Research reveals a clear connection between the legal and social status of the Jews in Palestine in the 18th century and their ties with the Diaspora.The Jews who had immigrated to Palestine in that period were mostly poor and elderly.The country was economically backward and politically unstable, which made it impossible for the immigrants to support themselves through productive work.Therefore they lived off the contributions of their brethren overseas.Taxes and fees imposed by the Ottoman rulers increased the financial desperation of the Jews in Palestine.Prohibitions against young...