Nili
Encyclopedia
Nili
Nili ' onMouseout='HidePop("4238")' href="/topics/Books_of_Samuel">Samuel
15:29; transliteration: Netzakh Yisrael Lo Yishaker, translation: "The Eternity (G-D) of Israel will not lie") was a Jewish espionage
network which assisted the United Kingdom
in its fight against the Ottoman Empire
in Palestine
during World War I
.
, her brother Aaron
, and their sister Rebecca, together with their friend Avshalom Feinberg
formed and led Nili.
In 1915, even before the group commenced operations, the Turks imprisoned Feinberg on suspicion of spying, which was not true at the time.
From March to October 1915, a plague of locust
s stripped areas in and around Palestine of almost all vegetation and the Turkish authorities, worried about feeding their troops, turned to world-famous botanist and the region's leading agronomist
, Aaron Aaronsohn
. He requested the release of his friend and assistant, Avshalom Feinberg. The team fighting the locust invasion was given permission to move around the country. They also collected strategic information about Ottoman camps and troop deployment.
For months, the group was not taken seriously by British intelligence, and attempts by Aaron Aaronsohn and Avshalom Feinberg to establish communication channels in Cairo
and Port Said
failed. Only after Aaron Aaronsohn arrived in London
(by way of Berlin
and Copenhagen
) and by virtue of his reputation, was he able to obtain cooperation from the diplomat Sir Mark Sykes.
Sarah oversaw operations in Zikhron Ya'aqov
.
was wounded but managed to reach British lines.
From February to September 1917, the boat Monegan regularly sailed to the Palestinian shore near Atlit. Lishansky swam ashore to collect Nili information and to pass money sent by American Jews to the starving yishuv
. However, the presence of German
submarines made the trips too risky and the group switched to homing pigeon
s.
In the fall of 1917, one of these pigeons was caught by the Turks, who were able to decrypt the Nili code
(based on Hebrew
, Aramaic
, French
, and English
) within one week. As a result the Turks were able to unravel the spy network. The leadership of the Yishuv and the Hashomer disassociated itself from Nili's actions. One Nili member, Na'aman Belkind, was captured by the Turks and reportedly revealed secret information about the group.
In October 1917, the Turks surrounded Zichron Yaakov and arrested numerous people, including Sarah, who managed to commit suicide after four days of torture. Other prisoners were incarcerated in Damascus
. Lishansky and Belkind were hanged.
has been quoted as saying in his lecture in 1919 at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich:
, was the cause of a longstanding controversy among the Jewish community of the British Mandate of Palestine and subsequently of the State of Israel. The issue was officially resolved in November 1967, when Feinberg's remains were reinterred on Mount Herzl
with full military honors, with eulogies
delivered by both Speaker of the Knesset
and chief chaplain of the IDF
.
has been preserved as a memorial to Nili. West of Zichron Yaakov is a moshav called Givat Nili
. Many streets throughout Israel bear the Nili name.
Nili ' onMouseout='HidePop("4238")' href="/topics/Books_of_Samuel">Samuel
Books of Samuel
The Books of Samuel in the Jewish bible are part of the Former Prophets, , a theological history of the Israelites affirming and explaining the Torah under the guidance of the prophets.Samuel begins by telling how the prophet Samuel is chosen by...
15:29; transliteration: Netzakh Yisrael Lo Yishaker, translation: "The Eternity (G-D) of Israel will not lie") was a Jewish espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
network which assisted the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in its fight against the 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...
in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Establishment
Sarah AaronsohnSarah Aaronsohn
Sarah Aaronsohn was a member of Nili, a ring of Jewish spies working for the British in World War I, and a sister of notable botanist Aaron Aaronsohn. Sometimes she is referred to as the "heroine of Nili."-Early life:...
, her brother Aaron
Aaron Aaronsohn
Aaron Aaronsohn was a Jewish agronomist, botanist, and Zionist activist. Aaronsohn was the discoverer of wild emmer , believed to be "the mother of wheat."-Biography:...
, and their sister Rebecca, together with their friend Avshalom Feinberg
Avshalom Feinberg
Avshalom Feinberg was one of the leaders of Nili, a Jewish spy network in Ottoman Palestine helping the British fight the Ottoman Empire during World War I....
formed and led Nili.
In 1915, even before the group commenced operations, the Turks imprisoned Feinberg on suspicion of spying, which was not true at the time.
From March to October 1915, a plague of locust
Locust
Locusts are the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory...
s stripped areas in and around Palestine of almost all vegetation and the Turkish authorities, worried about feeding their troops, turned to world-famous botanist and the region's leading agronomist
Agronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
, Aaron Aaronsohn
Aaron Aaronsohn
Aaron Aaronsohn was a Jewish agronomist, botanist, and Zionist activist. Aaronsohn was the discoverer of wild emmer , believed to be "the mother of wheat."-Biography:...
. He requested the release of his friend and assistant, Avshalom Feinberg. The team fighting the locust invasion was given permission to move around the country. They also collected strategic information about Ottoman camps and troop deployment.
For months, the group was not taken seriously by British intelligence, and attempts by Aaron Aaronsohn and Avshalom Feinberg to establish communication channels in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
failed. Only after Aaron Aaronsohn arrived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(by way of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
) and by virtue of his reputation, was he able to obtain cooperation from the diplomat Sir Mark Sykes.
Sarah oversaw operations in Zikhron Ya'aqov
Zikhron Ya'aqov
Zikhron Ya'akov is a town in Israel, south of Haifa, and part of the Haifa District. It is located at the southern end of the Carmel mountain range overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, near the coastal highway...
.
Demise
Attempting to reach Egypt on foot, Absalom Feinberg was killed and Yosef LishanskyYosef Lishansky
Yosef Lishansky was a Jewish paramilitary and a spy for the British in Ottoman Palestine. Upon his arrival in Palestine, Lishansky sought to join HaShomer but, denied membership, he founded a rival organization, HaMagen. Several years later, he joined the Jewish espionage organization, Nili...
was wounded but managed to reach British lines.
From February to September 1917, the boat Monegan regularly sailed to the Palestinian shore near Atlit. Lishansky swam ashore to collect Nili information and to pass money sent by American Jews to the starving yishuv
Yishuv
The Yishuv or Ha-Yishuv is the term referring to the body of Jewish residents in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel...
. However, the presence of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
submarines made the trips too risky and the group switched to homing pigeon
Homing pigeon
The homing pigeon is a variety of domestic pigeon derived from the Rock Pigeon selectively bred to find its way home over extremely long distances. The wild rock pigeon has an innate homing ability, meaning that it will generally return to its own nest and its own mate...
s.
In the fall of 1917, one of these pigeons was caught by the Turks, who were able to decrypt the Nili code
Code (cryptography)
In cryptography, a code is a method used to transform a message into an obscured form, preventing those who do not possess special information, or key, required to apply the transform from understanding what is actually transmitted. The usual method is to use a codebook with a list of common...
(based on Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) within one week. As a result the Turks were able to unravel the spy network. The leadership of the Yishuv and the Hashomer disassociated itself from Nili's actions. One Nili member, Na'aman Belkind, was captured by the Turks and reportedly revealed secret information about the group.
In October 1917, the Turks surrounded Zichron Yaakov and arrested numerous people, including Sarah, who managed to commit suicide after four days of torture. Other prisoners were incarcerated in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. Lishansky and Belkind were hanged.
Importance
The Chief of British Military intelligence at the War Office Major General George MacdonoghGeorge Macdonogh
Lieutenant General Sir George Mark Watson Macdonogh GBE, KCB, KCMG was a British Army general officer. After early service in the Royal Engineers he became a staff officer prior to the outbreak of the First World War, and held a series of intelligence posts during the war.-Early career:Macdonogh...
has been quoted as saying in his lecture in 1919 at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich:
Controversies
Nili's "irresponsibility" for not coordinating their operations with the Zionist leadership, thereby endangering the YishuvYishuv
The Yishuv or Ha-Yishuv is the term referring to the body of Jewish residents in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel...
, was the cause of a longstanding controversy among the Jewish community of the British Mandate of Palestine and subsequently of the State of Israel. The issue was officially resolved in November 1967, when Feinberg's remains were reinterred on Mount Herzl
Mount Herzl
Mount Herzl , also Har HaZikaron , is the national cemetery of Israel on the west side of Jerusalem. It is named for Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism. Herzl's tomb lies at the top of the hill. Yad Vashem, which commemorates the Holocaust, lies to the west of Mt. Herzl....
with full military honors, with eulogies
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
delivered by both Speaker of the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
and chief chaplain of the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
.
Remembrance
The Aaronsohn home in Zikhron Ya'aqovZikhron Ya'aqov
Zikhron Ya'akov is a town in Israel, south of Haifa, and part of the Haifa District. It is located at the southern end of the Carmel mountain range overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, near the coastal highway...
has been preserved as a memorial to Nili. West of Zichron Yaakov is a moshav called Givat Nili
Givat Nili
Givat Nili is a moshav in northern Israel. Located near Zikhron Ya'akov and Wadi Ara, it falls under the jurisdiction of Alona Regional Council. In 2006 its population was 461....
. Many streets throughout Israel bear the Nili name.
Further reading
- Shmuel Katz, 2007, The Aaronsohn Saga, Gefen Publishing House. ISBN 978-9652294166
- Heroes of Israel by Haim Herzog, 1989. ISBN 0-316-35901-7
- Nili Daniella B. by D&C 5767/2007. ISBN 0-220-20070-1
- The Gideonites; the story of the Nili spies in the Middle East by Dvorah Omer
- The Nili Spies by Anita Engle
- Nili by Jacob Poleskin-Yaari
External links
- Nili at JVL
- The locusts plague in Palestine of 1915 at the US Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
- Aaron Aharonson