James Finn
Encyclopedia
James Finn was a British
Consul
in Jerusalem, in the then Ottoman Empire
(1846–1863). He arrived in 1845 with his wife Elizabeth Anne Finn
. Finn was a devout Christian, who belonged to the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews, but who did not engage in missionary work during his years in Jerusalem.
Finn was a writer and philanthropist. He was a great believer in productivity
, an ideology that was very much in vogue at the time, and in 1853 purchased for £250 Karm al-Khalil (Arabic for "Abraham's Vineyard", lit. "vineyard of the loved one", which in Hebrew became Kerem Avraham
) a barren piece of land outside the walls of the Old City. Kerem Avraham was established as a training farm for Jews in agriculture and to become productive citizens. Finn employed Jewish laborers to build the first house there in 1855. Cisterns for water storage were built and a soap factory was established which produced high quality soap sold to tourists.
He helped establish the experimental farm at the village of Artas outside Bethlehem
.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
Consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
in Jerusalem, in the then Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(1846–1863). He arrived in 1845 with his wife Elizabeth Anne Finn
Elizabeth Anne Finn
Elizabeth Finn was a writer and "the strong-willed and intelligent" wife of James Finn, British Consul in Jerusalem, in Ottoman Palestine between 1846 and 1863....
. Finn was a devout Christian, who belonged to the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews, but who did not engage in missionary work during his years in Jerusalem.
Finn was a writer and philanthropist. He was a great believer in productivity
Productivity
Productivity is a measure of the efficiency of production. Productivity is a ratio of what is produced to what is required to produce it. Usually this ratio is in the form of an average, expressing the total output divided by the total input...
, an ideology that was very much in vogue at the time, and in 1853 purchased for £250 Karm al-Khalil (Arabic for "Abraham's Vineyard", lit. "vineyard of the loved one", which in Hebrew became Kerem Avraham
Kerem Avraham
Kerem Avraham is a neighbourhood near Geula in central Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1855. It is bounded by Malchei Yisrael St, Yechezkel St, Tsefanya St and the Schneller Compound.-History:...
) a barren piece of land outside the walls of the Old City. Kerem Avraham was established as a training farm for Jews in agriculture and to become productive citizens. Finn employed Jewish laborers to build the first house there in 1855. Cisterns for water storage were built and a soap factory was established which produced high quality soap sold to tourists.
He helped establish the experimental farm at the village of Artas outside Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
.
Books (partial list)
- James Finn, 1868: Byeways in Palestine, London 482pp.
- James Finn: Byeways in Palestine, Adamant Media, Boston, 2002 reprint of the London 1868 original. 482pp. ISBN 1-4021-9272-X
- James Finn: The Orphan Colony of Jews in China. Containing a letter received from themselves, with the latest information concerning them. London 1872.
- Finn, James, (1878): Stirring Times: Or Records from Jerusalem Consular Chronicles of 1853 to 1856., Edited by Elizabeth Anne Finn. vol. 1. London. The full text, archive.org, Original: Harvard. Can download PDF.
- alternative: Stirring Times: Or Records from Jerusalem Consular Chronicles of 1853 to 1856., Edited by Elizabeth Anne Finn. vol. 1. London. The full text, archive.org, Original: University of Michigan. Can download PDF.
- Finn, James, (1878): Stirring Times: Or Records from Jerusalem Consular Chronicles of 1853 to 1856., Edited by Elizabeth Anne Finn. vol. 2. London. The full text, archive.org, Original: Harvard. Can download PDF.
- alternative: Stirring Times: Or Records from Jerusalem Consular Chronicles of 1853 to 1856., Edited by Elizabeth Anne Finn. vol. 2. London. The full text, archive.org, Original: University of Michigan. Can download PDF.
- Finn, James (1843). The Jews in China London: Wertheim. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes
- Finn, James (1872). The orphan colony of Jews in China London: Nisbet. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes
- Elizabeth Anne McCaul Finn: A Home in the Holy Land. A tale illustrating customs and incidents in modern Jerusalem. Adamant Media, Boston, 2002 reprint of the London 1866 original. ISBN 978-1-4021-1768-8
- Elizabeth Anne McCaul Finn: A Third Year in Jerusalem. A tale illustrating customs and incidents of modern Jerusalem; or, a sequel to "Home in the Holy Land". Adamant Media, Boston, 2002 reprint of the London 1869 original. ISBN 978-1-4021-1053-5
See also
- Saint George Interfaith shrine
- Motza, History
- Kerem AvrahamKerem AvrahamKerem Avraham is a neighbourhood near Geula in central Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1855. It is bounded by Malchei Yisrael St, Yechezkel St, Tsefanya St and the Schneller Compound.-History:...
- Bayt 'ItabBayt 'ItabBayt ʿIṭāb was a Palestinian village located in the District of Jerusalem. The village was captured, depopulated of its residents, and demolished by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.-Overview:...
External links
- James Finn: Byeways in Palestine, at the Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
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