Open the Gate: German Jews, the Foundation of Tel Aviv Port, and the Imagined Power of the Sea in 1936

Abstract

Abstract In 1936, the opening of Tel Aviv port for general cargo had an impact not only on the Yishuv in Palestine, but also on German Jewry. Against the background of increasing ethnic-religious tensions in British Mandatory Palestine, and growing persecution and oppression in National Socialist Germany, the opening of this new access point to the sea became a signifier of hope and self-determination. This article explores the evolving idea of a Zionist turn towards the sea, whose first peak was marked by the opening of Tel Aviv port, and discusses the role of key individuals in the processes of nation-building, survival, and maritime renewal. By examining the influence of the Zionist Organization (ZO) and its interplay with German Jews—especially Hamburg-Jewish shipping experts—the article demonstrates how economic, but also ideological arguments became important in the debates about a Zionist conquest of the sea. Moreover, the article shows that the integration of German-Jewish shipping experts as maritime pioneers into discourses of a Zionist maritime renewal expanded not only the scope of action of the Yishuv’s leaders, but also of German Jews. The interplay of these two groups laid the groundwork for the short-lived dream of Tel Aviv port.