Zichron edut... eich she’nimkarti kol ha-gefanim...sheyesh li be-admat Palestine...

Rothschild, Baron Edmond de

(Rishon le-Zion)

6th Iyar (30th April 30), 1895

Hebrew Manuscript on paper, signed in English by Baron Edmond, with two attesting witnesses

Important property exchange recording the transfer of Baron de Rothschild's rights to all the vineyards and fruit-groves in the agricultural colonies of Rishon le-Zion and Ekron (Mizkeret Batya) - totalling some 1.8 million vines. The land to be under the proprietorship of the Jewish Colonization Association Baron Edmond de Rothschild of Paris (1845-1934), was first became drawn to Jewish affairs after the pogroms in Russia in the 1880s. Almost immediately, he became interested in settlers in Eretz Israel. When early settlements faced financial ruin, Rothschild was approached by Rabbi Samuel Mohilever and the leaders of Rishon LeZion. He lent his assistance to both Rishon LeZion and Zikhron Ya'akov and then helped found Ekron. An early supporter of quiet settlement initiatives, after World War I, he joined the political activity of the Zionist Organization by aiding Chaim Weizmann and Nahum Sokolow.