On the Motivation for Hasidic Immigration (Aliyah) to the Land of Israel

Abstract

The migration of some 300 hasidim to the Land of Israel in 1777 laid the foundations for what would come to be called the Old Yishuv. Scholars are divided on the question of the causes of this migration. Simon Dubnow connected it to the persecution of hasidim by mitnagedim. According to this explanation, the establishment of a hasidic center in the Land of Israel sought to affirm the standing of Hasidism and refute the claims of its opponents. Israel Halpern maintained that the hasidic immigrants aspired to sanctify themselves with the holiness of the Land of Israel. Ben Zion Dinur, on the other hand, saw the migration as bearing messianic significance. An important element in this debate on the reasons for the hasidic migration was the discovery of a contemporary Karaite source. This source, first discussed in an article by David Assaf, links the hasidic migration to rumors that the Messiah son of David, had appeared in the Land of Israel. The present article examines the historical significance of this source and offers an alternative interpretation to Assaf’s.