Considering the recent war in Gaza, it’s a good time to refresh ourselves on the history of Gaza and realize that Gaza has a long Jewish history.
Gaza has a long Jewish history. It’s an odd history, however. The Jews never had it easy in Gaza. It’s always been an area of conflict and an arena for confrontation between Jews and hostile neighbors. In fact, Isaac, one of the three Patriarchs of the Jewish people, was born somewhere between Be’er Sheba and Gaza, precisely in the area that is suffering the most from rocket attacks from Hamas. So, too, both Abraham and his son Isaac had problems with the local rulers. (Genesis 20:1-3, 11-12, 26:1, 7)
The known history of Gaza spans over 4,000 years. It was ruled, destroyed and repopulated by various dynasties, empires and peoples. It was originally a Canaanite settlement and came under the control of the ancient Egyptians for roughly 350 years before being conquered by the Philistines, who made it one of their principal cities in the 12th century BCE. King David conquered Gaza in about 1000 BCE.
Gaza Allotted to Tribe of Judah
Gaza is referenced in a number of books in the Bible, most prominently in the Book of Judges and the Book of Joshua. According to the Bible, the area was allotted to the tribe of Judah, but the Jews never quite secured it. After the Biblical Exodus, during the period of the Judges, the territory fell under Philistine control. The Philistines were an Aegean people, meaning they came from the area of modern Greece. In ancient Egyptian writings, they are described as one of the “Sea Peoples” that attempted to invade Egypt and conquer the entire area.
Anyone familiar with the Bible will have heard of the “Philistines.” Every reference to the “Philistines,” especially in reference to land and territory, almost always refers to the Gaza area. The most infamous Philistine was the warrior Goliath who was famously defeated by King David. The story of Samson and Delilah, the evil mistress of Samson who seduced him into revealing the secret of his strength, which led to his downfall, took place in Gaza. The prophets Amos and Zephaniah prophesized that Gaza would be deserted. The Philistines exited from history in 722 BCE, when they were taken into captivity by the Assyrians.
Maccabees: Gaza is ‘Inheritance of our Fathers’
After the Philistines disappeared, the area came under the control of various empires, such as the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans. The Maccabees (Of Chanuka and dreidel fame) conquered Gaza, as it says in the Book of Maccabees1:15:
“Not a strange land have we conquered, and not over the possessions of strangers have we ruled, but of the inheritance of our Fathers that was in the hands of the enemy and conquered by them unlawfully. And as for us, when we had the chance, we returned to ourselves the inheritance of our Fathers.”
Gaza Jewish Community Flourished
After the great Jewish revolts against the Roman Empire in 67 CE and in 132 CE that ended Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel, Gaza again played a role in Jewish history. For example, King Titus passed through Gaza on his march toward to Jerusalem, and again on his return. Gaza also served as the main marketplace for Jewish slaves into the Roman Empire.
In the fourth century, the Jews returned and the Jewish community flourished. Gaza was the main port for Jewish commerce in the Holy Land. It also served as a center of Talmudic and Kabbalistic (Jewish mysticism) studies. By the time the Arabs arrived in the seventh century CE, Jews had been in Gaza for over 2000 years. In 1929, when the area was under British control, British forces evacuated the entire Jewish community of Gaza for fear of a massive pogrom after the Jews of Hebron were massacred by the local Arab population.
Christian Cathedral Became Great Mosque of Gaza
The arrival of the Muslim Arabs brought drastic changes to Gaza. Its churches were transformed into mosques, including the Cathedral of John the Baptist, which became the Great Mosque of Gaza. The population adopted Islam as their religion, and Arabic became the official language. The Christian population was reduced to an insignificant minority, and the Samaritan residents deposited their property with their high priest and fled the city eastwards upon the Muslim conquest
Gaza was briefly occupied by the French Army under Napoleon, who in 1799 referred to it as “the outpost of Africa, the door to Asia.” American scholar Edward Robinson visited Gaza in 1838, describing it as a “thickly populated” town larger than Jerusalem, with its Old City lying upon a hilltop, while its suburbs laid on the nearby plain. He said that its soil was rich and supported groves of “delicious and abundant” apricots and mulberries. Robinson noted that virtually all of Gaza’s vestiges of ancient history and antiquity had disappeared due to the constant conflict and occupation. gaza
This is Part I on the Jewish history of Gaza. To be continued.
Musings on Gaza
2:52 AM 
Rabbi Ari Enkin
By: Rabbi Ari EnkinA review of some of Gaza's glorious Jewish history is certainly in order considering the current events in Israel today. Unfortunately, many people formulate passionate opinions on the political issues without ever having visited Gaza, nor having any knowledge of its history. Examining the biblical borders of the Land of Israel as promised to the Jewish people, one will readily notice that the borders include the area known as the “Gaza Strip.”[1] The Torah records that the ancient inhabitants of Gaza were the Avvites, a nation no longer living,[2] making Gaza one of the oldest inhabited cities.
Click here to read more Jewish settlement in Gaza began with the tribe of Yehuda, who received that area as part of their tribal allotment in the division of the Land of Israel.[3] Of course, the Philistines also lived in that area, which played a focal role in the life of Samson and Delila,[4] particularly Samson’s infamous suicidal destruction of the Temple of Dagon, named for a Gazan fish god. It seems that indigenous Gazans never liked the Jews.[5]
Like the entire Land of Israel, Gaza “enjoyed” its share of conquerors such as the Ptolemies, Assyrian Seuclids, and King Herod, among others. Gaza flourished as a Jewish center throughout the Roman and Byzantine eras, and was a place of regular pilgrimage along with other noteworthy cities of the time. Rulers and empires always sought Gaza due to its location between Asia and Africa, its fertile land, and its value as a seaport. Trade was always a major source of income.
In 635 CE, Arabs overthrew the Byzantines, and Gaza City served as a capital of the Negev. Jewish life was fruitful under Arab rule. Of course, the Crusaders eventually discovered Gaza as well and soon thereafter devastated its Jewish community. It is recorded that in the fourteenth century there were sixty Jewish families living in Gaza, many of whom worked in wine production. The famous Mishnaic commentator Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura visited Gaza in 1488 and met with Gaza’s chief rabbi, an immigrant from Czechoslovakia. Under the Ottomans, Jewish life in Gaza was flourishing and prosperous.
Historically, Jewish life was full of amenities there, including synagogues, yeshivot, and rabbinic courts. By 1641, even the Karaites maintained a synagogue in Gaza. Rabbi Israel Najara, author of the famous “Kah Ribon” Shabbat song, was chief rabbi of Gaza during the seventeenth century. It was in Gaza that the false messiah Shabbtai Tzvi picked up his largest following. Napoleon also arrived for a visit in 1799. Jewish life in Gaza (including Gaza City) continued until the pogroms of 1929, at which time the Jewish residents left for safer cities. In modern times, Gaza was occupied by Egypt at the end of Israel’s War of Independence. In 1967, Israel won control of Gaza as a result of the Six-Day War.
It was none other than the Egyptian Department of Antiquities in 1965 that discovered Jewish mosaics along the Gaza seashore, as well as in the vicinity of the Great Mosque of Gaza. There is also evidence that synagogues once thrived all over the area. After 1967, Israeli archeologists continued excavating areas of Gaza and found further signs of ancient Jewish life. The Talmud also mentions its sages who lived in Gaza.[6]
Regardless of one's political views, make no mistake – from the historical and biblical perspective, Gaza is as much a part of the Promised Land of Eretz Yisrael as any other.
"He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, may He bless the soldiers of Tzahal and all the security forces".
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[1] Bereishit 15; Bamidbar 34.
[2] Devarim 2:23.
[3] Shoftim 1:18.
[4] Shoftim 13–16.
[5] Amos 1:6.
[6] Sota 20b.
(Ed.: See also this post: link)
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