Am Olam

Am Olam was a movement among Russian Jews to establish agricultural colonies in America. The name means "Eternal People" and is taken from the title of an essay by Peretz Smolenskin. It was founded in Odessa in 1881 by Mania Bakl (Maria Bahal) and Moses Herder, who called for the creation of Socialist agricultural communities in the United States. In the 1880s there were 26 colonies promoted in 8 states. Eventually the majority of Am Olam colonies were set up upon a "commercial" rather than basis. The land was owned in common but divided into sections farmed by individuals. rdf:langString