David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi in Istanbul in 1912 - Rare photograph

David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi in Istanbul in 1912 - Rare photograph

Many Zionist leaders, including David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, believed before World War I that the realization of the Zionist dream depended on the support of the Ottomans. Against this background, Ben-Gurion and Ben-Zvi came to the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul in 1912, to study law and represent the Jewish community in the institutions of Ottoman rule (Israel Shochat and Yosef Stromza also traveled with them). The two acted as loyal Ottoman nationals: They learned Turkish, grew a thick mustache, and wore a red turban on their heads. But with the outbreak of the war, the Ottoman leadership suspected national movements, such as Zionism, and acted against them, and Ben-Gurion and Ben-Zvi were forced to return to Israel. A year later, the two were arrested in Palestine by order of Jamal Pasha and deported from the empire. They sailed to the United States, where they were greeted by representatives of the "Poalei Zion", who immediately took the turban off their heads. It was a symbolic act that indicated that their dream of Ottoman-sponsored Zionism was coming to an end.

The photograph before us was taken during the short time the two were in Constantinople. Ben-Gurion in the second row from below, second from the left and Yitzhak Ben Zvi on his right.

9x14 cm. Glued to the glass on the front (removed from the frame). Glue marks. Moderate condition.