Levontin did not embark on his mission alone. Yahiel Pines, a native of Różan in the Grodno province, and Chaim Amzaleg, a Gibraltar-born collaborator, bolstered his efforts in Jaffa.
Pines hailed from Hasidic families and represented Sir Moses Montefiore's Fund, the eminent English philanthropist, in Palestine. Pines navigated a complex social landscape: the religious community harboured reservations about his Zionist sympathies, Zionists were uneasy about his orthodoxy, Sephardic Jews held his Ashkenazi roots against him, and his affinity for Sephardic Jews unsettled Ashkenazi. Nonetheless, Pines stayed true to his convictions, tirelessly working to establish settlements and transform Hebrew from a liturgical language into a speaking. Among his linguistic contributions were the words 'Compass', 'Tomato', and 'Clock' in the modern language.
Chaim Amzaleg, on the other hand, was the son of a prominent merchant from Morocco, a friend of Moses Montefiore, whose family had been established in Jerusalem since 1834. He was Jaffa's Deputy British Consul and Portugal's Honorary Consul in Jerusalem. Amzaleg's respect, material wealth, and flawless reputation proved invaluable in advocating for the interests of the pioneers to the Turkish authorities.
His nephew, Josef Navon, a Jerusalem banker, businessman, and railroad builder between Jaffa and Jerusalem, negotiated with Arab landowner Mustafa Abdullah Ali Dajan. Dajan was amenable to selling land 12 kilometres south of Jaffa, around the Ayun Kara spring - the biblical Ein Kara referenced in the Book of Judges. Pines proposed this location to Levontin after several months of fruitless searching. The purchase was conducted under Chaim Amzaleg's name to circumvent Turkish restrictions on foreign land sales. They bought nearly 3.3 thousand dunams (a Turkish unit equivalent to 10 acres) at 15 francs (5.5 rubles) per dunam, totalling about 400,000 dollars. Over half of this amount was contributed by Zvi Levontin HaCohen, Zalman David Levontin's uncle, the eldest among the settlers.
This journey offers a distinct and unparalleled experience, deviating from the customary city tour by transforming your mobile phone into your guide. As one acclimates to a tour guide's distinctive style, rhythm, and routes, you will also adapt to this unique self-guided experience. Here, you are a participant and the storyteller, navigating and setting your own tempo based on your personal style.
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with this novel approach, and soon you'll find yourself immersed in a narrative rich with the complexities of real people's lives, their moments of joy and despair. As you journey, urban legends rise from the forgotten corners of history, imbuing hope and offering an understanding of where everything started. This isn't just a tour; it's an opportunity to animate the city with your own pace, style, and voice.
Don't be afraid to get lost in new places!
