Our last tour brought us to Zichron Yakov, which was one of the first settlement in Palestine under the Ottoman Empire. Baron Rothschild, who is buried here gave money for the settlement. Today it is known for its famous wineries. We walked through a pedestrian walkway with quant shops and davened mincha at a shul named for Baron Rothschild.
Zichron Yakov is also the home of the Aaronsohn Family, who emigrated from Romania during the first Aliya in the late 1800s. This was a hard working family. The eldest brother Aaron was a scientist who made discoveries on wheat that revolutionized wheat growing then.
Life was extremely difficult under Turkish rule at this time. The Turks continuously made decree and decree about living conditions. The Aaronsohn siblings and their peers, who were very proud lovers of Israel decided to do something about this. Their idea was to clandestinely contact the British and get secrets to them about the Turks. Their hope was that the British would conquer Palestine. (One wonders if they knew how the British would act later on in the 1920s if they would still feel this way). The spy ring called Nili was born. Nili is an acronym for the Hebrew words: נצח ישראל לא ישקר. This is a quote from Shmuel I -The victory of Israel will not be false.
The Nili group had many false attempts contacted the British. Eventually they were successful and contacted British ships using codes from their home, which was Nili’s base. We walked through the underground bunker used for meetings. When the family put out a white sheet for laundry and opened a lit window, it was a signal it was safe to meet.
For months Nili’s group sent coded messages to the British. Unfortunately, one of the spy members, Avshalom Feinberg was murdered by Bedouins. He was disguised as one on a mission and was caught as an imposter. His cousin went to look for him and was caught with all the names of the Nili spies in his pocket.
The Aaronsohn family was arrested. The Turks were not known for their wonderful treatment of prisoners. The Nili members were tortured. One daughter, Sara, a very proud member, refused to give up any information under extreme torture. On her way to be executed, Sara asked for permission to go home and wash up. Interestingly, the Turks being Muslim wanted Sara to be clean of her dirty clothes. Sara went home and took out a hidden revolver and shot herself. Sadly, she died 3 days later.
The youngest Aaronsohn daughter, Rivka, had been sent to America and was not part of the Nili spy ring. Years later she donated the family land and turned it into an interactive living museum that tells the story of her brave family’s quest for freedom in Palestine. At the time of the spy ring the residents of Zichron Yakov were not supportive of the family. Now the Aaronsohn family’s story is being told in a way that brings great pride to their dedication to Israel.