Templers (religious believers)

Templers are members of the Temple Society ( _de. Tempelgesellschaft). It is a name they use in referring to themselves and their religious denomination. The word "Temple" here is derived from the concept of the Christian Community as described in the New Testament, see 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 1 Peter 2:5, where every person and the community are seen as temples in which God's spirit dwells. Although Templers may believe in different spiritual teachings, many of them reject common Christian dogmas. Jesus is rather seen as an example to follow and not as the Son of God. What unites the Templers is their daily wish to work for the Kingdom of God on Earth.

Temple Society

Christoph Hoffmann and Georg David Hardegg founded the Temple Society at Kirschenhardthof near Ludwigsburg in 1861. This religious society has its roots in the Pietism within the Lutheran Church in the State of Württemberg. Called "Deutscher Tempel" by its founders, their aim was to promote spiritual cooperation to advance the rebuild of the Temple in the Holy Land (Palestine), in the belief that their foundation promotes the second coming of Christ. On their course to achieve that goal, their contributions towards raising the standards of agriculture, crafts, scientific research, business and building in an undeveloped province under Turkish rule were significant. Many see them as an indispensable helping force in the early establishment of the Yishuv, and perhaps a role model for the Zionist Movement of the time. The Templers are sometimes confused with the Knights Templar, a Crusader order.

Early settlement in Palestine

Hoffmann and Hardegg purchased land at the foot of Mount Carmel and established a colony there in 1868. At the time, Haifa had a population of 4,000. The Templers are credited today with promoting the development of the city. Bahá'u'lláh, (founder of the Bahá'í Faith), also arrived in Haifa around this time. The colonists built an attractive main street that was much admired by the locals. It was 30 meters wide and planted with trees on both sides. The houses, designed by architect Jacob Schumacher, were built of stone, with red-shingled roofs, instead of the flat or domed roofs common in the region. Hard work, the harsh climate and epidemics claimed the lives of many before the colony became self-sustaining.

The Templers purchased land on the outskirts of the city and set out to build their first planned agricultural community in the Holy Land. Hardegg stayed in Haifa, while Hoffmann established colonies in Jaffa a year later, in Jerusalem (now known as the German Colony).

The first agricultural colony was Sarona on the road from Jaffa to Nablus, The colony's oranges were the first to carry a "Jaffa orange" brand, one of the better known agricultural brand in Europe, used to market the fruits to this day.From the beginning though, trades played also an important role for the Templers. Building construction and road transport became a significant source of income. Coaches as a means of road transport and travel were virtually unknown. The Templers established a regular coach service between Haifa and the other cities, and by 1870 there was a thriving tourist industry, especially in the pilgrim traffic between Jaffa and Jerusalem. Theodor Sandel, an engineer from Jaffa, took control of road construction.

econd wave of settlers

After the 1899 visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, one of the Kaiser's traveling companions, Colonel Joseph Freiherr von Ellrichshausen, initiated the formation of the society for the advancement of the German settlements in Palestine, in Stuttgart in 1899. It enabled the settlers to acquire land for new settlements by offering them low interest loans. A second wave of pioneer settlers founded Wilhelma (now Bnei Atarot) in 1902 near Lod, Valhalla (1903) near the original Jaffa colony, followed by Bethlehem of Galilee (1906) and Waldheim (now Alonei Abba) in 1907. At its height, the Templer community in Palestine was 2,200 people strong.

In July and August 1918 the British deported the inhabitants of the southern settlements to an internment camp at Helouan near Cairo in Egypt. The 850 people (mainly women and children and old men) petitioned after the war to be allowed to return to Palestine. In April 1920 though 350 internees were transported to Germany. Then on 29 June that year the Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon, declared before the British Upper House that Great Britain agreed in principle to the return of the German internees to Palestine. The Mandate government showed understanding of the needs and problems of re-settlement, and with the support of the Public Custodian of Enemy Property, E. Keith Roach, the Mandate government paid the settlers approximately 50% restitution for war losses of livestock and other property.The Bank of the Temple Society, formed in 1925 with its head office in Jaffa and branches in Haifa and Jerusalem, became at that time one of the leading credit institutions in Palestine.

Affiliation with the Third Reich

During the 1930s, when the Nazi party rose to power, Nazi youth movements were established in the Templer colonies. Some Templers enlisted in the German army. In 1939, when World War II erupted, the British authorities declared them enemy nationals, placed them under arrest and deported many of them to Australia. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/946133.html The nine lives of the Lorenz Cafe - Haaretz - Israel News ] ] In 1962, the State of Israel paid 54 million Deutsche Marks in compensation to property owners whose assets were nationalized. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/946133.html The nine lives of the Lorenz Cafe - Haaretz - Israel News ] ]

Timeline of the Temple Society

* 1861 The Temple Society was founded in south-west Germany by Christoph Hoffmann (1815-1885) and his friends, following a split with the Lutheran Landeskirche in Württemberg (7/10/1859) over dogmatic rituals. Plans for a move to Palestine considered.
** The centre of the new movement was from 1856 on at Kirschenhardthof, were a community Hall and a school were commissioned in July that year. The community consisted of 9 properties of approximately 5ha each. It could at most accommodate 132 residents.
** Attempts by impatient members in 1867 at settlement in Palestine on their own had tragic consequences. Of the 25 persons in the group who tried to settle in the north, 15 died within a year, 7 in Medjedel and 8 in Samunieh.
* 1868 Beginning of carefully planned migration of Templers to the Holy Land (then part of the Ottoman Empire). Over many years urban and rural settlements with church halls and schools, and commercial, trade, farm and transport enterprises were established in a number of locations including Jerusalem, Haifa and Jaffa.
* The faith and ideas of the Templers also spread to the Russian Mennonite settlement of Molotschna where Johann Lange, former student from Württemberg, formed the Tempelhof congregation in Gnadenfeld after years of bitter controversy. [cite book |last=Smith |first=C. Henry |other=Revised and expanded by Cornelius Krahn |title=Smith's Story of the Mennonites |year=1981 |publisher=Faith and Life Press |location=Newton, Kansas |id=ISBN 0-87303-069-9| pages=282 ]
* 1875 Publication of 'Occident und Orient, Part 1' by Christoph Hoffmann. English translation 1995 'The Temple Society and its Settlements in the Holy Land' [ISBN 0-9597489-4-6] , [http://www.templesociety.com/webdoc12.htm Occident and Orient, Part 1] .
* 1921 Those Templers interned in Helouan, Egypt, towards the end of World War I returned to their settlements in Palestine (now a British Mandate). The settlements soon flourished again.
* 1939 German Templers were interned in Palestine at the outbreak of World War II.
* 1941 Over 500 Templers from Palestine were transported to Australia, where internment continued in Tatura, Victoria, until 1946-7.
* 1948 Formation of the State of Israel. Templers cannot return there, those left had to leave. Most now live in Australia and Germany. [http://www.tempelgesellschaft.de/index.html?Hauptbereich=/geschichte/meilensteine.html]

The Temple Society Australia

* 1948-50 Australian Templers consolidate around Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Over the years church halls and community centres were established at Boronia, Bayswater and Bentleigh in Melbourne, at Meadowbank in Sydney and at Tanunda near Adelaide.
* 1950 Formation of the Temple Society Australia with Dr. Richard Hoffmann as Regional Head.
* 1970 Australian and German Templer Regions linked formally by the appointment of Dr. R. O. Hoffmann as President of the Temple Society.
* 1972 Templer Home for the Aged opened in Bayswater - greatly expanded since.
* 1979 Tabulam Nursing Home, located next to the Templer Home for the Aged, begun as a joint undertaking with the Australian-German Welfare Society.
* 1981 New Youth Group club room and school rooms completed at Bayswater.
* 1986 Templers in Germany and Australia celebrate 125 years of Temple Society.
* 1987 Sydney Templers secure several places in the St. Hedwig Homes for the Aged of the Catholic German Community of St. Raphael in Blacktown NSW, opened in 1989.
* 1988 Dr Richard Hoffmann retires. Dietrich Ruff is elected as the new President of the Temple Society
* 1990s New initiatives: Templer residential unit development in Bayswater, Kids' Club, Australian-German Templer Exchange, Country Victorian Templer Groups.
* 2001/2 Dietrich Ruff retires. Peter Lange is elected as the new President of the Temple Society
* 2002 A new Temple Chapel is built in the Bayswater Community Centre. Extensive Remodel of the [http://www.tabulam.org TTHA] .
* 2005 The TSA Constitution is changed to reflect the changed lifestyle of its members in Australia. It is no longer a community based organisation, but one consisting of many Focus and Interest Groups

Tempelgesellschaft in Germany

* 1949 After a pause of 10 years publication of "Die Warte des Tempels" is resumed in September, from Stuttgart now. During the 10 year interruption a plain paper circular (Rundschreiben) had been used to keep members informed.
* 1950 The management office is installed at Mozartstraße 58, where also meetings and religious Services were held. A room at the rear was developed into a focus point for the younger members and, under the name "Treffpunkt Mozartstraße" became symbolic for the social activities of the Society. The social section in the "Warte" still carries that title today.
* 1954, at a General Meeting in September a revision of the existing, 20 year-old, constitution is proposed.
* 1962, on January 27 the new constitution was finalised and accepted and the "Tempelgesellschaft in Deutschland e.V." (TGD) instituted. A move to larger premises was initiated.
* 1967 The new community centre was officially opened in Felix-Dahn-Straße, Degerloch (home of the world's first modern TV tower Fernsehturm Stuttgart) and the members of the TGD finally had a proper home of their own.
* 1970 the Australian and German Templer Regions are formally linked by the appointment of Dr. R. O. Hoffmann as President of the Temple Society.
* 1976 The TGD joins with the "Bund für Freies Christentum."

The combined Membership of the Temple Society today is about 1000 members. In its 145 year history, the Society has at no stage had more than 3000 members.

ee also

*Bethlehem of Galilee
*German Colony, Haifa
*German Colony, Jerusalem
*Sarona
*Wilhelma

Notes

External links

* [http://home.vicnet.net.au/~tempsoc/webdoc3.htm "History of the Temple Society"]
* [http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/T460.html "Comprehensive Templer Movement History"]