The Bezalel project explicitly rejected modernization of Palestine.

Evidence

In both roles the oriental Jews of Palestine were regarded primarily as “material.” Above all the vision of Bezalel did not include the possibility of the modernization of Palestine, the development of the country for the sake of its inhabitants, old and new. Quite the opposite. Bezalel presented a clear antimodernist approach backed by anti-industrial pro-handicraft ideals from Europe. The art objects, too, were made to appeal to a widespread taste for “oriental” ornaments that had developed in Europe during the nineteenth century. — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 586 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Bezalel’s antimodernist vision treated Palestine’s underdevelopment as an asset — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 586; The Bezalel economic plan rested on Palestine’s sacred status more than on market analysis — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 592; Palestine’s industrial backwardness was pitched as Bezalel’s economic advantage

Broader Connections

• Bezalel’s antimodernist vision treated Palestine’s underdevelopment as an asset #expands (0.92) — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 586