| Summary/Abstract |
This article examines the Zionist business activity in Cyprus during the 1930s and discusses the motives of its ‘relocation’ from Mandatory Palestine to the neighbouring island. By examining the profile of the investors, the article argues that ideological and economic considerations shaped Jewish business networking in the Eastern Mediterranean. Apart from the benefits of trade protectionism, most of the Jewish ventures were run in Cyprus by businessmen devoted to Zionism, whose companies on the island would not only benefit them economically, but further support their role as economic carriers of the future Jewish state. Behind their business engagement, there was also the idea of generating Jewish-friendly settlements close to Palestine, where Jews from Central Europe could be accommodated as the migratory flow from Central Europe in the 1930s was increasing. This particular form of business activity marked also the rise of a Zionist business culture, which relied heavily on British markets.
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