed and built "...with knowledge and intelligence, in the hands of the diligent and with much effort[...] in the colony we sat, also drank beer, and after we saw and studied the houses and the fields, the beauty and the order, the life of tranquillity and quietness in the colony, we remarked, if a Templer congregation, composed of persons low in means, and rich only with a determination to make the Holy Land inhabited as in past days[...] if they could aspire and work it out, to erect such a colony not to be found even in Germany, so should we[...]."
A further description of a visit to Sarona in 1884 is given by Pastor Carl Ninck from Hamburg. He writes:- "After leaving the smelly alleys (of Jaffa) we came to the well-known, since ancient times, fertile plains of Saron which were now at there best springtime beauty. After half an hour we stopped at Sarona, a neat village with clean white-painted houses, with red tiled roofs and surrounded by small gardens. There are approximately 250 Germans from Wuerttemberg living here. [...] School children were playing in front of the school and called out a familiar swabian "Gruess Gott" greeting. Oh how such a greeting in a foreign land reminds one of home! I jumped off our cart and the school children took me into their school. There I sang German songs with them and told them about their old homeland."

Catalogue Information