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Title: History of Zionism, Vol. II (of 2)
1600-1918
Author: Nahum Sokolow
Release Date: May 26, 2023 [eBook #70865]
Language: English
Produced by: Richard Hulse, Tony Browne, and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF ZIONISM, VOL. II
(OF 2) ***
HISTORY OF ZIONISM
1600‒1918
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Illustration: _Baron_ EDMOND _de_ ROTHSCHILD
BY
_M._ AIME MORO
_From a photograph lent by the Author_
History of Zionism
1600‒1918
BY
NAHUM SOKOLOW
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
THE Rᵀ. HON. A. J. BALFOUR, M.P.
_WITH NINETY PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS_
SELECTED AND ARRANGED BY ISRAEL SOLOMONS
IN TWO VOLUMES
VOL II.
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
M. STÉPHEN PICHON
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS FOR FRANCE
LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.
39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON
FOURTH AVENUE & 30TH STREET, NEW YORK
BOMBAY, CALCUTTA AND MADRAS
1919
PREFATORY NOTE
THE present volume contains the continuation and documentation of
Volume I.
After the conclusion of the historical review in its chronological
order, it was considered desirable to supplement a portion of the
narrative by adding further chapters, which will be found at the
beginning of the present volume. These chapters bring the historical
narrative up to the outbreak of the War in 1914.
The developments in the Zionist Movement during the War are dealt with
in a separate account, which is not claimed to be, in the proper sense
of the word, an historical study, but an account of recent activities
up to the Peace Conference.
The present volume also contains an introduction, written by the French
Ministre des Affaires Etrangères, M. Pichon, which arrived too late to
be included in the first volume, and a character sketch of the late Sir
Mark Sykes, whose death occurred while the present volume was in the
press, to whose memory a tribute is offered.
The appendices contain not only the text of documents referred
to in the body of the book, many of them hitherto unpublished,
but also essays on subjects related to the main purpose of the
work――for instance, Jewish art, and Hebrew literature――and notes
of a bibliographical or critical character.
It is desired to point out that the nature of the subject with
which this work deals rendered it inevitable that it should to some
extent assume an encyclopædic rather than a narrative character.
The innumerable sources from which Zionism draws its being, the
geographical dispersion of the Jewish people, the many events and
phenomena outside of the life of the Jewish people which have had and
still have their bearing on the development of the Jewish National idea,
give it inevitably the form that it has assumed. The author is well
aware that the History of Zionism as narrated in these pages does not
appear as altogether a symmetrical structure. Some periods dealt with
in the story are somewhat disjointed, and as a necessary consequence
the record of those periods reflects the same character. A writer who
cared more for the form than for the correctness of the narrative would
in such a case have recourse to his imagination in order to fill in the
blanks. The present author has not, however, done so. He has attempted
rather to let Zionism appear as it really was in the different
countries and epochs with which he has dealt. Where his narrative
is fragmentary events were fragmentary. In the earliest periods the
different elements of Zionism were sometimes completely detached from
one another. An exact description of these therefore takes necessarily
an encyclopædic character. But Zionism develops as a unity, and at the
end it will be found to offer to the reader a united picture.
The present book treats of the History of Zionism especially in England
and France, but it has been found both impossible and also undesirable
to exclude from the narrative all references to certain important
events and personalities of other countries. Zionism in England and
France, however, forms the main thesis of these volumes. Furthermore,
this book is not only a history of the Zionist efforts among the
Jews, it also narrates the history of similar efforts by non-Jews,
in connexion with political events and literary manifestations in
the countries in which they worked. At the same time the author has
endeavoured as little as possible to cover ground that has already been
repeatedly traversed, his intention being rather to break new ground
and especially to bring to light hitherto unknown sources, old and
forgotten prints, unpublished manuscripts and archives. These he has
used to illustrate and document his narrative.
The plan which the author has followed falls under three headings:――
(I.) The special treatment of Zionism in England and France;
(II.) A particular consideration of the pro-Zionist efforts outside
of Jewry; and
(III.) The publication of previously unknown literary and archival
sources.
In accordance with this plan this history begins in the year 1600,
although the history of Zionism in reality opened much earlier, even
perhaps at the beginning of the Jewish history of the countries dealt
with.
Material for a thorough treatment of the History of Zionism in other
countries, including many monographs and historical notices which
remain in the hands of the author, as well as further recent diplomatic
and other documents relating to the most recent development of Zionism
and in connexion with the Peace Conference of 1919, will be used as the
basis of further volumes.
Publication of an index to the work might well have been deferred
until these volumes had been completed, but the author thinks that he
ought not to delay one any longer. At the end of the present volume,
therefore, the reader will find a thorough index of persons and of
subjects, for which Mr. Jacob Mann, M.A., is responsible and to whom
he hereby tenders his thanks.
Finally, the author wishes to supplement the expression of thanks
addressed to those of his friends who are mentioned in the Preface to
the first volume of this work for the assistance they have rendered him
in its preparation, and to mention in particular the good services of
Mr. Albert M. Hyamson and M. André Spire.
PARIS, _June, 1919_.
INTRODUCTION
BY M. STÉPHEN PICHON
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS FOR FRANCE
FIDÈLE aux traditions de son histoire, la France vient de montrer
une fois de plus, au prix du sang de tant de ses fils, comment elle
entend les devoirs que lui impose son rôle séculaire d’émancipatrice
des opprimés. Elle sort aujourd’hui victorieuse d’une lutte décisive,
soutenue au nom du Droit menacé par la brutalité d’un impérialisme sans
scrupules. Champion des grandes idées qu’il a, plus que tout autre,
semées à travers le monde, notre pays a puisé dans la conscience d’être
un vivant symbôle de justice, la force de terrasser son adversaire. Il
a, du moins aujourd’hui, le droit de se dire, non sans fierté, qu’il
n’est plus au monde une race ou une nation qui ne puisse faire entendre
ses légitimes aspirations, et qui ne sache qu’en France il y aura
toujours un cœur pour les adopter.
Dans la paix comme dans la guerre, la France, étroitement unie à
ses Alliés, veut demeurer fidèle à sa parole. Elle a promis aux
nationalités naguère asservies de défendre leurs intérêts et de
faire respecter leurs droits. Elle ne reniera pas une promesse dont
la réalisation, en inaugurant une ère nouvelle de l’histoire du
monde, justifiera les sacrifices consentis à la cause commune. Elle ne
laissera se commettre aucune injustice, d’où qu’elle vienne, et qu’elle
qu’en soit la victime. Elle ne saurait permettre, en particulier, sans
protester hautement, qu’une majorité ethnique ou confessionnelle puisse
désormais abuser impunément de sa force à l’égard d’autres éléments
voisins, plus faibles ou plus dispersés.
C’est dire l’écho que ne pourra manquer d’éveiller chez les Français la
voix éloquente du représentant le plus autorisé du Sionisme. Monsieur
Sokolow, mettant au service de son idéal, un talent qui n’en est
plus à son premier essai, s’attache à nous retracer l’histoire des
doctrines au triomphe desquelles il n’a cessé de consacrer le meilleur
de ses forces. Sachant combien il importe, aujourd’hui, de démontrer
historiquement les origines et les antécédents des idées que l’on
professe, il a voulu nous exposer les titres que possède le Sionisme
à s’imposer à l’attention des Alliés, au moment où ceux-ci procèdent
à une reconstitution du monde entier. Monsieur Sokolow, dont la foi
dans le succès final de nos armes ne connut jamais de défaillances,
possède une foi au moins égale dans l’esprit de justice qui préside
à l’œuvre de la Conférence de la Paix. Les sympathies et les concours
précieux qu’il a su trouver chez nos amis Britanniques, et dont
Mr. Balfour lui renouvelle ici-même l’assurance la plus formelle, sont
aux protagonistes du Sionisme un sûr garant de l’accueil que la France
réserve à leur généreuse initiative.
Non seulement, en effet la race juive n’a cessé d’être, au cours des
siècles, persécutée, décimée, poursuivie sans trêve par une haine
incapable de désarmer; plus malheureuse encore que tant d’autres
peuples opprimés, qui ont pu conserver au moins un symbôle de leur
grand passé, les Juifs n’ont pu sauver ce dernier vestige. D’autres
qu’eux mêmes sont devenus les maîtres de la Judée. Dispersés à travers
le monde, beaucoup aspirent aujourd’hui plus que jamais à reprendre la
chaîne brisée par tant de conquérants successifs, de leurs traditions
ethniques et religieuses: ils pensent aussi qu’une telle restauration
n’est possible qu’appuyée sur des réalités, c’est à dire, en l’espèce,
sur un foyer moral national reconstitué au milieu des ruines de
l’antique Judée. Qui donc, sans avoir perdu les plus élémentaires
sentiments d’humanité et de justice, pourrait refuser aux exilés
de revendiquer leur place, au même titre que les autres éléments
indigènes, dans cette Palestine où un contrôle collectif des Puissances
européennes assurera désormais à chacun le respect de ses droits les
plus sacrés?
Entrée en guerre pour assurer la victoire définitive du Droit sur la
force, la France se félicite de l’appui que le Sionisme a rencontré
chez elle et chez ses Alliés. Une doctrine qui a pour elle, outre
la justice, l’éloquence d’avocats tels que M. Sokolow est assurée de
succès. Je suis heureux de l’occasion qui m’est offerte de réitérer les
vœux que le Gouvernement de la République n’a cessé de faire pour le
triomphe final d’une cause qui rallie tant de sympathies françaises.
CONTENTS
PREFATORY NOTE
INTRODUCTION BY M. STÉPHEN PICHON
CONTENTS OF VOLUME II.
ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOLUME II.
SIR MARK SYKES――A TRIBUTE
CHAPTER XLIXA. FROM THE SECOND TO THE FOURTH CONGRESS
_Chovevé Zion_ and Zionists in England――Louis Loewe――Nathan
Marcus Adler――Albert Löwy――Abraham Benisch――The Rev. M. J.
Raphall――Dr. M. Gaster――Rabbi Samuel Mohilewer――English
representation at the Second and Third Congresses――The Fourth
Congress in London.
CHAPTER XLIXB. THE DEATH OF HERZL
England and Zionism――Sir B. Arnold in the _Spectator_――Cardinal
Vaughan――Lord Rosebery――The death of Herzl――David Wolffsohn―
―Prof. Otto Warburg――Zionism in the smaller states.
CHAPTER XLIXC. THE POGROMS
The year 1906――Pogroms――Emigration――Conder and his activities
――An Emigration Conference――The Eighth Congress――The question
of the Headquarters.
CHAPTER XLIXD. THE DEATH OF WOLFFSOHN
1910‒14――The Tenth and Eleventh Congresses――Death of Wolffsohn.
CHAPTER XLIXE. ON THE EVE OF THE WAR
Baron Edmond de Rothschild in Palestine――Sir John Gray Hill
――Professor S. Schechter――South African Statesmen――A Canadian
Statesman――Christian religious literature again.
ZIONISM DURING THE WAR, 1914‒1918――
⭘ General Survey
⭘ Zionist Propaganda in Wartime
⭘ Conferences
⭘ The Jewish National Fund
⭘ Zionism and Jewish Relief Work
⭘ The Russian Revolution
⭘ Political Activities in England and the Allied Countries
⭘ Conference of English Zionist Federation in 1917
⭘ Zionism and Public Opinion in England
⭘ Co-ordination of Zionists’ Reports
⭘ The British Declaration and its Reception
⭘ London Opera House Demonstration
⭘ Manifesto to the Jewish People
⭘ Declarations of the Entente Governments
APPENDICES――
I. The Prophets and the Idea of a National Restoration
II. Rev. Paul Knell: Israel and England Paralleled
III. Matthew Arnold on Righteousness in the Old Testament
IV. “Esperança de Israel,” by Manasseh Ben-Israel
V. “Spes Israelis,” by Manasseh Ben-Israel
VI. “Hope of Israel――Ten Tribes ... in America
――מקוה ישראל――De Hoop Van Israel,” by Manasseh
Ben-Israel
VII. The Humble Addresses of Manasseh Ben-Israel
VIII. “Vindiciæ Judæorum,” by Manasseh Ben-Israel
IX. Enseña A Pecadores
X. “De Termino Vitæ――of the Term of Life,” by Manasseh
Ben-Israel
XI. “נשמת חיים――De Immortalitate Animæ,” by Manasseh
Ben-Israel
XII. “Rights of the Kingdom,” by John Sadler
XIII. “Nova Solyma,” edited by the Rev. Walter Begley
XIV. “Præadamitæ――Men before Adam,” by Isaac de La Peyrère
XV. Isaac Vossius
XVI. “Doomes-Day”
XVII. “Restauration of _All_ Israel _And_ Judah”
XVIII. “Apology for the Honorable Nation of the Jews――Apologia
por la Noble Nacion de los Ivdios――Verantwoordinge voor
de edele Volcken der Jooden,” by Edward Nicholas
XIX. “A Word for the Armie,” by Hugh Peters
XX. Isaac da Fonseca Aboab
XXI. Dr. Abraham Zacutus Lusitanus
XXII. Jacob Judah Aryeh de Leon
XXIII. Thesouro Dos Dinim
XXIV. “Rettung der Juden,” by Manasseh Ben-Israel
XXV. Newes from Rome
XXVI. “The World’s Great Restauration,” by Sir Henry Finch
XXVII. “The World’s Great Restauration”――_continued_
XXVIII. Philip Ferdinandus
XXIX. Petition of the Jewes Johanna and Ebenezer Cart(en)
(w)right
XXX. “The Messiah Already Come,” by John Harrison
XXXI. “Discourse of Mr. John Dury to Mr. Thorowgood――Jewes in
America,” by Tho. Thorowgood――“Americans no Jews,” by
Hamon l’Estrange
XXXII. “Whether it be Lawful to Admit Jews into a Christian
Commonwealth,” by John Dury
XXXIII. “Life and Death of Henry Jessey”
XXXIV. “The Glory of Jehudah and Israel――De Heerlichkeydt ...
van Jehuda en Israel,” by Henry Jesse
XXXV. Of the Late Proceeds at White-Hall, concerning the Jews
(Henry Jesse)
XXXVI. Bishop Thomas Newton and the Restoration of Israel
XXXVII. “A Call to the Christians and the Hebrews”
XXXVIII. The Centenary of the British and Foreign Bible Society
XXXIX. Lord Kitchener and the Palestine Exploration Fund
XL. Bonaparte’s Call to the Jews
XLI. Letter addressed by a Jew to his Co-religionists in
1798
XLII. “Transactions of the Parisian Sanhedrim,” by Diogene
Tama
XLIII. “Signs of the Times”――“A Word in Season”――“Commotions
since French Revolution”――“History of Christianity”
――“The German Empire”――“Fulfilment of Prophecy,” by
Rev.James Bicheno
XLIV. “Restoration of the Jews”――“Friendly Address to the
Jews,” by the Rev. James Bicheno――“Letter to Mr.
Bicheno,” by David Levi
XLV. “Attempt to Remove Prejudices Concerning the Jewish
Nation,” by Thomas Witherby
XLVI. “Observations on Mr. Bicheno’s Book,” by Thomas
Witherby
XLVII. “Letters to the Jews,” by Joseph Priestley
XLVIII. “An Address to the Jews on the Present State of the
World,” by Joseph Priestley
XLIX. “Letters to Dr. Priestley,” by David Levi
L. “A Famous Passover Melody,” by the Rev. F. L. Cohen
LI. “Reminiscences of Lord Byron ... Poetry, etc., of Lady
Caroline Lamb,” by Isaac Nathan
LII. “Selection of Hebrew Melodies,” by John Braham and
Isaac Nathan
LIII. Earl of Shaftesbury’s Zionist Memorandum――Scheme for
the Colonisation of Palestine
LIV. Restoration of the Jews
LV. Another Zionist Memorandum――Restoration of the Jews
LVI. Extracts from Autograph and other Letters between Sir
Moses Montefiore and Dr. N. M. Adler
LVII. The Final Exodus
LVIII. Disraeli and the Purchase of the Suez Canal Shares
LIX. Cyprus and Palestine
LX. Disraeli and Heine
LXI. Disraeli’s Defence of the Jews
LXII. A Hebrew Address to Queen Victoria (1849)
LXIII. An Appeal by Ernest Laharanne (1860)
LXIV. Statistics of the Holy Land
LXV. An Open Letter of Rabbi Chayyim Zebi Sneersohn of
Jerusalem (1863)
LXVI. The Tragedy of a Minority, as seen by an English Jewish
Publicist (1863)
LXVII. London Hebrew Society for the Colonization of the Holy
Land
LXVIII. An Open Letter of Henri Dunant (1866)
LXIX. An Appeal of Rabbi Elias Gutmacher and Rabbi Hirsch
Kalischer to the Jews of England (1867)
LXX. Alexandre Dumas (fils) and Zionism
LXXI. Appeal of Dunant’s Association for the Colonisation of
Palestine (1867)
LXXII. Edward Cazalet’s Zionist Views
LXXIII. A Collection of Opinions of English Christian
Authorities on the Colonization of Palestine
LXXIV. Petition to the Sultan
LXXV. (1) _Chovevé Zion_ and Zionist Workers
○ (2) Modern Hebrew Literature
LXXVI. Note upon the _Alliance Israélite Universelle_ and the
Anglo-Jewish Association
LXXVII. An Appeal of the Berlin _Kadima_
LXXVIII. The Jewish Colonies in Palestine
LXXIX. The Manifesto of the _Bilu_ (1882)
LXXX. Zionism and Jewish Art
LXXXI. Progress of Zionism in the West since 1897
LXXXII. The Institutions of Zionism
LXXXIII. David Wolffsohn’s Autobiography
LXXXIV. Some English Press Comments on the London Zionist
Congress (1900)
LXXXV. Colonel Conder on the Value of the Jewish National
Movement (1903)
LXXXVI. Lord Gwydyr on Zionism and the Arabs
LXXXVII. Consular Reports
LXXXVIII. “Advent of the Millennium” (Moore)
LXXXIX. Crémieux’s Circular to the Jews in Western Europe
XC. “The Banner of the Jews” (Emma Lazarus)
XCI. “The Advanced Guard”
ADDENDA
CORRIGENDA
CATALOGUE OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS
BOOKS CONSULTED
INDEX
ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOL. II.
○ BARON EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD
○ LIEUT.-COL. SIR MARK SYKES, BART., M.P.
○ RT. HON. ARTHUR J. BALFOUR, M.P.
○ GEN. SIR EDMUND H. H. ALLENBY
○ M. S. J. M. PICHON
○ M. JULES CAMBON
○ H.E. PAOLO BOSELLI
○ H.E. BARON SIDNEY SONNINO
○ M. A. F. J. RIBOT
○ M. G. E. B. CLEMENCEAU
○ PRESIDENT THOMAS WOODROW WILSON
○ RT.HON. DAVID LLOYD GEORGE, M.P.
○ LAYING FOUNDATION STONE OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY, JERUSALEM
○ _NEWES FROM ROME._
○ THE KATTOWITZ CONFERENCE, 5644 = 1884
Illustration: _Leopold Pilichowski._ 1918
_Lieut.-Col. Sir_ MARK SYKES, _Bart._, _M.P._
SIR MARK SYKES, BART., M.P.
(A TRIBUTE)
A MOST tragic event took place on the 16th of February, 1919, when the
world lost one of the most valiant champions of Zionism, namely Sir
Mark Sykes, Bart., M.P. He fell like a hero in the thick of the fight;
he was suddenly extinguished, as it were a torch in full blaze. He
stood towering above the crowd of sceptics and grumblers, viewing the
promised land as from Pisgah’s height, his clear eye fixed on Zion. He
was at once a sage and a warrior, a knight in the service of the sacred
spirit of the national idea without fear or reproach, whom nothing
could overcome but the doom of sudden and premature death. Sir Mark
Sykes was but forty years old, physically a giant, a picture of perfect
manhood, full of youthful vigour, a soldier and a poet, a fervid
patriot and a kindly and self-sacrificing friend of humanity. He was
one of the born representatives of that tradition which for centuries
has inseparably united the genius of Great Britain with the Zionist
ideal of the Jewish people. In him appeared to be harmoniously united
the soaring imagination of Byron, the deep mysticism of Thomas Moore,
the religious zeal of Cardinal Manning and the statesmanly and wide
outlook of Disraeli.
The germs of Sykes’ Zionism lay latent in him in his earliest years.
He was scarcely eight years old when his father took him for the
first time to Jerusalem. He often related how when many years later
he visited a certain spot in Palestine, an elderly Arab told him that
years before an English gentleman had been there with a little boy,
leaving behind him kindly memories. His father, a wealthy landowner in
Yorkshire, was one of the principal churchbuilders in England of his
time. He was a gentleman of the old style, a protector of the poor,
fired with religious enthusiasm, who devoted untiring labour to the
management of his family estate. Every foot of this extensive family
estate with its churches and schools, its country houses and old and
new farms and dwellings, with its great collections and its old and
valuable library, bears the impress not only of marked diligence and
refined taste, but also of an unusual sense of continuity and tradition.
Long before the traveller from Hull reaches the estate, a high and
slender tower strikes his eye. It is the monument that has been erected
in memory of the grandfather, the old squire, an original character
about whom Sir Mark was wont to tell so many amusing stories. Long
after the introduction of railways he used to ride his steed to London,
and on the way often used to stop, take the hammer from the navvies who
were breaking road-metal, and perform their work for them for hours at
a time. Now his statue is to be seen in a chapel-like recess crowned
with a high tower on one of the main roads of the estate. His son, Sir
Mark’s father, was not less of an original character. He had nothing
of the tradition of feudal lords――the family was descended from an old
and very rich shipbuilding family in Hull which flourished in the 16th
century, had by the 17th century gained a great reputation, and later
had business relations with Peter the Great――but he rather represented
the type of a fanciful Maecenas, whose hobby it was constantly to
remodel buildings or to erect new ones. His ancestors had built ships,
he built houses. That amounted to a passion in him, a noble passion, a
desire to build, endow and found. And as he was very religious he built
churches. He also travelled widely and gathered large collections in
his country house. His religion was nominally High Church, but he must
have had strong leanings towards Catholicism. His wife, the mother of
Sir Mark, was an ardent Catholic. Sir Mark was attached to his mother,
and was brought up in the Catholic faith. On his mother’s side Sir
Mark had a decided strain of Irish blood, but the English type was
predominant in him. His features, however, were of extraordinary
gentleness, his eyes large and clear blue in colour, and a wisp of
hair would often fall over his brow. He was an English Catholic and
cherished in his heart the memory of the not so far distant time when
Catholics were persecuted, and restricted in their civil rights. He was
a Catholic in a country where the Catholics constitute a small and weak
minority, and often he remarked to me that it was his Catholicism that
enabled him to understand the tragedy of the Jewish question, since not
so long since Catholics had to suffer much in England. His Catholicism
did not make him fanatical; it made him rather cosmopolitan, that
is to say, catholic in the pure sense of the word. He received an
exceptionally careful education and studied hard in Catholic schools
before he took his course at Cambridge. The fact that in his early
youth he had Jesuit priests among his teachers was often exploited
by those who envied him, in a sense which suggested a leaning in him
towards Jesuitism. If the term Jesuitism be taken to mean a zeal for
Catholicism, then there can be no doubt that this assertion is correct,
since Sir Mark was certainly very religious. But if this expression
be taken in the customary sense, namely, as equivalent to clerical
intrigue, hypocrisy and spiteful hate of other religions, nothing
was more remote from the character, the mental outlook and all other
attributes of Sir Mark than such a form of Jesuitism. He was incapable
equally of dissembling or of servile conduct; he was proud without
being arrogant, and was severe and inflexible when truth was at stake.
His soul was an open book; he troubled himself neither of career nor
of popularity. He possessed an ideal, and this ideal was the sole test
of all his thought and actions. At heart he was pious, a good Christian
and a good Catholic: he never prided himself upon his faith, which
was a sacred thing to him: religious boast and propaganda were alike
foreign to him: his relations with God were an intimate personal matter
which concerned no stranger; but his faith was the moving force of his
life which afforded him courage to go forward and strength to endure
and to deny himself.
When I was with Sir Mark in Hull, where we came to speak at a great
Zionist meeting last summer, the member for Hull disappeared from my
sight for several hours on one occasion. I presumed that he had gone
to the old Catholic cathedral to attend a service as he frequently
did. On returning he told me that he had visited his old teachers, the
Jesuit fathers, and that he had convinced them that it was the duty of
Christians to atone for the crime that humanity has not ceased for many
centuries to commit against the Jewish people in withholding their old
native country from them. “This was not so difficult,” he added, “as
one of these fathers is an avowed friend of the Jewish people. When,
some years ago, a protest meeting was held in Hull against the Beilis
trial (the trumped-up story of ritual murder that had emanated in
Kiev from the Russian anti-Semites), this priest had appeared on the
platform to declare in the name of his religion that the persecutions
of the Jews that took place in Russia under the old régime were a blot
upon civilisation.” The meeting which was to be held that same day was
to be attended by Jews and Christians equally. He said with a humorous
smile that his success with the fathers made him hope for equal success
with the whole Christian audience at that meeting. “Perhaps people
find fault with me,” he continued, “that I have neglected their local
affairs. A member for Hull who gives all his time to Zionism may be
rather a puzzle to the good people of Hull, but I think I shall manage
them――will you be responsible for the Jews?” I replied, “Very well, I
shall be responsible for the Jews, but only with your help; the Jews
are more impressed by an English baronet who is a Christian than by a
fellow Jew like me.” “It is to be regretted,” he said somewhat sadly,
“that the Jews rather than follow leaders of their own race bow and
scrape to Gentiles. How do you explain that?” I answered: “That is the
spirit of the Exile, that can be combated only by means of Zionism.”
The meeting was most successful. There never had been such a Zionist
triumph in Hull. The enthusiasm was shared by both the Christian
representatives and the Jewish population, the latter but recently
arrived for the most part from Eastern Europe. There was only one
discordant note in the speeches, and that probably escaped the notice
of most of those present, and did not detract in the least from the
success of the meeting; this was an utterance that offended Sir Mark’s
religious sentiment. “It is natural,” someone said, “for Sir Mark to
be a friend of the Jews as he is such a good Christian, and must be
conscious of the fact that the founder of Christianity belonged to the
Jewish race; moreover, Sir Mark as a Catholic venerates the Holy Mother
who was as we know a daughter of the Jewish people.” This utterance
pained Sir Mark and hurt me very much. I afterwards had long talks with
Sir Mark about this tactlessness, which could only have been committed
by a quasi-assimilated Jew. The speaker may have meant it well, but
a Zionist could never have made such a mistake, for to be a Zionist,
means not only to desire immediate emigration to Palestine, but also
to maintain the proper practical attitude to the non-Jewish world. This
attitude is one neither of servility nor of arrogance, it is one of
dignified yet modest and noble self-consciousness, self-respect and
respect for others.
In order to understand the attitude of such as Sir Mark and others
like him in his own and other nations, towards the Jewish problem,
it is necessary to study the problem more closely than is common
among the unthinking crowd who bandy about the words anti-Semitism and
philo-Semitism, and, upon their superficial observations, condemn one
man as an anti-Semite and laud another as a philo-Semite, according as
whether they hate or love certain individual Jews. The crowd does not
understand that one can be a great friend of the Jewish people and a
great admirer of the Jewish genius and yet find such things ridiculous
and repulsive as the apeing, the servility, the obtrusiveness, the
hollowness and the empty display, the desire to intrude everywhere,
the excessive zeal of the neophytes and all the unpleasant traits of
some assimilated Jews. On the other hand, one may approve of all these
qualities and rejoice that certain Jews have become rich, obtained
titles or gained high office in so far as one desires the assimilation
of the Jewish people and the extinction of the Jewish spirit.
Anti-Semitism is fractricidal in that it implies hatred and contempt
for, and the desire to persecute a whole race. It is organised
outrage, because it employs the brutal power of a majority to insult
a defenceless minority and to deprive it of human rights. It is
consciously calumnious because it instigates malice against the Jewish
people or religion and exploits for this purpose actual weaknesses or
failings belonging in reality to neither the race nor the religion. It
is biassed and sophistical because it generalises from the faults of
individuals and because it fixes itself upon the mote in another’s eye
without perceiving the beam in its own.
Philo-Semitism in the true sense of the word resembles philhellenism.
The latter does not mean simply friendly intercourse with parvenu
Greeks, but sympathy for the Hellenic people as such, and with the
spirit of Hellenism and an endeavour to aid these and to establish them.
Of such a kind was the philo-Semitism of Sir Mark Sykes. I will speak
plainly, and do not hesitate to state that he had no liking for the
hybrid type of the assimilating Jew. He had no wish to interfere with
such people; he emphatically condemned any attempt at suppression of
rights or chicanery, but he did not like this type just because he
was fond of the Jewish people. What was of the Jewish essence, of the
Jewish tradition, was sacred to his religious sense and stimulating to
his artistic sense. In this lay the secret, not exactly of our personal
success with Sykes (for our cause is of too great an importance in
the world’s history to be connected with personalities) but of the
wonderful concord of minds which was the natural outcome of his outlook.
The opposite poles attracted each other with irresistible force. Truly
anglicised Jews could not have had the hundredth part of the same
success with him, not because of their not being excellent patriots and
capable men (for such many of them incontestably are and Sykes was fond
of society and of making acquaintances and was amiable to all), but
for him there were real Englishmen enough. Concerning English affairs,
national questions and parliamentary matters he would discourse with
anglicised Jews on the same footing as English non-Jews, but concerning
the spirit of Jewish history, the _ethos_ of Hebraism, the national
sufferings and aspirations, that emerge only in national Hebrew
literature, in the large centres of Jewish population in Eastern Europe
and in the new settlements in Palestine――concerning all these matters
he would and could seek information only from the fountain source.
These are the things that have succeeded with Sykes and others and
that will succeed further, not high diplomacy. There is no lack of this
latter at the Foreign Office, which swarms with great diplomats, and
it would be carrying coals to Newcastle to seek to add more trained
specialists to the crowd of busy politicians in Downing Street. There
could be no success with Sykes that way. He was, as it were, born to
work with us Hebrews for Zionism.
The spirit of the East breathed in this Yorkshire gentleman. In his
earliest youth he showed a keen interest for Arabia, for Islam and the
Turkish Empire. At Cambridge he studied Arabic under Professor E. G.
Browne, and there also he met the lady who was afterwards to be his
wife and true helpmeet, a daughter of Sir John Gorst, who was at the
time one of the members of parliament for the University. In the year
1898 Sykes, then a young student, undertook a second journey to the
East, and stayed much of his time in the Hauran. He devoted himself
with the entire freshness and sincerity of his youth (he was then but
twenty years old) to his observations as a traveller. In the year 1900
appeared his first book, which recounts his impressions in an elegant
style and light form.¹ In this book he ascribes to his guide, a
Christian Arab named Isa, the following words apropos of the Jews there,
that they were “dirty like Rooshan and robber like Armenian.”² Sykes
himself had at that time no clear idea of Jews or of Armenians――of the
two peoples for whom he strove and died nineteen years later. He cites
an expression of opinion and repeats it in the bad English of an Arab
guide. After his return from the East, he devoted his attention to
military studies, in which he distinguished himself. He served in the
South African War in 1900‒2. He gave a proof of his technical knowledge
in his work on strategy and military training which he had compiled
in collaboration with Major George d’Ordel.³ In the year 1904 he was
travelling again, and the literary product of his later and earlier
journeys was his second considerable book on Islam and the Orient.⁴
This book is dedicated to his fellow-soldiers in the South African
War.⁵ In this work already speaks to us a young but mature man who
had travelled much in four continents and had been through the South
African Campaign. Here we already perceive the fundamentals of his
later Zionism. As regards the future of the Orient he looks not to
modern civilisation and capitalism, but to the latent force of national
life. He was not deceived by the specious platitudes so dear to that
deplorable product of modern European democracy ‘the man in the street’
as to ‘extending the blessing of Western civilisation’; he regarded
rather with unconcealed apprehension the contingency of the Western
Asiatics becoming ‘a prey to capitalists of Europe and America,’
“in which case a designing Imperial Boss might, untrammelled by the
Government, reduce them to serfdom for the purpose of filling his
pockets and gaining the name of Empire-maker.” (Prof. Browne’s Preface,
_Dar-ul-Islam_, p. iv.). He had a great predilection for all national
individualities, and detested the desire to imitate and assimilate. “He
hated the hybrid Levantine ... and faithfully portrayed the Gosmopaleet
(Cosmopolite)” (_ibid._). He condemned interfering tutelage. “Orientals
hate to be worried and hate to have their welfare attended to....
Oppression they can bear with equanimity, but interference for their
own good they never brook with grace” (_ibid._). He shows a profound
historic sense: “he does not disguise his preference for countries
with ‘a past’ over countries with ‘a future’” (_ibid._), and finds
in the nature of the Oriental the conditions for a true equality. “He
recognises the fact that there is more equality because less snobbery
and pretence in Asia than in Europe” (_ibid._). The only feature that
is wanting in this book is a knowledge of Jews and of Zionism. He
makes but once mention of this matter, in a short sketch of the Jews
at Nisibin. “The Jews at Nisibin . .. their appearance is much improved
by Oriental costume ... in which they look noble and dignified.” He
then adds: “I trust that the Uganda Zionists will adopt my suggestion”
(p. 141). One who believes in the assimilation of the Jews may
snobbishly consider this also as anti-Semitic, but in fact it is only
the harmless joke of an artist, for Sykes was essentially an artist.
His drawings were excellent, he was also very musical, and had a great
predilection for all true individuality, for the archaic, the original,
the unadulterated, for race, nationality, _genius loci_, for everything
racy and natural, and for everything that was not cliché, mechanical
and snippety.
¹ _Through Five Turkish Provinces_, by Mark Sykes. London,
Bickers and Son. 1900.
² _Ibid._, p. 127.
³ _Tactics and Military Training._ By Major George d’Ordel and
Captain Mark Sykes. London. 1902.
⁴ _Dar-Ul-Islam._ A record of a journey through Ten of the
Asiatic Provinces of Turkey. By Mark Sykes. London. 1904.
⁵ “The F Company, 3rd Batt. Princess of Wales’ Own Yorkshire
Regiment, who served in South Africa, 1900‒2.”
This was the foundation of his latent Zionism. From 1904 to 1911 he
pursued his military studies, managed his estates and travelled much.
In 1911 he entered Parliament as member for Hull. Although nominally
a Tory, Sir Mark was at bottom no party man, but a man of convictions.
Full of faith, greedy for work, energetic, confident, capable, quick of
study, charmed with a fight. Equally ready to defend or attack, he was
unselfish. Over the Irish question he fell out with the Conservatives;
he was an outspoken champion of Home Rule, and throughout his life he
remained a loyal friend of Irish nationalism. His speeches soon made
him popular in Parliament; they were never long and yet never trite.
He showed the same qualities in his letters to the Press. He had always
something to say, some original thought which he expressed in his own
individual style. He told me once, how he had learned public speaking
at school. He had to prepare the outline of the speech and afterwards
to state in short and simple terms the substance of his speech. The
latter, he added, was the more difficult task, because a facile speaker
can make long speeches, and yet find it impossible to repeat later the
essential facts of his speeches. He was not a facile speaker in this
sense; he never spoke quite extempore, but always prepared his speeches
carefully, often by means only of simple key words or of a few pictures,
resembling hieroglyphics, as, for example, the sun with streaming rays.
He never spoke to the gallery, never flattered, never perverted the
truth under the mask of sincerity, and never sought to create effects.
His speeches were full of beauty and deep idealism with a breath of
religious fervour, as he leant forward to address himself to the hearts
of his audience. This practical man was at bottom a poet. He could tell
most fascinating stories. He had not been brought up in the chilling
atmosphere of severe Puritanism, but in the medieval glamour of
Catholic cathedrals and under the sun of the East. Yet he had remained
a proud and staunch Briton. He was a remarkable and extremely unusual
combination of a blue-eyed, simple and modest Englishman of childlike
sweetness, and of a medieval knight full of Oriental reminiscences,
with ardent faith and picturesque imagination. We loved him and he
loved us, because his nature was gentle, kind and sympathetic. He
chatted freely: he told all about his enthusiasms, his “castles in the
air,” his stories about dervishes, his travelling impressions, with a
lively dramatic touch with appropriate gesture and expression, often
drawing his round, brown stylo pen from his pocket in order to explain
the matter more pointedly by means of a rapid sketch. How often I
regretted that no shorthand writer was present. His ways were dignified
and courteous, his modesty so natural and so frank that he gave the
impression of being himself unconscious of it. When the talk took a
jesting turn, there was no sting in his witticisms, his jests were easy
and never offensive. When he was angered, his emotion lasted but a few
seconds, and afterwards he was as light-hearted as a child.
Such was the Mark Sykes of 1914 when the War broke out. He took up his
part in the War with all his patriotism and with his idealistic faith
in the victory of justice. In 1915 he was with his regiment busy in
hard training and ready for the field. He often told me how it had come
to pass that the East had become his sphere of action. One day Lord
Kitchener said to him: “Sykes, what are you doing in France, you must
go to the East.” “What am I to do there?” asked Sykes. “Just go there
and then come back,” was Lord Kitchener’s answer. Sykes travelled to
the East, made his way through accessible and inaccessible districts,
and came back. His observations and experiences constituted the
material upon which all the great things that afterwards happened were
based. He then voluntarily entered the service of the Government as
expert, as adviser, and as draughtsman of their policy. He was one
of the pioneers of the new British War Policy in the East, one of the
protagonists of the “Eastern School.” In the year 1916 he undertook
with M. Georges Picot a journey to Russia. It was then the Czarist
Russia with its eye fixed upon Constantinople; that was the occasion
upon which the so-called Sykes-Picot agreement was signed. From the
standpoint of Zionist interests in Palestine this agreement justly met
with severe criticism; but it was Sykes himself who criticised it most
sharply and who with the change of circumstances dissociated himself
from it entirely. It was a product of the time, a time when there
was as yet no decided plan formed of launching a definite campaign in
the East, when the prime necessity was some sort of agreement, since
otherwise no progress would have been made. This was long before Mr.
Balfour’s declaration, and since at this time the Zionist interests in
Palestine had as yet received no attention because they were unknown
and not debatable, and also as it was essential to come to terms about
Constantinople with the old regime in Russia, this agreement was a
necessary prelude to action. This agreement Sykes regarded later as an
anachronism.
Zionism had been at work in England for two full years without its
coming to know anything of Sykes, who himself worked on his own lines
for a year and a half, without knowing anything of Zionist organisation
or a definite programme of Zionism. What happened resembled the
construction of a tunnel begun at two sides at once. As the workers
on each side approach one another they can hear the sound of blows
through the earth. It seems at first a strange enough story; a certain
Sir Mark appears, he makes some enquiries, and then expresses a wish
to meet the Zionist leaders. Finally a meeting actually takes place
and discussions are entered upon. Sir Mark showed a keen interest
and wanted to know the aims of the Zionist Organisation, and who
were its representatives. The idea assumed a concrete form; but this
acquaintance, however, valuable as it was, had as yet no practical
significance. Acquaintanceships were made and discussions took place
during the years 1914‒16 by the hundred with influential people and
with some who had more voice in affairs than Sir Mark ever had. They
constituted certainly a most important introductory chapter, and one
without which the book itself could not have been written, but they
were naturally fragmentary, preliminary, without cohesion and without
sanction. The work itself began only after the 7th of February, 1917.
The subsequent chapters describe this work in general outlines. A
thousand details remain for the pen of some future historian, when the
time comes for the archives of the Foreign Office, of the Ministries
for Foreign Affairs of the other Entente Powers, and of the political
offices of the Zionist Organisation in London and Paris to be made
public. In the whole proceedings there are no secret treaties, no
secret diplomacy, in fact neither diplomacy nor conspiracy; but they
constitute a series of negotiations, schemes, suggestions, explanations,
measures, journeys, conferences, etc., to which each of those who took
a part gave something of the best in himself.
It is my duty both as historian and as one who took an active part in
these negotiations and proceedings to record here that Sir Mark Sykes
really gave of his best to this work. For more than two wonderful years
we were in daily intercourse with him. Our friendship was of the most
intimate. We shared in common all the delights and disappointments
arising from the Zionist work. We instructed each other; he furnished
his knowledge of the East, his profound understanding of the guiding
political principles of Great Britain, his personal observations with
reference to the possibilities of bringing our aims into harmony with
the ideals of the Entente; we supplied Zionism, inspired by Jewish
sufferings and hopes. It was not difficult for us to convince him what
an excellent cultural type the Hebrew represents, since already in his
youth, before he had the slightest idea of Jews and Zionism, he had
intuitively perceived that the hybrid Levantine is hopeless in that
direction. The idea was latent in him, and but awaited stimulus and
direction into the proper channel. He was ready to understand what a
great natural force the Jewish genius could be in the reawakening of
Palestine, all the more because long before as a man of extraordinarily
high culture――English to the last fibre of his thought, saturated with
English tradition, English literature and English taste――and yet at
the same time a broad-minded humanist, with great ideals not only for
his own nation but for all other nations and races, he had seen that
the ‘civilising’ of the East by assimilation was idle and superficial
prating and a vain delusion. Deep sympathy of ideals had earlier
formed an unconscious bond between us. When this sympathy ripened
into consciousness through our meeting and soon after the commencement
of our common work, the resulting harmony was not one of policy but
one of outlook. The idea of a natural alliance between Jews, Arabs
and Armenians as peoples of the Near East developed into something
quite distinct and found in Sir Mark a convinced champion. He was
an enthusiastic protagonist of the Jewish national renaissance in
Palestine, an admirer of the Hebrew genius, who could not hear enough
from me about national Hebrew literature, who took an interest in every
detail of Jewish culture. At the same time he was a sincere friend
of the Arabs and Armenians and made strenuous efforts to secure their
liberation. We all worked together with him in this direction, but the
main idea was his and remained his favourite project till the close of
his life. Many superficial and petty individuals in our own ranks, who,
not realising the great and difficult task and themselves taking no
active part, busied themselves in spreading distrust and discontent,
complained that Sykes was too much taken up with the Arabs. I am sure
that among many Arabs of the same degree of political maturity Sykes
was accused of being too much taken up by the Jews.
Our interchange of ideas resulted in a complete fusion of thought. But
Sykes gave us his time and labour as well as ideas. It seemed as though
in these two years his whole life’s energy reached its culminating
point and spent itself. He worked at constant high pressure. But rarely
he allowed himself a week-end in Sledmore with Lady Sykes and the
children, and even there he was never idle. It was a constant round
of church-going, of devotion to the estate and building repairs, of
musicians, old French songs, and of hospitality. Holidays were out
of the question. All his excursions were connected with political or
Parliamentary business. Even prior to the commencement of his official
connection with Zionism, Sir Mark was a man of extraordinarily wide
activities. When on the 8th of February, 1917, one day after the
first official meeting, our work began with the first conference
with M. Georges Picot at Sir Mark’s private house, No. 9 Buckingham
Gate, the latter place had already become an important centre for
matters concerning the new and at that time scarcely completed plan
of a kingdom of the Hedjaz, concerning Armenia and Mesopotamia, and
was equipped with all such material as files of correspondence and
telegraphic communications, etc. It was then that Zionism took its
place in the system and came to dominate the situation more and more as
our labours progressed. One was liable to be called upon at any moment,
early in the morning or late at night. It became a joke with us to name
his sudden telephone calls ‘brain-storms.’ Sir Mark had a ‘brain-storm’
which meant: danger in sight. This may appear as somewhat far-fetched
to outsiders, but those who were in the thick of the work knew well
what formidable obstacles stood in the way, and how well founded were
Sir Mark’s doubts and fears. At every moment dangers had to be guarded
against; there were elements that were in favour of the _status quo
ante_ in the Near East; vested economic interests that desired to
uphold this _status quo_ for their own ends; clerical, anti-Semitic and
pan-Islamitic propaganda; certain Arab sections that opposed Zionism
because, obsessed by fanaticism or misled by agitators or influenced
by narrow and short-sighted considerations of the needs of the moment,
they had no proper appreciation of the great idea of a Hebrew-Arabic
national alliance; intrigues of certain Syrian concession-hunters who
stormed with a ‘holy wrath’ against the Zionist idea; certain factions
in England that would have nothing to do with an energetic policy in
the East, and indeed ridiculed and belittled the importance of British
interests in that region; a by no means small party that warned England
against undertaking any new engagements; and finally, be it mentioned
with regret, our Jewish circles of the assimilating school. The cause
of Zionism was in the same dire case as Laocoon in the grip of snakes.
Every day brought a fresh indication of some hostile movement, a new
suspicion of enemy schemes each of which caused Sir Mark to sound a
warning. These were the ‘brain-storms.’
I should like to record a few impressions of different occasions. The
first was a day in April, 1917, in Paris. I was due at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs to give information about Zionism. Sir Mark also came;
he was a sincere friend of France and was anxious that Zionism should
have the same appreciation in France as in England. He came in great
haste by motor from the Front, where he had been making a visit, and
went to the Hotel Lotti. He arrived early in the morning after a tiring
night’s journey. At that time Doctor Weizmann was fully occupied with
most important affairs in England. It fell to me to begin the official
work in France, after we had together prepared all our plans. Sykes
was impatient: in spite of his complete confidence in us, he could
not refrain from remaining near me, always ready with advice and help.
We worked together for some hours. I departed on my mission and we
arranged for him to wait for me at the hotel. But as I was crossing the
Quai d’Orsay on my return from the Foreign Office I came across Sykes.
He had not had the patience to wait. We walked on together, and I gave
him an outline of the proceedings. This did not satisfy him; he studied
every detail; I had to give him full notes and he drew up a minute
report. “That’s a good day’s work,” he said with shining eyes.
The second was a day in April, 1917, in Rome. Sykes had been there
before me and could not wait my arrival. He had gone to the East. I put
up at the hotel: Sykes had ordered rooms for me. I went to the British
Embassy; letters and instructions from Sykes were waiting for me there.
I went to the Italian Government Offices; Sykes had been there too;
then to the Vatican, where Sykes had again prepared my way. It seemed
to me as if his presence was wherever I went, but all the time he was
far away in Arabia, whence I received telegraphic messages.
The third was at the London Opera House Meeting of the 2nd of December,
1917. It was a truly brilliant gathering in a packed house, a festive
token of the bond of brotherhood between Great Britain and ancient
Israel. Sykes modestly surveyed the assembly. The majority of the
audience scarcely knew him, and only a few were aware that this was a
great day in his life. When he began to speak the audience recognised
that one was addressing them who had made Zionism a part of his life.
He showed no flaring enthusiasm, but rather a quiet elation, a devotion
to the subject. On leaving, he and I shook hands――no words were
necessary because we understood each other.
The fourth was a mass meeting at the end of December in Manchester.
In the morning there had been a small gathering with Sykes, and before
the meeting a banquet in honour of Mr. C. P. Scott. The meeting itself
was one of the largest that ever was held in Manchester. Sir Stuart
Samuel was in the chair. Doctor Weizmann made one of his most brilliant
speeches, and Mr. James de Rothschild roused the audience to enthusiasm.
Then Sykes rose, and made a speech full of the dreamy poetry of an
Eastern tale. The audience felt itself transported into another and
better world. The poetry of the East diffused itself as a softening
charm over the hard-cut lines of high political argument. After the
meeting we sat down, tired out, to tea. Sykes hurried in in his
rain-coat: he had no time to stay, as he had to catch the night train.
He was due in London next morning to send urgent telegrams to Palestine.
The fifth was on a glorious June day in 1918 en route from Paris to
London. Sykes insisted on my travelling with him. He was in company
with a distinguished party containing nearly all the members of the
Government. As there was no time to complete the passport formalities,
he simply attached me to himself personally. I felt embarrassed and
accepted his proposal with reluctance. But when he told me that it was
necessary to remind people constantly of the Declaration, I made up my
mind to venture flying if he should think it necessary. The journey
almost assumed the form of a Zionist meeting. There were twenty-eight
persons in all, the most prominent members of the Government. On
deck the Prime Minister was talking with Jellicoe. The tall and
imposing figure of Mr. Balfour, with his noble grey-haired head and
the well-known small hat, stood above the rest. Sykes urged me to have
a word with the Prime Minister. I seized the opportunity and in the
course of our conversation I had from him the treasured words: that
such a war as this would be in vain if we did not aim at succouring all
peoples, the Zionist Jews included. I afterwards told this to Sykes,
who was at the other end of the ship, but he knew already. “How, by
an indiscretion?” “No, a favourable wind whispered it to me.” The
‘Favourable Wind’ was one of the company who had overheard the
conversation.
Sir Mark’s work during the last few years falls into eight successive
periods. (1) February‒March, 1917, the collaboration in London with
M. Picot, and after the latter’s departure for France, with us;
(2) March‒June, 1917, our journey to Paris; his journey to Egypt;
(3) June‒November, 1917, preliminary work leading to the Balfour
Declaration; (4) November, 1917‒March 1918, from the Declaration to
the despatch of the Commission to Palestine; (5) March‒October, 1918,
the work in London during the stay of the Commission in Palestine;
(6) October‒December, 1918, the work after the return of the
Commission; (7) December 1918‒February, 1919, the journey to Syria,
and (8) February, 1919, the last days in Paris.
In the first period the foundations were laid; at that time Sir Mark
was, so to speak, introduced into the world of Zionist ideas. The
second was full of active negotiations with the Entente Governments.
During the third Sykes was in busy relations with a number of the
friends of our cause. In this period the work of Major Ormsby-Gore
was of practically the same importance, as also during the fourth
period. In the fifth period, during the time of the important work in
Palestine of the Commission under the leadership of Doctor Weizmann,
Major Ormsby-Gore was of great service there. The whole of the labours
in London connected with the activity of the Commission and with
a thousand other matters relating to Zionism fell upon Sykes, and
necessitated daily work of an intensely difficult character.
To this period belong a number of most important measures which for
the first time gave Zionism both internally and externally its proper
position and its necessary prestige. Sir Mark had at that time his
office in two rooms, afterwards partitioned into three, on the basement
of the back wing of the Foreign Office, connected with the upper
storeys by means of a lift, never used by Sir Mark, who mounted the
stairs about twenty times daily at a lightning speed, which made it
impossible for me to keep pace with him in spite of my most strenuous
efforts. The first large room was dark because the big window was
blocked with sandbags as a protection against possible air raids; it
had long tables and was illuminated artificially. I had to be there
often and for long periods at a time: my work, indeed, required my
attendance there more than at the Zionist offices, and sometimes I
had to go there three times a day and to remain there till late at
night. On one of these occasions Sir Mark said to me, “Does not this
subterranean room look like a medieval inquisition chamber, with
those long tables upon which the victims of the Inquisition might be
stretched for torture? Who knows,” added he humorously, “whether some
of your forefathers had not to undergo treatment in chambers of this
kind?” I answered, “Yes, as Scripture has it: ‘I will make the desolate
valley into a door of hope.’” After that we often used to call this
room the “Door of Hope.” This room opened into another where Sir Mark
spent whole days at work except for the time at Westminster. The duties
of Secretary were most ably filled by Mr. Dunlop, a young and energetic
man; opposite, in the building in Whitehall Gardens, Sir Mark’s older
colleague, the learned and highly experienced Mr. Beck, worked in
conjunction with him. Between the two offices the faithful Serjeant
Wilson, who accompanied Sir Mark everywhere on land and sea, passed to
and fro. It was like a hive; there was a constant coming and going of
Foreign Office men, M.P.’s, Armenian politicians, Mahommedan Mullahs,
officers, journalists, representatives of Syrian Committees, and
deputations from philanthropic societies. In the midst of this busy
world Zionism maintained its prominent position. Everything had to pass
through Sykes’ hands. In order to avoid confusion and divergence of
effort he insisted upon what was readily conceded him, namely that
he should pass an opinion on every question and every detail, and in
this there was no hesitation, no delay. Among many others a couple
of examples will suffice. The Oriental Jews, being Turkish subjects,
were under the law regarded as alien enemies. They were certainly only
technically such; at heart they were thoroughly pro-British and in
any case politically harmless. Exceptions had already been made on the
recommendations of personal standing, but no logical plan was followed.
I maintained that the Zionist Organisation should be officially
empowered to protect the Jews of Palestine and Syria, just as, for
example, the Polish Committee protected the Poles from Galicia, who
were also technically alien enemies. Sykes obtained this concession
after considerable labour. This was an official recognition of the
Zionist Organisation as competent authority. When at the time of the
most strenuous military efforts, the later categories of the male
population were called to the colours, the Zionist Organisation
in England was threatened with losing the last of its secretaries,
speakers, organisers, etc., and with seeing its activities restricted,
if not completely interrupted. None were more patriotic than the
Zionists, so many of whom were in the Army, but we had to deal with
a number of men who could be of no value to the Army, and who, on the
other hand, were indispensable to the Zionist Organisation. Previously
some had been left with us, but now it was a question of large numbers.
It was a generally recognised principle that people whose occupation
was of national importance were allowed to continue at it. I insisted
upon having this principle applied to Zionism. This matter could not
be settled by any single individual or by any single tribunal. The
question concerned a matter of principle, and had nothing to do with
individuals. Since we had received the declaration of recognition from
the British Government and the whole Entente, and as we had to prepare
the field for the realisation of this declaration, this ought surely to
have been regarded as a matter of national importance from the official
standpoint. Sykes adopted this point of view and made strenuous efforts
to have it realised. He was thoroughly convinced that our loyalty to
Great Britain and her Allies was boundless, and that in all our demands
the interests of both parties had been considered with equal devotion.
On the other hand, we recognised that when he denied us something
as inadmissible, though like any other man he might sometimes make
mistakes, he was open to change of conviction upon good reason being
shown, and that any stand taken by him against our proposals was due
rather to the fact that he regarded the matter at issue as unfavourable
in certain circumstances to Zionism, than that he had the interests of
Zionism less at heart than we; thus a community of effort and a mutual
trust was established, which led to a complete solidarity of aims. In
this way our work in conjunction with Sykes became the foundation for
our relations with the higher Government authorities, as also with
Sykes’ colleagues and successors.
The most important and politically difficult task that had to be
accomplished in London during the stay of the Commission in Palestine
was to make possible the official laying of the foundation stone
of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The recommendations and the
instructions carried by the President of the Commission, Doctor
Weizmann, to Palestine were most valuable, and will stand as a lasting
token of the generous and kindly feelings of the leading men in the
British Government towards Zionism. The influence of the Commission,
the excellence of their work, their splendid relations with the
authorities had ensured complete success. Nevertheless it was found
that, particularly with reference to the foundation-stone ceremony,
the instructions had been of too general and too vague a character to
overcome the formal and legal administrative obstacles. It is my duty
to one who is gone, to record the great services of Sir Mark in this
direction. It goes without saying that the final decision lay with a
man in higher office. However, before Mr. Balfour gave his decision and
before the most detailed instructions had been telegraphed, we had to
work strenuously day after day for several weeks, by correspondence and
by interviews, with such devotion and enthusiasm as only so magnificent
an object as the Hebrew University in Jerusalem could inspire.
During the period that followed, namely the sixth as above described,
the Zionist programme was being prepared. The end of the War was in
sight, but the cessation of hostilities was not to be expected so very
soon. Sykes decided, then, the whole of Palestine and Syria being in
British hands, to travel thither to gather fresh information and to
bring the results of his latter observations to the Peace Conference. I
tried to dissuade him from this journey, because I thought his presence
in Europe important: he, on the other hand, wanted me to go with him
to Palestine. He finally went alone and wrote to me from there that
I should come without delay. His stay in Palestine was, however, only
a very short one: he soon passed to Syria and did strenuous work in
the direction of restoring order in Aleppo. In the meantime the Peace
Conference opened here. We were all of us already assembled――except
Sykes. We thought of him every day.
One evening there was a telephone call. On taking up the receiver I
heard Sykes’ voice telling me that he had just arrived in Paris, and
was staying as usual at the Hôtel Lotti opposite us. I invited him at
once to dinner, and he came. He was the same lovable fellow, full of
life and humour, but now frightfully thin. He had lived the whole time
on “German sausages” and had suffered much from digestive troubles. It
only transpired later, that he had spent sixteen hours a day in Aleppo
working under almost impossible conditions on behalf of the Arabs and
Armenians. He was himself never in the habit of talking about his work.
It was two hours after midnight when he left us,――he had so much to
tell about the ordinary incapacity for proper administration of the
local Syrian population and their marked capacity in that direction
under suitable guidance, about the prospects for Palestine, about the
steps he had taken against anti-Zionist intrigues in Syria and other
matters. From that time forward we saw each other every day. Some days
later he went to London to see his family and returned in three days
with Lady Sykes. Immediately upon his arrival he was in touch with us.
He had a thousand ideas, and had brought reports and instructions from
Syria that had to be elaborated. Our days were filled with appointments
for visits, interviews, etc. Then Lady Sykes was attacked by influenza,
which caused a little dislocation and the postponement of an accepted
invitation, but gave no cause for alarm. On the 13th of February, Sir
Mark hastily entered my room, and on finding me indisposed, he shouted,
“There’s no time now for being ill.” The following morning he sent word
to me that Lady Sykes was better, but that he himself was taken ill.
“I have got it,” he said to Serjeant Wilson when he went to bed. On
the 15th Lady Sykes sent for me, and told me that her husband would
have to remain in bed for a few days, that afterwards she intended to
go to England for a week or so to recuperate. “To Sledmore?” I asked.
“No,” said Lady Sykes, “it is too cold there. I think the South will be
better. And my chief reason for troubling you,” she added, “is because
my husband wants to know how Zionist matters went yesterday.” I gave
full details to Lady Sykes. In the afternoon of the 16th Sir Mark died.
He died on the threshold of the Peace Conference which was destined
to make his dream a living thing, died in a hotel in the midst of us,
bound up with our deepest affections, a radiant form full of love and
sincerity. His life was as a song, almost as a Psalm. He was a man
who has won a monument in the future Pantheon of the Jewish people
and of whom legends will be told in Palestine, Arabia and Armenia.
Just returned from a difficult task in the service of humanity in the
service of the idea of nationality, and about to perform great things
for the Jewish people, he fell as a hero at our side.
There it ends! Shakespeare himself could use no more than the
commonplace to express what is incapable of expression. “The rest is
silence!”
We say: “The rest is immortality――in the annals of Zionism.”
PARIS, _April, 1919_.
CHAPTER XLIXA.
_Chovevé Zion_ and Zionists in England――Louis Loewe――Nathan
Marcus Adler――Albert Löwy――Abraham Benisch――The Rev. M. J.
Raphall――Dr. M. Gaster――Rabbi Samuel Mohilewer――English
representation at the Second and Third Congresses――The Fourth
Congress in London.
THE _Chovevé Zion_ movement in England was not very powerful, yet it
enjoyed a certain amount of popularity. If we examine, for instance,
the records for 1892‒7――the years which preceded the First Zionist
Congress (Basle, 1897)――we find among the leading representatives not
only the Chief Rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Communities, Dr. M.
Gaster, Mr. Herbert Bentwich, Rabbi Professor H. Gollancz, the late
Colonel Albert Goldsmid, Dr. S. A. Hirsch, Mr. S. B. Rubenstein, Mr.
E. W. Rabbinowicz and other English Jews of standing, who are even now
more or less active in the Zionist Organization; but we read the names
of the late Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, Dr. H. Adler, the late Lord
Swaythling, Mr. Elkan Adler, Albert Jessel, Mr. Joseph Prag (who was
one of the most active members), Joseph Nathan, Louis Schloss, Haim
Guedalla, Captain H. Lewis-Barned, Bernard Birnbaum, Mr. Herman Landau
and other distinguished members of the community, as among those of the
prominent enthusiastic supporters of the _Chovevé Zion_ movement who
did not join the new Zionist Organization. The same phenomenon strikes
us in France. There the new Zionism was confronted on the part of the
_Chovevé Zion_ by an opposition that was even stronger than in England.
An impartial historian, desirous of reviewing the facts as they were
revealed in Jewish life and literature, would in vain endeavour to
discover any essential difference between the _Chovevé Zion_ and the
Zionist fundamental principles. He could trace a complete and clear
conception of political Zionism through centuries of English history
or Jewish history in England, and on the other hand also efforts and
undertakings in the direction of colonization pursued with great energy
and care by forces that are generally found to be co-operating with
political Zionism. A sober and dispassionate examination of all these
ideas without regard to mere catchwords must lead to the conclusion
that Sir Moses Montefiore’s representations to Mehemet Ali in 1838 were
substantially the same as Herzl made to Abdul Hamid in 1898. However,
both aimed at a legally assured home and both insisted that Palestine
should belong to the Jewish people. And no real student of contemporary
Jewish history will imagine that Sir Moses was an isolated dreamer.
He never undertook anything in Jewish affairs without consulting the
authorities of his time. One of his advisers was Louis Loewe, the
well-known Jewish scholar and his secretary for many years.
Dr. Louis Loewe (1809‒88), who was educated at the _Yeshibot_ of Lissa,
Nikolsburg, Presburg, and at the University of Berlin, came to England
in 1839 and was appointed by the Duke of Sussex to be his Orientalist.
He then travelled in the East, where he studied languages. In Cairo he
was presented to Mehemet Ali, for whom he translated some hieroglyphic
inscriptions. On his return from Palestine he met at Rome Sir Moses and
Lady Montefiore, who invited him to travel with them to Palestine. When,
in 1840, Sir Moses went on his Damascus expedition, Loewe accompanied
him as his interpreter. Since that time Loewe was attached to Sir
Moses as his personal friend and secretary. He accompanied Sir Moses
on nine different missions. He wrote several valuable works on oriental
subjects: _The Origin of the Egyptian Language_, London, 1837; A
Dictionary of the Circassian Language, 1859; a Nubian Grammar and
several pamphlets――and translated J. B. Levinsohn’s _Efes Damim_
(1871) and David Nieto’s _Matteh Dan_ (1842). Dr. Loewe was an ardent
supporter of all schemes in favour of Palestine and strongly assisted
David Gordon, the editor of the _Ha-Magid_, who was an enthusiastic and
outspoken political Zionist years before Herzl.
We have already mentioned to what an extent the Chief Rabbi, Dr. N. M.
Adler, influenced Sir Moses’ works in Palestine. Nathan Adler was born
at Hanover in 1803. He received his education at the Universities of
Göttingen, Erlangen and Würzburg. Already as a youth his abilities
proved him to be particularly adapted to the discharge of rabbinical
functions. In 1829 he was appointed Chief Rabbi of Oldenburg; in 1830
his jurisdiction was transferred to Hanover and all its provinces.
His fame spread beyond the Rhine and reached England just when the
Jewish population there was in need of a spiritual leader. In 1844 the
election took place for Chief Rabbi of the Ashkenazi Congregations of
Great Britain and the choice fell on Dr. Adler. He was inducted into
office on July 9th, 1845. His activity and influence during his lengthy
career as Chief Rabbi proved a blessing and were attended with most
invaluable results. His calling did not prevent him from contributing
excellent literary productions, mostly in Hebrew, the principal of
which is Nethino La-Ger’s commentary on the Targum of Onkelos. There
is no doubt that this famous Rabbi and great Jew was in close touch
with Sir Moses in all the steps the latter took for the colonizing of
Palestine for a political as well as philanthropic purpose.
Many of the most important Jewish scholars arriving in England, and
becoming in course of time the pride of English Jewry, were much
attracted by the idea that England was the classical soil for a
fruitful work in Palestine. It is worth noting that Dr. Albert Löwy
belonged also to this group. He was born on the 10th of December,
1816, at Aussig in Moravia. After his _barmizwah_ (attainment of his
religious majority――the age of thirteen) he was sent to a public school
at Leipzig. Later he attended the University and Polytechnic at Vienna.
There he first met his lifelong friends, Moritz Steinschneider and
Abraham Benisch. Löwy and his friends formed “Die Einheit,” a society
whose object was to promote the welfare of the Jewish people. In order
to realize this object the colonization of Palestine by the Austrian
Jews was advocated. The first meeting of the new society was held in
1838, in Löwy’s room. The object, however, had to be kept secret for
fear lest it would be defeated by the Government. England was regarded
as the country likely to welcome the new movement, and, as an emissary
of the Students’ Jewish National Society, Löwy was sent to London in
1841. Years afterwards he took a leading part in London in the
foundation of a body with kindred objects, the Anglo-Jewish Association.
To the same group of noble-minded men who raised themselves to the
height of a national and Zionist conception of a superior kind belonged
also the afore-mentioned Abraham Benisch, one of the creators of the
Anglo-Jewish Press, the author of the _Jewish School and Family Bible_
(1851), the translator of _Petahiah ben Jacob’s Travels_ (1856), and
for many years editor of the _Jewish Chronicle_. If there ever was a
Jewish nationalist, this important Anglo-Jewish writer was one beyond
a doubt. He was a man of great abilities and learning, and rendered
valuable assistance in the propaganda for and in the organization of
the societies for the colonization of Palestine. In several leading
articles written by him, with great tact and sagacity, he expounded
――particularly in connection with the political events of 1856 and of
1861――the root principles of political Zionism.
Another remarkable Jewish scholar and pioneer of Zionism in his time
was the Rev. M. J. Raphall, who was a brilliant writer and also a
pioneer of the Anglo-Jewish Press. He edited the _Hebrew Review and
Magazine for Jewish Literature_ in 1837, which was resumed in 1859.
Some years later he edited, together with the Rev. A. de Sola, the
_Voice of Jacob_, which had been founded by Jacob Franklin in 1841.
He afterwards settled in America and assisted there in the fifties
of last century, together with some distinguished American Jews, in
establishing in New York a society for the colonization of Palestine.
He was later engaged in similar work in Canada. Essentially a student
and a scholar, he devoted many years of his life to the propaganda of
the Jewish national ideas.
It is impossible to conjure away all the facts showing, firstly,
that the supposed differences between the _Chovevé Zion_ movement and
the new Zionism are mere phraseology, and, secondly, that the best
representatives of Anglo-Jews were nationalist and Zionist. The refusal
to accept the new Zionism on the part of some representatives of the
_Chovevé Zion_ movement for that reason can only be regarded as a
temporary misunderstanding.
The new Zionism made headway in England especially through the efforts
of the two organizations: the English Zionist Federation and the
Ancient Order of Maccabeans.
The English Zionist Federation was formed in pursuance of a resolution
passed by the Clerkenwell Conference of March, 1898, for the purpose
of finding a common platform upon which Zionists of all shades of
opinion could co-operate. A committee was appointed by the Conference
to draw up a scheme, and that committee established the Federation.
When the Federation was started it received support from eight
societies, representing five towns: after six months, sixteen societies,
representing nine towns, had joined: at the time of the Fourth Congress,
thirty-eight societies, representing twenty-nine towns, were affiliated.
This was the first stage of development prior to the London Congress of
the Zionist Organization.
The appearance of English Zionist Delegates at the First Congress has
already been alluded to. After the First Congress Dr. Gaster published
the following letter in the _Times_ of the 29th of August, 1897:――
“The movement aims at the solution of one of the most complex modern
social problems in Europe, and the means which are to be employed
towards the solution are the realization of deep-seated religious
hopes and ideals. For this very reason men from all the ranks of Jewish
society and all shades of Jewish religion are here united in the common,
noble, lofty and humanitarian purpose――the restoration of Israel, which
is, moreover, the true fulfilment of the words of our Prophets.
“It is surprising to find ... the incorrect statement that the
agitation is the outcome of anti-Semitism. It existed long before this
word even was coined. It prompted the Jews of Russia and Roumania many
years ago to found colonies in Palestine. But this movement is felt to
be inadequate to cope with the whole question. The political situation
of the Jews has since made enormous strides. The number of Zionists
with a definite aim before their eyes has grown rapidly. They are
recruited from among the young enthusiasts on the Continent. University
Professors and students, scholars and workmen are joining hands. They
belong most exclusively to the orthodox and embrace the vast majority
of the Jewish people. The Bible and the Prayer Book are the text, and
this agitation is merely the practical commentary.... I, as an orthodox
Rabbi, beg to differ radically from ... (the anti-Zionist views).... It
is not here the place to enter upon dogmatic questions and I therefore
refrain from discussing the ‘miracles’ that are to happen on that
day when Israel is to return to the land of his fathers. God chooses
human agencies to carry out His Will, and it is after it has been
accomplished that we become aware of the renewing circumstances,
unexpected and unlooked for, which have all contributed to bring about
the result, which before would have appeared to be little short of a
miracle. Whether the restoration will be accomplished by the purchase
of Palestine, or by unexpected political combinations or by other
peculiar circumstances, it would be idle to dogmatize about.
“One thing is certain. The whole orthodox and realistic Jewry, which
does not volatilize the words of the Prophets, and does not look upon
the Divine promises as so many spiritual symbols to be interpreted
away according to each one’s fancy, is now assembled in spirit at the
Congress and watches its deliberations with sympathy and elevated hope.”
We have already mentioned that Rabbi Mohilewer had sent his
congratulations to the Congress. The contents of Rabbi Mohilewer’s
expressions may be briefly noted as a supplement to Dr. Gaster’s letter.
Rabbi Mohilewer wrote that as the state of his health did not permit
him to travel, he sent the Congress his blessing in writing. Harmony
and concord should exist among all Zionists, even if their religious
views differed. The colonization of Palestine was recommended as a
religious duty――religion should therefore be a leading factor in the
Zionist movement. They should also bear in mind that it was a duty to
construct and not to demolish, and they should preserve the honour of
the rabbis, who were thoroughly patriotic as regarded the land in which
they lived. For the past two thousand years, the Jews had awaited the
advent of the Messiah, who would take them back to the land of their
fathers. But in our country men had risen who had abandoned this hope
and had eliminated it from the Prayer Book. Several of the rabbis in
Western Europe had declared against the Zionist movement, and one of
them had gone so far as to assert that the movement was contrary to
the biblical prophecies, as the Messiah was only to be symbolized and
the Jews were to remain in exile. He declared this to be wholly untrue.
Their faith was that God would send a Redeemer to bring back the People
to their own land, and that the Jewish people would, once again, be
honoured among the nations. Zionism does not interfere with this deep
belief; it is rather in harmony with it, and it prepares the way.
These two letters were a sort of _profession de foi_ on the part of two
rabbis representing different sections of traditional Jewry in England
and Russia respectively.
The Second Zionist Congress at Basle, 1898, was attended much more
numerously than the first one. There were over four hundred delegates,
and the English Zionists had sent a larger contingent (the Haham, Dr.
M. Gaster, had a Roumanian mandate; Jacob de Haas, Leopold J. Greenberg,
E. W. Rabbinowicz, B. Ritter, A. Snowman, S. Claff, J. Massel, Dr.
Moses Umanski, Herbert Bentwich and others). The presence of Dr.
Gaster, who was one of the most energetic spirits of the Congress, was
a great gain to the Movement. The English delegates adopted thoroughly
English methods. They were not seen standing about in groups and knots
in the passages and ante-rooms delivering impassioned speeches. The
oratorical contributions of the English delegates were few, and none
of them, except Dr. Gaster’s powerful address towards the close of the
proceedings, took up more than a few minutes. But the English delegates
worked hard in Committee and at special conferences.
At that time the number of Zionist Associations in Great Britain and
Ireland had reached twenty-six (Leeds three, Glasgow, London, Liverpool
and Manchester two each; Belfast, Cardiff, Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh,
Exeter, Hanley, Hull, Limerick, Newcastle, Newport, Norwich, Plymouth,
Portsmouth and Sunderland one each), and in France――three, out of the
total number of the Associations all over the world of 913.
The _Jewish Chronicle_, writing about the Second Congress, remarked:
“There is the remarkable point of the Congress――in strong relief with
the comparative paucity of the personnel of the English representatives
is the undoubted English influence that has been exerted. Indeed,
the net result of the Second Basle Congress is that Zionism has made
a distinct move towards England. Indeed, it would look as if events
were so shaping themselves that the Mountain having refused to go to
Mahomed, Mahomed is coming to the Mountain. The Bank is to be located
in England, so is the Colonization Commission. This may have been
the result――probably it was――of England’s supreme position among all
the great Continental Nations, not only in regard to its undoubted
stability politically, but also its unique position towards Jews.”
The Third Zionist Congress at Basle, 1899, was attended by a still
larger number of delegates from the United Kingdom. There were: Dr. M.
Gaster, Joseph Cowen, J. de Haas, Murray Rosenberg, Herbert Bentwich,
L. J. Greenberg, S. Stungo, J. Massel, Rabbi Yoffey, Rabbi Dagutzky,
M. L. Dight, Rabbi Wolf, and others――representing London, Leeds,
Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Belfast, Edinburgh,
Sheffield, Limerick, Grimsby Associations. According to a report of
Mr. L. J. Greenberg, who had already become an energetic propagandist
of the new Zionism in England, the work was progressing. He referred
also to the activities of Mr. Herbert Bentwich, for if it had not
been for him no such organization would have existed in England. The
Congress elected as members of the Colonization Committee Dr. Gaster,
Mr. Murray Rosenberg and Mr. David Wolffe, and of the Propaganda
Committee, Mr. L. J. Greenberg and Mr. J. de Haas.
The Fourth Zionist Congress was held in London at the Queen’s Hall,
August 13‒16, 1900. London had been chosen with a view to further
influence British public opinion, seeing that in no country had the
Zionist propaganda been received more sympathetically and intelligently
by the general public. Dr. Herzl said in his inaugural address at the
Fourth Congress in London, 1900:――
“I feel there is no necessity for me to justify the holding of the
Congress in London. England is one of the last remaining places on
earth where there is freedom from Jewish hatred. Throughout the wide
world there is but one spot left in which God’s ancient people are
not detested and persecuted. But, from the fact that the Jews in this
glorious land enjoy full freedom and complete human rights, we must
not allow ourselves to draw future conclusions. He would be a poor
friend of the Jews in England, as well as of the Jews who reside in
other countries, who would advise the persecuted to flee hither. Our
brethren here would tremble in their shoes if their position meant the
attraction to these shores of our desperate brethren in other lands.
Such an immigration would mean disaster equally for the Jews here, as
for those who would come here. For the latter, with their miserable
bundles, would bring with them that from which they flee――I mean
anti-Semitism.”
In the course of his address he uttered the following prophetic
words:――
“The land of Palestine is not only the home of the highest ideas and
most unhappy nation, but it is also by reason of its geographical
position, of immense importance to the whole of Europe. The road of
civilization and commerce leads again to Asia.”
According to the report read at this Fourth Congress by M. Oscar
Marmorek “they had thirty-eight societies in England as against sixteen
last year, and all these Societies had increased their membership.
Thanks to the activity of the English Zionist Federation, Zionism had
greatly prospered in England and had won the esteem of Christians. In
Canada there was scarcely a town with a Hebrew congregation where a
Zionist society did not exist.”
CHAPTER XLIXB.
England and Zionism――Sir B. Arnold in the _Spectator_
――Cardinal Vaughan――Lord Rosebery――The Death of Herzl――David
Wolffsohn――Prof. Otto Warburg――Zionism in the smaller states.
THE Uganda scheme, which was due to the initiative of Joseph
Chamberlain, led to an intimate acquaintance between the Zionist leader
and this great English statesman. This project, as well as the El Arish
expedition, which failed in consequence of technical difficulties,
made Zionism not only a living factor in Judaism from an international
standpoint, but also a political factor that was given consideration by
one great Government, namely, that of England.
Subsequent events, instead of diminishing, have only more firmly
increased Zionist confidence in the sympathy of English public opinion
for Palestinian Zionism. There is hardly an appeal so eloquently
written as Sir B. Arnold’s address, published in the _Spectator_,
October, 1903: “You have a country, the inheritance of your fathers,
finer, more fruitful, better situated for commerce, than many of the
most celebrated places of the globe. Environed by the lovely shores
of the Mediterranean, the lofty steppes of Arabia and of rocky Sinai,
your country extends along the shores of the Mediterranean, crowned by
the towering cedars of the Lebanon, the source of rivulets and brooks,
which spread fruitfulness over shady dales. A glorious land! situated
at the furthest extremity of the sea which connects three-quarters of
the globe, over which the Phœnicians sent their numerous fleets to the
shores of Britain, near to both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf: the
central country of the commerce between the East and the West. Every
country has its peculiarity: every people their own genius. No people
of the earth have lived so true to their calling from the first as
you have done. The Arab has maintained his language and his original
country: on the Nile, in the deserts, as far as Sinai, and beyond the
Jordan, he feeds his flocks. In the elevated plains of Asia Minor the
Turkoman has conquered for himself a second country, the birthplace
of the Osman: but Palestine has a thin population. For centuries the
battlefield between the sons of Altai and the Arabian wilderness, the
inhabitants of the West and the half-nomadic Persians, none have been
able to establish themselves and maintain their nationality: no nation
can claim the name of Palestine. A chaotic mixture of tribes and
tongues; remnants of migrations from north and south, they disturb one
another in the possession of the glorious land where your fathers for
so many centuries emptied the cup of joy, and so where every inch is
drenched with the blood of your heroes when their bodies were buried
under the ruins of Jerusalem.”
It is obvious that these and other similar appeals and encouraging
statements made a deep impression upon Zionists. This gave rise to the
assumption that Zionism was merely concerned with English interest.
It is needless to say that such a statement is as unfounded as the one
ascribing to Zionism the pursuance of any other political interest.
Zionism is a cause of humanity and justice, altogether remote from any
political speculation: it can help the Jews, it can be useful to any
country interested in the development of the East, it can be beneficial
to all the neighbouring nations. It was only the spirit of the Bible
which enabled the English people to appreciate the justice and the
moral equity of the endeavour to raise up in the old land a free,
united, prosperous and energetic Jewish nation, attached by the closest
ties of friendship to European civilization, carrying not only into
the East the civilization of the West, just as in the Middle Ages their
forefathers brought the torch of culture to the West――that torch of
enlightenment which they have borne aloft in their journey from the
East, and which has enabled them to accomplish cultural work of their
own.
Cardinal Vaughan referred in 1902 most sympathetically to Zionism in
the following words: “I have always taken a great interest in the Jews,
they were once the chosen people. I marvel at the strength they retain
amid most unfavourable conditions. I admire their industry, their
domestic virtues and their mental force, and I can only wish success
to a plan which promises them such great advantages.”
Lord Rosebery pointed out, in one of his speeches, that the silent
campaigns of commerce are at least as decisive of the fate of nations
as the noisy operations of the battlefield. Even as the spasms
and convulsions of nature, though she works through them, are less
important than the slow, silent, everyday forces, so history is made
less by the fire and sword of the fighters than by the humble, prosaic
working-classes. The Jews were aware of the fact that not by soldiers
has the great British Empire been built up, but by Trading Companies:
India by the East India Company, Canada by the Hudson Bay Fur
Company, South Africa by Mining Companies. The East India Company was
incorporated in 1600; a few years later (1607) the earliest permanent
settlement of Virginia was founded. The Pilgrim Fathers――a movement
somewhat similar to Zionism――began their noble work in 1620; and
West Indian colonization was inaugurated with the occupation of the
Barbadoes in 1625. Half to three-quarters of a century the work went
apace in North America, colony after colony was added to the British
Crown. Then other regions began to attract the British, and a new era
dawned with the occupation of Gibraltar in 1704.
All the great achievements of British peaceful conquests encouraged the
Zionist Movement with its trusts and funds. Cecil Rhodes, with only a
million pounds to start with, created Rhodesia with its 750, 000 square
miles. The British North Borneo Company has a capital of £800, 000 and
dominates over 31,000 square miles. The British East African Company,
which administered 200,000 square miles, began with the same amount as
the Jewish Colonial Trust, namely, £250,000.
It is true that the Zionist Palestinian scheme presented other
difficulties, but where was any great work undertaken which did not
present difficulties? Is not the whole history of the Jews a struggle
for existence amid the greatest of difficulties? The Jews in their
normal condition were an agricultural people. During the centuries
of depression and persecution they had to abandon their old vocation.
Dispersed throughout all countries, yet fugitives from every land, the
Jews, who could call no place their home, had to turn to commerce or
to handicraft for a means of livelihood, and were thus able to carry
about with them everywhere that kind of labour power that they knew to
be realizable everywhere. Yet, inexorable necessity as it was, it was
a breaking with the nation’s own self. And is the present situation
without its difficulties? Let those answer who know something of the
hardships, the privations, the squalor, the wretchedness amid which
three-quarters of the Jewish people live throughout their lives. And,
as to financial means, even under present circumstances it is necessary
for the continuance of the present misery, to collect millions and
millions, whereby indescribable energies are wasted――without any real
help being given.
Inspired by these ideas, and with this object in view, the propaganda
was continued when suddenly, in 1904, the Zionist Organization
sustained the greatest loss ever experienced by any Organization. Herzl
had worked too hard; his exertions, his experiences and his emotions
had been such as to exhaust the strength of this strongest of physical
and intellectual giants. It was too much for one human being to bear;
nature was unduly taxed and he broke down. On the 3rd of July, 1904,
Herzl breathed his last in the villa “Home, Sweet Home” at Reichenau,
on the Semmering Mountain, south of Vienna. His memory will be
cherished for ever by the Jewish people.
David Wolffsohn (1856‒1914), the Zionist representative and worker,
who had distinguished himself since the very beginning of the movement,
succeeded Herzl. David Wolffsohn’s career was eminently that of a
self-made man of the kind that old Dr. Smiles would have delighted
to portray. A man of attractive and imposing appearance, of a loving
disposition and mild grace, and with a real sense of Jewish humour,
rare gifts of adaptability and extraordinary capacity for managing and
leading forward in active work, he was a splendid type of a self-made
man. But, from a Zionist point of view, he was more than that: he was
Herzl’s great friend and confidant. His autobiography is given in
Appendix LXXXIII.
David Wolffsohn, practically chosen by the Actions Committee and
all Zionist authorities, took over the leadership of the Zionist
Organization, during the interim between Herzl’s death and the Seventh
Congress in 1906. He had first intended to transfer the headquarters to
Berlin, but afterwards decided to give Cologne, the city of his home,
the preference. He was assisted in this important and responsible work
by two distinguished Zionists: Professor O. Warburg of Berlin and M.
Jacobus Kann of the Hague. The activities of Professor Warburg have
been described elsewhere in this volume: they tended in the direction
of colonization, and were almost wholly concentrated upon this domain.
M. Jacobus Kann, a member of an old and highly respected banking firm
in Holland, was more interested in the financial institutions of the
organization. He joined the Zionist Organization at the very beginning
and has served the Zionist cause whole-heartedly and devotedly,
particularly in the founding of the Jewish Colonial Trust, the
Anglo-Palestine Company and all the other financial institutions. He
travelled in Palestine, wrote a book (_Erez Israel_) dealing with his
impressions, and is also active in the Zionist work in his own country.
Holland has a well-organized and active Zionist Organization, to which
great impetus was given by the Eighth Congress at The Hague, 1909.
M. de Liema, Professor Orenstein, Dr. Edersheim, M. Cohen, M. Pool
and many others are among the prominent leaders. They take a very
active part in the general organization work and in that of the Jewish
National Fund, the headquarters of which at present are at The Hague.
The Dutch Zionist Federation has an excellent weekly paper, _Het
Judischer Wachter_, which has appeared regularly for several years,
and contains much information concerning Zionist and Jewish matters
as well as other excellent articles and contributions. It is worthy of
note that Zionism in Holland has had for several years now a Zionist
University Movement――with some good publications――which was started by
Orenstein, Edersheim and others. Mention of Holland reminds one that a
place of honour in Zionist history belongs to Belgium, and particularly
to Antwerp, which has been for several years a first-class Zionist
centre. Messieurs Jean Fischer, Oscar Fischer, S. Tolkowsky, Dr. Wulf,
Ruben Cohn, the late Mehrlender, Grunzweig and many others, occupying
important positions in the general Zionist Organization, made Zionism
a living force in Belgian Jewry. M. Jean Fischer is a member of the
Actions Committee and of the great financial institutions of Zionism:
he and his friends have taken an important part in colonization
undertakings in Palestine of which the devoted pioneer M. S. Tolkowsky
is the representative at Rechoboth. M. Fischer visited Palestine and
wrote a book containing his observations. Belgian Zionists had also
a paper of their own, _L’Esperance_ (_Ha-Tikvah_), which brought very
valuable contributions and information.
In connection with Zionism the smaller countries of Central and
Southern Europe, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries also
deserve special mention. Switzerland, the land of the Zionist
Congresses, has a good organization, of which Dr. Camille Levy, Dr.
Felix Pinkus, M. Levy are the most notable. They were always very
active in propaganda, had their delegates at the Congresses and always
made their regular contributions. Denmark and Sweden have now had for
some years a good Zionist Organization, and, of late, are developing
great activity, owing to the Zionist Office which has been established
at Copenhagen. Roumania and Bulgaria are still more important as great
centres of Zionist activity. Roumania was almost equal to Russia in the
_Chovevé Zion_ movement. Now, M. Pineles, M. Schein, M. Schwarzfeld,
the learned and well-known Dr. Nacht and Dr. Nemirower, with many other
leaders are at work in that country.
CHAPTER XLIXC.
The Year 1906――The Pogroms――Emigration――Conder and his
Activities――An Emigration Conference――The Eighth Congress
――The Question of the Headquarters.
THE year 1906 was one of the _ans terribles_ in the annals of Jewish
history. It was a year of bloodshed and terror. Not even the dark ages
extracted so heavy a toll of Jewish blood: something like 1400 pogroms
took place all over the Ghetto. In many districts the Jewish population
were completely exterminated. The number of persons directly affected,
that is to say of those whose houses, shops, or factories were the
objects of attack and pillage, reached a total of some 200,000 to
250,000. To this number must be added that of the clerks, workmen,
etc., indirectly affected by the destruction of factories and shops,
which could not be ascertained. The casualty list was estimated at
approximately 20,000 murdered and 100,000 injured. Public opinion was
stirred up. Why had those Jews suffered; what sins had they committed?
Their loyalty and steadfastness to Judaism, instead of winning
respect and admiration for their faithfulness, had called down upon
them a treatment so immeasurably atrocious that it outdistanced the
conventional words of sorrow and suffering and tempted many thinking
men to ask whether the vaunted tolerance of the twentieth century
was anything but an extravagant dream. If other nations suffer,
they afterwards get freedom and indemnity. If in 1860 the Christians
in Syria had suffered, their suffering afterwards brought them an
autonomy. But what of the Jews? Every day it becomes clearer that it
is impossible to allow the Jews to remain a prey to revolution and
counter-revolution, between which they are crushed just as the corn
is ground between the upper and nether millstones. “Emigration, then.”
But whither? The mass of Jewish emigrants, in spite of all Emigration
Committees (which were established in America), resists dispersion; it
holds together like a swarm of bees. In New York and elsewhere gigantic
Jewish cities have sprung up that have become a menace to the safety
of the present inhabitants and therefore to the possibility of further
Jewish immigration. Attempts made to substitute agricultural colonies
at an enormous expense by philanthropists have met with failure
everywhere except in Palestine, where it seems that at last an
effective form of organization has been discovered. There alone the
immigrant Jew finds himself at ease in language and customs, and to
that land he brings the indescribable imperishable feeling of home that
elsewhere comes to him but slowly and gradually.
Palestine is not far from Russia and Roumania, and is unquestionably so
adapted for cultivation that as soon as the soil has been prepared the
main stream of present emigration can be directed thither. And, further,
it is the connecting link between the three great human divisions of
the earth, while its commercial future promises to be of the brightest.
It is therefore natural that the Jews, longing to possess the land of
their fathers, should be encouraged to immigrate both on political and
industrial grounds.
This great and powerful problem has roused English public opinion, but
the Zionist propaganda has made considerable progress since 1900. One
of the foremost English authorities who supported a Zionist solution of
the Jewish problem was Colonel Claude Reignier Conder, to whom we have
referred several times in this book. Some space must be devoted to a
brief reference to the activities of this wonderful man in connection
with Palestine.
Colonel Conder’s name will always be associated with the exploration
of Palestine and with the history of Christian sympathy in this country
for the colonization of Palestine by the Jewish people. No other person
has ever done as much as he for the correct interpretation of the Bible
with reference to Palestine. He was born on December 29, 1848, and was
trained for the Royal Engineers. He was associated, almost from its
creation, with the Palestine Exploration Fund, which was founded in
1865. He was only twenty-six when, as a Lieutenant, he went out to join
in the survey of Western Palestine. He returned to England in September,
1875, having surveyed 4700 square miles. He brought with him a mass
of notes, special surveys, observations and drawings, which formed
the bulk of the material for a work which may be said to have become
historical: _Tent Work in Palestine_. It is a book which even now well
repays perusal, if only for the light it throws upon the geography and
topography of Palestine, and the many incidents and experiences it
records. The remaining 1300 square miles of the survey were finished
by Lieutenant (later Lord) Kitchener in 1877. The scientific results
of the work occupied some twenty-six memoirs, one to every sheet of
the map. The whole of Western Palestine was mapped out on a scale which
showed every ruin and waterway, every road, forest and hillock. More
than a hundred and fifty biblical sites were ascertained and from these
the boundaries of the tribes were worked out and the routes taken by
the invading armies traced. The other books and memoirs on Palestine
which Conder published form a library in themselves. In addition to
the one already mentioned, there are _Heth and Moab_ and _Memoirs of
the Survey of Western Palestine_ in 1883. This was followed in 1890
by _Memoirs of the Survey of Eastern Palestine_, _The Bible in the
East_ in 1896, _The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem_ in 1897, _The Hittites
and their Language_ in 1898. Besides these must be mentioned his
_Handbook to the Bible_ (1879), _Primer of Bible Geography_ (1884), and
_Palestine_ (1891), which contained in one small volume a handy summary
of all that was known of the geography of the country up to date. His
last work, published only a year before he died, was on the City of
Jerusalem. Special notice is also due to his _Judas Maccabeus_ and _The
Jewish Tragedy_, in which he deals with Jewish history from a national
point of view.
Conder pointed out that Zionists are the natural leaders to whom
the destitute and oppressed Jews turn for counsel and guidance, that
“emigration has not settled the eternal question,” and that “a nation
without a country must be content with toleration as all that it can
expect.” He, too, sees the only solution in Palestine, and declares
that Englishmen should be “only too glad to see Palestine increasing
in civilization and prosperity as an outpost in the neighbourhood of
Egypt.” (_See_ Appendix LXXXV.)
The Zionist Organization called, in 1906, mainly under the pressure of
the pogroms, a conference of representatives of Jewish organizations
at Brussels, to discuss the question of emigration, particularly
to the East. A number of organizations――including the Anglo-Jewish
Association――sent their delegates; others, probably in consequence
of their anti-Zionist tendencies, declined. Resolutions in favour of
investigating the condition of the emigration to the East were accepted,
and a committee was elected; but nothing practical resulted from
these efforts, except a little “rapprochement” between Zionism and
the “Hilfsverein” which, however, in consequence of deep differences
of principle, was only superficial and of a short duration.
The work of the Zionist Organization, without losing sight of the
political aspect, devoted itself more and more to the work in Palestine.
The Eighth Zionist Congress at the Hague, August, 1907, with Wolffsohn
and Nordau as Presidents, was attended by a considerably increased
number of delegates, and among them a number of English Zionist leaders.
The report says about Zionism in England: “In England the devoted zeal
of the Zionists has removed the difficulties which formerly existed.
The Federation worked systematically and well, and the Movement has
received a considerable impetus. The old and trusted workers co-operate
with the younger spirits.”
The Ninth Zionist Congress at Hamburg, December, 1909, with Wolffsohn
and Nordau again as Presidents, was well attended (about four hundred
members――and for the first time in the history of the movement,
delegates were in attendance from Turkey). The impression driven home
with irresistible force was the sustained and unflagging interest
of all present in the movement. Among the English delegates were:
Dr. Gaster, Dr. Samuel Daiches, Mr. Joseph Cowen, Dr. Chaim Weizmann,
Mr. L. J. Greenberg, Mr. Herbert Bentwich, Mr. Norman Bentwich, Dr.
Fuchs, the Rev. J. K. Goldbloom, and Mr. Leon Simon.
The Congress found itself confronted with the problem of organization.
Several delegates were of the opinion that the task of leadership
was too difficult for a Small Actions Committee, consisting of three
persons, and that the headquarters should be removed to a larger centre.
This view was not influenced by any personal sympathies or antipathies:
it was dictated by considerations of an important character. Others
were opposed to any change. This was an internal fight which had to be
fought out, as in any other democratic movement, with the weapons of
reason and conviction, and it was fought out. This Congress could not
radically solve the question and it was left to the next one to bring
the solution.
Zionism, however, remained as strong as ever. The disputes, far from
being symptoms of weakness, were symptoms of growing interest, devotion
and enthusiasm for the common cause.
CHAPTER XLIXD.
Turkey, 1910‒14――The New Turkish Cabinet of 1912――The Balkan
War――The Tenth and Eleventh Congresses――Death of Wolffsohn.
WE may as well now cast a glance at the aspect of the general political
situation at the period this narrative has reached. Public opinion in
England was greatly disappointed when the first enthusiasm for Turkish
liberties had passed away. The ship of state in Turkey began to enter
very troubled waters, and no one saw safety ahead. The defeat of the
Committee of Union and Progress, the displacing of the Said Pasha
Cabinet and the downfall of the other leaders of the Young Turkey
party of 1908, followed by the amnesty of a number of officials of
the Hamidian regime, had naturally led many in Europe to believe
that reaction had set in, and that the Young Turks had once more been
overthrown and were in danger of being stamped out by the Old Turks or
reactionaries. On the other hand, some careful observers asserted that
the new Cabinet of 1912 was the best Turkey had had during the past
forty years, and that it was in no true sense reactionary, but really
constructive and progressive. They maintained also that the Committee
of Union and Progress had begun to use old methods and were now
hated by a large proportion of their former supporters. But all these
allegations were contradicted by rapidly developing events. Hardly at
any time within this generation had the political situation in Turkey
presented elements of greater uncertainty and danger than in the period
1910‒14.
The greatest misfortune was the impossibility of any improvement.
Turkey undoubtedly had the desire for progress along those lines which
Europe professedly was so anxious to see her follow; but she needed
advice, guidance, credit and patience. She required men――advisers,
counsellors――to give her practical help in carrying out the necessary
reforms. But, unfortunately, such a development was made impossible by
the disturbing political events.
The Balkan War broke out. The Balkan peoples took their fate in their
own hands. They did not look for liberators from elsewhere, and asked
no help in the settlement of their differences. Whenever the Balkans
had flared up and gone into war before it had generally been due to
the fact that other nations had drawn them into the struggle. The vital
difference of this conflict was that, for the first time for centuries,
all the peoples concerned thought themselves strong enough to decide
their own future by the sword. A fierce struggle began. The outlook
for the Turks was most gloomy from the very outset. The Turks were
beaten. They were discarded by all those who in Europe had seemed to
have supported them, abandoned by the Powers which once valued their
friendship. Speculation as to what would happen was on everybody’s lips.
One thing was certain: that the East was getting thoroughly aroused,
and that the developments led inevitably to a crisis unparalleled in
history. Meanwhile, the Zionist Organization continued its work with
great energy.
The Tenth Zionist Congress at Basle, August, 1911, with Wolffsohn and
Nordau again as Presidents, had an attendance of about four hundred
delegates, including a considerable number of English: Dr. Gaster,
Mr. H. Bentwich, Mr. Jacob Moser, Dr. Samuel Daiches, Dr. Weizmann,
Mr. J. Cowen, Dr. Hochman, Mr. H. Sacher, Dr. Salis Daiches, Mr.
S. B. Rubenstein and others. The question left over from the previous
Congress was settled at this one. A new Small Actions’ Committee was
elected, and David Wolffsohn retained his influential post as President
of the Council, and from that time again devoted his energies mainly to
Zionist finances.
The Eleventh Zionist Congress at Vienna, in September, 1913 (preceded
by an International Congress of the Hebrew Language Revival Societies),
with its attendance of five to six hundred delegates, its enormous mass
meetings, exhibitions, lectures, entertainments and demonstrations,
such as the visit to Herzl’s grave, the Gymnastic Display with 2500
national Jewish gymnasts and 25,000 Jewish spectators, was the greatest
Jewish display of forces that had ever taken place. The importance
of practical work in Palestine, the thorough, serious and systematic
treatment of all colonization questions, the powerful influence of the
Hebrew language, the great number of intellectuals present, the great
power of the Students’ movement, were new elements which were apt to
give the calmer and older Congress members the impression of something
chaotic. In reality, however, that was only the way in which the growth
of the movement, its development, and many-sidedness found expression.
Superficial observers, who have but vague ideas of Zionism, in its
narrow political and financial aspect, might have been surprised at the
sight of this Congress, but those who know how Zionism has grown up out
of the _Chovevé Zion_ and literature and education, with the University
movement, which we have described elsewhere, will understand why the
first “idyll” was bound to give way to a movement as reflected by the
Vienna Congress. Dr. Gaster, Mr. J. Moser, Mr. H. Bentwich, Dr. Ch.
Weizmann, Mr. J. Cowen, Mr. L. Simon, Mr. H. Sacher, and many other
active and well-known members of the English Zionist Federation and
of the Order of Ancient Maccabeans attended the Congress as English
Delegates.
There was also a large delegation (fourteen members) from Canada. For
the first time in the history of the Canadian Zionist Federation no
proxies had been given, as all the delegates to whom the Canadian
Federation was entitled attended in person.
The general Organization has since then been active in propaganda work,
in development work in Palestine through the “Zionist Office,” and
also in educational work in that country.
The Organization sustained a great loss by the death of David Wolffsohn.
He had been ailing for the past few years and died on the 15th of
September, 1914. He served the Zionist Organization with unequalled
fidelity, with intense devotion and a singleness of purpose that
nothing could divert. His passionate affection for the Zionist idea
never wavered. He was proud of the Zionist institutions and watched
over them with never-ceasing vigilance. All Zionists fully realize
the great devotion to the cause that actuated this remarkable man.
Unbounded industry, a passionate love of the work he had to perform,
these were the characteristics of Wolffsohn, and won for him wide and
deep sympathy and admiration during his life and have secured for him
a lasting and cherished memory in the hearts of Zionists throughout the
world.
CHAPTER XLIXE.
Baron Edmond de Rothschild in Palestine――Sir John Gray Hill
――Professor S. Schechter――South African Statesmen――A Canadian
Statesman――Christian religious literature again.
THE events in Turkey did not change Zionist convictions in the least
degree, nor lessen the faith in the ultimate triumph of the cause.
The colonization of Palestine by Jews is useful and desirable from
every point of view. It was as much a necessity when Europe upheld
the principle that Turkey was to form an indissoluble and indivisible
Empire as in different circumstances. Among Jews themselves it was
impossible to fail to notice the complete change of tone and spirit
with regard to Zionism. If there was still any feeling of rivalry
between _Chovevé Zion_ and Zionists, it has vanished completely in
recent years. In this respect Baron de Rothschild’s visit to Palestine
in 1913 was significant. The Baron, or “Our Baron” as the great
philanthropist is affectionately called by the Palestinian Jews, for
whom he has done so much, was received with royal honours: there were
triumphal arches, and crowds of people and school children lined the
streets singing songs of welcome. He expressed his keen satisfaction
with Zionist work, and particularly with the remarkable development of
the Hebrew schools and the spread of the Hebrew language in Palestine.
The attitude of English opinion, that is of real opinion based upon
knowledge of facts and circumstances, remained unchangeably sympathetic.
For instance, Sir John Gray Hill of Liverpool, who had an intimate and
direct knowledge of Palestine, where he used to spend his holidays for
many years, and whose reflections and observations were of great value,
gave in his address, delivered to the Liverpool Jewish Literary Society,
on the 30th of November, 1913, a detailed analysis of the work to be
done in Palestine. While admitting that exaggerated hopes were liable
to strong objections and indicating the existing limitations, he said:
“What you can do is to afford a refuge in Palestine to large numbers
of persecuted Jews, and you can teach them to cultivate the soil,
and to practise various arts and crafts so as to maintain themselves
in the home of their fathers. Now I think it is very important that
the English Jews should take a lead in this endeavour, because the
English Jews are the leaders in thought, in position and in common
sense, and have a calm way of looking at things.” He opposed the most
erroneous and absurd idea of a contradiction between Jewish racial
self-consciousness and English patriotism. “I am told that there
is some feeling amongst the English Jews of there being a want of
patriotism in interesting themselves in the Holy Land. That I do not
understand. A Scotchman is a Scotchman, full of love for his own land
and his own customs, poetry and song, but he is a Briton; so of a
Welshman; so of an Irishman; so of a Devonshire man; so of a Lancashire
man; we cherish these special local feelings, these feelings of local
pride, and yet we remain true to the Great Empire to which we belong.”
He offered a suggestion about travelling to Palestine.
“Now the leading Jews in England cannot, of course, go to live in
Palestine altogether, but they might visit the country; and those
who can afford the time might pass a portion of the year there, and,
I think, if they did so they would find an immense interest in the
country, and would be able to help their poorer brethren far better
than they can by remaining at a distance from it. Travel, open, open
your mind, travel to the Holy Land and see the great vision of what
the past did for us, that amazingly interesting country, without seeing
which I think it is extremely difficult to understand in a full and
proper way the meaning of the Bible; at any rate, the sights of that
land throw an immense deal of light upon it. Then there is another
reason. Englishmen are very much respected in Palestine; they are
thought more highly of than people of any other nation. One reason is,
that it is known that England is not seeking to exploit the country;
England does not seek for greedy concessions, and Englishmen, so far as
they have to do with the natives, always treat them considerately and
kindly, and, I think, the natives believe that whether the Englishmen
are going the right way about it or not, they are trying to help the
native to help himself.”
Here he struck a note which might have seemed new to him as a spectator
appealing to English Jews. In the Zionist literature and Press this
idea has frequently been expressed. Indeed, Palestine is still the land
of poetry and enthusiasm, but it has ceased to be that of mystery; and
though only the fame of its natural beauty has hitherto reached Western
Europe, travellers who have recently visited Palestine have learned
to appreciate the progress of this country in colonization. If anybody
has hailed with enthusiasm the rising of this new star in the East
on account of its brilliancy, beauty and poetical supremacy, he could
discover on a visit to the country those pioneers of vigorous frame,
with eagle eyes and well-formed, combining the sternness of the present
with the subtlety of the intellectual and the simplicity of the child.
The best means of becoming a Zionist is――a visit to Palestine. Sir
Moses Montefiore was the first European Jew who visited Palestine as a
tourist and philanthropist, and he was an English Jew. That was a great
traditional example for English Jewry.
Sir John Gray Hill emphasized the importance of the Zionist Jerusalem
University scheme: “Now I have to speak of the proposal to have a
University in Jerusalem. That is a proposal, I think, in which all
Jews might join. Any objection or feeling of apathy that there is
on the part of Jews for any reason against Zionism generally, cannot
apply to a Jewish University. You want a centre of Jewish culture and
instruction in Jerusalem. The Vienna Congress recently started the
scheme thoroughly by a good subscription. You would, of course, teach
Hebrew, thus preserving the purity of your language, and you would also,
I hope, teach medicine, arts and crafts, agriculture and horticulture.
Cannot you attract the attention of some very wealthy Jews to this
great project? Whatever objections they have to Zionist projects
generally cannot possibly apply to this. What a noble monument it would
be to a millionaire, or group of millionaires――those mighty kings of
finance who are so powerful in Europe――to erect and endow a splendid
University for the Hebrew race. If they were appealed to they would,
I think, listen. Surely they would not take for their motto the
injunction addressed by the followers of Solomon to the Bride from Tyre:
‘Forget also thine own people and thy father’s house.’ No, that cannot
be; I think if the matter is properly represented to them a response
will come. I believe, also, that a true and wise view of Zionism is
growing in force. The cause is moving at last. The long period of slack
water has ended. The tide has turned, although we may not yet see that
it has done so.
‘For while the tired waves vainly breaking,
Seem here no painful inch to gain;
Far back through creeks and inlets making,
Comes silent flooding in the main.’”
On the other hand, an appreciation of the moral and religious value
of the Zionist movement may be quoted. Speaking at a Zionist meeting
in 1914, in Cincinnati, the late Professor Solomon Schechter said:
“Zionism is now a living fact. We must have Zionism, if we want Judaism,
orthodox or reform, to continue to exist. Judaism is at the present
time in a very weak condition, not only in America, but also in Europe.
The Jew cannot live in his own atmosphere, he is compelled to breathe
the spirit of other religions.... The question then arises: What is
it that can preserve the Jewish people? ♦How can Judaism be saved from
complete annihilation? Jewish history tells us that the Hellenist Jews
who settled in Alexandria and other places remained loyal to Judaism,
although they had been excellent Greek citizens.... But after the
destruction of the Temple, these Hellenist Jews became completely
submerged by the Greeks, and nothing remained of their Judaism. That,”
said Professor Schechter in conclusion, “was why Jews must have at the
present time the Zionist movement. Zionism could effect for the Jew a
change in his material life, and it could also create for him a Jewish
atmosphere, in which he could breathe freely his religion.” It is
worthy of note that the late Professor Schechter did not join the
Zionist movement during the first years of its existence, but was then
opposed to it. Being, however, unlike the Bourbons, who are said to
have learned nothing, and having realized the wonderful effects of this
movement as far as the revival of Judaism was concerned, he became in
the last years of his life a faithful Zionist. This was the logic of a
progressive mind.
♦ “Now” replaced with “How”
The Right Hon. J. X. Merriman said in an address delivered on the 9th
of July, 1914, in opening the Zionist Bazaar at Capetown, that “Zionism
is a ramshackle movement, because it began in a very small way, and it
had gradually spread. This had been achieved by the general effort of
the people themselves, who had laudable desires. They had settled a
good many people on the land and had brought to bear their remarkable
faculty of energy, enterprize and skill in restoring Palestine to its
former fertility.” On the following day the Bazaar was opened by Sir
Thomas Smartt, M.L.A.: “There could be few,” said Sir Thomas in his
eloquent address, “but what admired their great leader, Dr. Herzl, in
his lofty ideal for re-establishment as in the days of old, after many
years of wanderings, the ancient glories of their race――of establishing
a nation which had done more than any other nation for the spread
of religious thought throughout the world. Notwithstanding the long
and dark ages of suffering and tribulation through which the race had
passed, the love and devotion to its traditions were just as strong
as ever. Their young men still continued to dream dreams and their old
men to see visions of that sun of righteousness which was to rise with
healing in its wings.” In seconding, Senator Powel said that it was a
great satisfaction to know that the Palestine movement had got beyond
the stage of dreams and visions, and was becoming an accomplished fact.
He hoped that they would never slacken their efforts in what is one of
the greatest movements in the world to-day.
At the General Conference of the Canadian Jews held in Montreal on
the 14th of November, 1915, which was unique in the annals of the
Jews of Canada (for this was the first time in their history that the
representatives of every section and every element of the Canadian
Jewish Community came together from all parts of Canada to take part
in a conference), a representative of the Canadian Government, Mr.
Maighen, brought the Assembly the good wishes of the Government for
the success of the Conference and its high appreciation of that spirit
of brotherhood which had caused them to come together. He spoke of the
history and traditions of the Jewish race and of the debt that mankind
owed to it. He referred to Jewish civilization as being the most
ancient that influenced the world of to-day and of the wonderful way in
which it had endured in spite of the ages of oppression its zealots had
suffered. Speaking of the wish cherished so long by the Jews to regain
possession of Palestine, Mr. Maighen gave utterance to the following:
“I think I can speak for those of the Christian faith when I express
the wish that God speed the day when the land of your forefathers shall
be yours again. That task will, I hope, be performed by that champion
of liberty the world over――the British Empire.” This speech shows how,
in the minds of English statesmen, the question of rights for the Jews
all over the world, and that of a Jewish homeland for the nation are
bound up in one great principle of justice and freedom.
To conclude the way we began mention must be made of Christian
religious literature, which continues to support Zionism in its own way.
The Rev. Earle Langston published recently his ideas on the subject.
The Christadelphians have published ample literature to which the
learned Mr. Walker has contributed extensively. Mr. Frank Jannaway, an
ardent Christadelphian whose interest in Jews and their homeland dates
back some forty years, and who has paid several visits to Palestine
at intervals of a few years, and has thus enjoyed some splendid
opportunities of watching the gradual development of the Holy Land,
has published a book, _Palestine and the Jews_ (1914), of which two new
editions, one of them entitled _Palestine and the Powers_, have since
appeared. His knowledge is wide and thorough. He sees Palestine as the
land of the future, and every new development is to him the fulfilment
of a prophecy. He offers biblical chapter and verse for the happenings
that have been convulsing the world, and in a way which reminds
one of the oldest English pro-Zionist literature of the seventeenth
century, which links up the position of the present and future aspects
with sacred prediction. His views favour the Jewish cause and show
considerable and correct acquaintance with the Zionist movement. It
must finally be observed that during the last two years a great number
of excellent articles have appeared in English newspapers and magazines,
and some also in the French Press, in which great sympathy is expressed
with the Zionist cause from a political, as well as from a humanitarian
point of view.
ZIONISM DURING THE WAR
1914‒1918
GENERAL SURVEY
THE year 1914 will stand out as the Great Divide in contemporary
history. It was a year of endings and beginnings. Humanity left an age
behind it, and entered upon an age in which old things have passed away
and all things had to become new.
Long feared and long foretold, yet never seriously expected, the
European War came at last. Nations, great and small, arose in their
strength, and gathered, in an avalanche of excitement, all their
manhood to battle, all their old age to guard, and all their womanhood,
not only as in bygone days, to tend and heal the wounded and sick,
but also to do preparatory work for the fighting armies. Generations,
young and old, rushed eagerly to defend their countries, leaving home,
property, calling; knowing no fear save that here and there one of
their fellow-citizens might prove less patriotic than themselves. The
world was thrown back to the moral level and the ethical conceptions
of thousands of years ago: man became again a wolf to man, as in the
Pleistocene Age. On the one hand, the vast and bloody epic produced a
sort of ecclesiastical moratorium which, for the duration of the war,
annulled all moral obligations and abrogated the Ten Commandments,
while on the other hand, it developed, to the highest degree, all the
great and noble feelings――sense of honour, unselfishness, magnanimity,
courage. Nationality, patriotism, the sense of duty, the spirit of
sacrifice, enthusiastic heroism and patriotic martyrdom filled the
hearts and created a new atmosphere, in which every kind of human
activity was intensified: industry, art, science, and literature. This
great storm, the greatest storm that had ever stirred mankind, produced
the greatest spiritual tragedy the world has ever known. The most
terrible aspect of the war was not the fact that Europe was being bled
white, that all the amenities of civilization were breaking down with
the strain of the military operations, and that each day some new and
more brutal engine of destruction was prepared and brought into use,
but――the ethical conflict carried on with minds and nerves on the rack
of tense emotion which not only upset mental balance and changed the
outlook of peoples, hitherto industrious and peaceful, but developed
moral and social fears and passions which will not pass away in a day.
This universal catastrophe would indeed have degraded the world into
“a sort of malign middle term between a lunatic asylum and a butcher’s
stall,” if it had not finally become――as it has become――“a war against
war.” The peoples turned their ploughshares into swords, they ceased
to make useful, beneficial rails and plates and angles and girders
of their iron ore and their coal, and they manufactured harmful,
destructive shells and guns to project them to the slaughter of the
enemy, hoping that when the time came they would again turn their
swords into ploughshares. They realized that the enemy of society is
militarist despotism, and that militarist despotism therefore must be
ended, or it will end society. A great moral idea arose out of this
war: the liberation of oppressed small nations. Another great moral
idea arising from it is the de-militarization of humanity. The whole
world is now involved in a life or death struggle for righteousness.
This is the justification for all the sufferings and all the sacrifices.
If this war were not a war of principles and for ideals it would be
nothing, and could result in nothing except the further enthronement of
the doctrine and worship of force, and the perpetuation of the untold
misery and degradation which that form of religion carries with it.
It should never be forgotten that this was a war for liberty of the
peoples, and in particular of the small peoples.
This great war has aggravated and made terribly clear the position of
Jewry and the tragic problem of its existence as a small and oppressed
nationality. The war has turned numerous _Ghetti_ of Galicia, Bukovina,
Russian Poland, Lithuania, Courland and Roumania into heaps of ashes,
and hell would be pleasant compared with the situation of great masses
of the Jewish people. In this war, particularly in Eastern Europe,
hundreds of thousands of Jews were fighting against one another in
the hostile camps of the belligerent countries; and the significant
factor is that they were not fighting because they were forced to, but
from a sense of supreme duty. Even among those that were fighting in
the Russian Army before the Revolution, there were many who were not
acting under compulsion: they were giving of their best and from their
heart. They wanted to take their places in the virile, the over-virile
world――which is also their world, they wanted to live and die taking
their place in the great living society which called to them. The
spirit of Europe――rather the spirit of present-day Europe, which
was the spirit of obstinate conflicts and of extreme courage of
devotion――has seized the Jews also: they also have entered into this
tremendous catastrophe, into this pilgrimage through chaos towards a
new world.
But for the Jews this war meant infinitely worse evil and greater
danger; the nations were divided one from another, Jewry was divided
against itself; each nation opposed its fixed shape and character,
untouched even by defeat, to the overflooding chaos, but the Jewish
nationality seemed to be its victim, in its own wavering and chaotic
form of the Diaspora. It almost seemed as though there existed Jews,
and divided Jews, but no Jewry.
And yet it was not really so. It was a dark time, and the storm was
ghastly enough, but the lightning has revealed things that might
otherwise have remained hidden. Rather should we believe that the
time of the greatest trial for Jewry denoted a high self-recollection,
and with it the commencement of a true gathering and union. In times
of great stress men discover their own deeper selves. Great trouble
somehow digs into the very foundation of a man’s existence, and he
cannot explore there without finding what is most essential in him.
When some tremendous trouble sends its plough through his heart
of hearts, then he becomes aware of wonderful things he has never
suspected before.
Now it is well worth our while to weigh all this and to make it part of
our outlook and equipment as we face the great present events. Because,
for one thing, it should go a long way towards delivering us from the
worst of all fears――the fear of to-morrow and the next day, and all
the days that the future hides. Nine out of ten of us are perpetually
spoiling what _is_ happening by dread of what _may_ happen, so that
we can all join Disraeli in saying that we have had many troubles, but
the worst have been those that never happened. If only we could let
the morrow be anxious for itself! But, to a large extent, we can, if
we will, school ourselves to it;
“וכימיך דבאך׃...”
דברים לג׳ כה׳¹
is a promise perpetually justified by the best psychological findings
and historic experience in the life of nations. It is really the fact,
that our “day” stirs and heightens our strength. Only when challenged,
do we know what we are capable of. Modern psychology tells us that
“the human individual lives usually far within his limits; he possesses
powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use. He energizes
below the _maximum_, and he behaves below his _optimum_.” And to rise
to our _maximum_ and _optimum_ we need some unusual stimulus or some
unusual idea of necessity.
¹ “... And as thy days, so shall thy strength be.”――Deut.
xxxiii. 25.
Jewish history has revealed this truth several times. One individual or
another, one small group or another――separated from the masses of the
people――may fall away from Jewry; whoever can do that to-day has never
belonged to it. The majority, however, remain loyal, and are never more
loyal than in times of stress. The illusion is destroyed that a man can
live a truly moral life in a time of trial while he is only a spectator
of the life of society. In the Jews, convulsed by the events of the
war, the new unity of Jewry showed itself. The situation was so serious,
so full of menace for all that we hold dear, that every thinking
Jew saw that he must in these days help to create and maintain the
moral energies which alone can carry him through the crisis. At this
time the Jew had a duty to his country and a duty to Judaism. To his
country he owed, as a citizen, duties which could not be shirked. Every
support was to be given to all patriotic efforts for the prosperity,
the victory, and the glory of the country. To Judaism he owed the
obligation of securing and defending not only the existence, but also
the development and the realization of its traditional ideals, and
of strengthening its unity. The first expression of this unity was an
increase of self-consciousness. Jewry was affected by the war, but the
essential problems of the Jews in the modern world were not altered by
the war.
When we speak of Jewry, we speak of a living historic, ethnic and
cultural――although not political――nationhood, existing potentially
in its unity, independently of the Jewries of the countries in the
various forms of their divided destinies, and their dissensions at the
present moment. We strive to fix and to assure it――as far as external
conditions allow it――in the Diaspora. And when we wish to prepare
for it a sort of central Metropolis, an organic _chef-lieu_ in
Palestine――we are not engaged in adding one more nationality to the
existing nationalities which fight against and watch one another
suspiciously. It is not the question of introducing Jewry into
the divisions of the nations, to be absorbed by them, and thus to
contribute to their conflicts, but it is rather a question of aiming at
the union of all that is noble and just in the nations and in ourselves.
We want our own centre of simple active life, because the spiritual
and intellectual element without the simple active life degenerates
into subtlety and trickiness. We want――at least, for a section of
our nationality――normal life, with its variety and interpretation
of different influences of Nature. This is a question in which every
Jew should be interested, because not only does the nobility of a
nation depend on the presence of the national consciousness, but also
the nobility of each individual. Our dignity and our rectitude are
proportioned to our sense of relationship to something great, admirable,
pregnant with possibilities, worthy of sacrifice, a continual
inspiration by the presentation of aims larger than everyday life and
personal ease.
What was the attitude of the Zionist Organization with regard to these
great events? Why was the Zionist Organization more interested in the
war than any other section of Jewry? And why is Zionism at present
more up to date than it ever was? In order to answer properly these
questions we have to cast a retrospective glance on the history of
the last twenty years, and to recall to the minds of the readers a few
important facts which, although dealt with in this work in previous
chapters, must be again reviewed in their connection with the present
political situation.
Twenty years ago several hundred Jews from all parts of the world
met in the Swiss town of Basle and held a congress――the first Jewish
congress in history.
A strange community of Jews, a representative assembly of the great
Jewish _Diaspora_――from the most modern European writers to teachers in
Talmud colleges in small Lithuanian towns, quiet respectable citizens
and fiery students, bankers and Hebrew writers――representing all kinds
of civilization and all languages――and, nevertheless, some bond unified
the whole.
At the head sat a man of the kind which appears like meteors but
once in the course of generations――Theodor Herzl. A sage, a hero, a
leader of men, an artist? Everything――even more than everything――the
embodiment of an idea. In the body of this man there existed a soul,
and that soul was Zionism.
At his side there stood (besides other worthies whose titles to honour
we may not here linger to mention) a tribune of the people, in the
person of Max Nordau――another famous man only just awakened suddenly
and with great power to his Jewish nationality.
There the veil was torn away from the tragedy of the Jews. There it
was stated that the Jewish problem was a disease, and that against a
disease one should not protest and struggle wildly, but one ought to
cure it. Moreover, it was said that at times one cannot heal a wound
except by cauterizing it. And all were agreed that it was not a good
plan to postpone difficulties, but on the contrary that they should be
anticipated.
Speakers there indicated the “_Galuth_”――the serpent with a thousand
coils. And they pointed to the Land of _Israel_, to freedom, to
redemption.
In the Land of _Israel_, it was there affirmed, Zionism could become a
living reality.
Nothing new indeed was there discovered. It was simply stated that two
and two make four.
Out of the vocabulary of modern political nomenclature the word
“national” was adopted. Is Zionism national? Certainly. It can also
be called “human”; perhaps still more simply, “natural.” Let us learn,
however, from Nature, in its simplicity and honesty, which knows of no
sophistries nor manœuvring.
We Jews have become again children of Nature. There exist species
in Nature. The eagle does not toil for the pike nor the lion for the
cat; neither can the light of the stars replace that of the sun. Each
fulfils its own purpose, and thence results the sum total. Behold the
trees and the standing corn――would they be so splendidly developed,
so rich and so fresh in their growth, if they were forcibly mixed and
mingled together so that one drew its sap from the other? They are
flourishing and rich and beautiful, because each keeps its own natural
form and each draws its nourishment from the breast of mother earth.
“Give us our country,” said the Zionists. “Give it to us for our exiled
and wandering ones, who unwillingly find themselves mingled in the
great seething pot of assimilation, who drag themselves from place to
place. Give it to us for those who long and thirst for another kind of
life; our garments, our bread, and our freedom we do not wish to have
as alms. We wish to work and to obtain the fruits of our honest labour.
We love that little country; waters cannot quench and streams cannot
drown our love for it. Our love has the power to move mountains, it is
stronger than all material obstacles. We demand a peaceful spot for our
future and for our children who are becoming lost to us. Beholding this
misery, we are willing to sacrifice ourselves. Even a she-wolf throws
herself against danger to protect her young ones. Shall our love be
weaker then than that of a wolf? And shall those whom we love be worse
off than the offspring of animals? We want to rend asunder our chains,
to blot out the mark of serfdom upon us, and win for ourselves true
human rights, and the privilege of living equal to others, by honest
toil.”
This was the Jewish claim――the demand put by Zionists to the world. And
then the world turned against us, especially the little Jewish world.
We shall not talk about the levity, the insolence, the egotism, nor
about those satiated folk who philosophize with their stomachs, nor
about those others who do not know their own minds, whose shallow
little heads float like foam in any current. We do not talk about those
idle jesters who have found another opportunity of showing the sad
wit of the _Ghetto_ which takes pleasure in ridiculing and despising
one’s own self. Indeed even respectable, serious and honest, though
unfortunately shortsighted and obstinate men, who imagined themselves
enthusiastic concerning Judaism, kind-hearted but automatic leaders
of Jewish communal life who, though philosophizing about mankind, are
inwardly divided from their own people, came to us with “fatherly”
advice, with moral lectures, with sonorous phrases about humanity.
They wanted to destroy most quickly, annihilate and extinguish
the “dangerous chimæra,” the “reaction,” the “chauvinism,” the
“_Sabbatai-Zvi’ism_,” the “decay of religion,” “religious fanaticism,”
“tribalism,” and all the other things they ascribed to Zionism in their
political delusion and contradictory nomenclature.
“You must scatter yourselves all over the world,” they said, “just as
a handful of seeds, scattered by the wind, germinate, grow and ripen,
all in different spots, replenishing the earth with their fruits! What
do you want with a country of your own? You are made for something
better! To be priests, teachers of ethics, missionaries of God――that is
a higher ambition! Your contribution to mankind is social justice and
the brotherhood of men. Why be a nation and for what purpose? You will
be great in the memory of peoples. You have earned a golden throne in
history’s temple of fame. You _have been_, to-day you are no more!”
The Zionists replied: “We want to live. We know better than you do what
we are able to do, and how we ought to influence mankind; but we do not
wish to abdicate, we do not wish to be destroyed like a broken vessel,
whose contents have run out and have drained into the soil without
leaving a trace. We do not want to be lost like a falling star, which
for a time had shone brightly in space, only to sink into nothingness.
Our star is not yet dead. Our ambitions are not very high, but they are
based on reality. We do not want to be an exception, and we want to be
excused from such a ‘priesthood.’ We want to create a sound settlement,
a strong centre where we can develop our own nature and our character
to the highest and purest perfection. Should the world wish to learn
from us and accept our influence, we shall place no obstacles; on the
contrary, we shall be glad of it. But to drag ourselves from place to
place, to be the scapegoat of every ‘_Azazel_,’ and the sacrificial
lamb for every calamity, to mix everywhere with others, to lose more
and more that which is our own personality, and to imagine that we
are a sort of schoolmaster for everyone――for such imposture we are
too honest, for such megalomania we are of too normal a mentality,
and, morally, too modest. We do not want to be driven _ad majorem Dei
gloriam_ (for God’s greater glory) or to be intermingled with others.
We do not want to be like the goose that was offered the choice of
being either roasted, stewed, or boiled. Neither do we wish to have
lavished upon us the pity given to old people, because it is certain
that they will not for long continue to disturb the peace of the
living. We are old, it is true, but on that account we are experienced.
From Pharaoh and Balaam to the foreign Antiochus [Epiphanes] (_ob._
164 _b.c.e._) and our own Jason,¹ from the Hellenists to the modern
Assimilationists, we have been constantly invited, as the spider
invited the fly into her parlour, just to get it entangled in her web
and afterwards to suck it dry. No! a thousand times no! And if you
say the Land of _Israel_ is of no value to any one, then you are not
speaking in our name! Speak for yourselves alone! For you the Land
of _Israel_ means perchance only a cemetery, a legend, an amulet,
an archæological relic; for us its every pebble and grain of sand is
beloved, not only in a spirit of worship and of inactive enthusiasm,
but also as a necessity to our life labour. And if you believe that the
Jewish people are of a similar species to the Mammoth and the
Megatherium, which have been devoted to extinction, then please speak
only for yourselves! Perhaps the sense of Jewish nationality in you
has gone to sleep or has even died entirely. That is your own affair,
a personal question which you have to fight out with your own selves.
In us it is alive, suffering, fighting, clamouring! Zionism is the
movement of the Jewish people to reconstitute itself and to collect
again its scattered members, to provide Judaism, the Jewish spirit,
the Jewish soul, with a home once again after two thousand years of
exile and of wandering. Zionism is the struggle of the Jewish people
to preserve its existence. Zionism feels that the _raison d’être_ of
Judaism is not ended, that the Jewish race can still contribute its
share towards the raising of humanity, but to enable it to do so more
efficiently, in an organized form, and in accordance with its own
natural affinities and historic traditions, a Jewish _milieu_ is
necessary. To create such a Jewish _milieu_ is the purpose of the
Zionist movement. Such a Jewish _milieu_ can take root in one land
and one land only, for there is one land only that has a real glorious
Jewish history and Jewish past. That land is the Land of _Israel_!”
¹ יהושע or Jesus, High Priest from 174‒171 _b.c.e._, brother of
the High Priest. חוניא = נחוניא, Onias iii.
Both parties had exhausted the discussion――and, as is usual in such
cases, did not succeed in convincing each other. Then they each went
their own way.
The Zionists began to build straightway. No other colonial settlement
in the world is of nobler birth than ours in Palestine. Tradition
relates that young Rome was fed by a she-wolf. Some day it will be
told in legends that our new settlement on old foundations was fed by
a turtle-dove, by love, faithfulness, kindliness, and brotherliness.
Not wild animals, but angels, stood round its cradle. Muses and Graces
illuminated and crowned the morning star of its noble childhood. Jewish
thinkers like Leo Pinsker, Perez Smolenskin, David Gordon; enthusiastic
leaders and many others――a kind of Jewish Puritan pioneers, the
“_Bilu_”――had started to build up the settlement even before our
first and greatest, our immortal founder and leader of modern Zionism,
Theodor Herzl, had drawn up our programme, created our organization,
founded our institutions, and had given us the impetus, method and form
of the Zionist movement.
The success of a wonderful, personal, magnetic power, the method of
large-scale propaganda, the labour through relations with Governments
had for a certain time given Zionism a political bias. More considered
and everyday experience, on the contrary, pointed to a slow method of
practical labour. Different parties amongst the Zionists opposed one
another, and we need not be ashamed of that. Jews are inclined to
freedom in all their spiritual tendencies, they do not easily submit
to formulæ, they criticize, analyse, and search for the truth. Finally,
the whole struggle was reduced to a question of tactics. Whether one
attempts to reach the goal by means of the plough, plantations, schools,
literature, or propaganda, it is a question of time and circumstances.
And the essential truth was, that all means must be employed.
What was the result? The net balance was not great; forty settlements,
some farms, co-operative societies, _Tel Aviv_, the new _Achuzoth_,
the _Carmel_, the _Pardes_, the _Aggudath N’taim_, modern machines; new
methods of work introduced not only among Jews, but also among Arabs;
malaria centres disinfected; the best conditions for planting studied
in experimental institutions; our banks, the _Bezalel_, public health
centres, the music school, two well-filled secondary schools, the
girls’ school in _Jaffa_, the _Tach’kmoni_ school in the same place,
the _Petach-Tikwah_ school of agriculture, the settlement schools, the
committee organization of the settlements, the workers’ associations,
the teachers’ union, the _Hebrew_ newspapers and literature, the
“Houses of the People”――these represent what _Chovevé Zion_, Baron
Edmond _de_ Rothschild and the Zionists have created, and what we call
the new colonization of Palestine. The earlier rivalries have vanished.
The _Chovevé Zion_ and the Zionists are at one as to the policy of
Zionism. The Zionist Palestine office in _Jaffa_ is the head-quarters
of the work of colonisation. The struggle for _Hebrew_ has shown how
Palestine is becoming more and more an intellectual centre. The visit
of Baron Edmond _de_ Rothschild to Palestine in 1913 had set the seal
upon this unanimity. Even the blind could perceive that a true Jewish
Home was in process of establishment. No further arguments were needed.
The Jewish population in the land, although a minority, is the only
one that is growing and has grown during the past generation. It is the
only progressive population in the land, the others are stationary in
regard to numbers. Let any one go to Palestine, not on one of Cook’s
lightning tours, but as a Jew to the land of _Israel_; let him remain
in the settlements but a few weeks――that will be a certain cure for
anti-Zionism. If it should happen that any one could not be cured even
in this way, then he must unfortunately be regarded as incurable. We,
however, know of a great many that have been cured.
Thus the organization grew. It is sufficient to compare the beautiful
first Basle Congress of 1897 with the enormous Vienna Congress of 1913;
it is sufficient to compare the phantom Jewish National Fund of 1899
with the existing Jewish National Fund, which can show an annual income
of over two million francs; it is sufficient to compare the two or
three Zionist pamphlets of eighteen years ago with the Zionist press
and literature in existence to-day.
Thus Zionism has grown to what it is to-day for the Jewish people: a
spring of life, a signpost, the foundation of a mighty edifice.
In a few words the author can give the essence of the personal
impressions which he received during the course of his three months’
stay in Palestine, in 1913, before the war: a model factory of modern
Jewish national life; a nursery for rearing the fruitful parent-stems
for the blossoming tree of a living Hebraism; a laboratory for
sociological experiments in self-help and self-government in Jewish
economic life; a compendium of elements and corner-stones for the
erection of the Home; a systematic, laborious, slow preparation of the
preliminary conditions for a great, healthy, original Jewish province;
the genesis of a new world, naturally with many defects, with many
premature and unripe attempts, but that was just most beautiful and
most natural in people who search and strive and venture. And all this
was enlightened by a clear understanding, and glowed with a youthful
national enthusiasm. That is what Jewish colonization in Palestine is.
Do not try and count it over! The wisdom of the multiplication table
is too dull to be able to estimate it. Do not try and weigh it! On the
great scales of history a single unit sometimes weighs down a hundred
thousand! Enjoy it, as one enjoys art, or as the free soul becomes
intoxicated with and rejoices in freedom. As musical natures become
enraptured with music, so national natures become enraptured with
national life.
And if you will have net results, then do not forget one thing, namely,
that all this has been done, not by the entire Jewish people, but by
a small handful of Jews. When this small handful has become the entire
people, then this edifice will grow even grander. Palestine is a land
that stretches forth its hands to the future. For two thousand years it
has been ravaged by war and by misgovernment, until a country that was
once famous throughout the world for its fertility, has become a desert
land, degenerate from lack of cultivation. According to the statistics
of the Ottoman Board of Trade less than 9 per cent of the area of
European Turkey has been brought under cultivation, and still less of
Turkey in Asia. There are in Palestine twenty-seven inhabitants to the
square kilometre, and in the valley of the _Jordan_ four; while in the
irrigated districts of neighbouring Egypt ten thousand are concentrated
within the same area. Why should not Palestine be resettled like Egypt?
Why should it not be made a happy home for an unfortunate people?
Now the Zionists, after twenty years of work, plead their case again.
They have not succeeded in putting an end to the “_Galuth_.” Their
opponents maintain that they had overestimated their strength. Perhaps
so, but this does not prove that their labours have been to no purpose.
They have laid a few foundation stones, they have shown the way.
They defend their cause in the midst of a hell-fire. Our ancient people
that has lived so long, has now experienced the greatest of wars,
such as has never been in the world before. We live to-day in the most
critical period of the world’s history. It has been our lot to share
in the greatest drama which humanity has as yet lived through, not only
as spectators, but also as actors. The history of this world war is
written in letters of blood on the ancient and holy parchment, on the
brow of the Jew. No seismograph has indicated beforehand the coming
of this earthquake, of this outburst of the volcano of the nations.
But _one thing_ the Zionists have foreseen: the force of national
consciousness; the flood of hate, our pitiful situation, which cause
every storm to tear away the ground from under our feet.
Herzl had written his first pamphlet under the influence of the Dreyfus
affair. That cry of twenty years ago thunders now in unison with
the cries of mothers, wives, orphans, from underneath the pyres and
ruins which in their brutal reality leave the worst imaginings of
a _Jeremiah_ far behind. The dead arise from their graves, covered
with blood, trampled in the dust, with the fiery name of God, the
“_Shaddai_,” on their pale foreheads, and they demand to be heard. They
lament, and say:
“Vainly we strove to secure a little life――we could not grasp it.
Withered with sufferings, with pain and injury, shivering and frozen
with cold, we used to hug the earth closely, but it would not give us
warmth. We were teachers of the most ancient peoples, but death and
insult were the recompense paid us by our pupils. We shone like the
stars, but we were treated like silkworms, which have to die, so soon
as they have spun the fine web of their threads, so soon as they have
drawn forth and sacrificed their life-blood――they have fulfilled their
duty, and farewell!
“On our shoulders we bore the burdens of our masters’ interests, just
as the sea bears the little fishing-boats on its waves. We were more
faithful in guarding their property than dogs are. For the labour
which we performed, for our hard and humble services, for the sacrifice
of all our strength on their altars, for the resigned and patient
suffering of all the tortures of exile, we did not receive even the
reward of protection extended to the beast of burden, to the cow, or to
the sheep for its wool. Deprived of all human rights, even stripped of
the scantiest rags of toleration, we wandered and fell under the iron
yoke of serfdom, like a weary and impotent herd of cattle driven over
rocks and brambles. They felled us as a forest is felled, and we went
down without the slightest possibility of suitable self-protection,
with the dull thud of an old oak prostrated by a storm, yet with the
pain of bereaved, insulted and humbled human beings. We are the victims
not of the war, but of the ‘_Galuth_.’ Let no one talk to us about
Belgium, Serbia. Theirs is the well-known scourge of mankind taking
the shape of tyranny, militarism, war. Had we suffered only from these
things, then we should have suffered but in common with others. Our
misery, however, is of a peculiar kind. It is a double misery: we
suffer with the rest, and in addition we suffer specially as a people
without a country. Belgium and Serbia and Montenegro are nations
with countries of their own; they cannot be annihilated, they must be
restored. We envy Belgium in her misfortune, and sorely assailed Serbia;
we behold the strength and health of the Polish peasant. Truly, he has
been ruined for the time being, but he has his country, and though he
has been driven away ten times by the fury of war he will return, and
once again plant himself on his native soil, where his golden corn will
grow again. Not only could he not be uprooted, but he will regain more
than he had lost: a new, free, independent Poland!
“Everywhere the rights of nations are triumphant. Let it not be said
that only countries that had been stolen fifty or a hundred years
ago shall be returned to their former lawful owners. Whoever says so,
falsifies history, either intentionally or unintentionally. The right
of the Greeks to Greece is also a right which has remained through
thousands of years. The right of the Armenians to Armenia has also
been suppressed by force throughout the centuries. And yet these rights
will be granted. Let it not be said either, that a nation robbed of
the country must have remained on its native soil, or otherwise it will
have lost its rights. That is not true. More Greeks live outside Greece
than in Greece, and there are still other nations, the majority of
whose citizens dwell outside the frontiers of their old home. Nor let
it be said that it is sufficient to grant equal rights to mankind.
Were not equal rights given to the Greeks――and yet the problem was not
solved till Greece redeemed herself!
“We, the orphans, the disinherited, the playthings in history’s sports,
the step-children of a world founded on nationalities――we summon the
world before the high court of history.
“For two thousand years past they put us off with excuses and false
promises. Civilization has been progressing for thousands of years:
mankind now flies loftier than the eagle and dives deeper than the
_Leviathan_. Has it become better for us? Have we not remained the same
scapegoats from the time of Rome to the Crusades, from these to the
‘Haidamaks,’ and from them to the Pogroms of the present day?
“We, the wandering souls, demand our rest. Enough of wanderings and
being bandied about! Give us back our body, our country! We want to be
equal with the rest, suffer with the rest, fight with the rest, live
with the rest.”
Thus lament the dead, teaching the living. Will the world not listen to
them?
“What do you wish?” the Zionists are asked. They reply: We want a home
in the land of _Israel_. On the day of Judgment, when every historical
right――from the smallest to the greatest――is announced, elevated,
proclaimed, and demanded; when even the weakest, the most doubtful
claims of half-forgotten and but recently-awakened little peoples,
based on old, torn, ambiguous and now scarcely legible documents and
traditions, assert themselves and demand rights of ownership; when
history takes its place as judge on the throne of justice, and the
national territorial idea is accepted as the world’s code, in order
to resolve every doubt and to arbitrate every dispute; when the great
in power penitently declare that every injustice, especially towards
suffering peoples, must be righted; when these things come to pass,
then (we Zionists say) the Jewish people is in duty bound to proclaim
its old, holy, historical right to the heritage of its heroes, its
prophets, its civilization, its religion, its language, and its labours!
It is an ancient right, but it has not lapsed. It is the ancient
oath, the ancient covenant. No right has been earned more honourably.
None has been paid for with more and nobler blood. None is so highly
established and deeply founded.
In order not to lay itself open to a verdict of letting its claim go
by default, the Jewish people will have to proclaim its immortal right
to the land of _Israel_. It is the sacred duty-right of loyal children
towards their parents. Not to demand the land of _Israel_ means that we
tacitly waive our rights to it, and this means a waiving of our rights
to everything: tradition, honour, justice, the law of _Moses_, and the
general historical idea.
We don’t trust a man who denies his mother, however much of a patriot
he may be in his country. He is an opportunist, but no patriot, because
patriotism is idealism.
Nothing will daunt us in our resolve to proclaim solemnly our
historical right and to demand it with all our energy. Do not
trouble us with intimidations, on the score of a possible growth of
anti-Semitism, and so on! These fears are senseless. Anti-Semitism is
a consequence not of Zionism, but of the “_Galuth_.” Those who have
the courage of their convictions and a sense of honour, are not to be
influenced by craven fears. Our duty it is to proclaim our right, and
we shall fulfil this duty. Will this bring us sufferings? Good: we are
prepared for that. Martyrs from of old as we are, we have been through
fire and water during thousands of years, we have been the target
of every attack, the victims of every persecution, and we fear no
chicanery when it is a question of fulfilling a holy duty of our
conscience.
Whoever understands Zionism, knows it is not our intention to raise
conflicts. We stand for a peaceful movement. We began in a time of
peace and we desire to renew our work and substantially to enlarge
it, in the coming time of peace. We did not wish to harm anyone, to
wrong anyone, and we wish to do so still less, if possible, now than
before. We wish to make our country a model of social justice and human
brotherhood; the spirit of our prophets shall fill our land, and the
ancient _Hebrew_ genius shall there have its dwelling-place.
We certainly, not less than all the other Jews and all just men, are
strongly interested and are anxious that we, wherever we live, wherever
we are, and wish to be citizens, should have our rights secured. Where
the Jews are not yet emancipated, they shall be emancipated; where they
are but half emancipated, their emancipation shall be completed and
perfected; and where they are already emancipated, their emancipation
shall be in no way checked or diminished. This question of rights we
had better formulate in the following manner: Not that rights should
be given us, but that our rights shall no longer be filched away,
restricted and encroached upon wherever we have our domicile, wherever
we fulfil our duties, and bear all burdens in order to defend the soil
of the country to the death; wherever we work, live, and die together
with its other inhabitants. Not that we should be emancipated, but that
people should emancipate themselves from the instinct of persecution,
from malice, from envy, which find expression in various forms:
in pogroms, in boycott, in social ostracism, in open or masked
disabilities; that we should not be shut up in cages like wild animals,
whether it be in the brutal form of a _Ghetto_, a “pale of settlement,”
or in the more subtle form of social exclusion and coldly polite
hypocritical repulse: whether it be finally, in that cunning form not
of Anti-Semitism, but of Asemitism which declares that, as in the case
of poisons, the country can at best absorb only a limited quantity of
Jews, while any excess is dangerous.
If the civilized world really intends to make an end of war, then, also,
this war against the Jews must not be overlooked. It is a war in time
of peace, a war that has not the heroic character of a struggle between
two opponents equal in arms, but the character of a systematic and
brutal oppression of the weak by the strong.
That is the problem of the rights of the Jews in the countries of the
Diaspora!
Some sophists have, in their speculative, casuistical way, evolved
a strange doctrine. They assert, that when the Jews surrender their
claims to the land of _Israel_, when they deny their own nationality,
then they will “receive rights.” Pedants and arm-chair theorists as
they are, they paint in their luxurious imagination a picture that
recalls the classical example of Paris with the apple: in one hand,
Palestine; in the other, rights in the Diaspora. And as they point to
this picture, they cry out to the Jews: Choose! One or the other!
Such pictures may please children, but not grown-up men――since children
are innocent and do not understand the laws of logic. There are no two
kinds of truth, nor of justice, only _one_. If justice is done to us,
then our right to Palestine will be recognized, and we shall also be
left in peace in the Diaspora.
Be assured the Land of _Israel_ will not injure our situation in
the Diaspora. Only Zionism, not self-betrayal, is calculated to lend
us authority and prestige in the world. Avoid the old error, avoid
renunciation, stand true to your flag, to righteousness, like men!
We are asked, What are your politics? Others say that politics should
be indeed excluded. Zionism must be only either colonization or a
spiritual movement. We must be Zionists in colonization, in the spirit,
and in religion. In what each says, there is some truth. The error
lies only in the fact that in each of these assertions, a partial truth
claims to represent the whole truth. Zionism is not a part; it is the
totality, the sum, the synthesis of these efforts.
However little Zionists wish to enter into politics they cannot close
their eyes to the fact that Zionism is――at least, in part――a political
problem. However spiritual its arguments, its origins and its motives
may be, however metaphysical its aims may be, and however much its
methods may accordingly strive to remain pure, ♦nevertheless, it is
concerned with the problem of people desiring to settle in a particular
country, under a particular form of social life. They, consequently,
have to strive for a certain degree of political self-government,
whether it be high or low, and thus they must come into relations with
other groups and states already in existence, already formed, already
in possession and having rights. The boundaries of rights will have to
be drawn up, and these will soon become frontiers of existing spheres
of influences, and these again, later on, will need to grow to new
forms. Even if Zionism should devote itself entirely and with absolute
exclusiveness to spiritual matters, its centre of colonization will
have a political aspect, which must be developed as such. It is a
good thing that the war has thrust political temptations upon Zionism.
Nothing can become of greater advantage to it, than that it should
always grow more clearly conscious of being something practical, the
creator of life, of being conditioned and limited by frontiers, and
not that it should simply fill the rôle of redressing grievances from
a single point.
♦ “neverthless” replaced with “nevertheless”
The Zionist policy must always be controlled by the national idea.
Great changes will arise in the political situation in the world, the
extent of which cannot as yet be surveyed in detail. But one thing is
already certain; the national, the historical idea will be victorious.
The people that suffer most, the small and weak people, must weigh
on the scales of the coming changes in proportion not only to their
physical strength, but also to their moral strength, and in proportion
to the intensity of their will-power and self-determination――and this
will-power and this self-determination, although at all times needing
and capable of development, develops most rapidly under the influence
of such moments as the present. The first preliminary condition for
political success, therefore, is self-determination and will-power. The
first and most important political task is the awakening of will-power.
Only then commences the policy of finding support in the outer world.
And under this head we know of one policy only, namely, truth――absolute
and unconditional truth. Out of love for it Zionists desire to be
just to all men, even to their opponents. This may be disagreeable
to short-sighted people, but it does not trouble Zionists. Should
truth beckon in one direction and the greatest successes in the other,
Zionists should without a moment’s hesitation choose rather the former
and exclaim, “Away with falsehood.” Only truth can be of service to us;
wherever any shadow whatsoever falls upon that, there can be no place
for us.
No cause that is unjust, even if at the first glance it appears to
bring immediate help, and is advanced by people who wish us well, is
worthy of Zionist support, and, likewise, every righteous cause, even
though it appears to be against us, and is put forward by people who
are indifferent and even opposed to us, is deserving of our support.
For high above the plans dictated by benevolence or malice, stands the
loftiest cause which so rules it that injustice cannot help Zionism,
and that justice, on the contrary, must help it.
It is sometimes pointed out that certain among those who profess
sympathy for Zionism do not exactly belong to the most trusty friends
of the Jews, while, on the contrary, many so-called Liberals seem to be
opposed to Zionism. Truly, we say to you: this is of no concern to us.
Personal motives have no interest for us; we do not sit in judgment
upon individuals. We are neither flattered by friends nor deterred by
the envious. The Zionist’s only concern is the righteous cause.
The Zionist policy is one of principles, and not an opportunist policy.
A policy founded on principles can only base itself on truth. The
assistance of strangers can be of service to us only when it sees in
us the truth, sees us as we really are, as we are in the continuity of
our history, in our numbers, in our distress and in our hopes. Not the
plans of any individual, whether personal or general, only fidelity to
the axioms of international morality can help us. And if it be possible
to obtain such assistance, then it can be attained only through a
leading policy of true equality, but never through assimilation, which
is opposed to the truth.
Truly, to be on an equality with others means the solving of our
problem on national lines. That in the highest sense is equality of
opportunity. If the principle of self-determination is applied to all,
then it must be applied to us too. If historical rights are recognized,
then ours must also be recognized. It is right and fair that Armenia
should become Armenian; it is just as right and fair that the Land
of _Israel_ should become _Israelitish_. Grant equal rights and
compensatory justice; all else is hatred, cowardice, hypocrisy,
ambiguity.
The error of Jewish policy since the beginning of the last century
lay in the fact that it was an opportunist policy. We tried to please
different parties, to utilize political situations. Perhaps this was
formerly an opportunity――we have now outgrown this standpoint. Human
progress, like every development, advances ever further and further.
Every new advance leads to a new stage that could be reached only
through the earlier stages, and every new stage when reached has been
reached only to be left behind in its turn. As soon as a stage has been
reached, the time has once more arrived for leaving it. That is the
essential reason why the Jewish problem has now become a national
problem. Hence it is the purest childishness to wish to solve the
problem by the means adopted by the _Sanhedrin_ in Paris, in 1806.
It is not, however, to be supposed that because Zionists hold to a
policy of principles they are on this account incapable of profiting
from favourable opportunities, of utilizing a fortunate moment, that
may come and bring more with it than many years of hard toil. “Whoever
wants to sail to the new-discovered isles must use the winds as
they blow.” The centre of gravity lies in the Jews alone, in their
will-power, in the independence of their spirit.
The Jewish people have seen the dominion of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon
and Rome, and still survive. Under the standards of _Zion_ the Jewish
people will rise to new life.
What ought Jews to do? To this question we answer: In these serious
times all Jews should be united, all Jewish organizations, parties
and communities should set to work, by all lawful means, through the
press, literature, propaganda and personal connections, to attain the
recognition of a national home for our people in the Land of _Israel_;
and at the same time to carry through the abolition of all injustice
against the Jews in the countries of the Diaspora.
And in view of the enormous importance of the already existing Jewish
colonization in Palestine for our future, and, also, of the salvation
of the Jewish people from want and misery accentuated by the war, the
greatest possible assistance must be given to Palestine and to the
suffering masses of Jews in the Diaspora. For the sake of these causes,
and especially for the first, the Zionist Organization all over the
world should not only be maintained, but also placed in a position to
develop and enlarge its activities.
ZIONIST PROPAGANDA IN WARTIME
In the above the Zionist policy has been sketched. Experience has by
this time shown that in spite of the incredible difficulties of all
kinds, Zionism has not only not lost its power, but has also actively
developed its work.
The present war has not affected the unity of the Zionist idea nor has
it affected the unity of the Zionist Organization. As the Organization
was established on the federative principle, it was found possible to
continue the essential work of the movement by utilising the separate
organizations of the different countries. The work of propaganda and
the collection of funds, so far from diminishing, actually made great
progress. The societies already in existence continued their work
very effectively, and a considerable number of new societies came into
being. _Die Welt_, the central organ of the movement, had, however,
to be suspended; but a series of new Zionist publications made their
appearance. The Zionist press――in Russia particularly――made great
headway. The Zionist weekly, _Razswiet_, which is published in the
Russian language, increased its circulation threefold. Three new
dailies, _Ha’am_ in _Hebrew_, _Das Togblatt_ and _Der Telegraf_
in _Yiddish_, were established, and rapidly attained a circulation
comparable to the great European daily papers. A crowd of new
journalists and publicists accepting the Zionist platform, joined the
old guard of writers and workers in the cause. The _Yiddish_ Press
in Poland, which numbers its readers by the hundred thousand, put
themselves at the disposal of the Zionist movement. One in particular,
which had hitherto been territorialist, and only lukewarm towards
Zionism, declared openly its acceptance of the Zionist programme.
In England Zionist activity in press and literature made remarkable
progress, such as had scarcely been imagined possible in this country.
It is worthy of note that, quite apart from the Zionist Press proper,
the Jewish non-Zionist Press evinced a much keener interest in the
movement. The world’s general Press, in all languages, devoted to
Zionism an amount of space second only to the events of the war. The
mere fact that at a time such as the present, when the world is in
the throes of a universal struggle, and every nation is concerned for
its own safety, and even existence, so much interest was directed to
our movement throws a dazzling light upon the naïve absurdity of the
anti-Zionist assertion, that the whole movement is nothing more than
an Utopia.
The Zionists have long realized the need of public meetings and
discussions. The Zionist movement is the only Jewish national and
democratic movement to attach great importance to the free exchange of
opinions and to break down the somewhat autocratic method of conducting
Jewish affairs in favour with the _Kehillah_ leaders. It was the first
movement to replace the dry bones of bureaucracy by the introduction
of universal Jewish suffrage as a means of dealing with Jewish public
affairs. As the Zionist movement in pre-war times found full expression
in conferences and public meetings, it was to be feared that the War,
by reducing greatly the facilities of communication and intercourse,
would seriously affect this form of activity. But this was not the case.
The long record of the meetings and conferences held since the outbreak
of the war, and which by no means exhausts the total number, gives some
notion of the vast scope of this form of propaganda.
We will make a short survey of the most important dates in Zionist
activity during the course of the war, in chronological order.
CONFERENCES.
_September, 1915._
Zionist Conference――Dordrecht――Holland.
_Roumania._ Annual Meeting of the Roumanian Zionist Federation,
November 7th and 8th, held in Galatz. Country divided into four
districts for Zionist work: Galatz, Bucharest, Jassy, Foscani.
_Canada._ General Jewish Conference held in Montreal, November
14th and 15th, together with the Annual Meeting of the Canadian
Zionist Federation, presided over by Clarence _de_ Sola.
_December 5th, 1915._
West Austrian――Galician――and Bukowina Zionist Conferences (Adolf
Stand in the chair). Resolutions:――
“The Assembly expects to see the Jewish problem discussed at
the peace conference, and trusts that the Actions Committee
will find suitable means and ways to create a united
manifestation of the Jews of all countries for the demand
of securing for the Jews their civil and political equality
of rights all over the world, and in the nationality states
also recognition of their national existence.
“The Actions Committee is asked to prepare everything in a
suitable manner, in order that the interests of political
Zionism may be secured before the Forum of the future Peace
Congress.”
_December 26th and 27th, 1915._
_Holland._ At Nymegen one hundred and twenty delegates attended.
_December, 1915._
_Manchester._ Conference of English “_Poalei Zion_.” Delegates
from all parts of the country attended.
_January 1st, 1916._
_England._ Conference convened by E.Z.F. attended by _Rabbis_,
delegates of Synagogues, Friendly Societies and Trade Unions.
_January 5th, 1916._
_America._ Annual Conference of the Federation of “Knights
of _Zion_,” at Chicago. The Federation has fifty-three active
branches and three thousand members.
_January, 1916._
_Australia._ Annual Conference of the Sydney Zionist Society.
_February 6th, 1916._
_America._ Annual Convention of the Zionist Council of Greater
New York.
_February 13th, 1916._
_England._ Annual Conference of the English Zionist Federation
at Manchester.
_1916._
_Mizrachi._ The Annual Conference of the “_Mizrachi_” was held
at Chicago, May 26th‒30th. The “_Mizrachi_” of America comprises
one hundred and three associate-societies and twenty-four
synagogues. The membership is six thousand.
Some of the principal American _Rabbis_ attended the Conference.
A special Palestine Bureau was created. A new union, called
“_Achi Samach_,” was formed, for the encouragement of the sale
of Palestinian products.
_1916._
_Bombay._ A Meeting of the _Magen David_ Congregation was held
at Bombay. The proceedings were all in _Hebrew_. Sir Jacob Elias
Sassoon, Bart. (1844‒1916), was re-elected president.
_May 28th and 29th, 1916._
_Scandinavia._ The Twelfth Annual Conference of Scandinavian
Zionists was held at Copenhagen. Thirty-one delegates from all
parts of the country were present. Various resolutions were
passed, expressing confidence in the work of the Central
Executive.
_1916._
_Switzerland._ A Conference of the Swiss Zionist Federation was
held at Berne on June 1st.
_1916._
_South Africa._ The Annual Conference of the South African
Zionist Federation was held at Johannesburg on April 30th. Over
one hundred delegates were present.
_1916._
_Canada._ “_Poalei Zion_” of Montreal had a series of
Conferences on June 2nd‒4th.
_America._ Conference of American Zionist Federation held at
Philadelphia on July 2nd. Over five hundred delegates present.
_July 8th, 1916._
Conference at New York of the “Young Judea.” The membership is
three thousand five hundred.
_September 13th‒15th, 1916._
_Poland._ A Zionist Conference was held in Warsaw, attended by
one hundred and twenty-five delegates from Warsaw and the Polish
provincial cities.
The following resolution was passed:――
“1. That the Central Committee establish a special Palestine
Office, to gather information and material with respect to
the present situation in Palestine and with respect to the
possibilities for work after the war.
“2. That it elaborate this material and spread it within
wide circles. Further, it has to organize pioneer groups,
who are willing to go to Palestine, as well as to work out a
scheme for the preparation of these pioneers.”
_September, 1916._
_Russia._ “_Poalei Zion_” Conference――the first since the
outbreak of the war. Resolution passed:――
“That we agitate among the Jewish masses instructing them
the only solution for the Jewish problem is the creation of
a Jewish Home in Palestine.”
_September 18th, 1916._
Conference of Zionist speakers, held at New York.
_Bohemia._ The Annual Conference of Bohemian Zionists was held
at Prague on November 1st.
_America._ Zionist Students’ Organization of America held its
Second Annual Conference, November, 1916.
_November 14th‒19th._
_America._ “_Poalei Zion_” Conference at Boston. Attended by one
hundred and nine delegates from the United States and Canada.
(During the year two thousand new members had been enrolled.
Juvenile Societies, with eighteen branches and over one thousand
members, had been formed.)
_1916._
_England._ On December 24th and 25th the Order of Ancient
_Maccabeans_ held their Annual Grand Beacon Meeting in
Manchester. Resolution:――
“That this Grand Beacon Meeting reiterates its loyalty to
the Zionist programme, as endorsed from Congress to Congress,
and expresses the hope that the time may not be far distant
when our brethren will be accorded full civil and political
rights all over the world, and that the order co-operate
with bodies that strive for the above objects.”
_1916._
_Holland._ The Seventeenth Annual Conference of the Dutch
Zionist Federation was held at the Hague on December 24th and
25th, 1916.
About one hundred and twenty delegates were present, including
representatives of the “_Poalei Zion_” and the Belgian Zionist
Federation.
The Dutch Federation comprises twenty-six societies, with a
total membership of one thousand six hundred and sixty.
Collections: Palestine Fund, 11,453 _fl._; Central Fund, 913
_fl._; National Fund, 10,709 _fl._
_1917._
_Poland._ The Annual Meeting of the Warsaw Zionists, held on
January 11th, attended by a thousand _shekel_ payers.
_1917._
_America._ In March, a Conference of Jewish Socialist Workers
was held in New York, and attended by four hundred delegates.
The Basle programme was adopted.
_1917._
_Mizrachi._ Over two hundred delegates attended the “_Mizrachi_”
Convention at Pittsburg, where the deliberations extended for
over five days. Fifty of the most prominent orthodox _Rabbis_
of the country attended. The “_Mizrachi_” has a hundred and
nineteen branches in ninety-five cities spread over twenty-eight
States.
_1917._
_America._ “Knights of _Zion_” held their Twentieth Annual
Convention at Minneapolis and St. Paul. The “Knights of _Zion_”
had seventy-six societies with a membership of four thousand two
hundred.
_America._ _Hebraists_ Convention took place in New York on
February 10th, 11th and 12th. Many _Hebrew_ scholars from all
parts of the country were present.
_America._ The Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Zionist Council
of New York was held on February 16th, attended by eighty-eight
delegates, representing thirty societies.
_1917._
_England._ The Annual Conference of the E.Z.F. was held in
February in London. About sixty delegates were present.
_1917._
_Switzerland._ The Swiss Zionist Federation held a Conference at
Berne on February 18th. Thirty-five delegates attended.
_1917._
_Russia._ On March 28th‒30th there was held a Conference of the
Central Institutions of the Zionist Organization. About fifty
delegates attended.
Conference of all Russian Zionist Organizations, held in Moscow,
April 3rd. Dr. E. W. Tschlenow presided.
_1917._
_Greece._ On April 9th a Mass Meeting, attended by over
three thousand persons, was held at Salonica. After addresses
delivered by several speakers, a resolution was passed urging
the restoration of the oldest nation and its regeneration in
Palestine.
_1917._
_Belgian Zionists._ On April 29th the Belgian Zionist Federation
held a Conference at Scheveningen, Holland.
_1917. _
_Australia._ Annual Meeting held at Sydney, March 18th.
_1917._
_England._ Special Conference E.Z.F. in London, May 20th.
_1917._
_Russia-Turkestan._ Early in May a Conference of Turkestan
Zionists was held at Samarcand. The delegates were both
_Ashkenazi_ and _Sephardi_. Thirty delegates attended, besides
delegates for the Bokhara Jews, and two hundred guests.
A Zionist Central Committee was formed for Turkestan.
_1917._
_Poland._ June 3rd‒5th. Conference of Zionist Central Committee
for Poland, held in Warsaw.
_1917._
_Russia._ On May 24th (O.S.) the Seventh Conference of Russian
Zionists was held at Petrograd, and was attended by five hundred
and fifty-two delegates, representing one hundred and forty
thousand _shekel_ payers, from six hundred and forty towns
and villages. Eleven delegates came from Siberia. Bokhara and
Mountain Jews were represented. Twenty-four delegates were
soldiers coming by special permission of the Commander-in-Chief,
who got free passes. Five hundred guests came from the country
and one thousand guests from Petrograd were present. Ninety
representatives of Russian papers were present. The Foreign
Secretary, Teretschenko, sent greetings and best wishes for
complete success.
Dr. E. W. Tschlenow’s speech was reprinted in half a million
copies for the soldiers.
A meeting of Zionist Women was held in the hall of Kiew
University in May. More than one thousand five hundred Jewish
women attended.
_1917._
In 1913 there were only twenty-six thousand _shekel_ payers in
Russia――now one hundred and forty thousand. Resolution passed:――
“The Seventh Zionist Russian Conference proclaims its firm
conviction that the nations, in settling the bases of the
new national and political life, shall be conscious of the
clearly manifested will of the Jewish people to colonize
Palestine again as their national centre, and that they
shall create conditions enabling the unhindered evolutions
and concentration of all Jewish forces, for the purpose of
bringing about a regeneration of Palestine.”
A representative body of the Jewish people should be admitted to
the approaching Peace Conference, which shall obtain attention
for the historic and national rights of the Jewish people.
_1917._
_America._ Independent Order “_Brith Shalom_” held their
Thirteenth Annual Conference in Atlantic City on June 13th. Over
six hundred delegates were present. The resolution passed
commenced thus:――
“Whereas the Independent Order has adopted the Zionist
platform in spirit and in fact, and has pledged itself to
the furtherance of all principles it stands for, _etc._,
_etc._”
_1917._
_America._ The Twentieth Conference of American Zionists opened
at Baltimore on June 24th. Over a thousand delegates were
present.
_1917._
_America._ Twentieth Annual Convention of Progressive Order of
the West was held at Detroit, Michigan. The Order has a
membership of twenty thousand, and declared its allegiance to
the Zionist cause.
_1917._
_America._ Conference of “Young Judeans.” One hundred and twenty-
five delegates present, representing five thousand members. The
“Young Judeans” collected 3500 dollars for the Jewish National
Fund.
_1917._
_England._ Union of Jewish Friendly Societies, comprising fifty
thousand members, adopt the Basle programme.
Conference of the Order of Ancient _Maccabeans_, held at
Manchester, July 17th. Membership of the Order 2200.
_1917._
_Canada._ The Fifteenth Annual Conference of Canadian Zionists
took place at Winnipeg in July. Delegates from seventy-seven
towns, of three hundred and fourteen Jewish organizations,
attended.
The Governor of Manitoba came to the Conference, and expressed
his sympathy with Zionism.
_1917._
_Russia._ _Poalei Zion._ Conference in Kiew――September 8th. More
than one hundred and sixty delegates attended.
_1917._
_Greece._ _Salonica._ Great Meeting, attended by three thousand
persons at Salonica, on 9th of _Ab_.
_1917._
_America._ The “_Mizrachi_” in America celebrated in August the
Six-hundred-and-fiftieth Anniversary of the First Settlement
in Palestine by _R’_ Moses _ben_ Nachman (_Ramban_). The
“_Mizrachi_” started a Fund of 100,000 dollars, to aid
Colonization and Industrial Development in Palestine.
_1917._
_Poland._ The Third Delegates’ Conference of the Zionist
Organization in Poland was opened in Warsaw on October 28th,
1917. More than three hundred and sixty delegates attended,
representing forty thousand shekel payers.
_1917._
_Poland._ Fifth Conference of the “_Poalei Zion_” of Poland,
was held in Warsaw. Over forty-four delegates, representing
twenty-six towns, participated in the Conference. The
Organization had forty-six district groups, with a membership
of eight thousand.
_1917._
_America._ September 5th. Conference of _Rabbis_ resolved
to appeal to various powers, particularly President Wilson,
asking them to give their consideration to the question of the
Restoration of Palestine to the Jewish people.
_1917._
_England._ In October, Zionist Demonstrations took place all
over the country. In seventy-one synagogues, one hundred and
twenty-three lodges and associations, and in fifty-four Zionist
societies, resolutions were passed requesting the British
Government to use its best endeavours to bring about a
Restoration of Palestine as a National Home for the Jewish
people.
_1917._
_Holland._ Congress of Jews resident in the Netherlands, held in
Amsterdam on November 18th, for considering emancipation of Jews,
recognition of national rights in national States, and national
concentration of the Jewish people in Palestine.
One of the most popular of Zionist funds is the Jewish National Fund.
This Fund is outside the realm of discussion, and deals exclusively
with hard facts, i.e., financial contributions from all parts of the
world. The Jewish National Fund is in a very real sense an index of
the people’s will. It would seem that the terrible misery of the Jewish
masses occasioned by so many expulsions, evacuations, and loss of life
and property would have had the effect of, if not entirely cutting off
this source of revenue, at least, seriously reducing it. In point of
fact, the reverse is shown by the figures.
The income of the Fund during the last few months of the year 1914 and
during the year 1915, was about two-thirds of the previous years. But
in the year 1916 the National Fund received about 1,000, 000 francs,
which equals the amount in 1913. During the first half of 1917 the
average monthly contributions were doubled. The latest date up to which
exact figures for the various countries are available is September 1st,
1917. During the eight months from January to September, 1917, more
than 1,300,000 francs had been recorded. During the last four months
of the year approximately the same amount was received, that is, the
contributions were doubled once more in relation to the immediately
preceding rate. At the present moment the contributions to the National
Fund amount to about 150,000 francs per month.
The results attained by the National Fund must be attributed to the
general growth of the Zionist movement as well as to the effective
organization of its propaganda, to the popularity of its fundamental
idea――the acquisition of land as National property――and the importance
attached by Jewry at large to the rôle that the National Fund will have
to discharge in the forthcoming colonization of Palestine.
Contributions to the Jewish National Fund from the different countries
in the year 1917 were as follows: Russia, Rbl. 475,312; United States,
$73,502; Holland, Fl. 28,767; England, £1396 1s. 10d.; Argentina, Pesos
13,378; Canada, $4056; South Africa, £639 8s. 4d.; Switzerland, Frs.
11,572; Belgium, Frs. 8,329; France (including Tunis), Frs. 6,978;
Egypt, £255 11s. 4d.; Greece, Frs. 6,425; Sweden, Kr. 2,542; Denmark,
Kr. 2,447. Various countries, about Frs. 600,000. The total amounts to
Frs. 1,747,278. At the rate of exchange before the war it would be Frs.
2,730,011.
THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND
STATISTICAL TABLE OF ANNUAL INCOME IN FRANCS
Country. │ 1914. │ 1915. │ 1916.
────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
United States │ 197,311 │ 291,604 │ 268,317
Russia │ 184,334 │ 30,120 │ 81,336
Holland │ 10,662 │ 13,972 │ 35,921
────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
Argentine │ 4,196 │ 4,334 │ 22,807
England │ 24,655 │ 12,061 │ 20,766
Roumania │ 15,532 │ 23,997 │ 19,021
────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
South Africa │ 27,511 │ 21,905 │ 15,001
Scandinavia │ 807 │ 1,715 │ 4,886
Canada │ 21,951 │ 23,129 │ 10,296
────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
Switzerland │ 3,854 │ 3,748 │ 7,296
Greece │ 5,755 │ 4,545 │ 4,410
Belgium │ 10,472 │ ―― │ 4,161
────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
Egypt │ 2,845 │ 832 │ 3,382
France │ 2,115 │ 1,862 │ 2,992
Far East │ 1,377 │ 280 │ 2,562
────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
Australia and │ │ │
New Zealand │ 3,305 │ 1,080 │ 1,915
Italy │ 1,630 │ 2,641 │ 1,312
Portugal │ ―― │ 280 │ 937
────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
Brazil │ 1,430 │ 1,082 │ 125
New Zealand │ ―― │ ―― │ 522
Other countries │ 224,962 │ 197,597 │ 425,110
────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
│ 744,704 │ 636,784 │ 933,075
With regard to the Zionist Organization, it must be stated that some
of its functions, particularly those which were centralized in the
headquarters, such as the periodical meetings of the Greater Actions
Committee and the permanent contact and co-operation between the
members of the Inner Actions Committee, had to be suspended. The
Zionist Congress, the chief organ of the movement, which elects the
executive of all the officers of the movement, to decide all questions
of policy, could not be held owing to the war, and as a result the
position had to remain as settled by the Congress of 1913. As, however,
the events of the war threw upon the Organization not less but very
much more responsibility than previously, and confronted the existing
executive with problems of the greatest urgency and importance, new
instruments had necessarily to be created to meet the new situation and
to carry on the work of the movement.
In America, where the movement began to spread with great rapidity, the
American Provisional Committee for General Zionist Affairs was formed
in 1914, very soon after the outbreak of the war, and conducted the
affairs of the movement with great skill. Their efforts in connection
with Palestine relief were beyond all praise, and constitute one of the
brightest pages in the history of the movement.
In Copenhagen, also, a Bureau was opened, which rendered invaluable
services to the cause.
ZIONISM AND JEWISH RELIEF WORK
The greater part of the practical work of the Zionist Organization
consisted of Relief Work for Jewish sufferers from the war. The
terrible catastrophe which fell upon Russian Poland, Galicia, Bukovina,
Lithuania, Zamut and Courland, affected the Jews in a unique way.
Hundreds of towns and villages, in which Jewish inhabitants had dwelt
and woven into their lives the threads of their own characteristic
customs for many generations, in which they had faithfully preserved
their ancient spiritual treasures in spite of misery and poverty,
which had been a perennial source of inspiration and a rich storehouse
for the Judaism of the whole world, which had nourished and sustained
almost the whole House of _Israel_ in the Diaspora, suddenly became
a field of slaughter and the arena of the grimmest struggle in the
world’s history. Troops in numbers never seen before, with weapons
of destruction, threatening to reduce the world to ashes, passed like
angels of destruction to and fro over the battlefields, leaving not
a stone intact, not a blade of grass, or a living man or beast. Thus
far the wounds and misfortunes which befell the Jews were no different
from the wounds and misfortunes of the other inhabitants. But there
must be added the special Jewish affliction in these countries, the
persecution and the fierce anti-Jewish feeling which were the special
characteristics of the ancient regime in Russia, which was wont to
take advantage of every opportunity of avenging itself on the Jews,
attacking them and holding them up to scorn on every kind of pretext
and false accusation. This made the war a specially terrible phenomenon
for the Jews: it produced a war within a war.
The war called upon the Jews to make sacrifices in equal measure
with all the other inhabitants of these countries; their youth and
their strength were laid on the altar of the land of their birth;
they also bore the burden of all the taxes and payments which the
other inhabitants had to bear; they put forward tremendous efforts as
tradesmen and workers, as doctors and nurses; they were active workers
in all departments directly and indirectly connected with the war. Yet
side by side with this they had to face an insufferable hatred, they
had to wage a separate war with the powerful, who strove to reduce to
nothingness the little remnant which the war itself could not utterly
destroy.
That this impression became current among the Jews was inevitable, in
consequence of an old phenomenon which appeared before them in a new
guise. We refer to the curious mixture of expulsion and evacuation,
of pogroms and slaughters, of which they were the victims. They were
accustomed, from long and bitter experience, to expulsions from without
the pale of settlement into the regions of the pale, from villages
to towns, and to the suffering occasioned by the Russo-Turkish and
Russo-Japanese wars; but these expulsions occurred when conditions
in Russia itself were almost normal, and when the Jews who were left
untouched by the decree of expulsion were able to render assistance to
their unfortunate brethren. The combination of the two forms of trials,
of war and of persecution by their fellow-citizens, was more than even
a nation inured to suffering could bear. It was as though this nation,
which had been a wanderer from time immemorial, had only just begun
its wanderings. They were no ordinary wanderers――not merely expelled
and outlawed; but they were taken and hurled as out of the middle of a
sling from province to province and from district to district. Railway
carriages were not enough to hold them, so they were transported in
cattle-trucks, the doors of which were locked to prevent escape on the
way. The cattle-trucks were not sufficient to cope with the numbers and
horse-vans were impressed, and as the horse-vans were not sufficient,
even though the Jews paid their last kopecks for places in them, they
were sent on foot. Bands of wanderers――consisting of women, children,
aged, weak, sick and infirm――were accordingly dragged, driven, knouted
along every kind of road and over every kind of obstacle, not like
cattle beneath the watchful eye of the herdsman, not even like animals
led to the slaughter, on whom some mercy is taken because they can be
used, but simply like wild beasts pursued by huntsmen; whoever fell by
the way fell without attention, whoever fell sick was ruthlessly left
behind. Families were split up, and that iron bond which unites parents
and children was snapped; infants died of starvation pressed against
their mothers’ shrivelled breasts; weary old greybeards grew faint and
stumbled on the way and died without the last consolation of old age,
without seeing around them their offspring whose souls were bound up
with their own; tender infants were deserted without anyone to take
pity on them, and the clamour went forth from one end of the earth to
the other, “Where is my father?” “Where is my child?”
This tragedy was not included among the necessary tragedies of the war:
it was a Jewish tragedy. When Belgium was ruined, her Jews too were
ruined. Had the catastrophe to the Jews in Poland and Lithuania been of
such a kind it would have found a place in the general history and not
in the separate history of the Jews. When, however, bands of thousands
of Jewish fugitives came to Warsaw from the inland towns, in rags
and tatters, footsore, hungry and despairing, it was impossible to
regard them simply as victims of the war, because it was only the
Jews who came. They were not victims of the war, they were victims of
the _Galuth_, these thousands and tens of thousands of Jews who were
suddenly transplanted from the midst of their old homes in Lithuania.
When whole congregations, including inmates of their Homes for the Aged,
of their hospitals, and even of the asylums were evacuated, it was
impossible to believe that this was military tactics or a measure of
precaution, for it was only the Jewish congregations who were forcibly
and suddenly removed in this extraordinarily cruel manner. In many
places it happened that the expelled Jews before they left were able
to see with their own eyes other people entering and taking possession
of the shops which they had left behind them. There was no connection
between these sufferings and the events of the universal war. These
were incidents in the special campaign which had been waged against the
Jews before the war. For centuries the Jews had been living in these
places. Brest-Litovsk and Grodno were not only cities in which there
were fortresses for the Czar’s army and his _Tchinovniks_. They were
also centres of Jewish life, wherein the _Torah_ dwelt, cities of
the Jewish “Council of the Four Provinces,” cities which emanated
intellectual light over all the Diaspora, cities with institutions of
Jewish congregations, with _Yeshiboth_, with schools, with synagogues
and houses of learning, with old cemeteries, whose tombstones recorded
the happenings to Jews for many generations. All that was destroyed
and all the Jews who lived and thrived in them have been uprooted and
scattered, and that which they left behind them wiped out, and no one
knows if these towns will ever be rebuilt, and even if they are rebuilt
will the Jews and their communities, with their learning and their
traditions, ever be restored?
Accordingly there was but one cry, one intense and bitter cry, which
was heard from one end of the world of Jews to the other, a cry for
help. “Save all who can yet be saved.”
The Jewish people had realized that it was unwise to depend upon
governments or to rely on philanthropic effort in general. The needs
of the Jews were great and peculiar, so that only Jews themselves
could help their brethren. This help appeared to be necessary in two
directions: immediate pressing help and permanent prevention. Immediate
pressing assistance consisted in sending money, provisions and clothes
to save Jewish lives from hunger, disease and want, to help them to
find work and means of livelihood in the places to which they have
been driven, as well as in the places in which they have remained. But
at the same time, people began to realize more and more that the real
help for the Jews would be to rescue them from the unnatural conditions
which cause them to be the scapegoat for whatever punishment comes upon
the world. A people which dwells in its own land is also wont to be
smitten by the sword and the fortunes of war, but it is not accustomed
to complete destruction. When a nation has its own land and its own
soil beneath its feet, to which it is attached, all the winds of Heaven
cannot move it from its place, no weapon can permanently destroy it. A
whole nation cannot be driven by oppressors from its country, and even
though for generations the hand of the oppressor lie heavy upon it, the
day is sure to come in which its fetters fall away, and once again it
can breathe freely. Not so with a nation which floats in the air: it
cannot rise in time of trouble, for every passing wind carries it away
like chaff and makes it turn like the wheel of a windmill. Every page
of Jewish history teaches this lesson, and the present war has served
but to emphasize it. Therefore if we wish to prevent this evil and
to obviate such convulsions in the future, we must establish for the
remnant of this people a firm foundation and a safe shelter in the land
of their fathers. Thus once again the flame of war and the terrible
sufferings of our brethren have revealed the truth of the Zionist idea
in all its strength and clarity as being the only true solution of
the Jewish problem, that problem whose consequences are written in
the blood of myriads of our brethren.
History will relate that the present generation of Jews rose to the
height of its responsibility in comprehending both these duties equally.
Once again there was revealed the strength of the Jewish quality of
mercy. The Jews of Russia and Poland did their duty. With their young
ones and their elders they threw themselves into the work of relief: in
many places it was the Zionists who were the most ardent in this work.
The Zionist Organization had during the last generation become a school
of discipline and communal work, from which came forth initiators
and leaders. It is not our wish, however, to make in this respect
any distinction between Zionists and non-Zionists. Many who stood
far removed from the camp returned to their brethren: all sections of
Jews united: the icy cloak of indifferentism was melted, the divisions
between the observant and the Liberals were obliterated. The shadow of
sectarian faction disappeared, and on the scene appeared one people.
History will relate that American Jewry, that vigorous young branch
of the Jewish tree, made a mighty superhuman effort and performed
wonders surpassing the imagination. It was not charity, but greatness.
Voluntary effort went as far as self-imposed taxation. The history of
Jewish unity has never had a chapter more beautiful, more sublime, more
uplifting. America was not alone――a similar spirit rested upon the Jews
of every country, and not only with regard to relief work, but also in
the more permanent work of prevention, which was Jewry’s second duty.
The second duty was to watch over and safeguard the Jewish colonies in
Palestine, the colonies from which will spring the National Home. It
was necessary to provide the Palestinian Jews with food, and to support
the colonization――this small heritage of ours, this child of our sorrow,
conceived in anguish and in holiness. The difficulties were enormous.
Palestine was cut off from the whole world, by the sea on the West and
the desert on the East, without a government able or willing to help;
the New colonization is a young plant needing tender care――the Old
communities are poor and helpless. If in such circumstances Palestinian
Jewry was not entirely wiped out, we must thank the Jewish nationalist
heart, which was awakened in our brethren in every country, and
especially in America.
THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
The downfall of the Czardom in Russia was undoubtedly one of the
greatest events in the world’s history. Russia entered into a period
of revolution which seemed to bring with it all the blessings of right
and liberty. The restrictions affecting nationalities and creeds were
removed. But far from destroying Zionism, the new liberty gave it an
immense stimulus.
In Moscow a Zionist District Committee was formed, comprising many
Provinces: Astrakhan, Vladimir, Vologda, Voronesh, Kazan, Kaluga,
Kostrooma, Kursk, Moscow, Nijni-Novgorod, Simbirsk, Smolensk, Tambov,
Tula, Ufa, Jaroslav, and the Don District.
At Odessa, a Zionist demonstration took place. Entire battalions of
Zionist soldiers bore through the town blue and white banners, with
the motto:――
“Liberty in Russia, Land and Liberty in Palestine.”
A hundred and fifty thousand men followed these banners, to which the
Military Governor of Odessa insisted on showing honour publicly.
Zionist meetings were also held at Minsk, Saratov, Juriev, Kharkov,
Nijni-Novgorod, Ekaterinburg, Homel, Proskurov, Baku Dubrovno, Riazan,
Ekaterinoslav, Moscow, etc.
At Kieff, when the procession approached the Town Hall, the Zionist
flag was hoisted on the balcony, where the “_Hatikvah_” was played by
the municipal orchestra.
At Berdicheff fifteen thousand Jews marched through the principal
streets carrying Zionist banners. The Municipality, the Administration
Executive of the town, and the chiefs of Ukraine National Organizations,
greeted the Zionist demonstrators.
In Turkestan and Bokhara the Zionist movement made remarkable progress.
The entire _Sephardi_ element has adhered to the movement. The
_Ashkenazim_ and _Sephardim_ worked together peacefully at the great
Zionist Conference held at Samarcand. A meeting of five thousand
Jews was held there, and a resolution adopted in favour of a Jewish
Palestine.
In Moscow, in the Great Hall, a Jewish Mass Meeting took place. Dr.
E. W. Tschlenow was elected president. The following resolution was
adopted:――
“The Jewish Mass Meeting in Moscow salutes freedom with great
joy. We are firmly convinced that the Constituent Assembly,
which is to be elected by universal suffrage, will establish
in Russia a thoroughly democratic administration, and that
not only civil rights, but also national rights, national
autonomy, and a free national evolution, will be secured to
the Jewish as well as to all other peoples of Russia. The
Meeting resolves to convoke a general Jewish Congress in
Russia.”
The Conference at Petrograd on May 24th, 1917, received official
recognition. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, M. Teretschenko, wished
the Conference success in its deliberations.
Dr. Tschlenow delivered an Address, in the course of which he said,
among other things:――
“We beg the Provisional Government to believe that it may fully depend
upon our forces and our support in its heroic efforts directed toward
the strengthening of the freedom and greatness of Russia.
“What is necessary, and what we strive for, is to create a national
territorial centre for our scattered people. The construction of that
centre is already begun, and it will continue. The centre will
gradually be filled by the forces and means of the Diaspora.
“Who of you has not keenly followed for the last year and a half
the life of the youngest branch of the Jewish people: the American?
Hundreds of thousands of working men are unified in their demand for
national rights in the Diaspora and an autonomous centre in Palestine.
The New York _Kehillah_, representing a million and a quarter Jews,
comes forward with the same slogan. Finally, the powerful Congress
movement, embracing the entire three million Jewry, is to close the
coming autumn with most important decisions. Weigh all the facts, and
you will agree that the harmony of which we dream is already coming to
pass. With hope and with love we follow the work of our Trans-oceanic
champions, and send to them our brotherly greetings.
“But what could not have been prophesied and what fills our hearts with
untold joy and pride, is the attitude towards our ideal on the part of
the broad stratas of Jewry, which has revealed itself since the time of
the Great Revolution.
“From all corners of our great Russia come to us, together with cheers
of joy over the emancipation, assurances of unshattered faith in
the eternal ideal――the renaissance of our native Palestine. Old and
young, rich and poor, from the front and from the rear, orthodox and
free-thinkers, declare in one voice: ‘Now, even now, freed from the
chains of slavery, shall we be able zealously and gladly to give
ourselves to the service of our ideals?’
“I cannot refrain here from underscoring, with the feeling of deepest
recognition, the invaluable services which the Government of the
United States has so nobly and warmly shown to our pioneers. The noble
President of the United States has acted from motives of humanity and
brotherly relation of peoples, but at the same time, also, from deep
sympathy in our regeneration. The noble impulses of America have found
a worthy instrument in the person of the former Ambassador Morgenthau,
that faithful son of the Jewish people, whose services in these hard
years Jewry will not forget.
“But all this time, while working and building, we have not lost
sight of the basic point inscribed upon our banner――the public, legal
character of the hearth which we are creating. We are convinced that
the moment has come for reiterating our programme.
“We deem it necessary that the nations called upon to establish
the standard of the future national political life should reckon
with the definitely expressed will of the Jewish people, to populate
and regenerate Palestine as its national hearth. We deem it further
necessary that all obstacles should be removed from our path, and
that guarantees and conditions should be created which will ensure
the unobstructed and speedy development of our work in the land.”
The Conference was attended by five hundred and fifty-two delegates
from six hundred and forty towns. There were delegates from Turkestan,
Bokhara, and the Crimea. In addition, there were present five hundred
visitors from provincial towns and over one thousand one hundred
visitors from Petrograd.
A unique historic document was placed before the Convention when the
Chairman read the full text of the Military Order of the Day, issued
and signed by General Alexeieff, Commander-in-Chief of the Western
Front, permitting the Jewish soldiers to elect from their number
delegates to the Convention, and furnishing passes and transportation
to the delegates to facilitate their presence at the gathering.
The spokesman of the soldier-delegates read the following resolution,
which had been adopted by his colleagues:――
“We――Jewish soldier-delegates from the Army――who participate
in this Convention, avow to the Convention, and to the Jewish
people:
“Hundreds and thousands of Jews are in battle in the Russian
Army. In a time of outlawry and terrible persecution, under
the burden of false accusations, the Jewish soldiers fulfilled
their full military duty. In the ocean of blood poured out by
the heroic Russian Army, there is no little of Jewish blood.
“Now, having become free citizens of Russia, and fully
privileged members of the Army, the Jewish soldiers will
continue their efforts in a new spirit of enthusiasm.
Believing that the strengthening of the revolution, and the
strengthening of the peoples in Russia can be accomplished
only through the union of all the peoples and by a strong
discipline in the free army, the Jewish soldiers declare
triumphantly that they are prepared to follow the call of the
revolutionary democracy to defend Russia against her enemies.
“We believe that the Russian democracy, which has assumed the
task of freeing all the peoples of the world, will understand
the strivings of our people, and will support Jewry in its
efforts to create a national centre for the Jewish people, on
its historic soil, Palestine.”
The Conference carried the following resolutions:――
“Considering first that the Jewish people, in view of its
disposition and dispersion all over the world, can recreate
for itself conditions for the normal development of its
national, cultural, and economic life, only through the
restoration of a national autonomous centre in its historic
home, Palestine,
“Secondly, that the Jewish nation has never severed its ties
with its ancient home, and has always longed for it, and that
its moral and historic right to Palestine is incontestable and
irremovable,
“Thirdly, that the aspirations of the Jewish nation, so
manifested, fully coincide with the great principle of
self-definition, of freedom and independence for the
development of all nations proclaimed by the democracies
and governments of all countries:
“The Zionist Conference in Russia unanimously expresses its
firm belief that when establishing the basis of the future
national and political life, the nations will recognize and
count with the clearly-stated will of the Jewish nation for
the resettlement and rebirth of Palestine as its national
centre, and will consequently create conditions guaranteeing
the free and successful development of the concentrated Jewish
forces and of the restoration of Palestine.
“To ensure the concrete and full manifestation of the will
of the Jewish nation, the Conference considers it necessary
first to organize among the Jews a referendum on the question;
secondly, to lay before the All-Russian Jewish Congress the
question of Jewish claims in Palestine; and thirdly, to claim
the admission of a representative of the Jewish nation at
the future peace conference, to be held upon the closing of
hostilities, for the expression of the wishes of the Jewish
nation, and for the defence of its historic and national
rights and interests.”
The same spirit was revealed also by the Jews of Poland. In May,
1917, a Zionist Conference was held in Warsaw, attended by nearly four
hundred delegates representing a large number of committees, synagogues,
societies and groups consisting of all classes of the Jewish population.
A sort of plebiscite was arranged among the Jews of Poland, with a view
to ascertaining their attitude towards Zionism. The plebiscite resulted
in the acceptance of a resolution in favour of Zionism.
All these and many other facts prove that the Zionist idea has made
great progress among the Jewish masses. But under the new circumstances
Zionism required more than the usual propaganda: it required work,
political work.
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES IN ENGLAND AND THE ALLIED COUNTRIES
The introduction into this book of a comprehensive account of the
various _démarches_ on behalf of the Zionist cause recently undertaken
in English political circles, and also in allied countries, is rendered
difficult by the following considerations. In the first place, the
publication of pourparlers which have taken place, and of schemes
which have been, or are to be, submitted, is impossible, because they
are still in progress, and their final issue is dependent on further
developments. In the second place, the author feels great embarrassment,
being compelled to break the rule hitherto observed of avoiding any
reference to his own share in the work of the movement. In this section,
however, he has participated so directly in the _démarches_ referred to
that it was quite impossible to speak of them at all without referring
occasionally to his share in the political activities.
A glance, however, at recent political efforts appeared indispensable,
in order to bring the history of Zionism up to date. But there is no
claim that the following account is more than an outline of the most
important events. With these provisos we pass to the facts themselves.
It was at once clear that England was destined to play a most important
part in Zionist politics. London from the beginning was the financial
centre of the Zionist Organization and the Mecca of political Zionism.
Even at the time of the _Chovevé Zion_ Movement England was regarded,
as it were, as the country that stands between the “_Galuth_” and
“Salvation.” When the idea of Palestine had begun to be popularized
among the Jews of Russia and Poland――long before the name “Zionism”
had become current――Disraeli’s _Tancred_ and George Eliot’s _Daniel
Deronda_ were translated into _Hebrew_. The name of Sir Moses
Montefiore was in the mouth of all Jews in Eastern Europe, and his
journeys to Palestine, in connection with his great plans, had long
since grown legendary. English Jews were valued because of this famous
individual; they were considered simply as national Jews, whether they
really were so or not. From a distance the observer did not recognize
the mediocrity, the parochialism and dissensions; he saw the summits
only, and they appeared splendid. A man like Albert Goldsmid, who was
an English colonel and also a national Jew, appeared to be a type such
as could hardly be found in any other country. That was rich material
for the Jewish imagination, which fed upon it and made it much greater
than the truth. It was, however, not imagination, pure and simple; a
sound political instinct was also at work here. The Jewish _Ghetto_
had for long prophesied that it is England’s destiny to decide
the fate of Palestine, and however much one may smile at the
speculations of _Ghetto_ politicians, these had, nevertheless, in
their quick-wittedness understood much that is sometimes hidden from
professional politicians. Moreover, this was not the politics of
the _Ghetto_ only. Herzl did not know the _Ghetto_, and received no
information from it; notwithstanding this, all roads led him to London.
It was in London that he for the first time in his life publicly took
part in Jewish life. At a later period again, the offer of a territory
in East Africa was made by the English Government; the El-Arish
Expedition was organized by England. Zionist finance was English, and
English was the Zionist political outlook.
In the pre-war period the Zionist Organization had everywhere sought
connections. True to its programme, desiring a charter from the Ottoman
Government, with the approval of the great Powers, it worked without
intrigue and adventure, honestly anxious to get this charter with
the approval of all nations. In this matter, England always took the
first place. Herzl and his followers had worked zealously in England.
This work was continued after Herzl’s death. The author also, in his
capacity as member of the Zionist Executive, visited this country
several times. The impressions gained here were always stimulating and
interesting, but the Zionist question was not prominent.
The question became prominent with the outbreak of the war. The thought
lay uppermost, that the work must be carried on here in England, that,
if possible, it must be concentrated here. If this thought was evident
to the Zionists of other countries, was it any wonder that it deeply
stirred the English Zionists? Thus it happened that this thought found
an excellent champion and representative in the person of Dr. Chaim
Weizmann. He took counsel with his colleagues in England, and together
with them began to consider the question of what was to be done in
England, in order to make the political problem of Zionism a problem
of the day. The idea that England was the most important centre, and
offered the most promising prospect of success, was neither new nor
the opinion of a single party; it had become rather the property of the
whole Zionist Organization. But it was now something entirely different
from what it used to be formerly. Formerly Zionism was an abstract idea;
in spite of all Herzl’s great achievements, the problem remained merely
a project. It is the political problem we are talking about, because
the intellectual and practical labour of Zionists for Palestine had
been a reality during the whole time of the _Chovevé Zion_ and the
Zionist movements. Now, however, political Zionism has also become a
reality. If the war has taught us anything at all it surely is this,
that nothing is more fatal than an attitude of indifference towards
problems of international politics. The practical and intellectual
members of the Zionist Organization, too, who used to look down upon
politics, have changed their attitude towards them. Formerly, they
may have been entirely or partially right――the intellectual were
undoubtedly right in proclaiming that the spiritual in Zionism must be
the soul of the whole movement, and the practical ones also were right
in establishing the early colonies, and it is only a pity that more
considerable progress was not made――but now all were agreed that, in
consideration of the new possibilities, the movement must come into
relation with the political forces, and the establishment of actual
relations constituted a great many-sided and responsible work, which
had to be carried out, at first in England, but also partly in other
countries of the _Entente_.
One of the most distinguished representatives of the Zionist idea in
this country is the Very Rev. Dr. Moses Gaster, the late _Haham_ of the
Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ congregations in England, who from early
youth occupied a respected and influential position, in the time of
_Chovevé Zion_ as well as in Zionism, and devoted himself also with
great zeal to the political question of Zionism. He also represented
the view that a wide field for political efforts lay open here, and he
freely gave his time and his eloquence in the service of the cause. In
this direction he was very active, especially in the earlier stages.
The Very Rev. Dr. Joseph Herman Hertz, Chief _Rabbi_ of the United
Congregations of the British Empire, has evinced a sympathy with the
Zionist Movement which at certain pregnant moments was equivalent to
declaring himself at one with Zionism. His affiliation with the Zionist
idea goes back to _Chovevé-Zion_ days, and subsequently he became
one of the founders of the “South African Zionist Federation.” The
Spiritual Leader of British Jewry has ever been a sincere friend of the
movement, and on various decisive occasions has championed the idea,
defending it, explaining it, and encouraging it. In the new development,
especially in the months preceding the “Declaration,” his help in
connection therewith has been of far-reaching and lasting importance.
The inspiring spirit and the driving force, he who most successfully
had made many distinguished non-Jewish personalities familiar with
Zionism and who championed with all his energy and enthusiasm a Zionist
political programme in England, was Dr. Chaim Weizmann. In the very
earliest months of the war he began to collect the threads for the
political work, to rouse the Zionist circles with which he was in touch,
to revive old connections in non-Jewish circles and to form new ones,
to prepare for negotiations――in a word, to open up the work that was
destined later on to become a properly-organized programme. Herein
he had the support of a group of enthusiastic and deeply sympathetic
Zionists, and was strengthened and stimulated in his initiative by them.
The first attempts to confer with the Government representatives about
Zionism were made: the impressions were satisfactory. One foresaw that
this contained the germs of promising possibilities. These impressions
led to the conclusion that mere discussions alone were not sufficient,
but rather that it was necessary to formulate plans. In order to
formulate plans and in order to obtain authority from the Zionist
Organization to submit these plans (for such appeared to be the
next step) it would be necessary to establish a centre in London,
and to obtain the necessary representative powers. It would also be
necessary to write more about Zionism: to publish books, to undertake
propagandist work――in another and more direct manner. The means
were also considered to win over the non-Zionist, perhaps even the
anti-Zionist, Jewish elements. All these aims were discussed, weighed,
and elaborated by a small circle. It was not the whole of English
Jewry, it was not even the then existing English Zionist Federation;
it was really a circle of a few Zionists, mostly intellectuals who
corresponded with Dr. Weizmann, and met and took counsel with him.
From that time forward the Zionist idea began to occupy the attention
of the English Press. The question became topical, the old English
traditions found new expression. Most people had no conception that
they were speaking in the spirit of old traditions――for few knew of
this remote chapter in ♦English history――but they did it unconsciously,
which makes their action perhaps even more valuable. Many a journalist
among the élite of the intellectuals not only gave assistance to the
cause of Zionism in the Press, but went a step further, and helped
vigorously in the political work. In connection with this matter the
name of the doyen of English journalism, Mr. C. P. Scott, Editor of
the _Manchester Guardian_, may be especially mentioned. Since the very
beginning Mr. C. P. Scott has given the whole problem a very careful
and sympathetic attention, and was an influential mediator between
Zionists and leaders of British politics. He and Dr. Weizmann had
conversations with some personalities, who strengthened them in their
hopes that the ground was favourable for Zionism. Other Zionist workers
in England also shared their view, and Dr. Gaster, too, in conjunction
with Dr. Weizmann, had some important conversations with English
leaders. The impressions which both had formed confirmed the hope that
Zionism has a great future in England.
♦ “Engish” replaced with “English”
We can by this time, without committing any indiscretion, take this
opportunity of mentioning one of the influential personalities who had
given great and never-to-be forgotten services in the cause of the
Zionist idea, that is the Rt. Hon. Herbert Samuel, late Home Secretary,
who unites in himself the brilliant qualities of an English statesman
with an enthusiastic attachment to Judaism, but had never yet taken an
active part in essentially Jewish affairs. His wonderful energy, his
distinguished talents and his patriotic zeal had for long been devoted
to the services of the country, and both in the Asquith ministry and in
Parliament he formed one of the most distinctive figures. Although he
directed his activities exclusively to questions of Home administration,
he turned his mind also from the commencement of the war to the great
political problems of foreign politics, and when the opportunity was
offered to become more acquainted with the Zionist idea, this idea
won his sympathy, and he championed it with the full force of his
convictions. It is sufficient to mention the words contained in his
speech at the Demonstration of December 2nd at the London Opera House:
“that he has stood for Zionism not only in the Cabinet, but also
outside it.” These were modest words. As a matter of fact, he has not
only stood for Zionism, but he has also done much to elucidate Zionist
questions. He merits truly a page of honour in the history of Zionism.
For the sake of historical accuracy, other distinguished persons must
be mentioned as well. We refer to some members of the famous House
of Rothschild. Volumes could be written concerning what Baron Edmond
_de_ Rothschild has done for colonization in Palestine. Far removed
from political activity and unwilling to play any official part in the
Zionist Organization, devoted with love and attachment to his country,
France, and at the same time inspired with the loftiest sentiments for
Judaism, this Nestor of true philanthropy cherishes a love for the idea
of regenerating Palestine that cannot be too highly valued. That he
has made this ideal one of the most beautiful traditions of his family
is shown by the fact that his son, James, has followed the example of
his father. This stimulating and instructive example could not fail to
influence the other branches of this great family also. The late Lord
Rothschild of London, who stood at the head of organized English Jewry,
was long regarded as an opponent of Zionism. But this opposition was
not a matter of principle, it was simply determined by circumstances:
the obstacles appeared to him insurmountable, and that was the only
reason for his opposition. In view of the different circumstances
caused by the war, he revised his former opinions, and shortly before
his death he began to take an interest in Zionism. Following this
lead, other members of this family also have taken up a favourable view
towards Zionism, and this view grew to a complete alliance with the
Zionist Organization on the part of the present Lord Rothschild.
In connection with this development, the very great services of Dr.
Weizmann in this same direction must be mentioned. Shortly before the
outbreak of war Dr. Weizmann had given much attention to the project of
founding a University in Jerusalem. This project, which met with great
approval, not only in Zionist circles but also elsewhere, brought him
into closer relations with the House of Rothschild, and this did much
to make the members of this family more closely acquainted with Zionism.
This was the position at the beginning of the war. The outlook was
promising, and a sound start had been made. But all this was waiting
for development, for deepening, for actualization. The English Zionist
Federation, being a local organization, could neither speak in the name
of the great masses of Zionists of the Entente countries nor could it
undertake the great political labour of propaganda organization. Thus
it happened that on the part of Dr. Weizmann, Dr. Gaster, and others,
the invitation was sent forth to the main organization to delegate two
of its representatives to London.
There was, however, still another matter which caused the coming of
the delegates of the general Zionist Organization in London to appear
necessary. Although the Organization remained uniform in its principles
and aims, an actual collaboration of Zionists throughout the world
in the pre-existing form had to be set aside for the time being. The
greatest numbers of Zionists live in Russia: there exist the persons
who are especially called to make Palestine their home, and there also
the majority of the most distinguished Jewish nationalists and the
leading spirits of a _Hebrew_ culture are most strongly represented.
The great Jewish community in America, which unites the intensity of
national consciousness of Russian Jews with the fresh spirit of liberty
of the New World, constitutes even more and more a reservoir, not
only of powerful material resources, but also of great organizing
motive-power, of influential initiative and endeavour, which are
doubtless destined to play a decisive part in the solution of the
Zionist problem. When, in addition to these facts, it is realized
that the great resources for the colonization of Palestine have been
contributed from Paris, by Baron Edmond _de_ Rothschild, where also
the headquarters of the Jewish Colonization Association are situated,
which has the disposal of the millions of the late Baron _de_ Hirsch,
and which, if the issues in Palestine are favourable, is destined
to develop its colonizing activities in this direction: when finally
the fact is remembered that London is the centre of all financial
institutions, then it will be easily understood that the whole
situation has brought England to a place of first importance in the
matter of Zionist activities, that it seemed a logical necessity that
certain representatives of the Organization had to move their residence
and their work hither, so as not only to maintain what already existed,
but also to prepare systematically the conditions for the new and rich
possibilities, together with the distinguished personal factors already
at work here.
In conclusion, one more circumstance must be mentioned, the importance
of which is also not to be under-rated. Though for a long time the
Zionist Organization had endeavoured to make Zionism the cause of the
entire Jewish people, the consciousness of the need for unity grew
as the war progressed. It was very desirable that those Jews who did
not consider themselves organized Zionists, should co-operate in the
realization of many practical plans. All the peoples involved in the
war had managed to create among their parties a so-called “_Union
Sacrée_,” and to form a united front. Why should this be impossible to
the Jews?
Soon after the outbreak of the war, the Zionist leaders in England had
attempted to come to an understanding with those indifferent to their
cause and with the so-called anti-Zionists, in order to render possible,
without renouncing the principles of Zionism, collaboration in working
out a practical scheme in Palestine.
All these motives led the leaders of English Zionism to request the
general organization to delegate here two of their representatives
――namely, Dr. Tschlenow of Moscow and the author, for the purpose
of assisting in the important work to be done in this country. They
arrived in London shortly before the end of the year 1914.
Space does not allow us to describe the work of these three years in
detail; we must therefore confine our attention to the chief features.
In the course of the first few months the work consisted in a searching
test of the attempts in hand: this test yielded a perfect agreement and
a verification of all reports made. In the early months of 1915 there
were new conferences with many leading personalities, with favourable
results. In March, 1915, Dr. Tschlenow, Dr. Weizmann, and the author
went to Paris, after Dr. Weizmann had previously visited Paris
again and again on Zionist business. Attention was then confined to
Jewish circles, and so far as non-Jewish circles were concerned a
certain general enquiry appeared to be necessary. At the same time,
attempts were made through conferences with a group of leading Jewish
personalities in London who stood aloof from Zionism, to bring about
an understanding. The Zionist delegation which was in charge of
these negotiations and this correspondence was composed of Dr. E. W.
Tschlenow, Dr. Moses Gaster, Mr. Joseph Cowen, Mr. Herbert Bentwich,
and the author. As an understanding just then appeared impossible,
the negotiations were postponed until further notice. Dr. Tschlenow
shortly afterwards left England, after a stay of five to six months,
and returned to Russia. At the meeting of the Zionist Committee in
Copenhagen and at the Zionist meetings that took place in Russia, Dr.
Tschlenow was able to report that the political efforts in England
had filled him with the best hopes. The Author remained in England and
devoted himself, in addition to propaganda, to the political task in
which Weizmann’s unwearied efforts became more and more important. The
period 1915‒1916 was more one of preparation than one of execution:
Zionism had to be strengthened from within, the societies in London and
the Provinces had to be maintained, new societies had to be created,
pamphlets and books had to be written and published; externally, the
work consisted in finding new sympathisers, and in an enlightening
propaganda wherever a proper opportunity offered itself. The
correspondence with the Zionist leaders and organizations in Russia
and America became more active and the relations ever closer. In London
a number of talented young Zionist writers and workers had grouped
themselves round the leaders; many books and many pamphlets which were
published during this period had won great popularity for the Zionist
writers and publicists who had already proved their worthiness,
such as Major Norman Bentwich, who subsequently became the first
Procureur-General of Palestine under the British occupation, and Messrs.
Paul Goodman, Albert M. Hyamson, Samuel Landman, Harry Sacher, Leon
Simon; new personalities joined them, as, for instance, Semmi Tolkowsky
and others. The temporary stay in London of many prominent Zionists of
Russia and Palestine, such as Boris Goldberg of Wilna, and recently the
agriculturist, Jacob Ettinger, and the manager of the Anglo-Palestine
Company, David Levontin, who both came over from Palestine, and the
great intellectual influence exercised by _Achad Haam_, who freely gave
his invaluable advice in every important question――all these have done
very much to make London the real centre of Zionist work.
Towards the end of the year 1916 several months were spent in drafting
outlines and projects for the purpose of drawing up a Zionist programme
which should be as clear as possible and correspond with the present
conditions, in which efforts Dr. Weizmann and the author were supported
by a number of notable colleagues. Already in 1915 the work had
commenced on the projects and memoranda, the drafting of which received
many contributions from several members; and the work was continued
from that time onwards. A committee, consisting of Dr. Gaster, Dr.
Weizmann, Mr. Herbert Bentwich, Mr. Joseph Cowen, and the author, had
towards the end of 1916 outlined a preliminary sketch of a programme
which was afterwards discussed in a further committee. This programme
was intended to serve as a foundation for the official representations
which were then in view. At the same time, Dr. Weizmann was constantly
occupied independently in preparing the ground for the coming official
proposals, by conferences and propaganda; this he was able to do,
thanks mostly to his personal connections, though he always acted in
conjunction with the author.
The 7th of February, 1917, constitutes a turning-point in the history.
Shortly before this date Lieut.-Colonel Sir Mark Sykes, Bart., M.P.,
had communicated with Dr. Weizmann and the author on the question
of the treatment of the Zionist problem. Sir Mark Sykes, who is a
distinguished authority on oriental matters and who had earlier given
attention to the Arab question, was entrusted with the study of the
Zionist problem. In conjunction with a representative of the French
Government, M. Georges Picot, he had devoted great attention to the
question, and both had had first conversations with Dr. Moses Gaster.
At the commencement of the year 1917 Sir Mark Sykes entered into closer
relations with Dr. Weizmann and the author, and the discussions held
with the latter led to the meeting of February 7th, 1917, which marks
the commencement of official negotiations. Besides Sir Mark Sykes,
the following took part in this meeting: Lord Rothschild, Mr. Herbert
Bentwich, Mr. Joseph Cowen, Dr. M. Gaster (at whose house the meeting
took place), Mr. James _de_ Rothschild, Mr. Harry Sacher, Right
Hon. Herbert Samuel, M.P., Dr. Chaim Weizmann, and the author. The
deliberations yielded a favourable result, and it was resolved to
continue the work. For further regular consultations with Sir Mark
Sykes and M. Georges Picot, the author was chosen. Discussions
on questions connected with the Zionist programme took place. In
consequence of these negotiations and of the great importance of the
Zionist question to all the Governments of the Entente Powers, the
author was called to Paris in March, 1917, by the French Government.
On the 22nd of March he was received at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
in Paris, where he outlined the principles of the Zionist programme.
He received the assurance that the French Government regarded the
programme very favourably, and was authorized to inform the Zionist
Organizations of Russia and America of this result by telegraph.
After a stay of one month in Paris, during which the author got into
touch with the leading Jewish circles, he went to Rome, where he
devoted himself to the same task. The conferences which he had with the
leading Italian Jews led to the happy result that the programme laid
before them by the author was accepted. With regard to the question of
the Holy Places, it was considered advisable to enter into negotiations
with the Vatican. The Author had conferences with the Cardinals
(especially with Cardinal Gasparri), and on the 10th of May he was
received in an audience by the Pope. These conferences led to a most
satisfactory attitude on the part of the Vatican towards Zionism.
Between the 12th and the 18th of May, the author, together with the
President of the Jewish Community in Rome, Commendatore Sereni, was
received several times at the Italian Consultà, and by the then Prime
Minister Boselli, and he was assured that the Italian Government, in
conjunction with the Allied Powers, would support the Zionist programme.
He was authorized, just as in Paris, to telegraph this result to the
Russian and American Zionist organizations.
Having returned to Paris, the author was received on May 28th by the
then Prime Minister Ribot, and after that remained another month,
during which various negotiations were conducted. He then received a
document addressed to him, a statement from the French Government, the
text of which, translated from the French original, runs as follows:――
“PARIS, _June 4, 1917_.
“SIR,
“You were good enough to present the project to which you
are devoting your efforts, which has for its object the
development of Jewish colonization in Palestine. You consider
that, circumstances permitting, and the independence of the
Holy Places being safeguarded on the other hand, it would be a
deed of justice and of reparation to assist, by the protection
of the Allied Powers, in the renaissance of the Jewish
nationality in that Land from which the people of _Israel_
were exiled so many centuries ago.
“The French Government, which entered this present war to
defend a people wrongfully attacked, and which continues the
struggle to assure the victory of right over might, can but
feel sympathy for your cause, the triumph of which is bound up
with that of the Allies.
“I am happy to give you herewith such assurance.
“Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my most distinguished
consideration.
“(_Signed_) JULES CAMBON.
“M. N. SOKOLOW,
_Hôtel Meurice, Paris_.”
From this statement it is clearly seen:――
(1) that hereby the question of Zionism is recognized as one
of those concerning small and persecuted nations;
(2) that the principle of the recognition of Jewish
nationality and its historical right to Palestine is here
accepted; and
(3) that the French Government is prepared to support this
movement.
In the meantime, the Zionists in England――and especially their
political leader, Dr. Weizmann――had continued the work with great zeal
in this country. After his return, the author again took a share in
this work. The great development which the political and propagandist
work had in the interval made in England, led to the establishment of
a larger consultative committee and to the opening of new offices,¹ and
a year earlier Dr. Weizmann had been elected President of the English
Zionist Federation, and this did much to bring new life into the
Federation. Two periodicals were founded, the monthly _Zionist Review_,
in London, and the weekly _Palestine_, published by the British
Palestine Committee, Manchester, and Zionism reached a popularity such
as it never previously had in this country.
¹ Zionist Organization, London Bureau, Empire House, 175
Piccadilly, W.
CONFERENCE OF ENGLISH ZIONIST FEDERATION IN 1917
A Special Conference of Delegates from the Constituent Societies was
held in London on the 20th of May, 1917, with the President, Dr. Chaim
Weizmann, in the chair. The Conference was called partly in consequence
of the disturbing news that had been received from Palestine and
partly in order that a communication on the political situation, as it
affected the Jewish National Movement, might be made to the societies
through their delegates. The Conference occupied the whole of the day
and was very largely attended. It was opened by the Chairman with an
address, in which he reviewed the situation. He said:――
“Grave and great events have taken place since we met last――events
which will affect deeply the fate of Jewry all over the world. The
first event of colossal magnitude was the Russian Revolution. By a
miracle, in one night the chains and fetters which have enslaved a
great nation of 150 to 160 millions for centuries have been broken, and
a free Russia has emerged. It has become almost a current phrase in the
Press that it was a ‘bloodless’ revolution, but those who know Russia,
those who have lived in Russia, know very well that although the last
act of the drama was comparatively bloodless, much blood has been
poured out during many years, and it was this outpouring of blood
which has prepared the dramatic developments which we witnessed two
months ago. And we Jews know that in this stream of blood there was a
considerable fraction――a very considerable fraction――of Jewish blood.
It was common knowledge in the years 1905 and 1906 that there was not a
single Jewish family in Russia which had not paid the toll in the form
of a son or a daughter or a relative to the Moloch of Russian Tsardom.
All those Jews who have bought so dearly freedom for themselves and
for the rest of Jewry, will go down in history as heroes, as saints,
and our hearty congratulations and wishes go out to all those who have
fought for the Russian Revolution, and to those who are going to carry
on the work under the new régime. It is clear that an event like this
cannot pass without convulsions. It is marvellous that things should
go in Russia as they do now, but it is equally clear that the fate of
Jewry, the fate of the Zionist Movement, largely depends upon stable
conditions in that part of the world, and it will be, I am sure, an
honourable task for the Zionist Organization all over the world, and
especially for our friends in Russia, to contribute as much as it is
in their power to the stabilization of conditions in Russia. Some of
us――some of our friends even, and especially some of our opponents――are
very quick in drawing conclusions as to what will happen to the Zionist
Movement after the Russian Revolution. Now, they say, the greatest
stimulus for the Zionist Movement has been removed. Russian Jewry
is free. They do not need any places of refuge somewhere outside
Russia――somewhere in Palestine. Nothing can be more superficial, and
nothing can be more wrong, than that. We have never built our Zionist
Movement on the sufferings of our people in Russia or elsewhere. Those
sufferings were never the cause of Zionism. The fundamental cause
of Zionism was, and is, the ineradicable national striving of Jewry
to have a home of its own――a national centre, a national home with a
national Jewish life. And this remains now stronger than ever. A strong
and free Russian Jewry will appreciate more than ever the strivings of
the Zionist Organization. And truly we see it even now. Russian Jewry
is formulating its national demands in a proud, open, free way, which
may well serve as an example and an encouragement to the free Western
communities of Jewry. You have all read of meetings which have taken
place all over Russia――of a meeting which took place only recently
in Moscow, and was attended by seven thousand Jews. Many Western Jews
could learn from these meetings how a free and proud Jew ought to speak.
We therefore look forward with confidence to the future of Zionism in
Russia.
“Now what are our hopes? How do we think they will be realized? Of
course, I do not propose to prophesy in this assembly, but I shall try
to outline, as much as it is possible to do so, what are our plans, and
how we think we shall be able to carry them out. And before I do so let
me do away with one or two what I may perhaps call misunderstandings,
or what may be called wrong phrases. One reads constantly in the Press
and one hears from our friends, both Jewish and non-Jewish, that it is
the endeavour of the Zionist Movement immediately to create a Jewish
State in Palestine. Our American friends went further than that, and
they have even determined the form of this State, by advocating a
Jewish Republic. While heartily welcoming all these demonstrations as
a genuine manifestation of the Jewish national will, we cannot consider
them as safe statesmanship. Strong as the Zionist Movement may be,
full of enthusiasm as the Zionists may be, at the present time, it
must be obvious to everybody who stands in the midst of the work of the
Zionist Organization, and it must be admitted honestly and truly, that
the conditions are not yet ripe for the setting up of a State _ad hoc_.
States must be built up slowly, gradually, systematically and patiently.
We, therefore, say that while a creation of a Jewish Commonwealth in
Palestine is our final ideal――an ideal for which the whole of the
Zionist Organization is working――the way to achieve it lies through
a series of intermediary stages. And one of those intermediary stages
which I hope is going to come about as a result of this war, is that
the fair country of Palestine will be protected by such a mighty and
a just Power as Great Britain. Under the wing of this Power Jews will
be able to develop, and to set up the administrative machinery which,
while not interfering with the legitimate interests of the non-Jewish
population, would enable us to carry out the Zionist scheme. I am
entitled to state in this assembly that His Majesty’s Government is
ready to support our plans.
“I would further like to add that the support of the British Government,
when given, will be in conjunction and agreement with the Allied Powers.
Our friend, chief, and leader, Mr. Sokolow, who, owing to important
Zionist duties, is prevented from attending this meeting, has been both
in France and in Italy, and from both these Governments he has received
assurances of full sympathy and full support. One of the important
problems to be considered in connection with the future settlement of
Palestine is the delicate question of the Holy Places. I need hardly
say, in this Jewish assembly, that we Jews will be meticulously and
scrupulously careful to respect the sentiments of any religious group
or sect in Palestine. It is not for us to discuss how this complicated
question, which forms an important point in international relations,
is going to be settled. We trust to the fairness and justice of
the nations which are going to build up a better world after this
catastrophe, that they will see to it that the arrangements made are
fair and satisfactory to everyone. We have assurances from the highest
Catholic circles that they will view with favour the establishment of
a Jewish national home in Palestine, and from their religious point of
view they see no objection to it, and no reason why we should not be
good neighbours. And good neighbours I hope we shall be.
“Let us now turn our attention for a few minutes to the internal
situation. Confident as we are of our final success, we cannot help
feeling some disappointment at the fact that the whole of Jewry does
not stand united at this present critical moment. Ladies and Gentlemen,
it is not only a matter of regret, but it is a matter of deep
humiliation to every Jew that we cannot stand united in this great hour.
But it is not the fault of the Zionist Organization. It is, perhaps,
not the fault of our opponents. It must be attributed to the conditions
of our life in the Dispersion, which has caused in Jewry a cleavage
difficult to bridge over even at a time like this. It is unfortunate
that there still exists a small minority which disputes the very
existence of the Jews as a nation. But there need be no misgivings on
that account; for I have no hesitation in saying that if it comes to a
plebiscite and a test, there can be no doubt on which side the majority
of Jews will be found. And, ladies and gentlemen, I warn you that this
test is bound to come――and come sooner, perhaps, than we think. You
will have to show, and in this solemn hour I call upon you to prepare
for it, that with all your heart and mind you stand united behind those
leaders whom you have chosen to carry out, at this critical hour of
the world’s history, this work. We do not want to give the world the
spectacle of a war of brothers. We are surrounded by too many enemies
to give ourselves this luxury. But we warn those who will force an
open breach that they will find us prepared to stand up united in the
defence of the cause which is sacred to us. We shall not allow anybody
to interfere with the hard work that we are doing, and we say to all
our opponents, ‘Hands off the Zionist Movement!’”
The statement was received with repeated applause, and aroused great
enthusiasm among the delegates, both immediately after its delivery and
also in the course of the discussion which ensued.
ZIONISM AND PUBLIC OPINION IN ENGLAND
All these signs of Zionist activity naturally could not avoid creating
a certain opposition. The attempts to bring about agreement, made
at the beginning of 1915, had led to nothing, and the Zionists, from
their point of view, could not have thought ill of their opponents,
if they had limited themselves to a discussion within Jewish circles.
But the opposition went so far as to publish a document which reads as
follows:――¹
¹ The Times, May 24, 1917.
“In view of the statements and discussions lately published in the
newspapers relative to a projected Jewish resettlement in Palestine
on a national basis, the Conjoint Foreign Committee of the Board of
Deputies of British Jews and the Anglo-Jewish Association deem it
necessary to place on record the views they hold on this important
question.
“The Holy Land has necessarily a profound and undying interest for
all Jews, as the cradle of their religion, the main theatre of Bible
history, and the site of its sacred memorials. It is not, however,
as a mere shrine or place of pilgrimage that they regard the country.
Since the dawn of their political emancipation in Europe, the Jews have
made the rehabilitation of the Jewish community in the Holy Land one
of their chief cares, and they have always cherished the hope that
the result of their labours would be the regeneration on Palestinian
soil of a Jewish community, worthy of the great memories of their
environment, and a source of spiritual inspiration to the whole of
Jewry. Accordingly, the Conjoint Committee have welcomed with deep
satisfaction the prospect of a rich fruition of this work, opened to
them by the victorious progress of the British Army in Palestine.
“Anxious that on this question all sections and parties in Jewry should
be united in a common effort, the committee intimated to the Zionist
organizations as far back as the winter of 1914 their readiness to
co-operate with them on the basis of the so-called ‘cultural’ policy
which had been adopted at the last two Zionist Congresses in 1911
and 1913. This policy aimed primarily at making Palestine a Jewish
spiritual centre by securing for the local Jews, and the colonists
who might join them, such conditions of life as would best enable them
to develop the Jewish genius on lines of its own. Larger political
questions, not directly affecting the main purpose, were left to be
solved as need and opportunity might render possible. Unfortunately, an
agreement on these lines has not proved practicable, and the conjoint
committee are consequently compelled to pursue their work alone. They
are doing so on the basis of a formula adopted by them in March, 1916,
in which they proposed to recommend to his Majesty’s Government the
formal recognition of the high historic interest Palestine possesses
for the Jewish community, and a public declaration that at the close
of the war ‘the Jewish population will be secured in the enjoyment of
civil and religious liberty, equal political rights with the rest of
the population, reasonable facilities for immigration and colonization,
and such municipal privileges in the towns and colonies inhabited by
them as may be shown to be necessary.’
“That is still the policy of the conjoint committee.
“Meanwhile, the committee have learnt from the published statements
of the Zionist leaders in this country that they now favour a much
larger scheme of an essentially political character. Two points in this
scheme appear to the committee to be open to grave objections on public
grounds.
“The first is a claim that the Jewish settlements in Palestine shall
be recognized as possessing a national character in a political sense.
Were this claim of purely local import, it might well be left to settle
itself in accordance with the general political exigencies of the
reorganization of the country under a new sovereign power. The conjoint
committee, indeed, would have no objections to urge against a local
Jewish nationality establishing itself under such conditions. But the
present claim is not of this limited scope. It is part and parcel of a
wider Zionist theory, which regards all the Jewish communities of the
world as constituting one homeless nationality, incapable of complete
social and political identification with the nations among whom they
dwell, and it is argued that for this homeless nationality a political
centre and an always available homeland in Palestine are necessary.
Against this theory the conjoint committee strongly and earnestly
protest. Emancipated Jews in this country regard themselves primarily
as a religious community, and they have always based their claims to
political equality with their fellow-citizens of other creeds on this
assumption and on its corollary――that they have no separate national
aspirations in a political sense. They hold Judaism to be a religious
system, with which their political status has no concern, and they
maintain that, as citizens of the countries in which they live, they
are fully and sincerely identified with the national spirit and
interests of those countries. It follows that the establishment of
a Jewish nationality in Palestine, founded on this theory of Jewish
homelessness, must have the effect throughout the world of stamping
the Jews as strangers in their native lands, and of undermining their
hard-won position as citizens and nationals of those lands. Moreover,
a Jewish political nationality, carried to its logical conclusion,
must, in the present circumstances of the world, be an anachronism.
The Jewish religion being the only certain test of a Jew, a Jewish
nationality must be founded on, and limited by, the religion. It
cannot be supposed for a moment that any section of Jews would aim at a
commonwealth governed by religious tests, and limited in the matter of
freedom of conscience; but can a religious nationality express itself
politically in any other way? The only alternative would be a secular
Jewish nationality, recruited on some loose and obscure principle of
race and ethnographic peculiarity; but this would not be Jewish in any
spiritual sense, and its establishment in Palestine would be a denial
of all the ideals and hopes by which the revival of Jewish life in that
country commends itself to the Jewish consciousness and Jewish sympathy.
On these grounds the conjoint committee deprecate most earnestly the
national proposals of the Zionists.
“The second point in the Zionist programme which has aroused the
misgivings of the conjoint committee is the proposal to invest the
Jewish settlers in Palestine with certain special rights in excess
of those enjoyed by the rest of the population, these rights to
be embodied in a Charter and administered by a Jewish Chartered
Company. Whether it is desirable or not to confide any portion of
the administration of Palestine to a Chartered Company need not be
discussed, but it is certainly very undesirable that Jews should
solicit or accept such a concession, on a basis of political privileges
and economic preferences. Any such action would prove a veritable
calamity for the whole Jewish people. In all the countries in which
they live the principle of equal rights for all religious denominations
is vital for them. Were they to set an example in Palestine of
disregarding this principle they would convict themselves of having
appealed to it for purely selfish motives. In the countries in which
they are still struggling for equal rights they would find themselves
hopelessly compromised, while in other countries, where those rights
have been secured, they would have great difficulty in defending them.
The proposal is the more inadmissible because the Jews are, and will
probably long remain, a minority of the population of Palestine,
and because it might involve them in the bitterest feuds with their
neighbours of other races and religions, which would seriously retard
their progress, and would find deplorable echoes throughout the Orient.
Nor is the scheme necessary for the Zionists themselves. If the Jews
prevail in a competition based on perfect equality of rights and
opportunity they will establish their eventual preponderance in the
land on a far sounder foundation than any that can be secured by
privileges and monopolies.
“If the conjoint committee can be satisfied with regard to these
points they will be prepared to co-operate in securing for the Zionist
organization the united support of Jewry.
“(Signed) DAVID L. ALEXANDER,
_President, Board of Deputies of British Jews_.
“(Signed) CLAUDE G. MONTEFIORE,
_President, Anglo-Jewish Association_.
“LONDON, _May 17, 1917_.”
On the day after the appearance of this Manifesto, _The Times_
received more letters than it could make room to print from Jewish
correspondents, “taking strong exception” to the statement of the
Presidents. Mr. Elkan N. Adler at once resigned from the Conjoint
Committee, and described the publication of the Manifesto as
“inopportune, if not harmful, but he afterwards withdrew his
resignation.” Mr. B. A. Fersht and Mr. S. Gilbert also resigned.
Mr. Gilbert did not resign from the Conjoint Committee, of which he
was not a member. He resigned his membership of the Board of Deputies
in order that the prospective president, Sir Stuart Samuel, might be
elected in his place.
The Chief _Rabbi_, Dr. J. H. Hertz, wrote to _The Times_, expressing
the following opinion:――
“I do not propose to advance any arguments contesting the extraordinary
statement on Zionism and Palestine which you published on Thursday last,
signed by Mr. D. L. Alexander, K.C., and Mr. Claude G. Montefiore. But,
as Chief _Rabbi_ of the United _Hebrew_ Congregations of the British
Empire, I cannot allow your readers to remain under the misconception
that the said statement represents in the least the views held
either by Anglo-Jewry as a whole or by the Jewries of the Oversea
Dominions. Moreover, neither the Board of Deputies nor the Anglo-Jewish
Association――on whose behalf their presidents signed the document
in question――authorized its publication or had an opportunity of
considering its contents.
“It is, indeed, grievously painful to me to write this in your
influential columns. But I am impelled to do so in the interests of
truth, and in justice to the communities of which I have the honour
and privilege of being the spiritual head.”
Dr. M. Gaster, the _Haham_ of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews’
congregations in England, declared:――
“A settlement of the Jewish problem will, no doubt, form part of the
general settlement which is to secure to the world a permanent peace
resting on ‘national liberty and international amity,’ as Lord Robert
Cecil only yesterday declared in the House of Commons. The Jew also
wants a permanent peace resting on the same foundations, and he can
only find it by the realization of the Zionist programme, a national
autonomous life in the Holy Land, publicly recognized and legally
secured. It embraces, of course, the religious as well as political
and economic life, indissolubly united in the Jewish national
consciousness.”
Lord Rothschild replied to several of the objections to Zionism
advanced by the two Presidents in a letter which stated:――
“In your issue of the 24th inst. appears a long letter signed on
behalf of the Conjoint Committee by Messrs. Alexander and Montefiore
and entitled ‘The Future of the Jews.’ As a sincere believer both in
the justice and benefits likely to accrue from the Zionist cause and
aspirations, I trust you will allow me to reply to this letter. I
consider it most unfortunate that this controversy should be raised
at the present time, and the members of the Zionist organization are
the last people desirous of raising it. Our opponents, although a mere
fraction of the Jewish opinion of the world, seek to interfere in the
wishes and aspirations of by far the larger mass of the Jewish people.
We Zionists cannot see how the establishment of an autonomous Jewish
State under the ægis and protection of one of the Allied Powers can be
considered for a moment to be in any way subversive to the position or
loyalty of the very large part of the Jewish people who have identified
themselves thoroughly with the citizenship of the countries in which
they live. Our idea from the beginning has been to establish an
autonomous centre, both spiritual and ethical, for all those members
of the Jewish faith who felt drawn irresistibly to the ancient home of
their faith and nationality in Palestine.
“In the letter you have published, the question also is raised of a
chartered company. We Zionists have always felt that if Palestine is
to be colonized by the Jews some machinery must be set up to receive
the immigrants, settle them on the land, and to develop the land,
and to be generally a directing agency. I can only again emphasize
that we Zionists have no wish for privileges at the expense of other
nationalities, but only desire to be allowed to work out our destinies
side by side with other nationalities in an autonomous State under the
suzerainty of one of the Allied Powers.”
Dr. Weizmann replied to two statements made by the anti-Zionists in a
further letter which appeared in _The Times_:――
“I have no desire to ask for space in your columns to examine with
what justification these two gentlemen and the school they speak for
claim that they have always hoped and worked for a Jewish regeneration
in Palestine. But I am anxious to correct two statements which might
possibly generate serious misconception in the minds of those not well
informed as to Zionism and Zionist projects.
“1. It may possibly be inconvenient to certain individual Jews that
the Jews constitute a nationality. Whether the Jews do constitute a
nationality is, however, not a matter to be decided by the convenience
of this or that individual. It is strictly a question of fact. The fact
that the Jews are a nationality is attested by the conviction of the
overwhelming majority of Jews throughout all ages right to the present
time, a conviction which has always been shared by non-Jews in all
countries.
“2. The Zionists are not demanding in Palestine monopolies or exclusive
privileges, nor are they asking that any part of Palestine should be
administered by a chartered company to the detriment of others. It
always was and remains a cardinal principle of Zionism as a democratic
movement that all races and sects in Palestine should enjoy full
justice and liberty, and Zionists are confident that the new suzerain
whom they hope Palestine will acquire as a result of the war will, in
its administration of the country, be guided by the same principle.
“In conclusion I should like to express my regret that there should be
even two Jews who think it their duty to exert such influence as they
may command against the realization of a hope which has sustained the
Jewish nation through 2000 years of exile, persecution, and temptation.”
These letters of protest led to the publication of a leading article
entitled “The Future of the Jews” in _The Times_ of 29th May, which
showed that this paper is firmly convinced of the justice of the
Zionist cause. The article was of so much importance that it is quoted
in full:――
“The important controversy which has sprung up in our columns upon
the future of the Jews deserves careful and sympathetic attention.
The war has given prominence to many questions that seemed formerly
to be outside the range of practical politics. None of them is more
interesting than that of the bearing of Zionism――that is to say, of the
resettlement of a Jewish nationality in Palestine――upon the future of
the Jewish people. In the statement which we published last Thursday
from the Conjoint Committee of the Board of Deputies of British Jews
and the Anglo-Jewish Association exception was taken to Zionist plans
for the creation of a national Jewish community ‘in a political sense,’
and pointed arguments were directed against them. In the opinion of the
Committee, such plans are ‘part and parcel of a wider Zionist theory
which regards all the Jewish communities of the world as constituting
one homeless nationality, incapable of complete social and political
identification with the nations among whom they dwell.’ Against this
theory the Committee ‘strongly and earnestly protest,’ on grounds which,
in so far as they are set forth in the statement, are sufficiently
clear. The Committee claim that they are fully alive to the special
meaning of Palestine for the Jewish race. They are anxious that in
Palestine the civil and religious liberties of Jews should be secured.
But they affirm that ‘emancipated Jews’ in this country have no
‘separate national aspirations in a political sense.’ Such Jews regard
themselves ‘primarily as a religious community,’ and have always
‘based their claims to political equality with their fellow-citizens
of other creeds on this assumption.’ They fear lest the establishment
of a Jewish nationality in Palestine stamp the Jews as strangers in
their native lands and undermine ‘their hard-won position as citizens
and nationals of those lands.’ The Committee proceed to argue that
since ‘the Jewish religion’ is ‘the only certain test of a Jew, the
Jewish nationality must be founded on, and limited by religion. ’ It
follows, they believe, that a Jewish nationality would be obliged to
‘express itself politically’ by religious intolerance, and would thus
undermine the very principle which Jews have invoked to secure their
emancipation. The Committee further insist that the bestowal by Charter
of ‘certain special rights in excess of those enjoyed by the rest of
the population’ would be a questionable boon to a Jewish community
in Palestine, because in all the countries in which Jews live ‘the
principle of equal rights for all religious denominations’ is vital
to them.
“It seems to us that in attempting to define Jewish nationality in
terms of religion the Committee come dangerously near to begging the
question which they raise; and no question can be solved by begging
it. As Dr. Weizmann, the President of the English Zionist Federation,
observes in the letter which we published yesterday, it may possibly be
inconvenient to certain individual Jews that the Jews do constitute a
nationality. The question is one of fact, not of argument, and the fact
that the Jews are a nationality ‘is attested by the conviction of the
overwhelming majority of Jews throughout all ages.’ This conviction,
he rightly says, ‘has always been shared by non-Jews in all countries.’
But more immediately important than this discussion of a point which
cannot seriously be disputed is the denial by eminent and influential
Jewish leaders like Lord Rothschild and the Chief _Rabbi_ of the title
of the Conjoint Committee to speak for British Jewry, or, indeed, for
‘the larger mass of the Jewish people.’ Lord Rothschild writes: ‘We
Zionists cannot see how the establishment of an autonomous Jewish State,
under the ægis and protection of one of the Allied Powers, can be
considered for a moment to be in any way subversive of the position or
loyalty of the very large part of the Jewish people who have identified
themselves thoroughly with the citizenship of the countries in which
they live.’ The Chief _Rabbi_ insists that the statement of the
Conjoint Committee does not represent in the least the views held
‘either by Anglo-Jewry as a whole or by the Jewries of the Oversea
Dominions.’
“Authoritative declarations such as these dispose of the contention
that Zionism is not representative of Jewish aspirations. We believe it
in fact to embody the feelings of the great bulk of Jewry everywhere.
The interest of the world outside Jewry is that these aspirations,
in so far as they may be susceptible of realization, should be
fairly faced on their merits. It is too often imagined that the
Jewish question can be solved by the mere removal of all artificial
restrictions upon Jewish activities. Even a superficial acquaintance
with the conditions of life in the congested Jewish communities of
Galicia and Russia suggests the inadequacy of that solution. The
truth is that the Jewish question cannot be exhaustively defined
either in terms of religion or of race. It has important social,
economic, financial, and political sides. The importance of the Zionist
movement――apart from its territorial aspect――is that it has fired
with a new ideal millions of poverty-stricken Jews cooped up in the
_ghettoes_ of the Old World and the New. It has tended to make Jews
proud of their race and to claim recognition, as Jews, in virtue of
the eminent services rendered by Jewry to the religious development
and civilization of mankind. Only an imaginative nervousness suggests
that the realization of territorial Zionism, in some form, would cause
Christendom to round on the Jews and say, ‘Now you have a land of your
own, go to it!’ The Jews who feel themselves to be British, French, or
American would, doubtless, tend to identify themselves more than ever
with the lands of their political allegiance and to become more and
more a solely religious community. The rapid changes of nationality
that have been so noticeable among Jews in the past would become
increasingly discredited. The international solidarity of Jews
would undoubtedly persist――though, with a lessening of the danger of
religious persecution, the leading Jews of all countries might feel
freer to make a public stand against tendencies which sometimes bring
the Jewish name into disrepute. We note with satisfaction the assurance
of the Conjoint Committee that, if their specific misgivings can be
removed, ‘they will be prepared to co-operate in securing for Zionist
organizations the united support of Jewry.’ It is in this direction,
we believe, that progress lies.”
On the 1st of June _The Times_ contained a letter adding the names of
the Anglo-Jews who supported the view taken by the Conjoint Presidents.
The letter read as follows:――
“SIR,――As the representative character of the Jewish Conjoint Committee
has been publicly challenged, we, being Jews of British birth and
nationality, actively engaged in public work in the Anglo-Jewish
community, desire to state that we approve of, and associate ourselves
with, the statement on the Palestine question recently issued by the
committee, and published in _The Times_ of the 24th inst.
“Your obedient servants,
SWAYTHLING ISRAEL GOLLANCZ
CHAS. S. HENRY MICHAEL A. GREEN
MATTHEW NATHAN H. S. Q. HENRIQUES
LIONEL ABRAHAMS¹ JOSHUA M. LEVY
ISIDORE SPIELMANN LAURIE MAGNUS
EDWARD D. STERN EDMUND SEBAG-MONTEFIORE
ISRAEL ABRAHAMS ARTHUR REGINALD MORO
LEONARD L. COHEN PHILIP S. WALEY
ERNEST L. FRANKLIN ALBERT M. WOOLF
“_May 29th._”
¹ “Sir Lionel Abrahams signs subject to the opinion that,
in view of the statement made by the President of the
English Zionist Federation on May 20, a further attempt at
co-operation between the Conjoint Committee and the Zionist
organisations in the United Kingdom is now desirable.”
There were soon widespread signs that the congregations supposed to
be represented by the Board of Deputies did not agree with the views
expressed in the manifesto. Thus the seatholders of the New Synagogue,
Stamford Hill, carried a motion calling upon their representatives
at the Board of Deputies and the Conjoint Committee to resign. This
was passed with only two dissentients. Synagogues in Manchester and
Liverpool and the Committee of Deputies in Manchester, Yorkshire and
Cheshire expressed regret at the action of the President of the Board
of Deputies in “committing the Board to a policy for which the Board
has given him no kind of authority.” The Belfast Congregation passed
a similar resolution and also expressed confidence in Dr. Weizmann and
the Zionist movement. Congregations in Birkenhead, Cardiff, Dublin,
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Limerick, Merthyr Tydvil, Middlesbrough, Newcastle,
Newport (Mon.), Swansea and Wallasey took similar action. In Leeds
a meeting was held representative of all the Jewish congregations
and organizations; in Manchester the Jewish representative Council
condemned the action of the Conjoint Committee. Indeed, throughout
the United Kingdom Synagogues, Friendly Societies, Jewish Charitable
Organizations and nearly every kind of Jewish institution made a public
protest against the Manifesto, and declared in favour of Zionism.
These widespread signs of dissatisfaction with the existing leadership
of the body which had hitherto claimed to be the official spokesman for
Jewish opinion in England, was destined to lead to a complete change of
government in that body.
It is true that at the meeting of the Anglo-Jewish Association on June
3rd Dr. Gaster’s resolution of censure was not put to the vote. But on
Sunday, 17th June, at a meeting of the Board of Deputies a resolution
of censure on the Conjoint Committee, calling upon the representatives
of the Board to resign from the Conjoint Committee, was carried
by fifty-six votes to fifty-one. Mr. H. S. Q. Henriques, the
Vice-President of the Board, spoke in defence of the Manifesto. In
his speech he said the Conjoint Committee had on the 17th May granted
permission to the Presidents to publish the statement when they thought
it advisable to do so, but he had himself been surprised that they had
published it so soon. Mr. Gilbert said that in October he had asked if
any Manifesto then existed or was contemplated and had been told that
the suggestion was “malicious and wicked.” Sir Philip Magnus, Bart.,
said he had heard of the Manifesto a week or so before Mr. Henriques.
From these statements it becomes clear that the document was compiled
by a few of those thoroughly Anglicized Jews who, themselves very
comfortably off in England, and about equally ignorant of the main
currents of life in that country and of the main currents of Jewish
life anywhere, were in their complacent self-satisfaction of opinion
that they expressed the views of English Jews, when in reality they
did not in the slightest degree represent the views of the overwhelming
majority.
In consequence of the vote of censure, the Honorary Officers, Mr. David
L. Alexander, K.C., the President; Mr. H. S. Q. Henriques, M.A., B.C.L.,
the Vice-President; and Mr. Joshua M. Levy, the Treasurer, resigned.
The Board of Deputies later attempted to restore the irresponsible
power of a non-elective and unrepresentative committee having power
to speak for the Jews of England. This new Conjoint Committee was
to consist of the Foreign Committees of the two bodies, the Board of
Deputies and Anglo-Jewish Association, meeting together to deal with
Foreign affairs affecting the Jews. “Except in matters of routine or
urgency,” the parent bodies have to be consulted before any action is
taken. The question of Zionism was declared outside the province of the
Joint Committee unless specially delegated to such Committee by both
parent bodies. This scheme was adopted at a meeting of the Board of
Deputies held on January 20th, 1918.
Meantime the question of a general manifesto in favour of Zionist aims,
not only by organized adherents of the movement but by the Anglo-Jewish
Community generally, having become of urgent importance, the Council of
the English Zionist Federation issued an appeal to Jewish organizations
throughout the country to convene meetings in order to pass resolutions
in the following terms:――
“(1) That this meeting being unanimously in favour of the
reconstruction of Palestine as the National Home of the Jewish
People, trusts that His Majesty’s Government will use its best
endeavours for the achievement of this object.
“(2) That this Mass Meeting pledges itself to support the
Zionist leaders in their efforts towards the realization of
the Zionist aims.”
These resolutions were adopted at large meetings in London, at
the Queen’s Hall, Monnickendam Rooms, at the Marcus Samuel Hall,
New Synagogue, and in Bethnal Green, and at important meetings in
Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Hull, Manchester, Swansea, Merthyr Tydvil
and Bradford.
The following is the list, so far as we have been able to ascertain, of
Synagogues and Institutions, which are known to have adopted these or
similar resolutions.
_Manchester._ The Communal Council (representing 15,000 Jews, members
of Synagogues, Trade Unions and Friendly Societies), the Lancashire and
Yorkshire and Cheshire members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews,
a special meeting of representatives of Synagogues at the opening of
the Kovna Synagogue; the following Synagogues: Rydal Mount _Hebrew_
Congregation, _Kahal Chassidim_, _Beth Jacob_, United Synagogue and
_Beth Hamedrash_ and New Synagogue; the following Friendly Societies:
Grand Council of the Order of Ancient Maccabeans, _Achei Brith_ and
Shield of _Abraham_ (Frances Annie Frankenburg, King Edward the Seventh,
Nathan Laski, and Dr. Herzl Lodges), Independent Order of _Achei Brith_,
Order of Ancient Maccabeans (_Modin_ No. 24, _Don_ Isaac ♦Abrabanel
No. 11, ♠_Rechoboth_ No. 29, Mount _Horeb_ No. 9, Mount _Lebanon_ No. 3,
and _Mattathias_ No. 14 Beacons), the Maccabean Club, the Order Shield
of _David_ (Broughton Lodge), and the Manchester and Salford Jewish
Grocers’ Association; and the following Zionist Societies: Manchester
Zionist Association, _Poale Zion_, and Manchester Daughters of _Zion_.
♦ “Abarbanel” replaced with “Abrabanel” for consistency
♠ “Rechobot” replaced with “Rechoboth” for consistency
_Leeds._ The Leeds Jewish Representative Council (representing
all Synagogues, Trade Unions, Friendly Societies, and other Jewish
organizations); the following Friendly Societies: Grand Order of
_Israel_ (Grosenburg Lodge No. 90 and Dr. Dembo Lodge No. 47), the
Pride of _Israel_ Independent Friendly Society, the Order of Ancient
Maccabeans (_Massodah_ Beacon and Mount _Sinai_ No. 13 Beacon), and
the Independent Order of _B’nei Brith_ (Abraham Frais Lodge No. 35);
the Leeds Jewish National Fund Commission, the Leeds Jewish Workmen’s
Burial Society, the Leeds Banner of Zion, and the Leeds Young
_Shomerim_; and the following Zionist Societies: _Agudas Hazionim_,
Ladies’ Zionist League, Ladies’ Association, and a Mass Meeting
convened by the Joint Zionist Committee.
_Liverpool._ The following Synagogues: Central Synagogue (Islington),
Shaw Street, _Nusach Ari_, (Great Russell Street), Devon Street,
_Acheinu B’nei Yisroel_, Old Hebrew Congregation (Princess Road), _Beth
Hamedrash Ayen Jacov_, Wallasey _Hebrew_ Congregation, and Fountain
Road _Hebrew_ Congregation; the following Friendly Societies and Trade
Unions: Order of Ancient Maccabeans (Mount _Nebo Erez Yisrael_ No. 28
and Mount _Hermon_ Beacons), the Amalgamated Orders of _Achei Brith_
and Shield of _Abraham_ (_Deborah_ Lodge No. 70, Dr. Max Nordau Lodge
No. 13, and The Very Rev. Dr. Joseph H. Hertz Lodge No. 76), the Grand
Order of _Israel_ (Rev. S. Friedeberg Lodge No. 80), the Order of
the Shield of _David_ (Max Clapper Lodge No. 44), the Herzl _Hebrew_
Friendly Tontine Society, the London _Hebrew_ Tontine Society, the
Montefiore _Hebrew_ Tontine Friendly Society, the Order Shield of
_David_ Tontine Society (Joseph Morris Lodge No. 28), the _Hebrew_
Brotherhood Tontine Society, the Brothers of _Israel_ Tontine Society,
the _Hebrew Somech Noflim_ Society, the Liverpool Travellers’ Friendly
Society, the Jewish Students of Liverpool University, the International
Society of Philology, Science and Fine Arts (Liverpool Branch), the
_Hebrew_ Higher Grade National League, the Talmudical College, the
Jewish Literary Society, the Tailors’ Employees’ Association, the
National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association, the United Garment
Workers’ Trade Union, the Anglo-Jewish Association (Liverpool Branch),
the Wholesale Furniture Manufacturers’ Association, the Ladies’ _Bikur
Cholim_ Society, the Committee of the Association of Old Boys of
the Liverpool _Hebrew_ Schools; and the following Zionist Societies:
Liverpool Young Men’s Zionist Association, Liverpool Zionist Central
Council, _Agudas Zion_ Society, Liverpool Junior Zionist Association,
and Liverpool Ladies’ Zionist Association.
_Glasgow._ The Jewish Representative Council (representing all Glasgow
Jewish Institutions, Synagogues, _etc._); the following Synagogues:
_Chevra Kadisha_, Garnet Hill, _Beth Hamedrash_, Langside Road,
_Machzikei Hadath_, _Beth Jacob_, Queen’s Park _Hebrew_ Congregation,
and South Portland Street; the following Friendly Societies and Trade
Unions: Baron Günzburg Lodge, Lord Rothschild Lodge, Montefiore Lodge,
Michael Simon Lodge, Dr. Hermann Adler Lodge, King _David_ Lodge, Rev.
E. P. Phillips Lodge, Odessa Lodge, Lady Rothschild Lodge No. 67, Order
of Ancient Maccabeans (Leo Pinsker Beacon No. 12, and _Judas Maccabeus_
Beacon No. 15), Grand Order of _Israel_ (Dr. Herzl Lodge No. 12), and
the Independent Friendly Society; and the following Societies: Jewish
Young Men’s Institute, Master Tailors’ Federation, Jewish National
Institute (Elgin Street), _Hebrew_ Burial Society, _B’nei Zion_, Young
Girls’ Zionist League, Daughters of _Zion_, and Queen’s Park Zionist
and Literary Society.
_Birmingham._ The following Friendly Societies: Order of Ancient
Maccabeans (Theodor Herzl Beacon), Order of _Achei Brith_ and Shield
of _Abraham_ (Isaac Joseph Lodge), Lodge, Lord Swaythling Lodge, Rachel
Mendlesohn (Rev. J. Fink Lodge and Rev. G. J. Emanuel Lodge). Grand
Order of _Israel_ (Loyal Independent Lodge, Rev. A. Cohen Lodge, and
David Davis Lodge).
_Bristol._ Mass Meeting of Bristol Jews, Oct. 21st.
_Cardiff._ Mass Meeting of Jewish Community Oct. 21st, 1917; Order of
Ancient Maccabeans (Cardiff Branch).
_Swansea._ Mass Meeting, Oct. 15th (representing Synagogues, Friendly
Societies and Zionist Societies), Swansea _Hebrew_ Congregation,
Swansea Junior Zionist and Literary Society.
_Pontypridd._ Mass Meeting of Jewish Community, 21st Oct.
_Newport._ Mass Meeting of Jewish Community, 21st Oct., 1917.
_Merthyr Tydvil._ Mass Meeting.
_Durham._ Zionist Society.
_Maidenhead._ _Hebrew_ Congregation.
_Birkenhead._ _Hebrew_ Congregation.
_Bolton._ Jewish Community, meeting 19th Oct., 1917.
_Blackpool._ _Hebrew_ Congregation and Belisha Lodge.
_Stockport._ Jewish Tailors’ Union.
_Sunderland._ Mass Meeting of Sunderland Community, 21st Oct., 1917.
_Grimsby._ _Hebrew_ Congregation, and Order of Ancient Maccabeans
(Mount _Zeisim_ Beacon No. 7).
_Hull._ Mass Meeting of Jews of Hull, Oct. 14th, 1917.
_Bradford._ Zionist Society, Order of Ancient Maccabeans (_Jehuda
Halevi_ Beacon No. 30).
_Newcastle-on-Tyne._ Mass Meeting of all Jewish organizations, Oct.
21st, Ancient Order of Maccabeans (Mount _Gilead_ Beacon), Grand Order
of _Israel_ (Duke of Northumberland Lodge No. 14).
_Edinburgh._ Mass Meeting of Edinburgh Jews, 21st Oct., Order of
Ancient Maccabeans (Mount _Moriah_ Beacon).
_Sheffield._ Mass Meeting of Sheffield Jews, 18th Oct., representing
Sheffield _Hebrew_ Congregation, Central Synagogue, _Talmud Torah_,
Board of Guardians, Polish Refugees Fund, _Chevra Kadisha_, Master
Tailors’ Union, _B’nei Brith_, Grand Order of _Israel_, Order
of Ancient Maccabeans (Levison Lodge), Sheffield Junior Zionist
Association, and Worksop Jewish Community.
_Nottingham._ Mass Meeting, 21st Oct., representing Nottingham _Hebrew_
Congregation, Palestine Association, Order of Ancient Maccabeans (Mount
_Ephraim_ Beacon), Independent Order _B’nei Brith_ (Jacob Lasker Lodge),
Grand Order of _Israel_ (David Snapper Lodge), United Garment Workers
of Great Britain (Nottingham Branch).
_Belfast._ Belfast Synagogue.
_Dublin._ Mass Meeting of Dublin Jewry, 21st Oct.; Independent Order
of _B’nei Brith_ (King _Solomon_ Lodge No. 17); Order of Ancient
Maccabeans (Mount _Carmel_ Beacon No. 10); _Agudas Hazionim_; and
Dublin Daughters of _Zion_.
_The Times_, on Oct. 23rd, noticed these demonstrations of sympathy
with Zionism under the heading, “Palestine for the Jews: British
support of the proposal”; and on Oct. 26th, in an editorial strongly
urged on the Government the necessity of making an announcement of its
policy in favour of Zionism.
The anti-Zionist views of the representatives of a small section of
English Jewry were not only in opposition to Jewish public opinion, but
even more in striking contrast with non-Jewish opinion, as revealed by
the press of the United Kingdom.
_The Westminster Gazette_, in its issue of August 26th, 1916, published
an article on “Zionism,” in the course of which the writer emphasized
that:――
“All they ask for is for a home for the Jewish people――not
for all the Jews of the world, but only for the nucleus of
the Jewish people, and above all, for their special type of
civilization, for Judaism. They have no desire to dispossess
any other people. They point to a land, to the land which is
historically theirs, which to-day is lying vacant for want
of a people to rejuvenate it. There, they say, Judaism will
find that freedom which is unattainable elsewhere: at their
hands the land which has languished for centuries can again be
restored to the circle of bountiful regions, and become as of
old, a granary for other nations.”
Lord Cromer, writing in the _Spectator_ on August 12th, 1916, said:――
“What is it that Zionists want? The idea that they wish the
Jews of all races to be congregated together in Palestine
may at once be dismissed as absurd. Nothing of the sort is
proposed. Neither do they want to establish a mere colony
in the sense in which that term is usually employed. Zionism
stands for a national revival.”
_The New Statesman_, on July 8th, 1916, dealt editorially with “The
Meaning of Zionism”:――
“The creation of an autonomous Jewish State in Palestine,
or elsewhere――though only in Palestine is there any prospect
of such a State――and its successful progress and development
would raise the status of the entire Jewish people and restore
self-respect to Jewry as a nation. It would thus be a large
part of the solution of the Jewish question.”
_The Nation_, in the course of a leading article, on June 2nd, 1917, on
“What is a Jew?”, considered Zionism as the new force, and said:――
“An assimilated Judaism has little to give to the world,
save the individual talents of its adherents. Zionism, on the
contrary, is a vivid, positive, picturesque element in the
world, a distinctive tradition which adds something to the
common stock. We hope to see it recognized, preferably under
international institutions in Palestine, but we look askance
at proposals to make it subservient to British ends of Empire
and strategy.
“But the problem is far wider than Palestine. Zionism is
really a challenge to the tolerance of Europe for the modern
idea of nationality as culture. If that idea has vitality,
the Zionism of the future will be recognized and accepted not
merely in _Jerusalem_ but in Warsaw and Vienna, in Paris and
in London. If the West expects Austria and Russia to make
terms with their many nationalities, it must in its turn hold
out a welcome to Jewish nationalism.”
In _New Europe_, on April 12th, 1917, a writer dealt with the problem
of the Jews:――
“Whatever claim the Jews may make, it is clear that autonomous
Jewry in Palestine must have an adequate guarantee of
existence, whether by international pledge or by the
protectorate of a Great Power.”
The same periodical, in its issue of April 19th, had a long article on
“Great Britain, Palestine, and the Jews.” The writer gives his reasons
for stating that a British Palestine must be a Jewish Palestine, the
home of a restored Jewish people, the spiritual centre of the whole
Jewish race. He shows what the Jew has already done in Palestine, and
concludes:――
“Under a beneficent rule a Jewish Palestine would attract
wealth and talent and labour from every Jewish community of
the globe, and the progress of Palestine would be much more
rapid still. Compared with its past Palestine is an empty land,
to which only the Jews can restore its ancient property and
glory.”
The _New Europe_ devoted the first pages of its issue of September
27th, 1917, to an article on “Jewry’s Stake in the War.” The writer in
speaking of Zionism, said:――
“The value of Zionism is, that it tends to bring the
intense pride of the Jew in his own race, and in its all but
unrivalled contribution to civilization, into harmony with its
public bearing.
“... The existence of a Jewish State would certainly react and
react healthily upon the position of Jews who might elect to
remain in the Dispersion. The Zionists would fain make of the
Jewish name a clear title of honour.”
_The Weekly Dispatch_ of April 1st, 1917, in a leading article on “The
New Crusade,” said:――
“If any more romantic prospect than the spectacle of the
British Standard flying above the temples and mosques of
_Jerusalem_ can be visualized, it is the restoration by
Britain, which has always befriended the Jew, of the Jewish
polity which fell to pieces in the reign of Hadrian.
“But sentiment must be based on practical considerations.
To develop Palestine needs a skilled agricultural race. The
dreamers of the _Ghetto_, yearning for the return of _Zion_,
point to the Jewish farmers of Canada, America, and the
Argentine in proof that the instinct of a pastoral people of
Biblical time still survives in its sons.”
According to _The Sunday Chronicle_, in an article, April 15th, 1917,
on “British Policy in Palestine――A British Hebrew Necessity”:――
“There is no other race in the whole world who can do these
services for us in Palestine but the Jews themselves. In
the Zionist Movement, which has caught up within itself some
of the best brains and the warmest hearts among the younger
generation of Jews, we have the motive force which will make
the extension of the British Empire into Palestine, otherwise
a disagreeable necessity, a source of pride and a pillar of
strength. A source of pride; for after all, if we are fighting
for oppressed and homeless nationalities in this war, there is
none which has been so horribly oppressed in the past or for
so many hundred years without a home of its own as the Jews.
“A pillar of strength; for the fact that the Jews are not
only of one nation but of all, will give to the power which is
sovereign of its capital _Jerusalem_ a tremendous pull in the
councils of the world.”
_The Times Literary Supplement_ of August 16th, 1917, had an article,
“After Many Years,” which sketched the history of the Jews in Palestine,
and went on to say that:――
“The Palestinian Jew during the past decade has shown a
certain capacity for self-government, and has successfully
assumed many of the functions of administration which the
neglect of Ottoman Mutessarifs had left unperformed. Under
the influence of a renovated system of education, imparted
in _Hebrew_, he was rapidly forgetting his German leanings or
his Russian or Rumanian traditions, and was becoming a farmer
of his own soil. If this process can be resumed and its scope
widened after the war, Palestine may slowly grow from a State
with the status say of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan――and develop
into an autonomous protected State, with its own native
sovereign and administration and forming part of the Empire in
just the same way as do many States which are in full control
of their internal liberties.”
_Common Sense_, March 10th, 1917, dealt with the Jewish claim to
Palestine, and declared that:――
“If, when we make peace, we are to make a just and lasting
peace, the terms of the compact must run along the lines of
nationality. In such a settlement the Jewish claim cannot be
avoided, and we may hope that, as a consequence of the gentle
pressure now being applied, the British Government will regard
it as a duty to obtain a Hebraic Palestine as one of the terms
of peace.”
_The Manchester Guardian_, in an article on June 25th, 1915, on “Jews
and the War,” described the suffering of the Jews scattered amongst the
nations, and defines Zionism as follows:――
“Zionism is, from one point of view, the effort of the Jewish
spirit to establish a firm ground for its own continuance and
development in a changed world, which threatens by degrees
to overwhelm it. Such a movement was bound to come so soon
as danger threatened a race-life so tough and enduring, and
a spirit so distinctive and powerful, and it is, like other
spiritual things, essentially independent of material means.
But for the early realization of its immediate purpose
material means are necessary, and the future of Palestine
thus becomes for the Zionist a matter of pressing and capital
importance.”
_The Manchester Guardian_, in a leading article on “The Future of
Palestine,” in its issue of October 1st, 1917, asks:――
“How can we as champions of the cause of nationality, refuse
our sympathy to the attempt to end age-long exile of the
Jewish people from their political home in Palestine?”
_The Liverpool Courier_ of April 24th, 1917, in a leading article,
“Rebuilding Zion,” said:――
“A British Palestine must be a Jewish Palestine.... Given the
protection of the British flag, and the self-governing system
of the British Empire, Palestine might soon become a new and
living Zion. Such a consummation would be a triumph of the
British spirit. It would be a worthy object to strive for in
the great war, for it would fulfil a deep national aspiration
among a disinherited people of extraordinary genius, and to
that extent would add to the number and the weight of the
blows we should deliver against anti-national Prussianism.”
_The Liverpool Courier_ of June 15th, 1917, on “The Future of
Palestine”:――
“The Jews could make Palestine once more a land flowing with
milk and honey. The country has enormous economic
possibilities.
“... It must be the business of the Allies, in pursuance
of their policy of liberation, to restore to Palestine its
liberties, and to provide a centre of nationhood for the
Jewish race.”
In a leading article on “The Land of Promise,” _The Liverpool
Courier_――October 19th, 1917――again dealt with the Jewish claims to
Palestine, and says:――
“We may be as certain of a loyal Anglo-Jewry with a Jewish
Homeland reconstituted, as we are to-day. Britain has always
taken kindly to the idea of the Jewish Resettlement, and the
moment seems now at hand when an ideal――cherished both by
Britain and by Jewry――is not unlikely to find realization.”
_The Glasgow Herald_, May 29th, 1917, in an article on “_Zion_
Re-edified,” dealt fully with the anti-Zionist manifesto, and said of
the Zionists:――
“They are looking forward now not to a re-edified Zion which
the breath of a Turkish Sultan could tumble into ruin, but to
the establishment of a Jewish State, under the suzerainty of
some strong Christian power.
“Jews in every land have felt that what has been the dream
of long ages of exile and persecution may at last become a
reality on which their eyes shall gaze.”
_The Yorkshire Post_, April 12th, 1917, gave the history of “Jewish
Colonization in Palestine,” and concluded that:――
“Thus there is some foundation for the claim that in the
settlement after the war provision should be made for the
unhampered continuance and extension of the colonization of
Palestine by the Jews; and should that develop in process of
time into the establishment of a Jewish nation there, it will
be a result by no means inconsistent with the ideals for which
Great Britain and her Allies are fighting.”
_The Contemporary Review_ of June, 1917, had a short note on the
“Jewish Claim to Palestine”:――
“Evidently the principle of nationality is itself considered
sacred; it is an asset to the world, and it carries its rights,
moral rights, which are none the less rights, if they cannot
be enforced by the sword.
“The cynic might, perhaps, find more justification had Israel
ever forgotten or waived his claim to the Holy Land; but
a continuous chain of aspiration and prayer, and even of
political activity, binds him to the soil from which he was
driven early in the Christian Era.”
_The Review of Reviews_, September, 1916, thus defined Zionism:――
“Zionism means a complete Jewish, spiritual and national,
rebirth in the ancient land――a re-settling of Jews in their
own ancient home. To the idealist it is much more even, it
is love for the Land of the _Shekinah_ and the Holy Spirit,
a mystic rapture of the whole Jewish soul in the quest of
rediscovering the ‘Fountain of Living Waters.’
“To this end it is necessary for the Jewish people to have a
home in Palestine secured by public laws.”
The military correspondent of _The Daily Chronicle_ on March 30th,
1917, discussed the question of what should be done with Palestine when
liberated, and came to the conclusion that:――
“There can be little doubt that we should revive the Jewish
Palestine of old, and allow the Jews to realize their dream
of _Zion_ in their homeland. All the Jews will not return
to Palestine, but many will do so. The new Jewish State,
under British or French ægis, would become the spiritual
and cultural centre of Jewry throughout the world. The Jews
would at least have a homeland and a nationality of their
own. The national dream that has sustained them for a score
of centuries and more will have been fulfilled.”
In a leading article in the same issue on “The Victory in Palestine”
we read:――
“The project for constituting a Zionist State there under
British protection has a great deal to commend it. The
restoration to Judaism of what must always be the ideal focus
of its persistent national and spiritual life would be a noble
addition to the programme for emancipating small nations.”
_The Daily News_, in a leading article, on October 17th, on the “War
and the Jews,” dealt with the claim of Zionists in all lands to be a
nation, and the desire to see the land of their fathers restored to
them. The article concluded:――
“In a word, we are not sure that Zionism would not prove the
solution of the obstinate problem of this wandering race that
has perplexed the world for so many centuries. Whatever the
decision of the Allies in regard to Palestine, it can hardly
fail to improve the conditions and enlarge the liberty of life
in Palestine, and if the Jews in large numbers choose to take
advantage of the fact, the object of Zionism will in due time
be accomplished, and the Jewish nation will live again under
its own vine and fig-tree. When that happens, the Jewish
problem that afflicts the rest of the world will tend to
disappear.”
CO-ORDINATION OF ZIONISTS’ REPORTS
The months August‒November, 1917, were an exceedingly busy time
for Zionists in England. They had to defend themselves against the
attacks made against them not only in manifestoes, but also behind the
scenes. They had to continue the pourparlers and to endeavour to obtain
some acceptance of their principle. Dr. Weizmann and the author were
actively and energetically assisted in their endeavours not only by a
group of representative Zionists of England, but also by a considerable
number of Zionists abroad. They were helped, above all, by American
Zionists. Between London, New York, and Washington there was constant
communication, either by telegraph, or by personal visit, and as a
result there was perfect unity among the Zionists of both hemispheres.
The strength of conviction, the enthusiasm, the spirit of sacrifice,
the enterprise, and the industry and energy of American Zionists,
displayed by them in the last few years deserve more than a page of
honour in the history of Zionism; they deserve a volume to themselves.
The statesmanship, the genius for organization, and the beneficent
personal influence of the Honourable Louis D. Brandeis, Justice of the
Supreme Court, has raised, strengthened, and secured in every direction
the position of American Zionism not only in America, but also has
increased its prestige and dignity abroad. His well-weighed counsel,
his great experience, his calm judgment, which unites deep democratic
principles with the sense of responsibility of a national leader,
were an important factor in the conduct of Zionist politics. In this
matter he was supported by a number of zealous, expert and devoted
fellow-thinkers. The older American Zionists, who had maintained for
many years a Zionist Organization with great trouble and exemplary
steadfastness, were now, since the outbreak of the war, considerably
strengthened by a number of Zionist leaders from Europe. At the head of
the latter――who, in the meantime, have become thoroughly Americanised
――stood Dr. Shmaria Levin, a member of the “Inner Action Committee”;
who, in addition to his distinguished services as a publicist and
propagandist, in which directions he displayed a vigour scarcely
ever equalled and certainly excelled by no one, also freely gave his
knowledge and advice in the discussion of political questions. To
this group, enlarged by the leaders newly arrived from Europe, was
added another most valuable group, of strongly Zionist feeling, coming
from Palestine. After the enforced exile of a number of distinguished
pioneers of colonization and of national Hebrew culture from Palestine,
many of them went to America to dedicate themselves there to the work
of propaganda. Dr. Ben-zion Mossinsohn, Mr. Israel Belkind and Mr.
Menachem Mendel Scheinkin――to mention only the best known――have worked
zealously in America for the popularizing of the Palestine idea.
The oratorical skill of Mossinsohn was most valuable. A number of
distinguished workers belonging to the _Poale-Zionist_ Federation also
made their headquarters in America, where at the same time the orthodox
Zionists of the _Mizrachi_ Federation had made noteworthy progress
in the organizing of their forces and in the winning of new members,
especially through the efforts of Mr. Belkind. The Jewish Press in
America, a popular actor of most widespread dimensions, devoted its
main attention to Zionism. With very few exceptions the organs of
different opinions vied in the publication of Zionist views and in the
promoting of the national Jewish idea, in which matter the non-Jewish
Press from time to time gave energetic assistance. The publication of
_Hebrew_ literature and press-matter, which previously was too little
in evidence in America, was stimulated by the _Hebrew_ authors and
journalists recently arrived from Russia and Palestine, who founded
new _Hebrew_ weeklies (_Ha’toren_, _Haibri_) and established houses for
the publication of _Hebrew_ books. The pioneer and veteran leader of
the idea of the renaissance of the _Hebrew_ language as the everyday
speech in Palestine, namely, Elieser Ben Jehuda of _Jerusalem_, found
supporters and friends in America, who made it possible for him to
establish his residence during the war in New York, and there to
continue his life-work, the compilation of a great _Hebrew_ dictionary.
The rise of the national idea found striking expression in the
agitation for the holding of a Jewish-American Congress, an idea
which was violently opposed by the anti-Zionists, but was carried by
an overwhelming majority. Nationality and democracy――these were the
battle-cries of the supporters of the Congress, which carried away the
Jewish-American masses with irresistible force.
The separate Zionist federations “_Mizrachi_” (containing Orthodox
Jews) and “_Poale Zion_” (containing Socialists) have naturally been
sorely affected by the war, which greatly impeded their work. They,
too, however, have been able to keep up the contact between the
various sections of their federations and continue their activities.
The “_Mizrachi_” has been particularly active in America. The central
office of the “_Poale Zion_” has been transferred to the Hague,
though its main activities have been carried on in America. In close
co-operation with the office of the Federation, the “Jewish Labour
Correspondence Bureau” has issued bulletins giving information about
Palestine, and the conditions of Jews in various countries, with
special reference to labour questions and the needs of the Jewish
wage-earner.
This was the _milieu_ in which the political work of the London Zionist
centre found great sympathy and ready assistance. The circle grew
constantly, new elements joined the older experienced ones: the worthy
Elisha Lewin-Epstein, who gave himself entirely to relief work and
who for this purpose undertook the most difficult journeys during
the course of the war, never lost sight of his leading idea, namely,
Zionism. Mr. Nathan Straus, who but a few years ago took up the
Palestine scheme, placed himself in the front rank of the promoters of
Zionism; _Rabbi_ Stephen S. Wise, one of the most popular of American
orators, who many years previously had attended the Zionist Congress
as delegate and afterwards left the Movement, returned with renewed
strength to labour in the work of propaganda and in the development of
the organization with those well-tried fighters, Dr. Harry Friedenwald,
Professor Israel Friedlænder, Miss Henrietta Szold, Professor Richard
Gottheil, Mr. Jacob _de_ Haas, Mr. Louis Lipsky, and many others.
It was a great pleasure to welcome into the Zionist camp a galaxy of
new forces of great influence, such for example as Judge Julian W.
Mack and Professor Felix Frankfurter. In synagogues and workshops,
in the universities and in the clubs of the Associations for Mutual
Assistance――everywhere Jewish national life began to throb more
strongly than ever. The sphere of Zionism seemed to grow day by day:
the great expansion which the Zionist university movement of young
men, the “_Menorah_,” had shown, pointed to a great future national
development.
Every idea born in London was tested by the Zionist Organization in
America, and every suggestion from America received the most careful
attention in London. Many Zionist representatives came from America
to London, and others visited America. The negotiations in political
circles in England and France were known in America, every success
was welcomed there with enthusiasm, and often, also, received further
support. Every opportunity was there taken advantage of to hold
discussions, not only with the representatives of the Government and
the political parties, but also with distinguished statesmen who were
staying in America as visitors. The visit of Mr. Balfour, British
Foreign Secretary, gave an opportunity to the prominent Canadian
Zionist leader, Mr. Clarence _de_ Sola, for a most encouraging
conversation, in the course of which the noble intentions of the
British Government were expressed. Similar interviews took place
on various other occasions. The real work, of course, could only
be carried on in London; but it must be observed that the interest,
the goodwill, and the helpful efforts on the part of the Zionist
organizations in the United States, Russia, Canada, and other countries,
have been of considerable value.
In September, 1917, Dr. Tschlenow again came to London, attracted by
the importance of the Zionist affairs which were in negotiation. After
more than two years of absence, although in uninterrupted contact with
London, the work was too advanced, and his health too poor to allow him
to be so active as he was at the beginning. But he participated with
his advice and influence, and he lived to experience some great moments.
Illustration: RT. HON. ARTHUR J. BALFOUR, M.P.
_Olive Edis, F.R.P.S._
THE BRITISH DECLARATION AND ITS RECEPTION
November 2nd, 1917, marks the end of a chapter in Zionist history: it
is Declaration Day.
The following are the terms of the letter to Lord Rothschild in which
Mr. A. J. Balfour, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, declared
the sympathy of the British Government with Zionist aspirations and
its favourable attitude towards the establishment in Palestine of a
national home for the Jewish people:――
“Foreign Office,
“_November 2, 1917._
“DEAR LORD ROTHSCHILD,――I have much pleasure in conveying
to you on behalf of His Majesty’s Government the following
declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations,
which has been submitted to and approved by the Cabinet:
“‘His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment
in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and
will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement
of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall
be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of
existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and
political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.’
“I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to
the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
“Yours sincerely,
“(_Signed_) ARTHUR JAMES BALFOUR.”
It was at once clear that a great moment in the history of the Jewish
people had arrived through this Declaration. Our ancient home has again
arisen for civilization. For nineteen centuries it has been made a
desert, for nineteen centuries the Jewish people deprived of their own
land sought everywhere a place where they could have freedom of the
spirit and room for their work, and generation after generation prayed
and dreamt of the return to _Zion_. Generation after generation drew
from this source strength to live and to struggle. Now the dreams
of our ancestors are becoming reality. The testament of Herzl was
approaching fulfilment. The British Government has spoken in solemn
terms to the Jews of the world. The time has arrived to create anew a
Jewish homeland on the ashes of the past, to rebuild a national centre
and to proceed to work in freedom in a free Jewish land.
Mid storm and fire the people and the land seemed to be born again. The
great events of the time of _Zerubbabel_ (_fl._ 536 _b.c.e._) _Ezra_
and _Nehemiah_ repeated themselves. The Third Temple of Jewish freedom
is rising before us. The first stones were laid long ago by our heroic
pioneers in hard struggle against obstacles without number. They
created the first nests of culture in Palestine. With their blood and
work they have shown the world that the Jewish people has not only
historical claims on the land of its ancestors, but also priority
in actual fact in the work of its rebirth. These leader heroes, the
fathers of political Zionism, bravely proclaimed to the whole world
the right of the nation to a free life in the homeland, and organized
productive work in Palestine.
Great new horizons of free national constructive work are revealed
before our eyes. The fate of the Jewish land depends not only on the
powerful protection of Governments, but first and foremost on the
steadfastness and capacity for sacrifice of the Jewish people itself.
_Zerubbabel’s_ call to the Jews of the Diaspora was heard once more――to
return to the ancient land, to grasp the ploughshare and the hammer,
and to forge their own destiny.
The Press was without exception most sympathetic.
“Epoch-making is perhaps not too strong a term to apply to Mr.
Balfour’s letter to Lord Rothschild. At any time a formal endorsement
of Zionism by a Great Power would command attention if couched in such
terms. But at the present moment, when _Gaza_ and _Beersheba_ have
fallen to British armies and the distant thunder of our guns is heard
in _Jerusalem_ itself, the declaration has a significance that cannot
be mistaken.
Illustration: _H. Walter Barnett and Co., Ld._
_Gen. Sir_ EDMUND H. H. ALLENBY
“From the Jewish point of view such a restoration opens the door of
wonderful possibilities; the hopes that have never been lost during
eighteen centuries of the dispersion will return within the region
of fact and accomplishment. Scarcely less important should be the
consequences for Europe.... The family of nations would be enriched by
the return of one of its oldest and most gifted members to a regular
and normal place within the circle.” (_Daily Chronicle_, Nov. 9th.)
“... In deciding to give the Zionists their chance, the British
Government have done a bold thing and a wise thing; and as an honestly
inspired and intelligent disinterestedness is sounder policy than the
most crafty selfishness, they have incidentally struck in this dark
hour a very heavy blow for the cause for which the free peoples of the
world are fighting. Considered merely as a gesture, what is there in
the war to compare in effectiveness to this decision?... The promise of
the restoration of Palestine will count for more in the judgment of the
world than all the desolation wrought by the German legions among the
nations whom they have trodden under foot.” (_Daily News_, Nov. 10th.)
“The restoration of Palestine to the Jews will fulfil the centuries
old desire of that ancient people. Moreover, it will give them a home
for the development of an individual culture, and will not affect
other than beneficially the rights which they have won as citizens of
the countries in which they have made their homes. Moreover, it will
provide refuge for the persecuted, and a centre of Jewish life to which
all the race will naturally turn. Then it will be well for the Allies’
interests in the Mediterranean that so important a place should become
permanently neutralized and stand no risk of falling into the hands
of the Powers which might make a mischievous use of it.” (_Pall Mall
Gazette._)
“Mr. Balfour’s announcement on the subject of Zionism, which forms
an extraordinarily appropriate pendant to General Allenby’s brilliant
operations in Southern Palestine, marks the conclusion of a strenuous
struggle behind the scenes between the International Jews, to whom
this country is much more useful than they are to us, and the National
Jews, who are among our most valuable compatriots. For once the right
side has gained the day, and the Zionist aspirations of the Chosen
People receive for the first time the formal endorsement of a British
Government.” (_The Globe._)
“No more appropriate moment could have been seized by the British
Government to declare itself in favour of the establishment in
Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people than the present
time, when our Twentieth Century Crusaders have just carried _Gaza_,
the ancient Philistine stronghold, and are pressing on to the capture
of the Holy City from the hands of the infidel. British interests have
for long made it plain that some buffer state must arise between Egypt
and a possibly hostile Turkish Government, and Zionism appears to
provide the solution.” (_The Evening Standard._)
“Nearly two thousand years after the Dispersion, Zionism has become a
practical and integral part of all schemes for a new world-order after
the war.... There could not have been at this juncture a stroke of
statesmanship more just or more wise. No one need to be told that it
will send a mystical thrill through the hearts of the vast majority
of Jews throughout the world.... It is no idle dream which anticipates
that by the close of another generation the new _Zion_ may become a
State, including, no doubt, only a pronounced minority of the entire
Jewish race, yet numbering from a million to two million souls, forming
a true national people, with its own distinctive, rural, and urban
civilization, its own centres of learning and art, making a unique
link between East and West. Jews who dwell elsewhere will none the
less be animated by a new interest, sympathy, pride, and will be able
to contribute powerful help. So much for that aspect. We need hardly
point out that for all the higher purposes of the Allies the importance
of Mr. Balfour’s declaration is immediate and great. From the United
States to Russia, new enthusiasm for the general cause of liberty,
restoration, and lasting peace secured by many new international links,
moral and practical, will be kindled amongst the extraordinary race,
whose influence everywhere is out of all proportion to its numbers.”
(_The Observer._)
“... A large and thriving Jewish settlement in the Holy Land, under the
supervision of Great Britain, our Allies, and America, would make for
peace and progress in the Near East, and would thus accord with British
policy. It is not to be supposed that Palestine could ever support more
than a small proportion of the Jewish race. There are probably more
than twelve million Jews in the world, of whom far more than half live
in Russia and Austria. Generations may pass before Palestine is capable
of maintaining with comfort a million Jewish inhabitants, though it
is, as Mr. Albert Hyamson says in his very able new book,¹ a ‘land
laid waste’ and not by any means a desert. But a little Jewish state in
Palestine would serve as a rallying point for Jews all over the world,
and it would confer a benefit also on the Christian and the Moslem
worlds, which are equally interested in the Holy Land and its undying
religious memories.” (_The Spectator._)
¹ “Palestine: The Rebirth of an Ancient People.” By Albert M.
Hyamson. London, 1917.
“Mr. Balfour’s declaration translates into a binding statement of
policy the general wish of British opinion. It emphatically favours
‘the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish
people.’ If we were to analyse this sentiment we should find at its
core the simple and humane instinct of reparation. Our own record
towards the Jewish race is, from Cromwell’s day downwards, one of
relative enlightenment; but it is on the conscience of all Christendom
that the burden falls of secular persecution which this enduring race
has suffered. One of our solidest reasons for welcoming the Russian
Revolution was that it had freed the whole Alliance from complicity
in the sins of one of its chief partners towards the Jews. To end
this record by restoring the dispersed and downtrodden race to its
own cradle is a war aim which lifts the struggle in this region above
the sordid level of Imperial competition.” (_The Nation._)
“The British Government’s declaration in favour of Zionism is one of
the best pieces of statesmanship that we can show in these latter days.
Early in the war _The New Statesman_ published an article giving the
main reasons why such a step should be taken, and nothing has occurred
to change them. The special interest of the British Empire in Palestine
is due to the proximity of the Suez Canal. The present has killed
the idea that this vital artery ought to be used as a line of defence
for Egypt, and there is a general return to the view of Napoleon (and
indeed history long before his time) that Egypt must be defended
in Palestine. To make Palestine once more prosperous and populous,
with a population attached to the British Empire, there is only one
hopeful way, and that is to effect a Zionist restoration under British
auspices. On the other side of the account it is hard to conceive how
anybody with the true instinct for nationality and the desire to see
small nations emancipated can fail to be warmed by the prospect of
emancipating this most ancient of oppressed nationalities.” (_The New
Statesman._)
“The forty-six Jewish colonies, with their co-operative societies,
their agricultural schools, and their experimental station for
agriculture, seem to have prospered before the war. Their wine and
oranges were one-fourth of the total export trade of _Jaffa_, and while
the war has set back their development the Turks are likely to have
been less destructive than the Germans in France. Their labour――one
of the chief difficulties foreseen by critics of Zionism――is partly
Arab, but largely supplied by Jews from Russia, Roumania, and the
Yemen. With sufficient capital――already furnished in part by Zionist
organizations――the removal of the blight of Turkish rule, and the
coming shortage of all food products, the economic future of a Jewish
Palestine should be bright.” (_The Economist._)
“The movement towards Palestine will be slow, and none of those who
have sanctioned the great experiment may hope to live to judge it
by the fruits; but it is satisfactory to remember that the British
Government’s decision meets with the approbation of many Great Powers.
President Wilson views the Zionist programme with the keenest sympathy,
and has appointed a Jewish Commission to study in Palestine the
question of a Jewish State. The Russian Revolutionary Government has
declared its willingness to support the Jewish claim to Palestine, and
even permitted a Zionist Conference to be held in Petrograd. Those who
should be well informed say that the Pope is not opposing the Zionist
ideal, and that the French Government favours it; one and all seem
to be agreed that when this war is over the horrors of the Jewish
situation as it affects the vast majority of the race must come to an
end. The persecution and repression practised in Russia and Roumania
down to little more than a year ago cannot go on in a world made
fit for all to live in. ... What will be the spiritual effect of this
return to Palestine upon the pious Jew, who for two thousand years
has said, _If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its
cunning_; upon the other class of Jew who will recover his Judaism when
it has a centre, a point of focus; and upon the non-Jew to whom the
return to Palestine is the fulfilment of prophecy and the foreshadowing
of the Millennium?” (_The Graphic._)
“We speak of Palestine as a country, but it is not a country.... But
it will be a country; it will be the country of the Jews. That is the
meaning of the letter which we publish to-day written by Mr. Balfour to
Lord Rothschild for communication to the Zionist Federation. It is at
once the fulfilment of an aspiration, the signpost of a destiny. Never
since the days of the Dispersion has the extraordinary people scattered
over the earth in every country of modern European and of the old
Arabic civilization surrendered the hope of an ultimate return to the
historic seat of its national existence. This has formed part of its
ideal life, and is the ever-recurring note of its religious ritual....
For fifty years the Jews have been slowly and painfully returning to
their ancestral home, and even under the Ottoman yoke and amid the
disorder of that effete and crumbling dominion they have succeeded in
establishing the beginnings of a real civilization. Scattered and few,
they have still brought with them schools and industry and scientific
knowledge, and here and there have in truth made the waste places
blossom as the rose.... The British victories in Palestine and in the
more distant eastern bounds of the ancient Arab Empire are the presage
of the downfall of Turkish power; the declaration of policy by the
British Government to-day is the security for a new, perhaps a very
wonderful, future for Zionism and for the Jewish race.... In declaring
that ‘the British Government view with favour the establishment in
Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use its
best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object,’ the
Government have indeed laid down a policy of great and far-reaching
importance, but it is one which can bear its full fruit only by the
united efforts of Jews all over the world. What it means is that,
assuming our military successes to be continued and the whole of
Palestine to be brought securely under our control, then on the
conclusion of peace our deliberate policy will be to encourage in
every way in our power Jewish immigration, to give full security, and
no doubt a large measure of local autonomy, to the Jewish immigrants,
with a view to the ultimate establishment of a Jewish State.”
(_Manchester Guardian._)
_The Manchester Daily Dispatch_ published a sympathetic interview with
Sir Stuart Samuel, Bart., on the subject of the pronouncement of the
Government.
Both _The Liverpool Courier_ and _The Liverpool Daily Post and Mercury_
devoted leading articles to the subject on the 9th of November. The
former said:――
“Mr. Balfour’s letter stating the attitude of the British
Government towards the establishment of a National Home for
the Jews in Palestine may well be regarded as one of the most
historic documents in the 5678 years of Jewish history. Its
terms are eminently well considered, and the re-establishment
of the Jewish National Home is to be accomplished on
lines which are reasonable and just. Indeed, we note with
satisfaction that the points to which we have already made
reference in our consistent advocacy of the claims of Zionism
(which has been thrust to the fore by world-shaking events
of the past year or two) have been covered by the terms of
the Government declaration.... Zionism has made a great step
forward, and the world has now reason to look forward to the
rise of an old-new nation in its natural home, where some of
its ancient greatness may be revived in a national sense.”
The views of _The Post_ took the following form:――
“The important official letter from Mr. Balfour, as Foreign
Secretary, to Lord Rothschild, as representing the Jews, more
than justifies the suggestion we lately made in a leading
article that our Government might be expected to encourage the
Jewish national aspiration for a home in Palestine. We further
said at that time that a ‘Palestine re-peopled by a Jewry
bound to the Allies, and not least to Britain, by ties of
affection for righting the oldest national wrong, would be
a friendly neighbour to Egypt and to the newly enfranchised
territories abutting upon the Holy Land.’”
_The Edinburgh Evening Dispatch_ expressed the following views:――
“The aspirations of the Jewish race to return to the Holy Land
seem not unlikely of fulfilment. Scattered over the face of
the earth, they daily turn their eyes towards Jerusalem and
pray for the day when they will be restored to the land of
their origin. We are fighting to-day not for aggrandizement,
not for the acquisition of territory, but for the liberation
of peoples crushed by the tyrant, and there is no just
and reasonable demand which would not be sympathetically
considered by the British Government. Our progress in
Palestine has awakened in the breasts of the ‘chosen people’
fresh hopes of re-establishment in their Fatherland.”
_The Glasgow Herald_, writing in a similar vein, said:――
“From their aeroplanes British aviators may have obtained a
glimpse of the white domes and towers of the Holy City, high
upon the crest of the Palestinian ridge. That possibility is
symbolic of the effect upon the Jewish world of the British
Cabinet’s declaration in favour of Zionism. What has long been
the dream of virtually the whole Jewish race――even of those
whose inward despair expressed itself outwardly by a cynical
dismissal of Zionism as the mirage of over-heated fancy――has
now taken definite shape on the horizon of practical politics.”
In the further article in the same issue the Government adoption of the
Zionist policy was further commented upon:――
“With singular timeliness, for it coincides with the victories
of _Gaza_ and Tekrit, Mr. Balfour has written a letter to Lord
Rothschild announcing the adhesion of the British Government
to Zionism. With the reservation of the civil and religious
rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, and
without prejudice to the rights and political status enjoyed
by Jews in any other country, Palestine, when it has been
conquered, is to become a national home for the Jewish people.
With numerically small exceptions this decision――on which we
comment more fully elsewhere――will be accepted with joy by all
the Jews of the Dispersion throughout the world. It will have
an immediate political effect in America and in Russia, no
less than in Poland and Hungary. It will tell to the advantage
of the Allies even in Bagdad. In the Levant generally it
should unite the Jews with the Arabs, Greeks, and Italians in
revolt against the Turks. But its great ultimate influence, as
all will pray, will be to affect for the better in many subtle
ways the relations of Christian and Jew throughout the world.
If that should happen one of the most insidious diseases from
which civilization has suffered will have been cured.”
According to _The Aberdeen Free Press_:――
“This is the first time that any Government has definitely put
itself in touch with Zionist ideals, and the new departure is
as important as it is timely.”
“... In many ways the moment appears to be a peculiarly
favourable one for preparing to launch the scheme for
providing ‘a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine’
in the sphere of the practical. The Zionist idea has passed
through many changes, and may pass through many more....
Never until now have time and place and opportunity been in
accord with the dream of returning and building up _Zion_. Mr.
Balfour’s letter, read in the light of General Allenby’s march
upon _Hebron_, may well sound like the long-postponed answer
to the prayer of the exiled and persecuted race, ‘_Next year,
O Lord, in Jerusalem!_’” (_Scotsman._)
_The Dundee Advertiser_ also put itself in line with its contemporaries
which commented on the Government’s pronouncement:――
“Palestine will, therefore, be a suitable field for
immigration, and by tradition and inclination the Jews are
the people to occupy it. Already before the war a number of
colony settlements had been established, chiefly by Jewish
immigrants from Eastern Europe, and without exception these
settlements were thriving. One and all they were agricultural,
and contradicted the prevailing belief that the Jew is bound
to become a trader or an artisan, and will never undertake
the tillage of the soil. The Jewish colonies were models
of up-to-date agricultural enterprise, in which the best
scientific knowledge of irrigation and dry-farming was applied.
A very pleasing prospect is therefore opening up.... In the
fulness of time a new page in the history of the Holy Land is
being opened by Allenby’s army.”
_The Irish Times_ expressed its views in the following passage:――
“These fortunate circumstances invest with especial
significance the important declaration of British policy in
Palestine which we printed yesterday... . In this endorsement
of Zionist aspirations at a moment when Jerusalem can hear the
distant thunder of British guns the Government has declared
a policy of great and far-reaching importance. It is at last
an attainable policy, and it is from every point of view a
desirable policy. From the British point of view the defence
of the Suez Canal can best be secured by the establishment in
Palestine of a people attached to us, and the restoration of
the Jews under British auspices can alone secure it in this
way. From the European point of view it would be a great gain
that the Jews should become, in the words of _The Jewish
Chronicle_, ‘a nation, and not a hyphenation.’”
A leading article in _The Western Daily Press_ ran in part as follows:――
“... There is no other solution so much demanded by historical
association and living sentiment as that, if it be possible,
the Jewish people should retake possession of the small but
intensely interesting country over which they ruled, with some
interruptions, for nearly two thousand years. Mr. Balfour’s
declaration has delighted many influential British Jews. It
can hardly fail to delight equally the Jews of Poland and
Russia, who have suffered so much from the ‘religious’ bigotry
of ignorant people, and the Jews of Germany and Austria, often
very wealthy and influential, will be forced to ask themselves
why they are at present helping to preserve Turkish rule over
a country which the British are anxious to restore to the
Jewish race.”
_The Hull Daily Mail_ said:――
“It is a wise and sagacious offer, and has given great
satisfaction in Jewish communities. It will be a great
thing if Palestine is delivered from the blighting, blasting
influence of the Turk, and he must never again be given
possession if it is finally won from his grasp. The Jews were
a pastoral people, and, once they were in possession, this
land, under the blessing of Providence, would again flow ‘with
milk and honey,’ and blossom as the rose under the protecting
hand of Britain and other guaranteeing Powers.”
And _The Newcastle Daily Journal_:――
“The Zionist project has, at last, the prospect of achieving
its purpose, under the very highest auspices, humanly
speaking. It looks like a first step towards the restoration
representatively of the long-persecuted and widely-scattered
Jewish race.”
Other provincial newspapers that commented on the Government’s
announcement were _The Dublin Express_, _The Northern Whig_, _The
Belfast Newsletter_, _The Bulletin_, _The South Wales Daily News_,
and _The Northern Daily Telegraph_.
_The African World_ also welcomed the proposals whole-heartedly:――
“The announcement yesterday that the British Government ‘view
with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home
for the Jewish people’ and the Cabinet’s intention to further
the scheme cherished by Zionists is an event of world-wide
importance. A home for Jews on the soil traditionally sacred
to them, and under British auspices and protection, is the
happiest outcome of the dream of ages.”
_The Shipping World_ said:――
“For a number of decades there has been a movement, partly
idealistic, partly practical, for restoring the Jewish race
to their ancient territorial home. That movement is known as
Zionism, and is strongly supported in the Jewish communities
both in Europe and in America. Assisted by funds subscribed by
the wealthier members of the race, some settlers had already
formed under Turkish rule Zionist settlements in the Holy Land.
But colonization under Turkish tolerance is a precarious thing.
Now appears the dawn of promise, and Mr. Balfour has just
addressed a letter to Lord Rothschild expressing the sympathy
of the Cabinet with Jewish Zionist aspirations. The Government
favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home
for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours
to facilitate the achievement of that object. What form
the endeavour is to take is, at this point, left obscure,
purposely, no doubt. But we may in this hint perhaps see the
nucleus of a free State where the children of Israel, gathered
once more from the ends of the earth, shall again possess the
land of their ancestors and live free from alien oppression.”
_The Near East_ devoted its leading article to “The Land of Promise”:――
“On the other hand, Palestine is for all true Jews a spiritual
centre, and deep down in their being they associate with it,
if not their own individual place of residence, at least the
home of a sufficient number of Jewish people to make it the
focus of Jewish life and Jewish civilization. Such a Jewish
commonwealth can only grow up to fulfil its destiny under the
protection of a strong and ordered State, which will guarantee
it immunity from outside interference, security of life and
property, and the impartial administration of justice. For
its own material development it must look to itself, and in
this connection it will be recalled that Jewish agricultural
and urban settlements already exist in Palestine, and are a
nucleus ready to hand for the new commonwealth. They point
to the probable lines on which the development of the country
will take place, expedited or retarded, according to the
degree of assistance on which Zionism can count. The valley is
full of bones, and, lo! they are very dry; many stages have to
be passed through before these dry bones stand upon their feet,
an exceeding great army. Of Palestine it will then be true
that ‘This land that was desolate is become like the Garden
of _Eden_, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are
become fenced and are inhabited.’ Towards that consummation
it would seem that Great Britain in the dispensation of
Providence will have played no small part.”
_Palestine_, the organ of the British Palestine Committee, was, not
surprisingly, filled with enthusiasm and eloquence, for the Government
pronouncement is the culmination of all its efforts:――
“The decision of the British Government marks a turning-point
in the history of the Jewish people, and will, we believe, be
for ever memorable in the history of the British Empire....
The declaration is complete in form and substance. It can
provoke no opposition from any quarter, and it will bind the
Jews of the world in sympathy to the country which has thus
taken the lead in their national redemption.... And when the
Declaration becomes an act, when a Jewish Palestine from being
an aim becomes a fact, then all the complex of strategic,
political, and commercial interests which are concentrated for
the British Empire in the Suez Canal and Palestine will have
found their solution. This declaration is a memorable event in
the history of the British Empire as it is in the history of
the Jewish people and of humanity. We may be of good hope that
it will at no very distant date become a fact, for the army of
England has even now battered in the gates of Palestine. The
statesmanship of this declaration of the Jewish nation’s right
to Palestine is a statesmanship of deed, not of words.”
The Church, Catholic, and Nonconformist papers have devoted much space
to the Government decision. In the opinion of _The Challenge_:――
“If there is a considerable part of the Jewish people eager
to make Palestine again their home, then we are glad that
the Allied Governments should have made it possible for them
to do so, supposing that the course of the war leaves that
possibility still open. It must be for the Jewish people
themselves to decide how much or how little advantage they
will take of the offer which is made to them. Meanwhile no one
can avoid feeling a thrill at a prospect so closely affecting
the destiny of the chosen race. That wonderful people pursues
its way through all the history of the world, and whatever
concerns them is of universal interest.”
According to _The Christian_:――
“By this dramatic declaration an age-long dream comes within
the view of actual fulfilment. It ought to be apparent
to everybody that the persistence of a people like the
Jews during two thousand years――a fact unparalleled in
history――despite every attempt to crush them, holds a meaning
far deeper than that which the secular historian offers. The
purposes of God are being worked out, and we can begin to see
light.”
In _The Church Family Newspaper_ the Rev. E. L. Langston, under the
heading “Jews and Palestine: Epoch-making Announcement,” said:――
“The declaration of His Majesty’s Government as to the future
of Palestine must have far-reaching and vital effects....”
In the words of _The Catholic Times_:――
“The settling down of Jews from Great Britain, America, and
the Continent of Europe in the Holy Land is something like a
romance of a war in the main features of which scarcely any
romantic element has, so far, appeared.”
_The Christian Commonwealth_ said:――
“The historical interest and the religious importance of this
promise will appeal nearly as much to non-Jewish people as
to the Jews themselves.... We may yet live to see Palestine
become the centre of trade and travel for the three continents
of the Old World. The early colonization movement has
crystallized into something more dramatic――the re-establishment
of a whole people on the soil of the land where their national
history began. Their long exile is drawing to an end. From
this redeemed and rejuvenated people what new message may we
not expect, seeing that their faith has so manifestly been
justified and the vision of their prophets realized!”
“We are quite unable to find words,” said _The Life of Faith_,
“wherewith to express the wonderful importance of the above declaration
made by His Majesty’s Government.... It is not too much to say that
this great declaration contains the making of history, even as it forms
a new epoch for the Jewish race.... We welcome the declaration all
the more because we, too, have an inborn love for the Holy Land, and
because we can so deeply sympathize with the Jewish people, whose
passionate affection for the land of their fathers has never been torn
from their hearts, in spite of centuries of persecution and wanderings.
There is, after all, some little excuse for the sentimental yearnings
of the Rabbis who expressed their heartfelt passion in such sayings as:
“‘The very air of Palestine makes one wise.’¹
“‘To live in Palestine is equal to the observance of all the
commandments.’²
“‘He that hath his permanent abode in Palestine is sure of the life to
come.’”³
¹ אוירא דארץ ישראל מחכים.
בבא בתרא ד׳קנה ע׳ב׃
²...ישיבת ארץ ישראל שקולה כנגד כל המצות שבתורה׃
ספרי דבי רב פסקא ראה פ׳׃
³”... כל מי שקבוע בארץ ישראל ... יהא מובטח שבן העולם הבא הוא׃“
תלמוד ירושלמי מסכת שקלים פרק שלישי׃
_The Methodist Times_ said:――
“Naturally this declaration, which will be celebrated in
history, has given the liveliest satisfaction to Jewry
throughout the world. The pledge is as sagacious as it is
opportune.” And prints in addition a long article by Mr.
C. W. Andrews, entitled: “Palestine for the Jews: the Triumph
of Zionism.”
And in the words of _The Sunday School Chronicle_:――
“For two thousand years the Jews have been wandering among the
nations. It looks as though a new day were dawning for them
and for the world.... Apart from the moral significance of
such a return, an independent Jewish State would make the
Holy Land a centre of commercial and political influence of
far-reaching importance to the British Empire and to the Far
East.”
_The British Weekly_, _The Church Times_, _The Christian World_,
_The Inquirer_, and _The Guardian_ also commented editorially on the
Government’s pronouncement.
_The Jewish Chronicle_, in a leading article, said:――
“... It is the perceptible lifting of the cloud of centuries,
the palpable sign that the Jew――condemned for two thousand
years to unparalleled wrong――is at last coming to his right.
The prospect has at last definitely opened of a rectification
of the Jew’s anomalous position among the nations of the earth.
He is to be given the opportunity and the means whereby, in
place of being a hyphenation, he can become a nation. Instead
of, as Jew, filling a place at best equivocal and doubtful,
even to himself, and always with an apologetic cringing
inseparable from his position, he can――as Jew――stand proud
and erect, endowed with national being. In place of being a
wanderer in every clime, there is to be a home for him in his
ancient land. The day of his exile is to be ended. In this
joyous hour we English Jews turn with feelings of deepest
pride and reverence to great and glorious Britain, mother of
free nations and protectress of the oppressed, who has thus
taken the lead in the Jewish restoration. The friend of our
people for generations, who has raised her voice times out of
number for our suffering martyrs, never was she truer to her
noble traditions than to-day――never more England than now!
In the time to come, when Jewry, free and prosperous, lives
a contented and, as we all hope, a lofty life in Palestine,
it will look with never-failing gratitude to the Power which
crowned its centuries of humanitarianism by a grand act that
linked Jewish destinies with those of the freest democracy in
the world.”
The Jewish people all over the world was deeply impressed by the
Declaration. As the correspondent of the _London Jewish Chronicle_ puts
it, “The Jewish masses were literally dazzled.” A great demonstration,
unparalleled for enthusiasm, occurred at Petrograd, and was addressed
by M. Boris Goldberg and M. Aleinikoff, who styled England the
“advanced guard of humanity.” He spoke in the highest praise of the
English Labour Party for its sympathetic attitude toward the movement,
and of the American Zionists for their defence of the Jewish colonies
in Palestine since the outbreak of the war. Tributes were paid to
the memory of Dr. Theodor Herzl and other leaders of the Movement who
have passed away, of the British soldiers killed in the Campaign in
Palestine, and to the _Hashomerim_ who have died in defence of the
Jewish colonies. Two soldiers, Levitzky and Kotlarevsky, greeted the
Declaration on behalf of the Jewish Soldiers’ Union.
Tremendous enthusiasm prevailed throughout Russian Jewry because of
the British Declaration; and reports received from Moscow, Minsk,
Ekaterinoslav, Kieff, Kharkoff, Odessa and Kherson are to the effect
that tens of thousands of Jews who had hitherto been either neutral or
inimical, joined the Zionist Movement. Special services of thanksgiving
were held in many synagogues and many mass meetings, vieing with one
another in enthusiasm, were held almost everywhere. Many organizations
of Jewish youth signified their intention to make whatever sacrifices
might be demanded of them for the Zionist ideal. The Russian Press,
with practical unanimity, spoke of the great importance of the
Declaration, and described it as a momentous event for the Jews,
offering the longed-for opportunity to build a national Jewish homeland
in Palestine.
The enthusiasm in America found expression in thousands of telegrams,
public meetings, resolutions, thanksgiving services. At the Baltimore
Zionist Conference on December 15th a resolution was passed thanking
the British Government for the Declaration, which stated, “Deeply we
rejoice in the triumph of the British arms in Palestine, and the taking
over of Palestine as another step in the march of the Allied Forces
which is to establish throughout the world the principle of the liberty
of smaller nationalities.” In all other countries the Declaration was
discussed by public opinion in a most favourable sense.
On November 18, 1917, a reception was held by the English Zionist
Federation at which Lord Rothschild officially communicated to the
Federation the Declaration of the English government. Hundreds of
congratulatory telegrams received from all parts of the world aroused
enthusiasm. Lord Rothschild, Dr. Tschlenow, Dr. Weizmann, Mr. James de
Rothschild, and the author delivered addresses in commemoration of this
historic event in the life of the Jewish people.
LONDON OPERA HOUSE DEMONSTRATION
Some account must be given of the Demonstration at the London Opera
House of the 2nd December held in order to express gratitude to the
British Government. This great demonstration was attended by thousands
of persons. The resolution read by Lord Rothschild, who presided over
the meeting, expressed gratitude from all sections of Anglo-Jewry
for the Government declaration in favour of establishing in Palestine
a national home for the Jewish people. Every member of the audience
seemed to feel the greatness of the occasion.
Lord Rothschild said they were met on the most momentous occasion in
the history of Judaism for the last eighteen hundred years. They were
there to return thanks to His Majesty’s Government for a declaration
which marked an epoch in Jewish history of outstanding importance.
For the first time since the Dispersion the Jewish people had received
its proper status by the Declaration of one of the great Powers. That
Declaration, while acknowledging and approving of the aspirations of
the Jewish people for a National Home, at the same time placed Jews
on their honour to respect the rights and privileges not only of their
prospective non-Jewish neighbours in Palestine, but also of those of
their own people who did not see eye to eye with the Zionist cause.
Feeling as he did that the aims of Zionism were in no way incompatible
with the highest patriotism and loyal citizenship of the Jews in
the various countries in which they were dwelling, he would like the
meeting in passing the resolution which would be submitted to them to
assure the Government that they would, one and all, faithfully observe
both the spirit and the letter of their gracious declaration. He felt
sure that the principal aim of the Zionists was to provide a National
Home for those portions of the Jewish people who wished to escape
the possibilities in the future of such oppression and ill-treatment
as they had endured in the past, and he therefore held that all and
every section of opinion in the Jewish people could work together
for the establishment in Palestine of such a home, so as to make it
a triumphant success.
It had often been said that the repeopling of Palestine by the Jews was
bound to fail in so far as they were not an agricultural people, but
they might dismiss that fear from their minds in view of the success
of the great Jewish agricultural colonies which were established in
Palestine before the war. The only thing necessary to achieve success
in the movement was a thoroughly up-to-date organization for the
development of the land, and for the guidance and selection of the
settlers, who must act as pioneers. The aims of what now appeared
to be antagonistic bodies of opinion, seemed to him to be so similar
that he felt sure that when those objects had been properly examined
in the light of experience they would find, sooner or later, that a
common ground would present itself for all of those professing these
apparently divergent opinions to work together in a common effort to
make the re-settlement of Palestine a great and lasting success. Lord
Rothschild then moved the following resolution:――
“That this mass meeting, representing all sections of the
Jewish Community in the United Kingdom, conveys to His
Majesty’s Government an expression of heartfelt gratitude for
their Declaration in favour of the establishment in Palestine
of a national home for the Jewish people. It assures His
Majesty’s Government that their historic action in support of
the national aspirations of the Jewish people has evoked among
Jews the most profound sentiments of joy. This meeting further
pledges its utmost endeavours to give its whole-hearted
support to the Zionist cause.”
The Right Hon. Lord Robert Cecil, P.C., K.C., M.P., who was received
with loud cheering, said: “I have come here with the greatest possible
pleasure at the request of those who represent, or who have led the
representation of the Zionist movement of this country, to offer to
you, and to all Zionism, my hearty congratulation on the event which
you are celebrating to-day. And perhaps you will allow me to mention in
connection with these congratulations, not only your Chairman, but also
Mr. Nahum Sokolow and Dr. C. Weizmann, who have done so much for the
cause that we all have at heart this afternoon. Surely all of us must
feel what a very striking gathering the present one is. The keynote
of our meeting this afternoon is liberation. We welcome among us not
only the many thousands of Jews that I see, but also representatives
of the Arabian and Armenian races who are also in this great struggle
struggling to be free. Our wish is that Arabian countries shall be for
the Arabs, Armenia for the Armenians, and Judea for the Jews. Yes, and
let us add, if it can be so, let Turkey, real Turkey, be for the Turks.
I should like to be allowed to say that the part that this country is
taking in this movement is not a new thing. I venture to claim for this
country that in supporting Zionism it has been merely carrying out its
traditional policy. To me, at any rate, it seems that there are two
great foundations upon which the policy of this country has always
been based. I believe that they are often described by the two words
‘Liberty and Justice.’ Perhaps, more accurately they may be called
the supremacy of the Law and Liberty, for, be well assured, if we are
ever to obtain that security which we have been recently told is so
important for us, if we are ever to lift European civilization and
national relations in Europe out of the anarchy in which they at
present are, it must be by the same means by which we have secured
liberty and happiness in each country, namely, by the supremacy of Law.
And it was because the invasion of Belgium, the lawless invasion of
Belgium, was felt by the true instincts of the British people to be an
attack upon the principle of Law, because they recognized that that was
a real blow at the heart of civilization, that they felt then, and they
feel now, that until that outrage has been expiated it is impossible
even to think of talking of the terms of peace. As for the second
foundation of which I have spoken, and which has more practical bearing
on our proceedings this afternoon, may I say this, we hear a great deal
of a new word: ‘self-determination. ’ Well, I don’t know that it is a
new thing. It certainly is not new in the British Empire. The Empire
has always striven to give to all the peoples that make it up the
fullest measure of self-government of which they are capable. We
have always striven to give to all peoples within our bounds complete
liberty and equality before the Law. We are adjured to respect the
principle of self-determination, but I say that the British Empire
was the first organization to teach that principle to the world, and
one of the great causes for which we are in this war is to secure to
all peoples the right to govern themselves and to work out their own
destiny, irrespective of the threats and menaces of their greater
neighbour. One of the great steps――in my judgment, in some ways the
greatest step――we have taken in carrying out this principle is the
recognition of Zionism. This is the first constructive effort that we
have made in what I hope will be the new settlement of the world after
the war. I do not say that that is the only thing involved. It is not
only the recognition of a nationality, it is much more than that. It
has great underlying ideals of which you will hear this afternoon,
and of which it would be impertinent of me to speak. It is, indeed,
not the birth of a nation, for the Jewish nation through centuries of
oppression and captivity have preserved their sentiment of nationality
as few peoples could; but if it is not the birth of a nation, I believe
we may say it is the re-birth of a nation. I don’t like to prophesy
what ultimate results that great event may have, but for myself I
believe it will have a far-reaching influence on the history of the
world and consequences which none can foresee on the future history of
the human race.”
The Right Hon. Herbert Samuel, M.P., who received an enthusiastic
welcome, said: “I rejoice whole-heartedly in the pronouncement that has
been made by the British Government with respect to Palestine. It is
a policy which for nearly three years I have urged in the Cabinet and
out of the Cabinet at every opportunity that arose. The fears and the
doubts which this policy has evoked are, I firmly believe, unfounded.
Three conditions must indeed be observed in any new development that
may take place in Palestine. In the first place, there must be full,
just recognition of the rights of the Arabs, who now constitute the
majority of the population of that country. Secondly, there must be a
reverent respect for the Christian and Mohammedan holy places, which
in all eventualities should always remain in the control and charge
of representatives of those faiths. In the third place, there must be
no attempt now or in the future to establish anything in the nature
of political authority from Palestine over the Jews scattered in other
countries of the world, who must probably always remain the great
majority of the Jewish race. There should be no disturbance, large
or small, direct or indirect, in their national status or in their
national rights and duties in the countries of which they are, or
should be, full and equal citizens. On all these matters there is no
divergence of opinion in any quarter, and the controversies that have
taken place, I venture to think, are disputes over differences that do
not exist. The reason why, for my own part, I support the policy which
we are here to-day to approve and celebrate, are chiefly these. First,
it may be that the genius of the Jewish race will again be able to give
the world a brilliant and distinctive civilization. The richness of
mankind lies in its diversity. We do not want the world to be like some
great library, consisting of nothing but innumerable copies of one and
the same book. The Jewish mind is a distinctive thing. It combines in
remarkable degree the imaginative and the practical, the ideal and the
positive. This combination of qualities enabled it for one thousand
five hundred years in Palestine to produce an almost unbroken series of
statesmen and soldiers, judges and poets, prophets and seers――thinkers
and leaders who have left for all time their impress upon the world.
The Jewish mind is tenacious and persists, and now, when all the
powerful Empires that over-ran that land have been overthrown and
almost forgotten, the Jewish people exists and is more numerous to-day
than it ever has been at any period of its history. Who knows, I say,
but that if it again finds a spiritual centre of its own, soundly based
on an industrious population, untrammelled, self-contained, inspired
by the memories of a splendid past, it may again produce golden fruits
in the fields of intellect for the enrichment of the whole world. And
my other reason is this: If this comes to be, what a helpful effect it
would have upon the Jewish proletariat that will still remain scattered
in other countries of the world. I see in my mind’s eye those millions
in Eastern Europe all through the centuries, crowded, cramped,
proscribed, bent with oppression, suffering all the miseries of active
minds denied scope, of talent not allowed to speak, of genius that
cannot act. I see them enduring, suffering everything, sacrificing
everything in order to keep alight the flame of which they knew
themselves to be the lamp, to keep alive the idea of which they knew
themselves to be the vessel, to preserve the soul of which they knew
themselves to be the body; their eyes always set upon one distant point,
always believing that somehow, some day, the ancient greatness would
be restored; always saying when they met in their families on Passover
Night, ‘Next year in Jerusalem.’ Year after year, generation following
generation, century succeeding century, till the time that has elapsed
is counted in thousands of years, still they said, ‘Next year in
Jerusalem.’ If that cherished vision is at last to be realized, if
on the Hills of Zion a Jewish civilization is restored with something
of its old intellectual and moral force, then among those left in the
other countries of the world, I can see growing a new confidence and
a new greatness. There will be a fresh light in those eyes, those bent
backs will at last stand erect, there will be a greater dignity in
the Jew throughout the world. That is why we meet to-day to thank the
British Government――our own Government――that has made all this possible,
that we shall be able to say, not as a pious and distant wish, but as a
near and confident hope:
“‘לשנה הבאה בירושלם.’ ‘Next year in Jerusalem!’”
The Chief Rabbi said it was indeed a rare privilege to take part in
that wonderful meeting called together to express the heartfelt thanks
of British Jewry for the striking sympathy of His Majesty’s Government
with Jewish aspirations. The epoch-making Declaration on Palestine was
an assurance given by the mightiest of empires that the new order which
the Allies are now creating at such sacrifice of life and treasure
shall be rooted in righteousness, and broad-based on the liberty of,
and reverence for, _every_ oppressed nationality. It was a solemn
pledge that the oldest of national tragedies shall be ended in the
coming readjustment of the nations which shall console mankind for the
slaughter and waste and torment of this terrible world-war.
In the face of an event of such infinite importance to the Jewish
people, ordinary words of appreciation or the usual phrases of
gratitude were hopelessly weak and inadequate. For the interpretation
of their true feelings to-day they must turn to Scripture. Twenty-five
hundred years ago Cyrus issued his edict of liberation to the Jewish
exiles in Babylon; and an eye-witness of that glorious day had left
them in the 126th Psalm a record of how their fathers received the
announcement of their deliverance:――
“When the Lord brought back those that returned to Zion,
We were like unto them that dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing;
Then said they among the nations:
‘The Lord hath done great things with these.’
The Lord hath done great things with us;
We are rejoiced.”
Theirs was a similar feeling of joy and wonder. With them likewise
it was the astonishment of the nations, the reassuring approbation of
statesmen and rulers that caused them to exclaim: “We will see it done,
and done consummately, the thing so many have thought could never be
done!”
The spirit of the Declaration was that of absolute justice, whether
to Jews out of Palestine, or to non-Jews in Palestine. They especially
welcomed in it the reference to the civil and religious rights of
the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine. That was but a
translation of the basic principles of the Mosaic legislation. But it
was the substance of the Declaration――the promise of a National Home
for the Jewish people――that filled their souls with gladness. For only
on its own soil could the Jewish people live its own life, and make, as
in the past it had made, its characteristic and specific contributions
to the spiritual treasure of humanity.
After the proclamation issued by Cyrus, the mass of the Jewish people
still remained in Babylon. All told, only forty-two thousand men, women
and children took advantage of the king’s proclamation and followed
Ezra back to Zion, the land of their fathers. But that handful of
Zionists and their descendants, because living on their own soil,
changed the entire future of mankind. They edited and collected the
Prophets, wrote some of the fairest portions of the Scriptures, formed
the canon of the Bible, and gave the world its monotheistic religions.
Now, as then, שאר ישוב “A remnant shall return.” But now, as then, it was
the national rejuvenation of that remnant that is to open a new chapter
in the annals of the human spirit.
Difficulties? Of course there were difficulties. The task of laying the
foundations of a new Israel must be one of long toil and severe trial.
But a people that for twenty-five centuries had stood victoriously
against the storm of time, possessed vitality enough, patience enough,
idealism enough, with the help of God, to rise to the level of this
unique, world-historic opportunity.
Lieut.-Colonel Sir Mark Sykes, Bart., M.P., said: “My lords, ladies
and gentlemen, I should like to say, before I say one other word, that
the reason I am interested in this movement is that I met one some two
years ago who is now upon this platform, and who opened my eyes as to
what this movement meant. He is on the list of speakers; you will hear
him presently; his name is known to most in the records of Zionism: I
mean Dr. Gaster. I speak as one from without, as a watcher, but I feel,
as everyone present must feel, that this meeting here to-day marks
not a turning-point in the history of your own race, but I think
certainly a turning-point in the history of the whole world. When
one thinks of the years that have passed, of the immense spaces of
history which stand between what was――and now is――promised, one is
truly dazzled by the possibilities and prospects which open before us.
I see, speaking to you as a watcher――now you, in a sense, are perhaps
watchers also――perhaps you see something, perhaps you see three nations
stricken with plague, cumbered with ruin, and Europe a welter of blood.
Perhaps you see these three nations, and you realize that it may be
your destiny to be a bridge between Asia and Europe, to bring the
spirituality of Asia to Europe, and the vitality of Europe to Asia.
That I firmly believe is the mission of Zionism. I see here something
which is greater than a dream or a League of Nations. It is a league
of continents, a league of races, and finally a league of ideals. That
is a great vision. That is what I believe lies before you, but no one
present realizes more than I do――I know the ground, some of it――and
boldly I dare to say that there lie before you dangers, difficulties,
possibly obstructions, but, ladies and gentlemen, your time of
probation has been long, you are schooled in adversity, you can look to
difficulties with calm, and you will overcome them. I do not look for
a sudden magic transformation, but I believe you are beginning a great
beneficial and irresistible transition. That is what you are beginning.
Now, I believe, I hope you are going to set up a power that is not the
domination of blood, not the domination of gold, but the domination of
a great intellectual force. I believe you will see Palestine the great
centre of ideals, radiating out to every country in the world where
your people are, and if there is one thing that gives me pleasure to be
here to-day, it is to feel that at this turning-point of your history,
when the Government made its Declaration, you not only thought of
yourselves but you thought also of others, and you will always look
back with joy to the fact that when the promise, when the hope was
held out to you of redemption, you thought not only of yourselves,
but thought of your fellows in adversity, the Armenians and the Syrian
Arabs. It is said that the Jewish people have a long memory. I believe
that you remember Cordova, where your influence on modern civilization
was at its zenith, and I think you remember what you owed to the Arabs
in Cordova. You remember in the days when the Jews were so oppressed
in Russia what you owed to the Armenians, who were your companions
in oppression. These tragedies are very different in their nature,
and three tragedies destined to unite in one triumph. If all three
hold together, the realization of your ideal is certain. There are
evil people who will desire that you should fail. If these three
forces should be dismissed, there will be the danger of any one of
them becoming the prey of a political adventurer, militarist, or the
financier. For Palestine to be a success you must have a satisfied
and tranquil Syria. For liberty to be certain in Palestine, you must
have guarantees that no savage races shall return there. You want to
see Armenia free because you want to know that all people are free.
You want to know the Arab is free, because he is, and always will be,
your neighbour. Lastly, I would also say this: I look forward through
difficulty and through pain to see Armenia free, and to prove the
inevitable triumph of right over the greatest might there may be. I
look to see the Arab civilization restored once more in Bagdad and in
Damascus, and I look to see the return of Israel, with his majesty and
tolerance, hushing mockery and dispelling doubt; and all three nations
giving out to the world the good that God has infused into them.”
Dr. M. Gaster said he stood before them not as a new Zionist, but as
an old friend. He stood before them, the old Zionist, deeply imbued
with the spirit of faith, believing in the truth of the word of God
and the glorious promise in store for our people, a dreamer of visions,
if they would. People had mocked at their visions and ideals, at
their aspirations and their hopes, and yet they continued their work,
unswerving in their enthusiasm. What appeared to so many as a dream had
now become a reality――and they were gathered there to begin to reap in
joy what they had sown in tears and sorrow. He had originally acclaimed
Herzl as the leader of the movement, and he had had to bear the burden
of the difficulties, but he had been true to the trust and had kept the
flag of Zion flying, and it was now for him, and for all of them, a day
of joy to see the fruits which they had so long wished for. They had
come together to thank the British Government for _le beau geste_, in
the inimitable French, for their declaration of sympathy with their
national aspirations. But Zionism was neither a local question nor did
it affect English Jewry, except in a very small proportion. It was a
movement which affected the whole of the race. Every Jew, therefore,
wherever he might be, was united in that sentiment of gratitude. They
were there, representing the feeling which animated the Jews of all the
world. Therein lay the greatness of the British Government――that it had
lifted the problem from its local geographical character and given to
it that universally valued importance which they attached to it. But
what Zionism stands for must be clearly apprehended, and also what the
Declaration of the British Government was expected to embody. The term
“National Home” was a circumlocution of the original word which formed
part of the Basle programme, the foundation-stone of Zionism, and
that word had been chosen when no definite political meaning could
be assigned to it. Circumstances had changed. It was for them to give
to the word its true original meaning. What they wished to obtain in
Palestine was not merely a right to establish colonies, or educational,
cultural, or industrial institutions. They wanted to establish in
Palestine an autonomous Jewish Commonwealth in the fullest sense of the
word. They wanted Palestine to be Palestine of the Jews and not merely
a Palestine for Jews. They wished the land to be again what it was in
olden times and what it had been for Jews in their prayers and in their
Bible――a land of Israel. The ground must be theirs. They stood, indeed,
as a people for the same programme as British statesmen were standing
to-day in a larger sphere. Jews stood for reparation, restitution,
and guarantees, and it was in the very application of those principles
that the greatness and importance of the Declaration of the British
Government stood out so luminously. England owed to Jews no reparation.
Here they had liberty, full freedom, equality of right and equality
of duty, and they had risen to the responsibility which had thus
been placed upon them. For many of them there had their children now
fighting the battles of England. But the British Government had now
made itself the champion of reparation to the Jewish people for the
wrongs done to them by the world. It had made itself a champion, too,
of the restitution of the land to our nation for whom it is the old
inheritance, and it had given them a guarantee――security of tenure,
independence, right and freedom of action as a people, in their ancient
land. The establishment of a Jewish Commonwealth in the land of their
fathers would also consolidate and clarify the position of the rest
of the Jews throughout the world. He believed that a new world was
to arise in which the Jew as Jew would find himself a free man. In
conclusion, he reminded them of an old legend which told that when the
Temple was destroyed the stones were split into splinters and each one
entered the heart of a Jew. It was this memorial of our fallen nation
which the Jew carried in his bosom, and which bent his back. But they
were coming together once again as a nation in Palestine, and they
would take the splinters of the stones from out of their hearts――“and,”
exclaimed Dr. Gaster, “I feel the stone in my heart already loosening.”
Sheikh Ismail-Abdul-al-Akki then addressed the meeting. He spoke in
Arabic, which was translated by Mr. Israel Sieff, who mentioned that
the speaker was under sentence of death by the Turkish Government
for having joined the Arab national movement. Sheikh Ismail said he
desired to tender deep gratitude to the British nation and the British
Government for affording his countrymen and himself help and asylum in
their hour of persecution. His country was held in chains by the Turks,
who were supplied with German gold, and he looked with confidence to
England and France to deliver them from bondage, as he believed in the
ultimate good over evil, and was confident in the victory of the Allies.
He not only spoke as an Arab, but as a “Moslem” Arab, having studied
five years in theological schools and being granted a degree, and it
was the duty of every Moslem to participate in the movement for the
liberation of their countrymen. The meeting was to celebrate the great
act of the British Government in recognizing the aspirations of the
Jewish people, and he appealed to them not to forget in the days of
their happiness that the sons of Ishmael suffered also. They had been
scattered and confounded as the Jews had been, and now began to arise,
fortified with the sense of martyrs. He hoped that Palestine would
again flow with milk and honey.
M. Wadia Kesrawani, another Arabian representative, spoke in French,
also to the effect that his countrymen appealed to England and France
for their liberation, and applauded the Declaration of the Government.
Mr. Israel Zangwill, in supporting the resolution, said: “In my
capacity of President of the Jewish Territorial Organization, I have
been honoured with an invitation to appear on your platform on this
momentous occasion. In that capacity I have often criticized your
leaders. But to-day I am here not for criticism, but for congratulation
and co-operation. I congratulate them, and especially Dr. Weizmann and
Mr. Sokolow, upon their historic achievement in the region of diplomacy.
To see that this is followed by a similar achievement in the more
difficult region of practice is the duty of all Israel. Particularly
is it the duty of the Ito, founded as it was to procure a territory
upon an autonomous basis. For the Ito to oppose any really practicable
plan for a Jewish territory would be not only treason to the Jewish
people, but to its own programme. And as a first-fruit of the friendly
negotiations with Zionism, which began in July, I am happy to be
able to join with you this afternoon in welcoming the sympathy of the
Government with Jewish aspirations.”
Mr. Zangwill, of whose speech the above were the opening words, spoke
at great length, and with even more than his usual brilliancy. It is
with great regret that we are unable, owing to lack of space, to
include the rest of his oration, with the exception of the concluding
paragraph, which ran as follows:――
“And though our goal be yet far, yet already when I recall how
our small nation sustained the mailed might of all the great
Empires of antiquity, how we saw our Temple in flames and were
scattered like its ashes, how we endured the long night of the
Middle Ages, illumined by the glare of our martyrs’ fires, how
but yesterday we wandered in our millions, torn between the
ruthless Prussian and the pitiless Russian, yet have lived
to see to-day the bloody Empire of the Czars dissolve, and
the mountains of Zion glimmer on the horizon. Already I feel
we may say to the nations: Comfort ye, comfort ye, too, poor
suffering peoples. Learn from the long patience of Israel that
the spirit is mightier than the sword, and that the seer who
foretold his people’s resurrection was not less prophetic when
he proclaimed also for all peoples the peace of Jerusalem.”
Capt. the Hon. W. Ormsby-Gore, M.P., said he was particularly glad
the Zionist Declaration had been made by the British Government at
a moment when British arms were saving that land, because it showed
that the British Government was not out for gain. The Jewish claim to
Palestine was, to his mind, overwhelming, and he rejoiced to see what
an overwhelming mass of British representative opinions in the House
of Commons was now supporting the movement. He supported it as a member
of the Church of England, as Sir Mark Sykes had supported it as a Roman
Catholic. In the return of Palestine to be the Jewish home, he held
out the hand of friendship to the Zionists, who sought to bring it into
effect. He felt that behind it all was the finger of Almighty God. From
the moment he met their Zionist leaders, whether in Egypt or in this
country, he felt there was in them something so sincere, so British, so
straightforward, that at once his heart went out to them. They had in
their leader in this country a man of great qualities, a statesman who
had shown a skill, a determination, and a patience which had endeared
him to everyone. He (the speaker) had done what little he could to help
forward the movement, and in the future, if they were looking out for a
friend, they could count him as one of them.
Mr. H. N. Mostditchian, a member of the Armenian delegation, said he
availed himself of the opportunity of giving their Jewish brethren the
heartiest greetings of the Armenians and sincerest congratulations for
the dawn about to break upon the glad valleys of their ancestral land.
He made a comparison of the two nations, who had gone through the same
persecutions, but who notwithstanding were not willing to die, and had
not died, and who stood to-day hand-in-hand on the eve of a new era,
when both of them would be able to live once more their national lives,
of which they had given good evidence in the past. They all knew that
Armenia was one of the first countries mentioned in the History of
the Jews, and there had reigned one thousand two hundred years ago a
Dynasty of Armenian Kings who had in their veins a good deal of Jewish
blood. After the loss of their independence the Jews had continued to
live a life of captivity and exile, and the Armenians, after the loss
of their independence, had suffered the same exile. It was not the time
to say what the Armenians had suffered during the last three years,
a state of things to which the worst pogrom was a heaven, but they,
as well as the Jews, looked towards ‘to-morrow’ with great fervour as
a result of the Declaration. They had waited long enough with their
Jewish brethren, for centuries and centuries, and these two nations,
as well as the Arabs, would make Palestine another promised land and
a garden of Eden――a centre to which humanity might look up.
The author then proceeded to read a statement in behalf of the
Executive of the Zionist Organization. The text of that statement is
given later.
Mr. James de Rothschild said he stood there as the son of one who
had spent his life in endeavouring to bring about what they were
celebrating that day. Jewish ideals up to that time had been met at
the gate, but they could not get through. With one stroke of the pen
the English Government had flung open these gates. Therefore in every
Jewish heart gratitude was overflowing, and they must not forget that
all their aims of the future had been strengthened by the country whose
Government had framed the generous and just Declaration.
Dr. Ch. Weizmann, President of the English Zionist Federation, referred
to the many good and brilliant words which had been said about the Jews,
and he hoped that the Jews of to-day and the Jews of to-morrow would
rise to the occasion in the needed power and dignity, and give their
answer to the great resolution, not only in words, but in deeds. It was
a fact, and no metaphor, that twenty centuries looked to see if their
actions were worthy of the opportunity which the British Government had
given them. The present generation had upon its shoulders the greatest
responsibility of the last two thousand years, and he prayed that they
might be worthy of that responsibility.
He then called upon the meeting to rise, and with hands uplifted to
take the old historic oath――each man and woman of them――
אם־אשכחך ירושלם תשכח ימיני.¹
¹ “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget her cunning.”
(PSALM cxxxvii. 5.)
The meeting rose _en masse_, repeating the words of the psalm amid
great enthusiasm, which culminated in the singing of “Hatikvah” (the
Jewish national song) and “God Save the King” by the Precentors’
Association.
Lord Rothschild, in rising to put the resolution, said it was a great
honour for all of them to feel that they as Jews had met with a sincere
welcome that day from representatives of no fewer than five different
religions. He then read the resolution, which was carried with
acclamation, the whole audience rising.
Among those who sent messages to the meeting were the following:――
From the Right Hon. VISCOUNT GREY OF FALLODEN, K.G.¹
I am in entire sympathy with the Declaration made by Mr.
Balfour, and am very glad that this has been announced
publicly as the view of the British Government.
¹ Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, 1905‒1916.
From the Right Hon. WALTER LONG, M.P.¹
Mr. Long desires me to thank you for your letter of the 14th ult., and
to say that he wishes all success to the Zionist movement.
¹ Secretary of State for the Colonies.
From the Right Hon. ARTHUR HENDERSON, M.P.¹
Labour recognizes the claims generally of Jews in all
countries to the elementary rights of tolerance, freedom of
residence and trade, and equal citizenship, that ought to be
extended to all the inhabitants of every nation’s territory.
Further, it trusts that an understanding may be reached at
the close of the war, whereby Palestine may be set free and
form a State under an International Agreement, to which Jewish
people may return and work out their own salvation without
interference by those of alien race or religion.
¹ Member of the War Cabinet.
From the Right Hon. the MARQUESS OF CREWE, K.G.¹
I have long hoped that it would be possible to make such a
Declaration; and it is now pronounced in terms that should
be equally welcome to those Jews who have found happy homes
on friendly shores, and to those who have longed for the
re-establishment of their race in the ancient land. Within its
borders even now triumphs are being won, and noble lives laid
down, for the common cause of which this hope forms part.
¹ Secretary of State for India, 1910‒1915.
From the Right Hon. VISCOUNT BRYCE.¹
For years past, and especially since my visit to Palestine in
1914, I have been in cordial sympathy with the movement for
re-establishing the Jewish population in its ancient home,
and rejoice to see that His Majesty’s Government have recently
expressed their approval of the idea, which will, I hope, take
practical shape in measures to be put through after the war is
over. It will be a great benefit to the Jewish race everywhere
to have this ancient home to look to as the centre of its
national life, even though a comparatively small part of the
race can actually find room to dwell in Palestine. The country
seems to have been recently terribly devastated, but when its
resources have been developed, it can support a much larger
population than it has under the blighting rule of the Turk.
Syrians, Arabs and Armenians are also interested in being
delivered for ever from the alien domination of the Turkish
invaders.
¹ H.M. Ambassador at Washington, 1907‒1913.
From the Right Hon. the EARL OF SELBORNE, K.G., G.C.M.G.¹
I warmly and altogether adhere to the policy of His Majesty’s
Government, in sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations as
announced by Mr. Arthur Balfour.
¹ High Commissioner for South Africa, 1905‒1910.
From the late JOHN EDWARD REDMOND, M.P.¹
I am in complete sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations as I
understand them.
¹ Chairman of the Irish Parliamentary Party.
From the Right Hon. LORD BALFOUR OF BURLEIGH, K.T., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O.¹
I am in favour of the establishment in Palestine of a National
Home for the Jewish people, and sincerely trust the policy
will be successfully carried out.
¹ Secretary for Scotland, 1895‒1903.
From the Right Hon. JOHN HODGE, M.P.¹
I fully sympathize with the view expressed in Mr. Balfour’s
letter to Lord Rothschild, and further, may I express the hope
that the end of the war may speedily see the realization of
the Zionist dream.
¹ Minister of Pensions.
From LORD HUGH CECIL, M.P.
... I very cordially sympathize with the purpose of it, and
heartily rejoice that there is good prospect of securing to
the Jewish people a National Home in their own country.
From LORD SYDENHAM of Combe, G.C.M.G., G.C.I.E., G.C.S.I.¹
... I am in fullest sympathy with the object, and I am glad
to know that Palestine may again become the National Home of
the Jewish people. This would be one of the many happy results
which, we may hope, will arise from the appalling sacrifices
and the abiding sorrow which the war has brought upon the
world.
¹ Governor of Bombay, 1907‒1913.
From the Right Hon. LORD EMMOTT, G.C.M.G.¹
... The movement for the establishment in Palestine of a
National Home for the Jewish people is one which has my most
cordial sympathy, and I sincerely hope that your demonstration
may be a success.
¹ Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, 1911‒1914.
From the Right Hon. LORD TENNYSON, G.C.M.G.¹
... It seems to me that the establishment in Palestine of a
National Home for the Jewish people would make for the peace
of the world. This Jewish State should be, as George Eliot
finely says, “a republic where the Jewish spirit manifests
itself in a new order founded on the old.”
¹ Governor-General of Australia, 1902‒1904.
From the Rt. Rev. JAMES COOPER, D.D., Moderator of the General Assembly
of the Church of Scotland.
The Church of Scotland cordially endorses the Declaration
of the Cabinet in favour alike of the establishment in
Palestine of a National Home for the Jewish people, and of the
maintenance of the civil and religious rights of non-Jewish
communities in a land so dear to Christians and Jews, rejoices
in the prospect of this double honour being given to Great
Britain, and prays that it may usher in a day of the richest
blessings to the whole Israel of God.
From HIS EXCELLENCY BOGHOS NUBAR PASHA, President of the Armenian
National Delegation.
On the occasion of the Zionist meeting, organized by your
Committee, I am happy, as President of the Armenian National
Delegation, to renew the sincere congratulations of the
Armenians for the Declaration which His Britannic Majesty’s
Government has made to you. We participate in a great measure
in the joy which the powerful support gives you which permits
us to hope that in the day of victory of those who are
fighting for the liberation of oppressed peoples, the Armenian
aspirations will be realized at the same time as the Jewish
people will attain the reconstruction of its nationality
and the realization of its historic claim to the soil of its
ancestors.
The _Jewish Chronicle_ gave a list of several hundred Jewish
institutions in England which sent congratulatory messages to the
meeting, as well as of an immense number of such institutions which
were represented at the meeting in person.
An overflow meeting, over which Mr. P. Horowitz presided, was held in
the Kingsway Theatre, which was crowded in every part. Among those who
addressed the audience were the Chief Rabbi: Lord Lamington, G.C.M.G.,
G.C.I.E., Mr. Israel Zangwill, Mr. Joseph Cowen, Dr. Selig Brodetsky,
Dr. David Jochelmann, and Mr. Israel Cohen.
In the course of his observations, Lord Lamington, who was very
cordially received, expressed his pleasure at the opportunity afforded
him to express his sympathy with and support of the Zionist movement.
He cordially agreed with the statement made by Lord Robert Cecil at
the Opera House, that the Declaration represented the first act of
constructive statesmanship which the allied nations had so far carried
out on the basis of the great principles of freedom and justice for
the smaller nationalities, for which they stood. The Declaration was
as much in the British interest as in the Jewish interest. Both races,
as well as the East in general, stood to gain, and gain substantially,
from an active British and Jewish co-operation in the Near East.
A resolution in identical terms with that carried at the London Opera
House was passed with much enthusiasm.
The Author’s statement ran as follows:――
The Zionist Organization in the Entente countries which I have the
honour of representing is filled with feelings of the deepest and
keenest satisfaction caused by the Declaration of His Majesty’s
Government of November 2nd. The Zionist masses are grateful to His
Majesty’s Government for their official and formal statement of their
intentions in clear and unmistakable terms. Posterity will praise the
qualities which are revealed by this historic document; the strength of
will, the sentiment of uprightness, the unshakable fidelity to the
spirit of Justice, and the beneficent and generous sympathy for the
oppressed.
But the feeling of joy evoked by the Declaration is much more than
the legitimate satisfaction aroused by the successful result of our
representations to the British Government. Quite apart from and above
all written conventions, we realize that the Declaration symbolizes
that harmonious union of spiritual ideals and political considerations
which have made and will make of the Zionist Movement a precious
instrument working for civilization and for the brotherhood and
emancipation of all oppressed peoples and for their final deliverance
from the sad heritage of age-long hatreds and misunderstandings, which
have dismembered them and subjected them to the forces of oppression.
Three problems confront the world at this hour: the problem of
nationality, the problem of territory, and the problem of liberty.
Nationalities are being reconstituted; peoples are seeking one another,
joining together, or separating from one another; territories are being
redistributed; the spirit of freedom is spreading, seeking incarnation
in new forms, and giving a new lease of life to ancient peoples.
Everywhere is instability, ferment, movement; from all sides are heard
complaints, demands, claims; all things are being recast in new moulds;
everywhere new groupings are forming round new interests. The world
is fighting for the untrammelled self-expression of nations and races,
for an unaggressive international order; the hundreds or thousands
of years’ old aspirations, purposes, and aims of nations have become
the demands of the moment and the programmes for the future. He only
would be certain of harvesting nothing who had not sown during the
present world storm. In this noise, in this welter, in this struggle,
ancient Judea awakes, claiming her right to live again. This right is
inalienable and unalterable. All the force of the indestructible Jewish
race is in it. All the sadness of the two thousand years of Jewish
martyrdom is in it. Is this right to be denied because of its being so
old? Humanity, real humanity, will not extinguish old rights. It has
not extinguished it in the case of Greece; neither will it extinguish
it in the case of Judea.
History has demonstrated that a nation deprived of its heritage and
liberty, which is determined to live and regain her lost country, no
matter how long she suffers, cannot be exterminated by any conceivable
means employed by her persecutors. And the Jewish people is determined
to live and to work for all that is good and ennobling, believing
firmly that justice would be but a word of mockery if the sun of
liberty could not shine over it again.
In the midst of universal war, amid grief and desolation which go
beyond the most tragic imaginings, Great Britain has proclaimed the
idea of creating a centre of the arts of peace, and a model of justice.
The idea is not only extremely practical, it is profoundly poetical. We
are living in the most critical time in history. It is our fate to be
spectators of and actors in the greatest drama ever known to humanity.
The present war will take its place in history as one of the events
which irrevocably divide two epochs. The Jewish people is fortunate
in being able to consider itself one of the models which have inspired
the noble initiative of Great Britain and her Allies. It is still more
fortunate in having been found worthy of the generous protection of His
Majesty’s Government, manifested in so striking a manner by the recent
Declaration. And what glory awaits, on the other hand, Great Britain
and her Allies, if they will be instrumental in the creation of a
Jewish National Home in Palestine!
What is it that we wish to preserve in our National Home? Our own
precious heritage. You all know it. The sacred Jewish home-life, the
intimately personal sentiment of our qualities and of our inner freedom.
That is our heritage which we have been able to preserve intact during
the eighteen centuries of our Dispersion, untouched by the ambition
and hatred which sought to undermine them. We wish to live and to
live by our labour and untiring efforts. We want to be invigorated
by that force which the children of the soil absorb from contact with
it. We want to give form and visibility to our mental conceptions. We
desire to perform Israel’s allotted part in the purpose of the eternal
progress of humanity in all branches of life, in all human activities.
The Jewish National Home will stand out in the world as an inspiring
symbol of the triumph of justice over tyranny, as a proof of the right
of nationality to be itself. It will be a priceless monument to the
future at a time when ruins of the past are everywhere, and the whole
world stands in need of rebuilding.
Our object in establishing the Jewish National Home on the sacred soil
of our fathers is to carry on the noblest traditions of our race in all
their beauty and plenitude. Judea it was which revealed to humanity the
path of progress, it was Judea which taught the greatest and noblest
lessons in the life of nations――the lessons of Freedom and Right――and
it is Judea which will become a centre of liberty and a blessing for
the nations. Palestine is not to be weighed down by military powers.
She is a home for a small and free nation, and not for a troop of
subjects. The glory of invaders is to be conquered by humanity. The
glory of tyrants is to yield to civilization. The glory of the land of
shadows is to receive the lamp of light. The cloud passed and the star
reappeared. And this star is not one of wrath. Nor is it one of hatred,
or fanaticism. Christendom has its great sanctuaries in Palestine.
Islam has there some of its important sanctuaries. All our glorious
holy places are there. They will be respected and safeguarded with
reverence and devotion, in peace and mutual love. But around the
places of worship life will spring――honest, simple, pure life. We are
a peaceful people. We are going to cultivate the soil; we are going to
cultivate our ideas. Our future is the ploughshare, and not the sword;
the book, and not the bullet. The beneficent spiritual influence of
a regenerated Palestine is undoubted; its future, which is boundless,
belongs to you; each of you already possesses a portion within himself.
Let us but work together so that our people may preserve and improve
its title to be considered the conscience of the human race.
We realize, however, that our position needs to be clearly defined.
We must be fully conversant with every side of the problem. Vague
complaints or expressions of yearning are not enough. There is,
first of all, the problem of Emancipation. We have been accused of
endangering by our aspirations towards a National Home the position
of the Jews in the various countries of the world. We have racked our
brains in trying to discover how the establishment of a National Home
in Palestine could possibly harm the emancipation of Jews in the world.
We have failed to solve this mystery. The British Government in their
Declaration have put to flight this fear, which is a pure figment
of the imagination without foundation in theory or fact. It would
undoubtedly be a great elevation of the Jewish character in the eyes
of the world at large, could the Jews prove themselves capable of
conducting a Commonwealth harmoniously and successfully; and we are
sure they will be able to do so. This is our belief, our ambition,
our Jewish optimism. It is because we believe in Israel’s genius that
we are Zionists. This will help emancipation. The Jews of the various
countries who do not wish to participate actively in the work, who do
not desire to take advantage of the right to settle in Palestine, can
remain where they are at the present time. We are not emigration agents.
We are apostles of a historic ideal, and we want the Jewish people to
help in its realization.
It would be a crime at a stage of Jewish history like the present to
paralyse by internal dissension a movement which may be productive of
so much good. This should not be. Unity of Judaism before all, above
all! The majority will support the efforts of their fellow-Jews with
great enthusiasm for Judaism, and those who refuse to take any part
(a type which is doomed to disappear, like the mammoth, from the face
of the earth) must keep the peace. The least we can demand of them
is not to disturb us or hinder us in our efforts. Where is the Jew
who could neglect this duty which is inspired no less by reason and
well-understood interest than by conscience and honour? Where is the
Jew who would fail to offer the tribute of his humble share of effort,
of help, and of faith to the old land of Israel, now so downtrodden,
but all the greater and more beautiful, as its sufferings and
trials――so heroically endured――are approaching their end and leading
to its renascence which, far from being a mere satisfaction of national
egoism, is an exaltation of the noblest Jewish and human ideal?
The attempt has also been made to put forward the non-Jewish population
of Palestine and the neighbouring countries as an obstacle in our
way. The breath of intriguers tends to poison every noble aspiration;
they seek to create among us also a spirit of dissension, a spirit of
destruction. We are firmly resolved to refuse them this satisfaction.
In vain do they raise this kind of bogey. The deep sense of the
realities before us guards us from any error of this kind. We have work
to do which will prevent our interests from clashing with those of the
Arabs. Are we, then, anti-Semitic?
The relations between the Jews and the Arabs have hitherto been scanty
and spasmodic, largely owing to mutual ignorance and indifference.
There were no relations whatever between the two nations as such
because the oppressive bureaucracy did not recognize either of them,
and whenever points of connection began to develop they were destroyed
by intrigue to the detriment of both nationalities.
We believe that the present hour of crisis and the opening of a large
perspective for epoch-making developments offers a fruitful opportunity
for a broad basis of permanent, cordial relations between the peoples
who are inspired by a common purpose. We mean a real _entente cordiale_
between the Jews, the Arabs, and the Armenians. Such _entente cordiale_
has already been accepted in principle by leading representatives
of these three nations. From such a beginning we look forward
with confidence to a future of intellectual, social, and economic
co-operation. We are one with the Arabs and Armenians to-day in the
determination to secure for each of us the free choice of their own
destinies. We look with fraternal love at the creation of an Arab
kingdom re-establishing the ancient Semitic nationality in its glory
and freedom, and our heartfelt wishes go out to the noble, hardly-tried
Armenian nationality for the realization of their national hopes in
their old Armenia.
Our roots were united in the past, our destinies will be bound together
in the future.
This is our declaration to our future neighbours. And now, one more
word to our brethren. We Jews, we who hoped for a better future,
an era in which moral rights would count, what were we before the
present situation? Dreamers and madmen. Material power believed itself
unconquerable. It produced an atmosphere of indifference in which all
hope seemed Utopian. We slept in the general decadence. Now we arise,
endowed with an unconquerable moral force by the Declaration of His
Majesty’s Government. Our first and immortal leader, Theodor Herzl,
insisted, many years ago, in having the institutions of Zionism
established in this great, blessed country, for which every Jew has
a warm corner in his heart. Was he a statesman or a prophet? I think
he was both a statesman and a prophet. There is an old Talmudical
saying:――
הניחו להן לישראל אם אין נביאים הן בני נביאים הן׃
פסחים סו׃¹
¹ “Leave Israel alone!――If they are not Prophets, they are
the sons of Prophets.”――_Pesachim_, 66_a_.
Twenty years ago 220 Jews from all the countries of the world met at
the First Zionist Congress at Basle. They possessed, though everything
else was wanting, that wonderful power of improvising things. And such
was the power of right these 220 men, having nothing to support them
but the goodness of their cause, made headway against millions of
opponents among their people. During the long duration of the struggle,
a struggle without truce, where all the strength and rage was on one
side and all the right on the other, not a single section of those 220
men failed to respond to the call of duty, and, although divided in
their views, not one section drew back from the fundamental national
idea, not one gave way. They increased in numbers and they increased
in activity. Let me, at this solemn hour, render honour to those men,
to that insulted, calumniated and misunderstood Zionist Organization
which always stepped gallantly into the breach, which never took rest
for a single day, and which defended Zionism even when abandoned and
momentarily hopeless, and that not only with tongue and brains, but
also with heavy sacrifices. Thanks to them we exist, and thanks to
the progress we made here new life and new energy will enter not only
into our Zionist Organization, but into the whole Jewish people. Mr.
Balfour has sent the Declaration to Lord Rothschild for the Zionist
Organization. We received and accepted it joyfully; but, I am afraid
――or I am rather glad――that we shall have to re-address it to the
Jewish people, and I hope they will receive and accept it as joyfully
as ourselves, the Zionists. This is perhaps the greatest achievement
of the British Government that before having given us Palestine they
already gave us something which is very precious and very necessary
――Jewish unity. History will record that Mr. Balfour was the greatest
peace-maker among the Jewish people, greater than many Rabbis and
Conjoint Committees.
We were divided, distracted; and now we are indissolubly united, all
one band of brothers in arms for Liberty! I welcome the representatives
of the Jewish Territorial Organization, with their famous leader,
Israel Zangwill. I welcome the oldest Jewish organization of this
country, the Board of Deputies, and all other organizations which are
represented at this meeting. The opponents of yesterday are our allies
of to-day, and the opponents of to-day will be our allies of to-morrow,
if they will read the signs of the time. Much is still to be done
in this direction, but much has already been done. Yes; this is the
miracle which has brought about our spiritual rebirth.
What does this mean if not that wrong has always feet of clay: that
right, truth and liberty are from this time forward the true paths of
the earth, the only ways which no physical force will ever dishonour?
Friends, brothers, our new society makes of you new men. This is a day
of alliance and of reconciliation. Old words――Virtue, Love, Liberty
――which had lost their brightness by long disuse have regained their
lustre as on the day when they were first engraved on the heart of man.
Awake from the long night. It is a new dawn which arises. The Jewish
people which has endured, and will still endure, with great firmness
of heart the heaviest sacrifices, rising to the heights of the great
arguments of this War of Nationalities, affirms that it is ready and
determined to work with all its power and full loyalty for Governments
and peoples until the realization of its destiny. May this destiny be
one in which Liberty will triumph――one from which man and humanity,
the individual and the Nation, will derive benefit, one bringing to the
Jewish people as to every oppressed people the possibility of living
and of realizing its ideal. It is in this spirit that the Zionist
Organisation recommends to you the resolution.
On the 14th of December the Zionist representatives, Lord Rothschild,
Mr. James de Rothschild, Dr. E. W. Tschlenow, Dr. Chaim Weizmann,
and the Author, were received by the War Cabinet. They offered to
the British Government the gratitude of the Jewish people for the
Declaration of the 2nd November and at the same time expressed their
congratulations on the occasion of the capture of Jerusalem. Mr.
Bonar Law, who replied to the deputation on behalf of His Majesty’s
Government, thanked them for the kind sentiments they had expressed.
The following Manifesto was issued shortly after the British
Declaration:――
TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE.
The 17th of _Marcheshvan_, 5678 (2nd November, 1917), is an important
milestone on the road to our national future; it marks the end of an
epoch, and it opens out the beginning of a new era. The Jewish people
has but one other such day in its annals: the 28th August, 1897, the
birthday of the New Zionist Organization at the first Basle Congress.
But the analogy is incomplete, because the period which then began was
Expectation, whereas the period which now begins is Fulfilment.
From then till now, for over twenty years, the Jewish people has
been trying to find itself, to achieve a national resurrection. The
advance-guard was the organized Zionist party, which in 1897 by its
programme demanded a home for the Jewish people in Palestine secured
by public law. A great deal was written, spoken, and done to get this
demand recognized. The work was carried out by the Zionist Organization
on a much greater scale and in a more systematic manner than had been
possible for the _Chovevé Zion_, the first heralds of the national
ideal, who had tried to give practical shape to the yearning which
had burnt like a light in the Jewish spirit during two thousand years
of exile and had flamed out at various periods in various forms. The
_Chovevé Zion_ had the greatest share in the practical colonization.
The Zionist movement wrestled with its opponents and with itself. It
collected means outside Palestine, and laboured with all its strength
in Palestine. It founded institutions of all kinds for colonization
in Palestine. That was a preface, full of hope and faith, full of
experiments and illusions, inspired by a sacred and elevating ideal,
and productive of many valuable and enduring results.
The time has come to cast the balance of the account. That chapter of
propaganda and experiments is complete, and the glory of immortality
rests upon it. But we must go further. To look back is the function of
the historian; life looks forwards.
The turning-point is the Declaration of the British Government that
they “view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a National
Home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to
facilitate the achievement of this object.”
The progress which our idea has made is so colossal and so obvious
that it is scarcely necessary to describe it in words. None the less,
a few words must be addressed to the Jewish people, not so much by way
of explanation, as to demand the new and greater efforts which are
imperative.
The outstanding feature of the Declaration is, that what has been a
beautiful ideal――and according to our opponents an empty dream――has
now been given the possibility of becoming a reality. The aspirations
of 1897 now find solid ground in the British Government’s official
Declaration of the 2nd November, 1917. That in itself is a gigantic
step forward. The world’s history, and particularly Jewish history,
will not fail to inscribe in golden letters upon its bronze tablets
that Great Britain, the shield of civilization, the country which
is pre-eminent in colonization, the school of constitutionalism and
freedom, has given us an official promise of support and help in the
realization of our ideal of liberty in Palestine. And Great Britain
will certainly carry with her the whole political world.
The Declaration of His Majesty’s Government coincides with the
triumphant march of the British Army in Palestine. The flag of Great
Britain waves over Jerusalem and all Judea. It is at such a moment,
while the army of Great Britain is taking possession of Palestine,
that Mr. Balfour assures us that Great Britain will help us in the
establishment of a National Home in Palestine. This is the beginning
of the fulfilment.
To appreciate and to understand accurately is the first essential, but
it is not all. It is necessary to go further, to determine what is the
next step. This must be set forth in plain words.
The Declaration puts in the hands of the Jewish people the key to a new
freedom and happiness. All depends on you, the Jewish people, and on
you only. The Declaration is the threshold, from which you can place
your foot upon holy ground. After eighteen hundred years of suffering
your recompense is offered to you. You can come to your haven and your
heritage, you can show that the noble blood of our race is still fresh
in your veins. But to do that you must begin work anew, with new power
and with new means――the ideas and the phrases and the methods of the
first period no longer suffice. That would be an anachronism. We need
new conceptions, new words, new acts. The methods of the period of
realization cannot be the methods of the time of expectation.
In the first place, the whole Jewish people must now unite. Now that
fulfilment is displacing expectation, that which was potential in
the will of the Jewish people must become actual and reveal itself in
strenuous labour. The whole Jewish people must come into the Zionist
Organization.
Secondly, a word to our brothers in Palestine. The moment has come
to lay the foundations of a national home. You are now under the
protection of the British military authorities, who will guard your
lives, your property, your freedom. Be worthy of that protection,
and begin immediately to build the Jewish National Home upon sound
foundations, thoroughly Hebrew, thoroughly national, thoroughly free
and democratic. The beginning may decide all that follows.
Thirdly, our loyal acknowledgment of the support of Great Britain must
be spontaneous and unmeasured. But it must be the acknowledgment of
free men to a country which breeds and loves free men. We must show
that what Great Britain has given us through her generosity, is ours by
virtue of our intelligence, skill, and courage.
Fourthly, we must have ample means. The means of yesterday are
ridiculously small compared with the needs of to-day. Propaganda, the
study of practical problems, expeditions, the founding of new offices
and commissions, negotiations, preparations for settlement, relief and
reconstruction in Palestine――for all these, and other indispensable
tasks, colossal material means are necessary, and necessary forthwith.
Small and great, poor and rich, must rise to answer the call of this
hour with the necessary personal sacrifice.
Fifthly, we need discipline and unity. This is no time for
hair-splitting controversy. It is a time for action. We ask for
confidence. Be united and tenacious, be quick but not impatient, be
free men, but well-disciplined, firm as steel. From now onwards every
gathering of Jews must have a practical aim, every speech must deal
with a project, every thought must be a brick with which to build the
National Home.
These are the directions for your work to-day.
Worn and weary through your two thousand years of wandering over desert
and ocean, driven by every storm and carried on every wave, outcasts
and refugees, you may now pass from the misery of exile to a secure
home; a home where the Jewish spirit and the old Hebrew genius, which
so long have hovered broken-winged over strange nests, can also find
healing and be quickened into new life.
M. SOKOLOW.
E. W. TSCHLENOW.
CH. WEIZMANN.
DECLARATIONS OF THE ENTENTE GOVERNMENTS
After this most important achievement which is considered as the
foundation-stone of future policy in and regarding Palestine, it was
found necessary to come into closer political relations with the other
Entente countries, in the light of the new situation created by the
British Declaration.
Negotiations were carried on with the proper authorities in the French
and Italian Governments: the negotiations were crowned with success,
and the official endorsements by France and Italy of the British
Declaration were communicated to the world in the following official
documents:――
The following is the text of the French Government’s Declaration
communicated in a letter to the author:――
République française.
Ministère des Affaires Étrangères:
Direction des Affaires Politiques et Commerciales.
Paris, _le 14me février, 1918_.
MONSIEUR,
Comme il a été convenu au cours de notre entretien le Samedi 9 de ce
mois, le Gouvernement de la République, en vue de préciser son attitude
vis-à-vis des aspirations sionistes, tendant à créer pour les juifs en
Palestine un foyer national, a publié un communiqué dans la presse.
En vous communiquant ce texte, je saisis avec empressement l’occasion
de vous féliciter du généreux dévouement avec lequel vous poursuiviez
la réalisation des vœux de vos co-religionnaires, et de vous remercier
du zèle que vous apportez à leur faire connaître les sentiments de
sympathie que leurs efforts éveillent dans les pays de l’entente et
notamment en France.
Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, l’assurance de ma consideration.
(_Signed_) PICHON.
M. SOKOLOW,
Hôtel Meurice, Paris.
Le Communiqué.
Monsieur Sokolow, représentant des Organisations Sionistes, a été reçu
ce matin au Ministère des Affaires Etrangères par Monsieur Stéphen
Pichon, qui a été heureux de lui confirmer que l’Entente est complète
entre les Gouvernements français et britannique en ce qui concerne la
question d’un établissement juif en Palestine.
[_Translation._]
République française.
Ministère des Affaires Étrangères:
Direction des Affaires Politiques et Commerciales.
Paris, _14th February, 1918_.
SIR,
As arranged at our meeting on Saturday, the 9th of this month, the
Government of the Republic, so as to make definite its views on the
subject of Zionist aspirations with regard to the creation of a Jewish
national home in Palestine, has sent a communication to the Press.
In sending you this text, I wish to take the opportunity of
congratulating you on the splendid devotion with which you are
furthering the aspirations of your co-religionists, and of thanking
you for the way in which you have made known to them the sympathy with
which all the countries of the Entente, and especially France, are
watching their efforts.
Please accept assurances of my most cordial sympathy.
(_Signed_) PICHON.
M. SOKOLOW,
Hôtel Meurice, Paris.
Mr. Sokolow, representing the Zionist Organizations, was this morning
received by Mons. Pichon, Minister for Foreign Affairs, who was happy
to inform him that there is complete agreement between the French and
British Governments in all matters which concern the establishment of
a Jewish national home in Palestine.
Illustration: (‡ Portaits of French Diplomats)
The following is the Declaration which was made by the Italian
Government to myself as representative of the Zionist Organization,
through the Italian Ambassador in London:――
LONDRA,
_li 9 Maggio, 1918_.
PREGIATISSIMO SIGNORE,
D’ordine di Sua Eccellenza il Barone Sonnino, Ministro per gli Affari
Estri del Re, ho l’onore d’informarla che, in relazione alle domande
che gli sono state rivolti, il Governo di Sua Maestà è lieto di
confermare le precedenti dichiarazioni già fatte a mezzo dei suoi
rappresentanti a Washington, l’Aja e Salonicco, di essere cioè disposto
ad adoperarsi con piacere per facilitare lo stabilirsi in Palestina
di un centro nazionale ebraico, nell’intesa pero che non ne venga
nessun pregiudizio allo stato giuridico e politico delle già esistenti
comunita’ religiose ed ai diritti civili e politici che gl’ Israeliti
già godono in ogni altro paese.
Gradisca, Pregiatissimo Signore, gli atti della mia Distintissima
considerazione.
(_Signed_) IMPERIALI.
SIGNOR NAHUM SOKOLOW,
35‒38 Empire House,
175 Piccadilly, W. 1.
[_Translation._]
ITALIAN EMBASSY, LONDON,
_9th May, 1918_.
MY DEAR SIR,
On the instructions of His Excellency, Baron Sonnino, His Majesty’s
Minister of Foreign Affairs, I have the honour to inform you that with
reference to your representations His Majesty’s Government are pleased
to confirm the Declaration already made through their representatives
in Washington, The Hague, and Salonica, to the effect that they will
use their best endeavours to facilitate the establishment in Palestine
of a Jewish National Centre, it being understood that this shall
not prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish
communities in Palestine or the legal or political status enjoyed by
Jews in any other country.
Pray accept, my dear sir, the assurance of my distinguished
consideration.
(_Signed_) IMPERIALI.
_M._ NAHUM SOKOLOW,
175 Piccadilly, W. 1.
In ♦President Wilson’s address to Congress of January 8th, 1918, a
speech commonly regarded as a complete statement of the objects for
which the Allied Powers were fighting, the twelfth of the articles in
the programme of the world’s peace was stated thus:――
♦ “President’s” replaced with “President”
“The Turkish portions of the present Ottoman Empire should be assured
a secure sovereignty, but _the other nationalities which are now under
Turkish rule should be assured an undoubted security of life and an
absolutely unmolested opportunity of autonomous development_, and the
Dardanelles should be permanently opened as a free passage to ships and
commerce of all nations under international guarantees.”
This statement was regarded by Zionists as signifying the sympathetic
attitude of the American Government, and especially of its President,
to the Zionist movement. President Wilson is regarded as the spokesman
of the Entente principles, and it is well known to Zionists that his
attitude is favourable to the realization of Zionist aims, because
the latter are in complete harmony with the principle of justice to
small nationalities, of which President Wilson is the clearest and
most outspoken exponent. His address makes no specific reference to the
Jewish question or to Palestine, but his intention is perfectly clear.
In August, 1918, President Wilson wrote the following letter:――
“I have watched with deep and sincere interest the
reconstructive work which the Weizmann Commission has done
in Palestine at the instance of the British Government, and
I welcome an opportunity to express the satisfaction I have
felt in the progress of the Zionist Movement in the United
States and in the Allied countries since the Declaration by Mr.
Balfour on behalf of the British Government of Great Britain’s
approval of the establishment in Palestine of a National
Home for the Jewish people, and his promise that the British
Government would use its best endeavours to facilitate the
achievement of that object, with the understanding that
nothing would be done to prejudice the civil and religious
rights of non-Jewish people in Palestine or the rights and
political status enjoyed by Jews in other countries. I think
that all Americans will be deeply moved by the report that
even in this time of stress the Weizmann Commission has been
able to lay the foundation of the _Hebrew_ University at
_Jerusalem_ with the promise that that bears of spiritual
rebirth.”
Illustration: _Dover Street Studios_
_President_
THOMAS WOODROW WILSON
Public opinion in America regarded this letter as a precious document
embodying full American support of the Zionist aims, in harmony with
the British Declaration.
Many opportunities have been taken by British statesmen to refer to
the British Declaration in terms which show that they attach the very
greatest value to it. Thus, the Rt. Hon. George N. Barnes said, in a
speech delivered on the 14th of July, a full extract of which appears
below:――
“The British Government proclaimed its policy of Zionism
because it believed that Zionism was identified with the
policy and aims for which good men and women are struggling
everywhere. That policy is the policy of the Allies in the
war. It is the policy to which we are pledged; it is the policy
which we believe accords with the wishes of vast numbers of
the Jewish people, many of whom have cast wistful eyes to
Palestine as again destined to be their national home.”
Lord Robert Cecil, in regretting his inability to be present at the
meeting held on July 14th to welcome the American Zionist Medical Unit,
wrote:――
“The Zionist movement represents a great ideal which may have
incalculable consequences for the future welfare of the world.”
The Rt. Hon. A. J. Balfour, in his address to a deputation of the
Medical Unit (given in full further on), said:――
“The destruction of Judea that occurred nineteen centuries ago
is one of the great wrongs which the Allied Powers are trying
to redress.”
Mr. Lloyd George wrote to the Author, on the 29th of June, in
connection with the Government declaration safeguarding the rights of
the Roumanian Jews:――
DEAR SIR,
I am desired by the Prime Minister to acknowledge the receipt
of your letter of the 21st inst., and the enclosure. Mr. Lloyd
George wishes me to thank you for what you say in regard
to the friendship which exists between this country and the
Jewish people, of which there has lately been such abundant
evidence, and to reiterate the hope that the triumph of the
Allies’ cause will make possible the realization of your
people’s aim to establish for themselves once again a national
home in Palestine.
Yours faithfully,
(_Signed_) F. L. STEVENSON.
N. SOKOLOW, ESQ.
On Wednesday, September 11th, the Prime Minister, Mr. Lloyd George,
visited Manchester for the purpose of receiving the freedom of
that city and of other towns. The Zionists took the opportunity of
presenting to him the following address:――
“The undersigned representatives of the Jewish Community of
Manchester, headed by our distinguished Zionist leader, Mr.
Nahum Sokolow, gladly avail ourselves of the opportunity of
your visit to Manchester to place on record the gratitude
which the Jewish people feels for the interest shown by the
Government, of which you are the head, in the fulfilment of
Jewish national aspirations.
“We are confident that the Government’s historic declaration
of 2nd November, 1917, expresses not only its own considered
policy at the present time, but the permanent attitude of the
British nation to our people. We look forward to the early
fruition of the hopes which we build on that declaration, and
we know that in the brighter days of peace the restored and
revived _Hebrew_ nation will show in practical form its regard
for Great Britain and for the British tradition of help and
justice to small nations. For the sake of the Jewish nation
and of the cause of the free peoples throughout the world,
struggling to escape from the pitiless desire for conquest of
the German people, who have been intoxicated with the belief
that their army can override all obstacles and all rights,
we trust that Great Britain and her Allies will, at an early
date, see the downfall of the German power as an indispensable
preliminary to the commencement of the new era of peace and
justice, foretold by our national prophets and seers in that
great Jewish Bible which has become part of the patrimony of
the peoples of this great Empire.
“We venture to think that among the many triumphs which
it will be your privilege to recall in after days you will
remember, with, perhaps, a unique pride and pleasure, that
it was under the guidance of your statesmanship that Great
Britain extended its right hand in friendship to the Jewish
people to help it to regain its ancient national home and to
realize its age-long aspirations.”
The Zionists’ address was signed by Mr. E. H. Langdon, the _Rabbi_ Dr.
Berendt Salomon, Mr. Nathan Laski, J.P., Mr. S. J. Cohen, Councillor
S. Finburgh, Mr. L. Friedson, Captain Dulberg, and Mr. Simon Marks.
Illustration: _Vandyke, photo._
_Rᵗ. Hon._ DAVID LLOYD GEORGE
Mr. Lloyd George gave the following reply:――
“It is with feelings of the greatest satisfaction that I
accept the address which you have done me the privilege
of presenting to me. The aspirations which you share with
multitudes of your race scattered throughout the world found
a natural response in the minds of those responsible for the
government of this country, because they are in permanent
accord with the sentiments of the people of Great Britain.
I have to-day had the honour of receiving addresses from the
representatives of three elements most intimately concerned
in the establishment of a rule of order and justice in an area
which has hitherto been the prey of tyranny and outrage. The
fulfilment of the historic hopes and aspirations to which you
refer in your address is, I believe, an essential corollary to
the necessary enfranchisement of the oppressed peoples of the
Near East.”
Considerable interest was taken everywhere in the evidences of the
effect produced in America by the political success of the Zionist
movement. The Zionists of America, unable to participate in many of the
Zionist activities of the day, owing to the fact that America was not
at war with Turkey, conceived the idea of helping in the reconstruction
and extension of the Jewish colonies after they were relieved from
disasters due to the war, by sending a Medical Unit to the Holy Land.
The Unit was organized by and at the expense of American Zionists,
the principal promoters being a group of women Zionists who are banded
together under the name of the _Hadassah_. It consisted of about
forty-five persons――doctors, nurses, mechanics, chemists, specialists,
secretaries, dentists, a social expert, an administrator, and a
representative of the _Hadassah_. The Provisional Executive Committee
for General Zionist Affairs in America voted a sum of fifty thousand
pounds from their Palestine Restoration Fund for its equipment.
The plans in Palestine will necessarily depend upon the conditions
prevailing in that country at the time of the arrival of the Unit,
but the present intention is to set up a central hospital of one
hundred beds in _Jerusalem_, a branch hospital in _Jaffa_, as well as
dispensaries and a nursing school, and several travelling hospitals,
which will be equipped for service in the colonies and wherever needed
and will be supplied from permanent dispensaries in the large cities.
A hospital in _Jerusalem_, originally owned by a German society, the
_L’maan Zion_, was handed over to this Unit, as well as the _Shaare
Zedek_ Hospital. In connexion with the equipment of these “Red Cross”
ambulances for the relief of civilians, the _Hadassah_ collected
quantities of clothes, bed-linen and towels, as well as medical stores
for the use of the destitute of Palestine. Eighty-six cases, containing
twenty-four thousand garments, one thousand pairs of boots, thirteen
thousand men’s socks, and two tons of soap, have been sent out. Mrs.
Mary Fels contributed largely to this stock.
The Unit is under the general control of Mr. Lewin Epstein, Treasurer
of the American Zionist Organization.
On its way to Palestine the Unit passed through London, where it was
welcomed by a great meeting at the London Opera House, on July 14th.
The Right Hon. George N. Barnes, a member of the War Cabinet, in a
speech then delivered, said:――
“Palestine has for three hundred years been under the tyranny
of Ottoman oppression, and I take it that it is now ready for
the word of the teacher, and the knowledge of the scientist,
to make the desert places again into smiling villages. Our
visitors will take part in that transformation. They will link
together the knowledge, the science, and material resources of
the present and the future. It is a great thought and a happy
augury that the first definite act of Zionism is to go East
and to take part in the realization of a great ideal for the
uplifting of all the people, irrespective of class or creed,
or condition of any kind whatsoever. That is indeed a great
ideal, and I congratulate our visitors in being pioneers in
its achievement. They are going to help to lay in Palestine
that basis of sanitation and conditions of healthy life which
are the chief foundations of civilization. It is a work not
only of interest to the Jewish race; it is a work which is of
interest and value to the whole world, because the prosperity
of Palestine is the concern of us all. Irrespective of race
or religion, we look to Palestine as the Holy Land. From it
there came those great moral inspirations which still guide
the life and conduct of half the world. From it there issued
forth those wondrous influences of which the mind of man
can scarcely yet conceive the full meaning. It has been
the inestimable privilege of the Allies in this war to have
rescued this land, consecrated by religion and history, from
the sacrilegious hands of the German and the Turk, who have
slain and enslaved the people. It will be their greater
privilege to rebuild the holy places, to create conditions
under which opportunities will be given to all peoples to live
together in tolerance and mutual help. It will be the aim of
Zionism once more to make Palestine a fountain of knowledge
and idealism, and by the creating of places of knowledge and
education, open to all, again to clothe ancient truths in
modern garb. The British Government proclaimed its policy
of Zionism because it believed that Zionism was identified
with the policy and aims for which good men and women are
struggling everywhere. That policy is the policy of the Allies
in this war. It is the policy to which we are pledged; it is
the policy which we believe accords with the wishes of vast
numbers of the Jewish people, many of whom have cast wistful
eyes to Palestine as again destined to be their national home.
Using the word in its largest and best sense, they are going
on an errand of mercy, being the harbingers of health and
happiness to a people who have been long oppressed and heavy
laden. They have, I doubt not, many difficulties in front of
them――perhaps a long road to travel, but I feel sure they will
be borne up by the consciousness of what they are doing, and
that they have the good wishes of all good men and women.”
In addressing the Unit in Paris, _M._ Tardieu, High Commissioner of the
Government of the French Republic in the United States, said:――
“Vous savez avec quel intérêt sympathique le gouvernement
français a suivi le progrès de l’idéal sioniste. De cet
intérêt, le gouvernement français a donné des preuves dès le
printemps de 1916, aussitôt que l’amélioration de la situation
en Palestine nous a permis de regarder du côté de l’avenir.
J’ai à peine besoin, ensuite, de vous rappeler la déclaration
publique et officielle que le Ministre des Affaires Étrangères,
_M._ Pichon, publiait si heureusement l’année dernière. S’il
existe une nation naturellement faite pour comprendre la cause
des Juifs et l’idéal juif, cela a été assurément toujours la
nation française.”
Shortly before they left England the American Zionist Medical Unit
were received by Mr. Balfour, who said he was very happy to be able
to address the deputation of the Unit on their way to Palestine,
where they were going to contribute their share to the beginnings of
a great National undertaking. The far-reaching importance of the idea
represented by Zionism was not sufficiently understood; the influence
of that great National revival would be felt not only by those Jews who
would settle in Palestine, but also by Jewry in every country of the
world, and even by the other nations of humanity, for though Palestine
was but a small country, the good which it had done for mankind was
immeasurable. The destruction of Judea nineteen centuries ago was one
of the great wrongs which the Allied Powers were trying to redress.
This destruction was a national tragedy. It deprived the Jews of the
opportunities enjoyed by other nations, to develop their national
genius and their own spirit to the full extent of which it was capable.
The Jews occupied a unique position among nations of the present day,
because they lacked that element of nationality which appeared to be
indispensable to a complete National life――to the possession of a
National Home. The present moment witnessed the entrance on the world’s
stage of great and important National factors, and he felt sure that
among these the Zionist idea, which had already accomplished so much in
Palestine, would play a noble and beneficial part. He congratulated the
members of the Unit on their great humanitarian mission. He knew they
were moved by a high idea and not by any self-seeking. Nothing, he said,
could be accomplished in this world except under the inspiration of a
great ideal. He wished them Godspeed and complete success.
Direct evidence of the spread of Zionism in America was furnished by a
resolution of the American Jewish Committee, a body which has hitherto
been held to represent the assimilated American Jews and to be hostile
to Jewish nationalism, at a special meeting held on Sunday, April
28th, which was attended by, among others, Mr. Jacob Schiff, Mr. Louis
Marshall, Dr. Cyrus Adler, ex-Judge Mack, and ex-Judge Sulzberger.
The Committee declared by the resolution that it could not be unmindful
of the fact that there are Jews everywhere throughout the world who,
moved by traditional Jewish sentiment, yearn for a Home in the Holy
Land for the Jewish people. This hope, which has been nurtured for
centuries, had the Committee’s whole-hearted sympathy. When therefore,
the British Government made the Declaration which is now supported
by the French Government, that it views with favour the establishment
in Palestine of a National Home for the Jewish People, and will use
its best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, the
announcement was received by the members of the Committee with profound
appreciation.
The Committee regards as of essential importance the conditions annexed
to the Declaration, “that nothing shall be done which may prejudice
the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in
Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any
other country.” The latter of these conditions corresponded entirely
with the general principles on the basis of which the Committee had
ever striven to attain civil and political rights for Jews the world
over, and with the ideals of all American Jewry.
The opportunity foreshadowed by Mr. Balfour’s letter was welcomed by
the Committee, which would help to the best of its power to realise in
Palestine, placed under such protectorate or suzerainty as the Peace
Congress may determine, the objects set forth in the Declaration; and
the Committee resolved to co-operate with all those who, attracted
by religious or historic associations, shall seek to establish in
Palestine a centre for Judaism for the stimulating of our faith, the
pursuit and development of literature, science, and art in a Jewish
environment, and the rehabilitation of the Land.
The British and Italian Governments indicated to the Zionist
Organization their interest in the welfare of the Jewish people by the
opinion they expressed with regard to the clause in the Rumanian-German
Treaty referring to Jewish rights. Ever since the Treaty of Berlin, the
position of the Rumanian Jews had been one of the scandals of Europe.
That Treaty forbade all legal discriminations on account of religious
faith. This clause was made a useless “_scrap of paper_” by Rumania
considering its Jews “aliens not subject to alien protection.” The
Jew has been prevented from living in country districts or owning
land outside towns. This does not prevent it from being a standing
accusation against the Jews of Rumania that they do not work as
agricultural labourers. They have been excluded from the civil service
and the liberal professions; they have been disfranchised; factories
and mills were forbidden to employ more Jewish workers than one quarter
of their entire staff. Yet the Jews in Rumania by no means gave rise to
this state of affairs by obvious separatism; the younger generation all
spoke Rumanian, both at home and in intercourse with the outer world,
and they wore no distinctive dress.
It should be stated that the Rumanians are a peasant people; the
landowners, all Christians, are largely an absentee class, spending
their money in Western Europe. Anti-Semitism has been a convenient
safety-valve for diverting the discontent of the peasants from the
real authors of their misery.
These anti-Jewish laws have caused an immense exodus of Jews from
Rumania.
Rumania continued its anti-Jewish policy during the war. Rumanian Jews
were registered and supervised as aliens, because, owing to defective
registration, they could not prove that they were born in Rumania.
Many elderly persons were born in places where no registers were kept.
There were no registers before 1866, and it was only in 1880 that the
whole country began to keep such registers. This brings us directly
to the Jewish clause of the treaty with Germany. The German Government
had led the Jews in Germany to believe that it would protect the rights
of Jews in the treaty. But the treaty merely stated that those Jews
hitherto considered aliens were to be naturalized by law if they could
prove that they and their parents were born in Rumania, or that they
had taken part in the war, either in active service or in army service
(_Hilfsdienst_). Such a clause could only open the way to further
equivocations. By the addition of this clause to the general statement
that differences of religious faith shall have no influence on the
legal rights of inhabitants, and in particular on their political and
civil rights, the treaty of 1918 actually went back from the position
taken by the treaty of 1878. It is not even found possible to make
the officers of a regiment in Rumania give a Jewish soldier the paper
necessary to prove that he has served in the army.
The letters to the Author, in which the two _Entente_ Powers (England
and Italy) expressed their desire to rectify this unjust state of
affairs, are as follows:――
FOREIGN OFFICE,
_June 15th, 1918_.
SIR,
In reply to your letter of the 3rd instant, relative to the
question of Jewish rights in Rumania, I am directed by Mr.
Secretary Balfour to state that His Majesty’s Government
fully realize that the enfranchisement promised to the Jews
in Rumania under the recent treaty is less liberal than that
by which the former Rumanian Government had publicly pledged
themselves. They take this opportunity of assuring your
Organization that they are most anxious to do everything in
their power to secure a just and permanent settlement of the
Jewish question in that country.
I am, Sir,
Your most obedient, humble Servant,
(_Signed_) W. LANGLEY.
N. SOKOLOW, ESQ.,
35 Empire House,
175 Piccadilly, W. 1.
The Italian Ambassador, the Marquis Imperiali, honoured me with
a communication to a like effect, of which the following is a
translation:――
LONDON,
_August 2nd, 1918_.
DEAR SIR,
On the instructions of His Excellency, Baron Sonnino, I have
pleasure in communicating to you the following:
“The Italian Government recognizing that the provision
contained in the Treaty of Bucharest of May 7th, 1918,
between Rumania and the Central Empires, relating to religious
equality in Rumania, are, so far as the Jews are concerned,
less liberal than those which the Rumanian Government itself
had spontaneously promised to grant, now declares that at the
final settlement of the Rumanian question, it will use its
best endeavours to secure for the Jews in Rumania a settlement
which will definitely assure them of a permanent position of
equality.”
Accept, dear Sir, the expression of my most distinguished
consideration.
(_Signed_) IMPERIALI.
N. SOKOLOW, ESQ.
One of the first practical results of the British Government’s
declaration was the appointment in March, 1918, of a Zionist Commission
for Palestine.
The objects and status of the Commission were laid down as follows:――
The Commission should represent the Zionist Organization.
It should act as an advisory body to the British authorities in
Palestine in all matters relating to Jews, or which may affect the
establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in accordance
with the Declaration of His Majesty’s Government.
The objects of the Commission were:――
1. _To form a link between the British authorities and the
Jewish population of Palestine._
2. _To co-ordinate the relief work in Palestine and to assist
in the repatriation of exiled and evacuated persons and
refugees._
3. _To assist in restoring and developing the Colonies and in
organizing the Jewish population in general._
4. _To assist the Jewish organization and institutions in
Palestine in the resumption of their activities._
5. _To help in establishing friendly relations with the Arabs
and other non-Jewish communities._
6. _To collect information, and report upon the possibilities
of the further development of the Jewish settlement and of
the country in general._
7. _To inquire into the feasibility of the scheme of
establishing a Jewish University._
In order to be able to achieve the foregoing objects the Commission
obtained permission, subject to military necessities, to travel,
investigate, and make reports upon the above-mentioned matters.
The Commission left London on March 8th. It consisted of:――
Dr. Chaim Weizmann, the Chairman of the Commission; Mr. Joseph Cowen,
Director of the Anglo-Palestine Company; Dr. Eder, Medical Adviser,
Representative of the Jewish Territorial Organization; Mr. Leon Simon,
selected to be Chairman of the Relief Committee of the Commission;
and Professor Sylvain Lévi, Collège de France. Mr. Israel M. Sieff, of
Manchester, acted as Secretary to the Commission.
Two representatives of Italian Jewry joined the Commission after an
interval of some time――Commendatore Bianchini and Dr. Artom.
The Commission was accompanied by the following gentlemen: Mr.
Aaron Aaronsohn, Agricultural Expert, formerly of the Jewish Colony
of _Zichron Jacob_; Mr. David Levontin, Manager of the _Jaffa_
branch of the Anglo-Palestine Bank; Mr. Rosenack, Agent of the Jewish
Colonization Association, and Mr. Walter Meyer of New York.
Major the Hon. W. Ormsby-Gore acted as Political Officer and
communicated the Commission’s views and requirements to the Government
and the military authorities.
It had been intended that representatives of the Jews of Russia should
join the Commission, but the disorganization of communications in
Russia caused by the revolution prevented them from doing so until
about October, 1918, when Mr. Isaac Goldberg and Mr. Israel Rosoff
started for Palestine.
A few isolated incidents alone can be referred to here out of a large
amount of work which was done by the Commissioners. They succeeded
in obliterating the ill effects of warfare, they restored refugees
to their homes, restarted the normal course of peaceful activities,
reorganized the hitherto unsatisfactory and disunited _Jerusalem_
communities belonging to the old settlements of pre-Zionist times and
pre-Zionist feelings, and extended the _Hebrew_ system of schools.
The Commission started part of its work in Egypt before it reached
Palestine. The Arabs had been given wrong ideas concerning the
meaning of the British declaration and the intention of the Zionists:
pro-German agents had spread rumours intended to be both anti-English
and anti-Jewish. They declared that rich Jews would exploit the land
of Palestine and would destroy Moslem holy places. Dr. Weizmann met
certain Arab leaders in Egypt and succeeded in removing their fears and
anxieties. It was found that the Felaheen cultivators in Palestine do
not fear the Jews. They realize that the Jewish colonies increase the
prosperity of the country by introducing improved agricultural methods.
But the Effendi Arabs, who are landlords, fear the establishment of a
just rule over the land. These Effendi are largely cosmopolitans and
absentee landlords, living in Syria and Egypt. The Zionists are anxious
to prevent, if they can, any speculation in land, whether by natives
of Palestine or by foreigners. The prosperity of the colonies is bound
up with a just land policy, which will prevent the fruits of a man’s
labour enriching others and will place at the disposal of the Jewish
colonies unused and State lands as well as badly cultivated large
estates.
The Zionists have been fortunate in gaining the confidence of the King
of the Hedjaz and of Prince Feisal.
Although by the Hague Convention the military authorities could not
make any alteration in the laws of the land, they did in two matters
of administration increase the power of self-government possessed by
the Jews. They allowed certain colonies to appoint their own police
and their own Jewish tax-collectors. So corrupt had the Turkish
tax-collectors been, that the Jewish tax-collectors, while taking less
from the colonists, were able to hand a larger sum to the Government.
Much consideration was given by the Commission to the work of
strengthening and supporting the organizations for relieving
distress――orphanages, hospitals, and so on: a work much needed owing
to war conditions. Special reports on the utilities of the various
hospitals, schools, and orphanages were drawn up. In _Jerusalem_ great
distress was found. The _Halukah_ Jews, settled in _Jerusalem_ to study
and pray and entirely dependent on the support of the Jews of other
countries, had been by the war cut off from their means of livelihood.
Widows and orphans were many, the adult men having suffered excessively
from epidemics. The Commission opened laundries and a kind of shirt
factory to provide employment for women and did its best to find
employment for the men, although the importation of raw materials was
very difficult.
On 17th June there was opened at _Jaffa_ the first conference of Jews
of the liberated area of Palestine. Major Ormsby-Gore, the Political
Officer in charge of the Zionist Commission, delivered the following
speech:――
“You have asked me, as Political Officer in charge of the
Zionist Commission which has been sent out to Palestine by H.M.
Government, to attend this historic gathering and to say a few
words of good wishes to you, the representatives of all Jewry
in the occupied part of Palestine, on behalf of my Government.
I do so with a full heart. My Government――the British
Government――has said one or two important things during this
war concerning Palestine.
“My Government has said that, if England and her Allies
win this war, the future Government of Palestine shall
not be Turkish, because in this war England and her Allies
are fighting, not for the extension of any Empire, nor for
the acquisition of further power or further territory, but
they are fighting for an ideal, shared by all our Allies,
namely, that countries shall be governed in the interests and
according to the wishes and the aspirations of the inhabitants
of those countries. We are satisfied when we look at the
results of Turkish rule upon the land and the people of
Palestine, that such rule ought to disappear in the interests
of Palestine and of civilization. The Turkish rule in
Palestine was an alien rule, and was not in the best interests
of any of the inhabitants of Palestine, and, moreover, such a
rule crippled the free development, economic and political, of
this country.
“My Government has said that it wishes to see the people of
Palestine among others freed from the rule of the Turks, but
it has as yet said nothing as to what Government should take
its place――that is a matter for the Peace Conference. But
Mr. Balfour has made an historic declaration with regard to
the Zionists, that he wishes to see created and built up in
Palestine a National Home for the Jewish people.
“What do we understand by this? We mean that those Jews who
voluntarily come to live in Palestine should live in Palestine
as Jewish nationalists, _i.e._ that they should be regarded
as Jews and nothing else, and that they should be absolutely
free to develop _Hebrew_ education, to develop the country,
and live their own life in their own way in Palestine freely,
but only submitting equally with all others to the laws of the
land.
“I shall tell the British Government, when I go back, what the
Jews of Palestine have done already to realize their ideals,
and what they feel with regard to this National Home. I can
say when I go back that I can see in this gathering to-day
the pioneer work of the National Home, _i.e._ a National
Home built up on a _Hebrew_ foundation with a definite
consciousness and ideal of its own. I can say that whether you
come from Russia, from Salonica, from Bokhara, from Poland,
from America, from England, or from Yemen, you are bound
together in Palestine by the ideal of building up a Jewish
nation in all its various aspects in Palestine, a national
centre for Jewry all over the world to look to. This is the
ideal of the future, an ideal which I am convinced will be
realized without doing any injustice or injury to any of your
neighbours here. But while I look forward to the realization
of this ideal, I must remind you of the grim realities of the
present.
“We can still hear the guns, and we are in the midst of a
desperate struggle――not merely between nations, but between
ideals. Be patient with the British Government, who wish you
well. Do not expect a great deal from them, but expect a great
deal from yourselves. At present we are bound to carry on the
Turkish system of law, taxation, and Government. We are bound
to do this by international law, and England has always tried
to respect this international law. England set its seal to
the Hague Convention, which said that when an advance was made
into enemy country, the administration should be military and
not political, and that such military administration should
make no attempt to alter or change the institutions of the
occupied country; it is not our wish that this is so, but it
is so by the rule of law, and we shall do our best to respect
this law no matter who else breaks it.
“It is difficult for a military administration to make radical
changes or to do much to help you and others in the country.
Nevertheless, some great things have been done already; the
British Government has given opportunity to the young men to
join the battalion of Jews from other countries to liberate
this country. This splendid response of your young men will
have a great moral value when history comes to be written.
Every one of these fine and splendid recruits now enrolled and
who are going to the battalions which have come from England
and America, will go as missionaries of Jewish nationalism in
Palestine, so that these men will stay in Palestine and help
to develop it on just and right lines. The British Government
has done something more of great service to you. The
Government has sent out to Palestine the Zionist Commission.
It has sent out Dr. Weizmann, _i.e._ the British Government
has sent out a man in whom it has confidence to help the Jews
in Palestine in their greatest hour of need. What this help
has meant to you I need not go into in detail. The Zionist
Commission speaks for itself. Dr. Weizmann came here as a
stranger to the British authorities, but in a few weeks he
has won for himself, and for the people whom he represents,
a position among the British authorities and amongst all with
whom he has come into contact in Egypt, Arabia, and Palestine;
a position which is not merely a help, but a corner stone of
the work which lies before you. The Zionist Commission is in a
position to do much to acquaint not only Jewry throughout the
world, but also the Governments of the Allied countries, with
the needs, ideals, and aspirations of Palestine Jewry. It is,
therefore, only right that you should be guided in patience
by him, your leader, and accept his advice and direction. Dr.
Weizmann is a leader who will see you through. He is a man
worthy of your confidence, as well as of the confidence of all
of the Allied Governments.
“The work of the conference which I am addressing is very
important. You have a great deal to prepare for. You have
to prepare for peace, for the day when war is no more, and
when there will be, please God, a free Palestine. Gentlemen,
make sure that your foundation-stones are truly laid in your
agricultural, cultural, and educational work. So much depends
for civilization on the work for which you are now preparing
and which you will perform during the next few months. You
will be faced with all the difficult trivialities of life, but
in the Zionist movement there is a spirit, and just as good
transcends evil, so does the spiritual transcend the material.
You can build up a centre of civilization here. We English owe
all that is best in our civilization to the Bible, and that
is why we feel a deep interest and a bond of sympathy in the
work which you are doing. The Zionist movement is not merely
a political move, but it is a spiritual force, and if it
succeeds I feel it will bring something great and noble to the
world, a message which will not only do so much for the sad
but beautiful land, but for the scattered hosts of _Israel_
and for humanity.”
Illustration: _Photo by בן־דוב בצלאל ירושלם_
LAYING FOUNDATION STONE OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY,
MOUNT SCOPUS, JERUSALEM
_15 Ab, 5678_ _24 July, 1918_
On 24th July, 1918, the foundation-stones of the _Hebrew_ University in
_Jerusalem_ were laid. This was an event which Zionists had conceived
long before, an event likely to be of great importance in enabling
_Jerusalem_ to become a spiritual centre for the still dispersed
communities of _Israel_, and destined, let us hope, to influence and
elevate the mental life, social aspirations and religious conceptions
of the Jews of the world.
The site of the University is a beautiful one. It is on Mount Scopus,
on an estate purchased from the late Sir John Gray Hill of Liverpool,
who was personally in deep sympathy with the scheme. It faces
_Jerusalem_ on the one side and the valley of the _Jordan_ and the
Dead Sea on the other.
At the ceremony of laying the foundation-stones those present included,
besides the members of the Zionist Commission, the Commander-in-Chief
and senior members of his staff, the Military Governor of _Jerusalem_,
staff representatives of the French and Italian military detachments
in Palestine and other officers, the _Mufti_ of _Jerusalem_, Bishop
MacInnes, Anglican Bishop of _Jerusalem_, the representatives of the
Armenian and Greek Churches, the Mayor and Vice-Mayor of _Jerusalem_,
Baron and Baroness Felix Menasce of Alexandria, Maurice Cattaui _Pacha_,
President of the Cairo Jewish Community, Mr. Victor Mosseri, the
Chief _Rabbis_ of Cairo and Alexandria, the _Sephardi_ and _Ashkenazi_
Chief _Rabbis_, and representatives of all Jewish organizations and
committees in _Jerusalem_, _Jaffa_, and the colonies. The day was
declared a public Jewish holiday in _Jerusalem_, and a crowd numbering
about six thousand people witnessed the ceremony.
After the ceremony had been opened by a chant of praise, Dr. Weizmann
laid the first foundation-stone of the University on behalf of the
Zionist Organization. He was followed by the two Chief _Rabbis_ of
_Jerusalem_ and the heads of the United Council, who laid a stone on
behalf of the _Jerusalem_ Community. The _Mufti_ then laid a stone, and
was followed by the Anglican Bishop. Stones were also laid on behalf
of the following: The Zionist Organization, the Jewish Regiment, Baron
Edmond _de_ Rothschild, the town of _Jaffa_, the Colonies, _Hebrew_
Literature, _Hebrew_ Teachers, _Hebrew_ Science, Jewish Artisans and
Labourers, Isaac Goldberg (whose generosity it was that provided so
largely for the purchase of the site), and the Future Generations.
Dr. Weizmann then added his signature to a parchment scroll inscribed
with the blessing:¹
ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם שהחינו וקימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה׃
¹ “Blessed art Thou O! Lord our God, King of the Universe who
hast preserved us alive, and sustained us and brought us to
(_enjoy_) this season.”
“Wednesday, the fifteenth day of the fifth month, the month of
_Menachem-Ab_, being in the year Five Thousand six hundred and
seventy-eight from the creation of the World, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-nine from the destruction of our second Temple, and
the twenty-first year after the first Zionist Congress called by Dr.
Benjamin Zeeb _ben_ Jacob Herzl, the first year of the Declaration of
the British Government issued through the Rt. Hon. Arthur James Balfour
promising to grant a National Home to the Jewish People in the land of
_Israel_,――the day on which was laid the first stone of the building
which shall become the first _Hebrew_ University in _Jerusalem_. In
testimony of which we add our signatures.” The signatures included
that of the _Sephardi_ Chief _Rabbi_ Nissim Elyashar, the _Ashkenazi_
Chief _Rabbi_ Zerach Epstein, the _Mufti_ of _Jerusalem_, Bishop
MacInnes, Chief _Rabbi_ Uziel of _Jaffa_ in the name of Baron Edmond
_de_ Rothschild, _M._ Libowitz, one of the last of the heroic band of
_Bilu_, Dr. Thon, Mr. D. Levontin, and some boys and girls in the name
of the future generation.
The signed scroll was buried under the first stone.
Dr. Weizmann then delivered an address. He said:――
“We have to-day laid the foundation-stone of the first Jewish
University, which is to be erected on this hill, overlooking
the city of _Jerusalem_. Many of us will have had their
thoughts cast back to the great historic scenes associated
with _Jerusalem_, scenes that have become part of the heritage
of mankind. It is not too fanciful to picture the souls of
those who have made our history here with us to-day inspiring
us, urging us onwards, to greater and ever greater tasks. Many
again will have had their attention riveted on the apparent
contrast between to-day’s ceremony and the scenes of warfare
within a few miles of us. For only a brief moment we are
allowing ourselves to indulge in a mental armistice, and in
laying aside all thoughts of strife we try to pierce the veil
of war and glance into the future. A week ago we were keeping
the Fast of _Ab_, reminding us that the Temple had been
utterly destroyed and the Jewish national political existence
extinguished apparently for ever. But throughout the long
centuries we, the stiff-necked people, have refused to
acknowledge defeat, and ‘_Judæa Capta_’ is once more on the
eve of triumph. Here, out of the misery and the desolation
of war, is being created the first germ of a new life.
Hitherto we have been content to speak of Reconstruction
and Restoration. We know that ravished Belgium, devastated
France, Poland and Russia must and will be restored. In this
University, however, we have gone beyond Restoration and
Reconstruction, we are creating during the period of war
something which is to serve as a symbol of a better future.
It is fitting that Great Britain, aided by her great Allies,
in the midst of tribulation and sorrow, should stand sponsor
to this University. Great Britain has understood that it is
just because these are times of stress, just because men tend
to become lost in the events of the day, that there is a need
to overlay these details by this bold appeal to the world’s
imagination. Here what seemed but a dream a few years ago is
now becoming a reality.
“What is the significance of a _Hebrew_ University――what are
going to be its functions, whence will it draw its students,
and what languages will it speak? It seems at first sight
paradoxical that in a land with so sparse a population, in
a land where everything still remains to be done, in a land
crying out for such simple things as ploughs, roads, and
harbours, we should begin by creating a centre of spiritual
and intellectual development. But it is no paradox for those
who know the soul of the Jew. It is true that great social
and political problems still face us and will demand their
solution from us. We Jews know that when the mind is given
fullest play, when we have a centre for the development of
Jewish consciousness, then coincidently we shall attain the
fulfilment of our material needs. In the darkest ages of our
existence we found protection and shelter within the walls
of our schools and colleges, and in devoted study of Jewish
science the tormented Jew found relief and consolation. Amid
all the sordid squalor of the _Ghetto_ there stood schools of
learning where numbers of young Jews sat at the feet of our
_Rabbis_ and teachers. Those schools and colleges served as
large reservoirs where there was stored up during the long
ages of persecution an intellectual and spiritual energy which
on the one hand helped to maintain our national existence, and
on the other hand blossomed forth for the benefit of mankind
when once the walls of the _Ghetto_ fell. The sages of Babylon
and _Jerusalem_, Maimonides and the _Gaon_ of Wilna, the lens
polisher of Amsterdam and Karl Marx, Heinrich Heine and Paul
Ehrlich are some of the links in the long, unbroken chain of
intellectual development.
“The University, as its name implies, is to teach everything
the mind of man embraces. No teaching can be fruitful nowadays
unless it is strengthened by a spirit of enquiry and research;
and a modern University must not only produce highly trained
professional men, but give ample opportunity to those capable
and ready to devote themselves to scientific research to do
so unhindered and undisturbed. Our University will thus become
the home of those hundreds of talented young Jews in whom the
thirst for learning and critical enquiry has been engrained
by heredity throughout ages, and who in the great multitude of
cases are at present compelled to satisfy this their burning
need amid un-Jewish, very often unfriendly surroundings.
“A _Hebrew_ University! I do not suppose that there is anyone
here who can conceive of a University in _Jerusalem_ being
other than a _Hebrew_ one. The claim that the University
should be a _Hebrew_ one rests upon the values the Jews have
transmitted to the world from this land. Here in the presence
of adherents of the three great religions of the world, which
amid many diversities build their faith upon the Lord who
made Himself known unto _Moses_, before this world which has
founded itself on Jewish law, has paid reverence to _Hebrew_
seers, has acknowledged the great mental and spiritual
values the Jewish people have given to it, the question is
answered. The University is to stimulate the Jewish people
to reach further truth. Am I too bold if here to-day in
this place among the hills of _Ephraim_ and _Judah_, I state
my conviction that the seers of _Israel_ have not utterly
perished, that under the ægis of this University there will
be a renaissance of the Divine power of prophetic wisdom
that once was ours? The University will be the focus of the
rehabilitation of our Jewish consciousness now so tenuous,
because it has become so world-diffused. Under the atmospheric
pressure of this Mount, our Jewish consciousness can become
diffused without becoming feeble, our consciousness will be
rekindled and our Jewish youth will be reinvigorated from
Jewish sources.
“Since it is to be a _Hebrew_ University, the question hardly
arises as to its language. By a strange error, people have
regarded _Hebrew_ as one of the dead languages, whilst in fact
it has never died off the lips of mankind. True, to many of us
Jews it has become a second language, but for thousands of my
people _Hebrew_ is and always has been the sacred tongue, and
in the streets of _Tel Aviv_, in the orchards of _Rischon_ and
_Rechoboth_, on the farms of _Hulda_ and _Ben Shemen_, it has
already become the mother tongue. Here in Palestine, amid the
_Babel_ of languages, _Hebrew_ stands out as the one language
in which every Jew can communicate with every other Jew. Upon
the technical difficulties connected with _Hebrew_ instruction
it is unnecessary for me to dwell at the moment. We are alive
to them; but the experience of our Palestinian schools has
already shown to us that these difficulties are surmountable.
These are all matters of detail which have been carefully
examined and will be dealt with at the appropriate time.
I have spoken of the Jewish University where the language
will be _Hebrew_, just as French is used at the Sorbonne, or
English at Oxford. Naturally, other languages, ancient and
modern, will be taught in the respective faculties; among
these languages we may expect that prominent attention will
be given to Arabic and other Semitic languages.
“The _Hebrew_ University, though intended primarily for Jews,
will, of course, give an affectionate welcome to the members
of every race and creed. ‘For my house will be called a house
of prayer for all the nations.’ Besides the usual schools and
institutions which go to form a modern University, there will
be certain branches of science which it will be peculiarly
appropriate to associate with our University. Archæological
Research, which has revealed so much of the mysterious past
of Egypt and of Greece, has a harvest still to be reaped in
Palestine, and our University is destined to play an important
part in this field of knowledge.
“The question as to the faculties with which our University
may begin its career is limited to some extent by practical
considerations. The beginnings of our University are not
entirely lacking. We have in _Jerusalem_ the elements of a
Pasteur Institute and a Jewish Health Bureau, whence valuable
contributions to bacteriology and sanitation have already been
issued. There is the school of Technology at _Haifa_, and the
beginning of an agricultural experimental station at _Athlit_.
It is to scientific research and its application that we can
confidently look for the banishment of those twin plagues of
Palestine, malaria and trachoma; for the eradication of other
indigenous diseases; it is to true scientific method that we
may look for the full cultivation of this fair and fertile
land, now so unproductive. Here, chemistry and bacteriology,
geology and climatology, will be required to join forces, so
that the great value of the University in the building up of
our National Home is apparent. All that again reminds us of
the fact which one is likely to forget after four years of a
terrible war, with its misapplication of scientific methods,
that we must look to science as to the healer of many wounds
and the redeemer of many evils. Side by side with scientific
research the humanities will occupy a distinguished place.
Ancient Jewish learning, the accumulated, half-hidden
treasures of our ancient philosophical, religious and juridic
literature, are to be brought to light again and freed from
the dust of ages. They will be incorporated in the new life
now about to develop in this country, and so our past will be
linked up with the present.
“May I be allowed, before concluding, to point to one very
important aspect of our University? The University, while
trying to maintain the highest scientific level, must, at
the same time, be rendered accessible to all classes of the
people. The Jewish workman and farm labourer must be enabled
to find there a possibility of continuing and completing their
education in their free hours. The doors of our libraries,
lecture rooms, and laboratories, must be opened widely to
them all. Thus the University will exercise its beneficial
influence on the nation as a whole. The bare nucleus of
the library is already in existence here, and very valuable
additions to it are at present stored up in Russia and
elsewhere. The setting-up of a University library and of a
University press are contemplated soon after the war. Manifold
are the preparations yet to be made. Some of them are already
in progress; some, like the actual building, must necessarily
be postponed until the happy day of peace arrives. But from
this day the _Hebrew_ University is a reality. Our University,
formed by Jewish learning and Jewish energy, will mould itself
into an integral part of our national structure which is
in process of erection. It will have a centripetal force,
attracting all that is noblest in Jewry throughout the world;
a unifying centre for our scattered elements. There will go
forth, too, inspiration and strength, that shall revivify
the powers now latent in our scattered communities. Here the
wandering soul of _Israel_ shall reach its haven; its strength
no longer consumed in restless and vain wanderings. _Israel_
shall at last remain at peace within itself and with the world.
There is a _Talmudic_ legend that tells of the Jewish soul
deprived of its body, hovering between heaven and earth. Such
is our soul to-day; to-morrow it shall come to rest, in this
our sanctuary. That is our faith.”
Dr. Weizmann then read the following message from Mr. Balfour:――
“Please accept my cordial good wishes for the future of the
_Hebrew_ University on Mount Scopus. May it carry out its
noble purpose with ever-increasing success as the years go on.
I offer my warm congratulations to all who have laboured so
assiduously to found this school of learning, which should be
an addition to the forces of progress throughout the world.”
Captain Coulandre, on behalf of the French Government, presented the
following message:――
“Le Gouvernement de la République est heureux d’exprimer
les sentiments de sympathie avec lesquels il accueille la
fondation de l’Université Juive. Il forme des vœux sincères
pour que de là rayonnent les grandes pensées de fraternité
et d’idéal auxquels le Judaisme s’est si fermement attaché à
travers les siècles au cours desquels il a resisté à toutes
les persécutions, et pour que dans un monde débarassé des
violences engendrées par les ambitions forcenées du régime
Prussien les Juifs qui le desireront puissent trouver en
Palestine en parfaite entente avec les autres groupements
ethniques un foyer à la fois intellectuel et social.”
The whole ceremony was a deeply moving one, and produced an effect
which will long remain with those who witnessed it.
The work of the Commission was made possible by the work of the British
Army and its scope was greatly increased by General Allenby’s complete
conquest of the country. In September, 1918, General Allenby secured
a victory which resounded throughout the world by its completeness as
well as by its brilliance. By most skilful procedure the Turkish line
was broken in several places and _Nablus_ and _Beisan_ were captured.
The bridge of the _Daughters of Jacob_ over the _Jordan_ was seized and
British troops wheeling round by quick marches along the coastal plain,
passed through the defile of _Megiddo_ and cut off the greater portion
of the Turkish army. The strong Turkish positions in the hills about
_Nablus_ were surrounded and positions which if directly attacked would
have cost thousands of lives were taken with comparatively few losses.
Eighty thousand prisoners were captured and a vast amount of guns,
munitions, and stores. The cavalry swept northward and captured
_Damascus_ within a few days, and even moved on to _Beirout_ and
_Sidon_ on the coast, while the Arabs under the King of the Hedjaz
defeated the Turks in the south-east of Palestine and Jewish troops
were sent forward to the capture of _Amman_ and _Es-Salt_. In a
period of a fortnight, three armies were defeated and ceased to
exist. Turkey’s military power was destroyed instantaneously. The
only defences left to the Turkish Empire were bad communications,
immense distances, and the submarines in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The victories in Palestine stirred the world and gave new vigour to
Zionist efforts. To the outside world, these victories marked the
first decisive step in the final defeat of the German federation. To
the Zionists, they brought great joy because they definitely ended the
corrupt rule of Turkey. Supported by the most powerful nations in the
world, the Jews are asked to create in Palestine a typically _Hebrew_
society. A great responsibility and a great opportunity are thus
offered to us. We have to consider many new and difficult problems.
But for the solution of these practical problems, we confidently expect
to receive much help from Jews all over the world. The Declaration of
the Allies has been like a trumpet-call. Our wonderful successes in
the world of diplomacy fascinate all to whom the fate of _Israel_ is of
importance. The history of the past few years, which has transformed,
at the cost of terrible injuries to humanity, what seemed dreams into
plain facts, and made what were facts into dream-like memories, will
surely bring us active help from all who sympathize with our ideal,
the ideal for which Jews have unceasingly prayed and hoped for twenty
centuries.
* * * * *
This mighty war has now come to an end and the world breathes freely
once more. The cruelties and horrors of more than four years seem now
like a nightmare. That nightmare has vanished――let us hope for ever.
Day has dawned again, a day of victory, whose power for good outweighs
the evil powers let loose by the world-war. The great armies of the
Western Allies and of the United States of America have been victorious.
In consequence of this victory an old world order has been destroyed
and a new and a better one brought into being. State organizations
which had forced diverse nations into their artificial and incongruous
structures only by power are collapsing like houses of cards. Those
who ruled by the sword perished by the sword. Despotism, supported by
militarism, is shattered. The victory of the Allies ought to be more
than a victory of _one_ group of states over another; this ought to be
the victory of what is good in man over what is evil. This victory must
benefit the conquered not less than the conquerors. One great idea has
been victorious in this war, namely, the national principle: liberty,
equality, and self-determination of all peoples, great and small, old
and young. Every nation has the right to live, given the will to do so.
Every nation has a right to the land in which it grew to be a nation.
It is all one, whether this was accomplished a hundred years ago as in
Belgium, or many hundreds of years ago as in Armenia, or as in Greece
some thousands of years ago. The right of a people to its historical
home cannot be limited by time.
On the basis of this principle a new Europe is shaping itself. Every
nation must have its own land, its share in human civilization,
with its own speech and customs, its right to do as it wills.
Alsace-Lorraine wants to be French, and therefore it shall be French
again. The Czechs and the Southern Slavs wish to form independent
states; Poland, Belgium, Serbia, and others, too, are reasserting
their independence. Wherever historical rights exist, these must now
be realized. Every nation regains now its Zion for which it has longed
and suffered. Although this is a great progress in itself, it would be
a poor safeguard unless the other great principle were also adopted,
the principle of freedom. With the regeneration of national freedom
it follows also that the progress of human liberty, equality, and
social justice both in the existing states and in the old ones now
to be re-established will be assured. No despotism, no subjection of
minorities, but liberty, equality, and fraternity for all citizens,
equal duties and equal rights.
For this ideal seven millions of men, the vigorous youth of mankind,
have sacrificed their lives, and many millions more have been crippled.
For this ideal of justice several countries have been laid waste and
civilization itself has been threatened with complete destruction.
This great ideal of justice, however, will be worthy of the terrible
sacrifices which have been made; it must now be attained.
A new Europe and――a new Asia. Light is shining again from the East. The
glorious British Army has reconquered ancient East for civilization.
The Arabs, our Semitic kindred, the descendants of a chivalrous and
one-time famous race, side by side with inspired Jewish volunteer
forces who had flocked together to fight with love and enthusiasm
for the Land of Promise, have, with the assistance of French and
Italian reinforcements, done their duty in assisting the British Army.
Mesopotamia, Arabia, Syria, and Palestine are now freed for their
nations. An Arabian Kingdom, a free, well-ordered Syria, the remnants
of the unfortunate, hard-tried Armenian nation established as an
Armenian State, and a new _Erez Israel_, all these will have to be
created on a basis of historical rights and of the realization of
the national principle, each under the protection of, and receiving
assistance from, some suitable Great Power, in accordance with their
own desire, in their gradual and peaceful progress towards their
ultimate goal.
What, we ask, will now be the position of the Jews at this juncture?
What will the great victory bring to this people who have been so hard
hit by this war? Hundreds of thousands of Jews have lost their lives,
most of them in countries where they had no share in human rights,
and nothing to fight for. Dying on the Carpathian mountains or in the
plains of Moldavia, the last glance of their closing eyes was turned to
the East, to the hills of _Zion_. Innumerable masses have been maimed,
millions nerve-shattered and starved out, tens of thousands of Jewish
homes, thousands of old Jewish communities wiped out, never to be
reconstructed. Will all this not be taken into account in the general
reckoning of the great victory? Jews live in larger or smaller numbers
in different countries, where they are faithful and devoted citizens.
The majority of the Jewish people have suffered too long and too
bitterly in many countries, and it must be the task of the nations and
their governments, once and for all, to put an end to these unspeakable
sufferings in the old states and in those soon to be founded, by solemn
declarations and binding obligations. The Jews desire to be emancipated,
that is, released from servile tutelage; in a free state they do not
wish to be the only pariahs and slaves. They demand to be free; that
means in the first place that they want to breathe freely, to breathe
wherever they wish without fear that a policeman or a neighbour should
point out to them that a Jew may not breathe everywhere. They demand
to be free; that means in the second place, that they should have the
right to use their powers of mind and body unhindered in any honest
calling, in any useful art, in any branch of science; so that they can
be active and industrious, follow skilled employments, or discharge the
functions of office in order to maintain themselves and their families
and not be a burden upon others. This they desire without having to
fear that the Gentile competitor should be able to say to them: only
Gentile hands, only Gentile craftsmen may be employed in skilled
trades, only Gentile applicants are admitted to official positions,
only Gentile abilities can assert themselves. And as there are too many
of you, we must make laws to limit your activities――otherwise we shall
boycott you! They demand to be free; that means in the third place
that they must be free also as regards their conscience: if their
sons possess sufficient talent and knowledge to serve the country as
scholars or as public officials, they should be able to do so as honest
Jews, and not be compelled to parade as dishonest Christians, that
is to profane the ceremony of baptism and to use the certificate of
baptism as a passport to office; they do not wish to act as hypocrites,
they do not wish to enter Christian communities by lying and knavery,
or to smuggle themselves in that way into civic life. They wish to live
as Jews, that means to maintain and to develop undisturbed in their
true spirit their customs, their traditions, their system of education,
their communities, etc. In short, they wish to be human beings, since
he that may not be a citizen with a citizen’s full rights in the place
where he lives and works and bears his share in all social burdens, has
been denied the right to be a human being; or if rights are granted to
a man under the condition that he should become assimilated and cease
to be what he has been, thanks to his race and the traditions sacred to
him, against that man’s manhood the crime of murder has been committed.
They wish to be free human beings.
This question indeed concerns humanity. It was raised at the end of the
eighteenth century by the great French Revolution, and in some states
with small Jewish populations it has been solved in a spirit of liberty.
France, England, Italy were the pioneers of equal rights for all. The
United States of America were an example in establishing the freedom
of citizenship. Nevertheless the majority of the Jews presented during
the course of the nineteenth century a pitiful spectacle of unceasing
martyrdom――with many shades from semi-emancipation linked with
anti-semitism, to boycott and massacres.
The world is changing all its values, and should there be in
any country a continuation of tyranny, oppression, and barbarous
persecution with regard to the Jews, under any pretext――of which there
has never and nowhere seemed to be a lack――then the great ideal of
this world-war will remain an idle dream. For justice can never exist
together with injustice. This problem of humanity must now be and will
be solved.
But the essential problem of modern political evolution lies deeper
than this: it is the problem of the peoples that have been robbed of
their lands. No matter how the position of the Jews may be ameliorated,
and although many Jews may find a home here and there, nevertheless
the genius of the Jewish people, the energy of its constructive power,
its creative force will have no adequate means of expression. To have
a strong impulse to live their own full life and not to be able to do
so――that is the heart-breaking tragedy of this people. This essential
dilemma is left untouched by the vague formula of Emancipation. Zionism
is the only remedy for the deeper Jewish problem, because Zionism alone
goes to the real root of the trouble. There can be no Emancipation
worthy of the name without a homeland. The greatest danger to Zionism
as well as to anti-Zionism is that the ideal of Zionism on the one
hand and that of Emancipation on the other should be separated, and
that people should come to regard as antagonistic objects which are
essentially related and complementary to one another. Not all Jews
will return to Palestine, but large numbers will. Zionism represents
one of the highest manifestations of that aspiration to free national
existence which is the basis of the reconstruction of the world. When a
people, uprooted for centuries from its soil, scattered like dust over
the whole world, wants to restore its homeland to-day, to have a land
where it can be reunited, then we have before us a proof of the new
power that lies in the national idea. Millions of Jews are attached to
Palestine with all their soul and strength, just as on the first day
of the forced expulsion of their ancestors from their old home: their
prayers, their lamentations, their dreams have centred for generations
upon this magnetic pole of their love and reverence. Hundreds of times
they made desperate efforts to return, but were prevented by powerful
circumstances from doing so, and as soon as they had the opportunity
of beginning again the re-settlement of Palestine, notwithstanding
unspeakable sufferings and the greatest sacrifices, they instantly
and energetically availed themselves of it. If the millions of Jewish
emigrants who formed the new ghettoes of Europe and America from about
1880 to now had had the possibility of going to Palestine, they would
have gladly seized it, because they wished to live as a nation, but
that was not possible at that time. _Israel_ must have its own home.
Palestine must become the spiritual and cultural centre of the Jews.
Properly developed, it can hold millions of homeless Jews who will at
last have their own homeland and their own full nationality. If it is
a misfortune for a people to be robbed of its country, where it could
live in peace and prosperity as a nation and enjoy in common with
the rest of the family of nations the fruits of its labour, then this
misfortune is not smaller but rather has become greater for having
existed two thousand years. If it is an injustice to withhold from
a people a land to which they have a right, then this injustice is
not the smaller, but rather the greater, when a people has suffered
it for two thousand years. Never has a nation governed its own home
for a longer period; no nation’s history, religion, literature, and
traditions are more closely bound up with its land; and no nation has
ever suffered a more terrible martyrdom after having been disinherited.
Can anyone doubt the right of the Jewish people to the land of
_Israel_? The validity of the Jewish title to Palestine rests on
the same basis as the title of any nation to any particular area of
the world where it has ruled and existed for centuries. The Jews’
historical right on the Land of _Israel_, with due consideration for
the rights and interests of the non-Jewish population which will be
safe-guarded and respected, must become the decisive factor in the
question of Palestine.
At last the time has come. The spirit of freedom is on the wing, the
Great Creative Spirit is once more moving among the nations. The new
territorial settlement is going to lay the foundations of the world’s
peace on a basis of justice and national union. The liberation of
oppressed nationalities, the restoration of territories violently
annexed in the past, the recognition of the desire of racial units and
groups for autonomy are the great objects in view. The wrongs of the
centuries are going to be righted, and the Jewish race to be placed on
an equal footing with other races. The Jewish people is standing at a
momentous turning point in its history of four thousand years, to which
the determined labour of Zionism has paved the way. The very roots of
Jewish nationality are set in that soil which after being for ages in
shadow is again turning to light. With the victory of the national idea
Zionism also has won a victory. Now that Palestine is freed, much is
possible which formerly was only an aspiration. The field is immense
and ready. The evil demon of the Pharaohs and of Antiochus Epiphanes
has been cast out; the glorious genius of Cyrus the Great hovers with
wings of love over the wonderful destiny of the Jewish people. Powerful
nations and governments――the guardians of freedom and the champions
of justice――have solemnly pledged themselves to further with all the
forces at their disposal the revival of the Jewish nation in the land
of _Israel_. Under this guiding symbol the problem of Palestine will be
discussed and settled by the Peace Conference among all the important
questions before it. The work is stupendous in its implications and its
responsibilities. No one imagines that this result can be speedily
attained. Its accomplishment will take time, and quite possibly a long
time. To restore a scattered people to a land long neglected is not an
easy task. The Jewish colonization of Palestine must be carefully built,
stone upon stone, by the steady hands of Zionists with that spirit of
self-sacrificing endurance which saved our nationality, with wisdom and
self-restraint. Zionists are aware of what the Holy Places of Palestine,
places of traditional associations and religious faith, consecrated
by a thousand cherished memories, are to the great religions. These
places will receive equal respect; they will be, not less, but more
than hitherto reverently exalted as places of the rarest and sweetest
memories in the world. Zionists have the most scrupulous regard for
all spiritual things and needs of all religions, and are confident that
all Holy Places will be safeguarded by arrangements to be introduced.
Zionists are also alive to the legitimate interests and needs of the
non-Jewish population, whose liberty and welfare, in peace and harmony
and mutual respect, are most essential for the success of the Jewish
national rebirth. The new Jewish centre must be made worthy of its
glorious past. The noblest ambitions of Jews all over the world are
concentrated on this point.
Zionists have now an opportunity never dreamt of――an opportunity that
may never return. The Jewish masses, all those who want to live their
own life, the clean, free life of farmers and settlers, will be enabled
to cultivate all the possibilities of their nature. Industry, art, and
science are to join hands in this great work. The long-desired goal
of the Jewish people, the rehabilitation of the old national home in
the land of their fathers, is nearing realization. This is a great
historical event which must touch and stimulate the imagination of all
for whom history, right of nations, and justice for small nationalities
have any meaning or any message. Ancient Israel, reawakened to new life,
is preparing itself to enter the family of nations as a small but free
nation in its old home.
Zionism is not a mere abstract idea. It is connected by every bond
with modern democracy and aspirations for liberty. All peoples for
whom democracy is not a vain word owe it moral and material support.
The Peace Conference must permit it to attain its ends. The League of
Nations will not be complete if the oldest and most oppressed Jewish
nationality will not have its place there. Of all the consequences of
the Great War and the still greater Victory, none could be invested
with so splendid a degree of romance as the re-establishment of
_Israel_. Of all the small nations which shall spring full fledged from
this world crisis, none will have so ancient a claim, so fascinating
a history as the _Hebrew_ people reinstalled among the consecrated
hills of _Judah_ and by the sacred waters of _Galilee_. This will be
an everlasting memorial to the principle for which the free peoples of
the earth have made the greatest sacrifice in the history of the human
race. And the names of all those who have given their support and help
towards this work of Peace, Justice, and Liberty will live for ever in
the annals of the world and of _Israel_.
APPENDICES
B. M.: British Museum Library.
I. S.: Israel Solomons’ Collection.
I.
THE PROPHETS AND THE IDEA OF A NATIONAL RESTORATION
THE first prophet who has left any definite revelation concerning the
Dispersion of the Jews and their ultimate restoration in Palestine was
Moses, our Law-giver.
“And I will bring the land into desolation; and your enemies
that dwell therein shall be astonished at it.” (Leviticus
xxvi. 32.)
“And you will I scatter among the nations, and I will draw out
the sword after you; and your land shall be a desolation, and
your cities shall be a waste.” ( _Ibid._ 33.)
“And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their
enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to
destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant with them; for
I am the Lord their God.” (_Ibid._ 44.)
“But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their
ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in
the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the
Lord.” (_Ibid._ 45.)
Here we have a promise not to abhor or utterly destroy the Jewish
people, but to remember the covenant which God made with their
ancestors. We find the purport of this covenant in an early chapter
of the Pentateuch:――
“And the Lord said unto Abram, ... ‘Lift up now thine
eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and
southward and eastward and westward;’” (Genesis xiii. 14.)
“for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it,
and to thy seed for ever:” (_Ibid._ 15.)
It is impossible to understand how it can be said that this covenant
will be remembered, if the Jewish people is to continue dispersed, and
is to be _for ever_ excluded from the land here spoken of. As to the
return from Babylonian captivity, that will not answer the intention of
the covenant at all. For to restore a small part of the Jewish people
to its own land for a few centuries, and afterwards disperse it among
all nations for many times as long, without any hope of return, cannot
be the meaning of giving that land to the seed of Abram _for ever_.
Again we read:――
“And the Lord shall scatter you among the peoples,...”
(Deuteronomy iv. 27.)
“But from thence ye will seek the Lord thy God; and thou shalt
find Him, if thou search after Him with all thy heart and with
all thy soul.” (_Ibid._ 29.)
“In thy distress, when all these things are come upon thee,
in the end of days, thou wilt return to the Lord thy God, and
hearken unto His voice;” (_Ibid._ 30.)
“for the Lord thy God is a merciful God; He will not fail thee,
neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers
which He swore unto them.” (_Ibid._ 31.)
This prophecy refers to the thirteenth chapter of Genesis, as is shown
by this thirty-first verse; and confirms again the return to the Holy
Land, and its possession for ever:――
“And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come
upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before
thee, and thou shalt bethink thyself among all the nations,
whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee,” (Deuteronomy
xxx. 1.)
“and shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and hearken to His
voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou
and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul;”
(_Ibid._ 2.)
“that then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have
compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all
the peoples, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.”
(_Ibid._ 3.)
“If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts
of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and
from thence will He fetch thee.” (_Ibid._ 4.)
“And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy
fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do
thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.” (_Ibid._ 5.)
Amongst the “things which should come upon them,” which are described
at large in the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth chapters of Deuteronomy,
it is particularly said:――
“And the Lord shall scatter thee among all peoples, from the
one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;...”
(_Ibid._ xxviii. 64.)
But observe that subsequently we are told:――
“And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which
thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will
do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.” (_Ibid._
xxx. 5.)
which promises do not appear to have been fulfilled during the time of
the Babylonian captivity, or after the return from Babylon.
Here we have in plain words, simple and clear, the fundamental idea
of Moses: the Jewish national future and the possession of the land
for ever. This cannot be explained away by sophistry. In vain some
Jews declare: We are not nationalist Jews, we are religious Jews! What
is the Jewish religion if the Bible is not accepted as an Inspired
Revelation? It is strange and sadly amusing that some Jews, adherents
of the monotheistic principle, describe themselves as Germans, Magyars,
and so on, “of the persuasion of Moses.” If this is not blasphemy,
it is irony. The real Moses, the Moses of the Pentateuch, brands
Dispersion as a curse, and his whole religious conception, with all
the laws, ceremonies, feasts, etc., is built up on the basis of the
covenant with the ancestors, a covenant immovable and unalterable.
No matter whether Jews call themselves religious or nationalist: the
Jewish religion cannot be separated from nationalism, unless another
Bible is invented.
Judaism, or the Jewish religion, is based first upon the teaching of
Moses, and next upon that of the prophets, and it is a favourite claim
of the modern school of Jewish reform that their Judaism is “Prophetic
Judaism,” in opposition to the Judaism of orthodox Jews, who lay
particular stress upon the Talmud. But what do the prophets teach?
The next revelation in chronological order after the inspired
predictions of Moses, is that of Joel the son of Pethuel, who began to
prophesy to the Kingdom of Judah about eight hundred years before the
civil era:――
“Then was the Lord jealous for His land,
And had pity on His people.” (Joel ii. 18.)
“And the Lord answered and said unto His people:
Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil,
And ye shall be satisfied therewith;
And I will no more make you a reproach among the nations;”
(_Ibid._ 19.)
“For, behold, in those days, and in that time,
When I shall bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,”
(_Ibid._ iv. 1.)
“So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God,
Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain;
Then shall Jerusalem be holy,...” (_Ibid._ 17.)
“But Judah shall be inhabited for ever,
And Jerusalem from generation to generation.” (_Ibid._ 20.)
Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, lived in the days of Jeroboam,
the son of Joash, King of Israel, and prophesied to the Kingdom of
Israel from eight hundred and eight, to seven hundred and eighty-three
years before the civil era:――
“And I will turn the captivity of My people Israel,
And they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them;...”
(Amos ix. 14.)
“And I will plant them upon their land,
And they shall no more be plucked up
Out of their land which I have given them,
Saith the Lord thy God.” (_Ibid._ 15.)
Hosea, the son of Beeri, prophesied to the Kingdom of Israel, in the
days of the same Jeroboam from about seven hundred and eighty-five, to
seven hundred and twenty-five years before the civil era:――
“For the children of Israel shall sit solitary many days without
king, and without prince,...” (Hosea iii. 4.)
“afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the
Lord their God, and David their king;...” (_Ibid._ 5.)
This prophecy, being given to the Kingdom of Israel in particular,
cannot be applied to the return of Judah from Babylon.
Isaiah the son of Amoz (The First Isaiah) was the foremost of the four
who are called the greater prophets. He lived in the time of Uzziah,
Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah, and prophesied about seven
hundred and sixty, to six hundred and ninety-eight years before the
civil era:――
“And it shall come to pass in that day,
That the Lord will set His hand again the second time
To recover the remnant of His people,
That shall remain from Assyria, and from Egypt,
And from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam,
And from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the
sea.” (Isaiah xi. 11.)
“And he will set up an ensign for the nations,
And will assemble the dispersed of Israel,
And gather together the scattered of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.” (_Ibid._ 12.)
“The envy also of Ephraim shall depart,
And they that harass Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not envy Judah,
And Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” (_Ibid._ 13.)
This prophecy, alone, is sufficiently definite with regard to a second
restoration of Israel, as appears from the eleventh verse, even if
there were no other to be found.
As to the second Isaiah, his prophecies may be called the “Song of
Songs” of the restoration of Israel:――
“Lift up thine eyes round about, and see:
They all are gathered together, and come to thee;
Thy sons come from far,
And thy daughters are borne on the side.” (Isaiah lx. 4.)
“Who are these that fly as a cloud,
And as the doves to their cotes?” (_Ibid._ 8.)
“Surely the isles shall wait for Me,
And the ships of Tarshish first,
To bring thy sons from far,
Their silver and their gold with them,
For the name of the Lord thy God,
And for the Holy One of Israel, because He hath glorified
thee.” (_Ibid._ 9.)
“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make,
shall remain before Me, said the Lord, so shall your seed and
your name remain.” (_Ibid._ lxvi. 22.)
Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and
Hezekiah, kings of Judah, about 750 years before the civil era:――
“I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee;
I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; ...”
(Micah ii. 12.)
“In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth,
And I will gather her that is driven away,
And her that I have afflicted;” (_Ibid._ iv. 6.)
“And I will make her that halted a remnant,
And her that was cast far off a mighty nation;
And the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from
thenceforth even for ever.” (_Ibid._ 7.)
“Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham,
As Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.”
(_Ibid._ vii. 20.)
Here we again meet the covenant of Truth and Mercy sworn unto Abraham,
that the land Abraham then stood upon should be given to him and to his
seed for ever.
Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah,
the son of Hezekiah, prophesied in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon,
king of Judah, about six hundred and thirty years before the ♦civil
era:――
“At that time will I bring you in,
And at that time will I gather you;
For I will make you to be a name and a praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I turn your captivity before your eyes,
Saith the Lord.” (Zephaniah iii. 20.)
♦ “cvil” replaced with “civil”
Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth, in
the land of Benjamin, also prophesied in the days of Josiah, about six
hundred and twenty-nine to five hundred and eighty-eight years before
the civil era:――
“In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of
Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the
north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto
your fathers.” (Jeremiah iii. 18.)
“In his days Judah shall be saved,
And Israel shall dwell safely;...” (_Ibid._ xxiii. 6.)
“Thus saith the Lord,
Who giveth the sun for a light by day,
And the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by
night,
Who stirreth up the sea, that the waves thereof roar,
The Lord of hosts is His name:” (_Ibid._ xxxi. 35.)
“If these ordinances depart from before Me,
Saith the Lord,
Then the seed of Israel also shall cease
From being a nation before Me for ever.” (_Ibid._ 36.)
“Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying:
The two families which the Lord did choose, He hath cast them
off? and they contemn My people, that they should be no more a
nation before them.” (_Ibid._ xxxiii. 24.)
“Thus saith the Lord: If My covenant be not with day and night,
if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;”
(_Ibid._ 25.)
“then will I also cast away the seed of Jacob, and of David My
servant,...” (_Ibid._ 26.)
“But fear not thou, O Jacob My servant,
Neither be dismayed, O Israel;
For, lo, I will save thee from afar,
And thy seed from the land of their captivity;
And Jacob shall again be quiet and at ease,
And none shall make him afraid.” (_Ibid._ xlvi. 27.)
Ezekiel the Priest, the son of Buzi, prophesied in the land of the
Chaldeans by the river Cebar, about five hundred and ninety-five,
to five hundred and seventy-four years before the civil era. In the
thirty-sixth chapter he describes the restoration of Judah and Israel
in words so plain and clear that nobody could possibly mistake them,
and in the next chapter, by the wonderful vision of dry bones reviving,
he shows that, however unpromising the state of Israel may seem, while
they are dispersed through the world, yet will God most certainly
effect the reunion of the tribes which is here foretold:――
“Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them――it shall
be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will establish
them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the
midst of them for ever.” (_Ibid._ xxxvii. 26.)
Chapters thirty-eight and thirty-nine give a most circumstantial
description of the return, which excluded the possibility of an
allegorical explanation.
Obadiah prophesied about five hundred and eighty-seven years before the
civil era:――
“But in Mount Zion there shall be those that escape,
And it shall be holy;
And the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.”
(Obadiah i. 17.)
“And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel,
That are among the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath,
And the captivity of Jerusalem, that is in Sepharad,
Shall possess the cities of the South.” (_Ibid._ 20.)
Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, prophesied about
five hundred and twenty years before the civil era, to those that had
returned from captivity. He had the idea of a great future restoration.
“And it shall come to pass that, as ye were a curse among the
nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save
you, and ye shall be a blessing; fear not, but let your hands
be strong.” (Zechariah viii. 13.)
“I will bring them back also out of the land of Egypt,
And gather them out of Assyria;
And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
And place shall not suffice them.” (_Ibid._ x. 10.)
Malachi prophesied about four hundred and twenty years before the civil
era:――
“And all nations shall call you happy;
For ye shall be a delightsome land,
Saith the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi iii. 12.)
“Behold, I will send you
Elijah the prophet
Before the coming
Of the great and terrible day of the Lord.”
(_Ibid. _ 23.)
Daniel’s (Belteshazzar) prophecies from about five hundred and
thirty-four, to five hundred and seven years before the civil era
relate not only to the affairs of Judah and Israel, but also to the
various monarchies and kingdoms that are to arise successively in the
world. In the following verses he foretells the national future of his
own people:――
“And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; nor shall the
kingdom be left to another people; ..., but it shall stand
for ever.” (Daniel ii. 44.)
“And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the
kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people
of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.” (_Ibid._
vii. 27.)
“... and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was
seen since there was a nation even to that same time; and at
that time thy people shall be delivered,...” (_Ibid._ xii. 1.)
These predictions undoubtedly signify that the Children of Israel shall
_enjoy a kingdom and dominion under the whole heaven_, i.e. upon the
earth, which shall _never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left
to another people_.¹
¹ The most notable _Talmudic_ and _Rabbinical_ passages
referring to the future of the Jewish nation are: _Talm. Bab.
Berachoth_ 28b, 34b; _Shabb._ 118a; _Menahoth_ 45a; _Baba
Mezia_ 3a; _Eduyoth_ VIII. 7; _Kiddushin_ 71a; Gen. _Rabba_
LXXXV. 2; _Hagigah_ 14a; _Sanhedrin_ 38b; 98a, 99a, 110b,
111a; _Erubin_ 43b; Cant. _Rabba_ VII. 10; _Sifri_ on Deut.
1: 1; _Baba Bathra_ 76a. For the views of the _Gaon_ Saadia
_ben_ Joseph (892‒942) see Guttman, _Religionsphilosophie
des Saadia_, Göttingen, 1882, _p._ 236; for Hai _ben_
Sherira _Gaon_ (939‒1038) see _Taam Zekenim_, Frankfort
on the Main, 1854, _pp._ 58‒61; for Abraham _ben_ Chiya
Albargeloni _Ha’nasi_ (called Abraham Judæus and Savasorda)
(1065‒1136) see _Hegion Ha’nefesh_, Leipzig, 1860, _p._ 40
ff.; for Judah Halevi, see his Poems and Kuzari in Cassel’s
edition, Leipzig, 1869, ii. 36‒44, _pp._ 143‒7, p. iv. 23;
pt. i. 115; for Maimonides, see _Hilchoth Melachim_ in his
_Yad Ha’chazakah_, Chs. XI. XII. and _Hilchoth Teshubah_,
Ch. IX. 2; for Nachmanides, see his Comment. to Gen. 2: 3,
and to Exodus 17: 9; for ♦Abrabanel, his books _Yeshuat
Meshicho_, _Mashmia Yeshuah_, _Maeyenai Ha’yeshua_, and
Klausner: Die Messianischen Vorstellungen ... Berlin, 1904,
and also Greenstone: _The Messiah Idea in Jewish History_,
Philadelphia, 1906.
♦ “Abarbanel” replaced with “Abrabanel” for consistency
II.
REV. PAUL KNELL (1615‒64), ISRAEL AND ENGLAND PARALLELED
Israel | And | England | ♦Paralleled, | In a Sermon preached before
| the honourable society of _Grayes_-|Inne, upon Sunday in the |
afternoon, _Aprill 16. 1648_. |
By Paul Knell, _Master in Arts of Clare-Hall_ | in Cambridge. |
Sometimes Chaplaine to a Regiment of Curiasiers | in his Majesties Army.
London, | Printed in the Yeare 1648.¹
(_4to._ 2 _ll._ + 20 _pp._) [B. M.]
♦ “Paralelled” replaced with “Paralleled”
¹ It was re-issued thirty-three years later:――
... London, Printed in the year 1648. And now Reprinted for
a Caution to all those that are given to Change.
Sold by _Randal Tayler_ and _Robert Stephens_, by
Stationers-Hall, near _Ludgate_. 1681.
_4to._ 2 _ll._ + 16 _pp._ [I. S.]
_pp._ 16‒17. “... first, we may compare with _Israel_ for a fruitfull
scituation, being neither under the torrid nor the frozen Zone, neither
burned away with parching heat, nor benummed away with pinching cold,
but seated in a temperate climate & fertile soile; our folds are full
of sheep, our vallies stand so thick with corne that we may laugh &
sing. God hath also fenced us about, like the _Israelites_ in the red
sea, with a wall of water, the waters are as a wall unto us, on our
right hand, & on our left,. .. _And now_, England, _what doth thy Lord
thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all
his waies, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soule_? But here God may as justly complaine of
us as he did of _Israel_,...”
III.
MATTHEW ARNOLD ON RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
MATTHEW ARNOLD, in his _Literature and Dogma_, insists that
righteousness is in a special manner the object of Bible religion. The
word “righteousness” is a master word in the Old Testament. What would
England have been were it not for the importance which _Jeshurun_, the
upright, attached to the thought and practice of righteousness? She
might have been eminent in law, in arts and sciences borrowed from the
Romans and the Greeks, but she would have been addicted to idolatry
and the gratification of the senses, and would have borne the doom
of destruction within herself. He draws a vivid imaginary picture
of the authorities of one of the English great Universities, the
vice-Chancellor, beadles, masters, scholars, and all, nay, their very
professor of moral philosophy, going in procession to worship at the
shrine of Aphrodite.
“If it had not been for Israel,” he continues, “and the stern check
which Israel put upon the glorification and divinization of this
natural bend of mankind.... And as long as the world lasts, all
who want to make progress in righteousness will come to Israel for
inspiration, as to the people who have had the sense for righteousness
most glowing and strongest; and in hearing and reading the words Israel
has uttered for us, carers for conduct will find a glow and a force
they would find nowhere else. As well imagine a man with a sense
for sculpture not cultivating it by the help of the remains of Greek
art, or a man with a sense for poetry not cultivating it by the
help of Homer and Shakespeare, as a man with a sense for conduct not
cultivating it by the help of the Bible.”¹
¹ _Literature and Dogma_ ... By Matthew Arnold ... London ...
1873 ... _pp._ 26, 36‒37 and 56.
IV.
“ESPERANÇA DE ISRAEL,” BY MANASSEH BEN-ISRAEL
מקוה ישראל | _Esto es_, | Esperança | De Israel. |
Obra con suma curiosidad conpuesta | _por_ | Menasseh Ben Israel |
Theologo, y Philosopho Hebreo. |
Trata del admirable esparzimiento de los diez | Tribus, y su infalible
reduccion con los de | mas, a la patria: con muchos puntos, | y
Historias curiosas, y declara-|cion de varias Prophecias, | por el
Author rectamen-|te interpretadas. |
_Dirigido a los señores Parnassim del_ K.K. | _de_ Talmvd Tora. | En
Amsterdam. | En la Imprension de | Semvel Ben Israel Soeiro.¹ | Año.
5410. |
(_sm._ 8º. 7 _ll. _ + 126 _pp._)² [I. S.]
¹ The surname “Ben Israel Soeiro” used by the printer, a son
of the author, is a combination of those of his paternal
grandparents Joseph Ben-Israel and Rachel Soeiro, who
had been _marranos_. Joseph, a victim of the Inquisition,
on returning to the Jewish fold, it may be surmised,
discarded his gothic patronymic and appropriately assumed
that of Ben-Israel. Their son, the author, married Rachel,
a great-granddaughter of the famous Bible exegete and
statesman Don Isaac Abrabanel, who claimed Davidic descent.
In an age when יחוס. was highly prized, we consequently find
that in the following year, when Samuel printed his father’s
_Nishmath Chayyim_, his surname has become “Abrabanel
Soeiro,” and in the Latin addition, “Ben Israel Abrabanel
Sueiro.” He was born in Amsterdam in 1625. He accompanied his
maternal uncle, David Abrabanel [Manuel Martinez Dormido],
to England, on behalf of his father, arriving here on 1st
Sep., 1654, to open up negotiations with Cromwell concerning
the admission of their co-religionists to this country. It
was decided that the presence of Manasseh was incumbent, and
a pass to Holland, dated 16 May, 1655, was granted to Samuel,
to fetch his father. They arrived in the following October,
and resided here close on two years. On Sunday, the second
day of _Rosh Hashanah_, 5418 [8 Sep., 1657, N.S.: 29 Aug.
O.S.], at the early age of thirty-two, Samuel went to his
Eternal rest. He had conjured his father that he would
take his body to Amsterdam, where he was born, for burial.
Manasseh was then in a precarious state of health, and on
arriving at Middleburg in Zealand, where Ephraim Abrabanel,
the maternal uncle of the deceased, resided, he was unable
to continue the journey. The interment took place at the
local _Beth Haim_, and the Rev. Isidore Harris, M.A., a few
years ago discovered the tombstone³ in the third _carera_,
which has the following inscription:――
Sᴬ. | Do Doctor Semvel | Fº Do Haham Menasseh | Ben Israel |
Faleceo em 2 Tisri | 5418. |
Manasseh’s illness was mortal. His son Joseph had died at
the age of twenty about eight or nine years before, and the
premature death of his last surviving son hastened his end.
A few weeks later, on the 11 Kislev (20 Nov.), he passed
away in the house of his brother-in-law, but fifty-three
years old. He was interred at the _Sephardi Beth Haim_ at
Oudekerk, Amsterdam.
² Another issue, with a similar collation, but apparently from
other type, was printed in the same year. [I. S.]
It appeared again during the last quarter of the nineteenth
century under the following title:――
Origen De Los Americanos. מקוה ישראל. Esto Es Esperanza De
Israel ... Reimpresion ... Del Libro De Menasseh Ben Israel
... Publicado En Amsterdam 5410 (1650) ... y la biografia del
autor, Por Santiago Perez Junquera.
Madrid.――1881....
8º. xxxvi. _pp._ + 8 _ll._ + 126 _pp._ + 3 _ll._ in printed
wrapper as issued. [I. S.]
³ _Transactions of the Jewish Historical Society of England_,
vol. vii., 1911‒1914 ... Edinburgh and London, 1915 ... _p._
127: “A Dutch Burial-Ground and its English Connections.” By
the Rev. Isidore Harris, M.A.
V.
“SPES ISRAELIS,” BY MANASSEH BEN-ISRAEL
מקוה ישראל | _Hoc est_, | Spes | Israelis. |
_Authore_ | Menasseh Ben Israel | Theologo & Philosopho Hebræo.
Amstelodami. | Anno 1650. |
(_sm._ 8º. 6 _ll._ + 111 _pp._) [I. S.]
_sig._ [A2] Svpremo Angliæ Consessvs Parlamento, _ejusdemque Reipublicæ
Status Consilio Honorando_, Salutem, ac felicitatem omnem, a Deo
apprecatur Menasseh Ben Israel.¹
¹ This translation was probably the work of the author. Bound
up with this copy is a folded engraving of the author by
Salom Italia.
VI.
“HOPE OF ISRAEL――TEN TRIBES ... IN AMERICA――מקוה ישראל
DE HOOP VAN ISRAEL,” BY MANASSEH BEN-ISRAEL
The | Hope of Israel: |
Written | By Menasseh Ben Israel, | an Hebrew Divine, and Philosopher. |
Newly extant, and Printed in | _Amsterdam_, and Dedicated by the |
Author to the High Court, the | Parliament of _England_, and | to the |
Councell of State. |
Translated into _English_, and | published by Authority. |
_In this Treatise is shewed the place where the ten | Tribes at this
present are, proved, partly by | the strange relation of one_ Antony
Monte-|zinus, _a_ Jew, _of what befell him as he tra-|velled over the
Mountaines_ Cordillære, _with | divers other particulars about the
restoration of | the_ Jewes, _and the time when._ |
Printed at _London_ by R. I. for _Hannah Allen_, | at the Crown in
Popes-head | Alley, 1650. |
(_sm._ 8º. 7 _ll._ + 90 _pp._) [I. S.]
_sig._ A3. “To the Parliament, the Supream Court of _England_, and
to the right Honourable the Councell of State, _Menasseh Ben Israell_,
prayes God to give health, and all Happinesse.” But the original
edition in Spanish is dedicated “_A los Muy Nobles, Prudentes, y
Magnificos Señores, Deputados y Parnassim deste K.K. de Talmud Tora_.”
... _Amsterdā. a 13 de Sebat. An. 5410._
In this first English version the name of the translator does not
appear on the title page, nor does “The Translator to the Reader” bear
any signature; but “Moses Wall” does appear on the title pages of two
issues of a second edition which appeared in 1651 and 1652. (_4to._ 5
_ll._ + 62 _pp._) [B. M.]
It was published again under the following title:――
“Accounts Of The Ten Tribes of Israel Being In America; Originally
Published By R. Manasseh Ben Israel.
With Observations Thereon, And Extracts From Sacred And Profane,
Ancient And Modern History, Confirming The Same; And Their Return From
Thence About The Time Of The Return Of The Jews.”
By Robert Ingram, A.M. Vicar of Wormingford and Boxted, Essex.
Colchester: Printed And Sold By W. Keymer; Sold Also By G. G. J. And
J. Robinson, Pater-Noster-Row, London, 1792. [Price One Shilling.]
(8º. 56 _pp._) [I. S.]
There are several _Hebrew_ versions, the first translation appearing
in 1698.
מקוה ישראל חברו ... החכם השלם׃ ... מנשה בן ישראל זצ״ל בלשון גוי הולנדי״אה׃ ¹ועתה נעתק ללשון
הקודש ע״י ... ר״ אליקים בהר״ר יעקב ש״ץ זצ״ל חזן בק״ק אמשטרדם׃ ... נדפס באמשטרדם ... בשנת
[תנח] לפ״ק ... בדפוס קאשמן עמריך.
(_16mo._ סו (66) _ll._)¹ [I. S.]
¹ It was composed in Spanish in 1650 and did not appear in
Dutch until 1666.
De | Hoop | Van Israël. |
_Een Werck met groote naukeurigheyt_ | _beschreven_: |
Door | Menasseh Ben Israël | Hebreeuws Godtgeleerde en | Wijsbegeer. |
_Waer in hy handelt van de wonderlijcke | verstroyinge der 10 Stammen,
en hare ge-|wisse herstellinge met de twee Stammen Juda | en Benjamin
in’t Vaderlandt. Met veele aen-|wijsingen, naukeurige vertellingen, en
verkla-|ringen van verscheyde Prophetien._ |
Met meer als 90 Beschrijvers bevestight: |
Met een verantwoordingh voor de | Eedele Volcken der Jooden. | _Den 2.
Druck¹ van veel Letter-mis stellingen gesuyvert._ | t’Amsterdam, | Voor
Jozua Rex, Boeck-binder, | op de Cingel, recht over de Appelen-marrickt,
| in’t Jaer 1666. |
(_12mo._ 6 _ll._ + 124 _pp._ [_De Hoop Van Israel._])² [I. S.]
¹ A third edition was published in the same year, with the
following addition:――
De Reysen van R. Benjamin Jonasz Tudelens, In de drie Deelen
der Werelt, als Europa, Asia, en Afrika: ... In’t Nederduyt
overgeschreven door Jan Bara.... 117 _pp._ [B. M.]
² Bound up with this copy is a folded engraving of the Author
by Salom Italia.
It has also been translated into _Yiddish_.
VII.
THE HUMBLE ADDRESSES OF MANASSEH BEN-ISRAEL
To | His Highnesse | The | Lord Protector | Of The | Common-Wealth Of |
England, Scotland, _and_ Ireland.
The Humble Addresses | Of | Menasseh Ben Israel, _a Divine, and |
Doctor of Physick, in behalfe | of the Jewish Nation_. |
(_4to._ 4 _ll._ + 26 _pp._)¹ [I. S.]
¹ This was probably printed in Amsterdam, in anticipation of
his visit to England.
A second issue from another press, and in which the
collation varies (4 _ll._ + 23 _pp._ [I. S.]) may have
been printed in London, as at the end it has the following
addition:――
“Which is the close of _Rabbi Menesse Ben-Israel_, a Divine,
and Doctor in Physick, in the _Strand_ over against the
_New-Exchange_ in London.”
The British Museum copy of the 23 _pp._ edition has the
following date in manuscript on the title page: “November 5,
1655.”
VIII.
“VINDICIÆ JUDÆORUM,” BY MANASSEH BEN-ISRAEL
Vindiciæ | Judæorum, | Or A | Letter | In Answer to certain Questions
propounded by | a Noble and Learned Gentleman, touching | the
reproaches cast on the Nation of the | Jevves; wherein all objections
are | candidly, and yet fully cleared. |
_By_ Rabbi Menasseh Ben Israel _a Divine | and a Physician_. |
Printed by _R. D._ in the year 1656. |
(_4to._ 1 _l._ + 41 _pp._)¹ [I. S.]
¹ In 1743 it was reprinted in octavo form (2 _ll._ + 67
_pp._ [I. S.]). It was translated into German either by
Dr. Marcus Herz (1747‒1803) or by his wife, the celebrated
Henrietta Herz (1764‒1847), and published in 1782, with an
introduction by Moses Mendelssohn (1729‒1786) (_sm._ 8º. LII.
+ 64 _pp._ [I. S.]). It has also appeared in _Hebrew_ [I. S.],
Polish [I. S.], French and Italian.
IX.
ENSEÑA A PECADORES
Libro | Yntitulado | Enseña | A | Pecadores |
Que contiene diferentes | obras, mediante las qua-|lespide el hombre |
piedad à su | Criador. |
En casa y acosta | de _David de castro Tartaz_. |
_En Amsterdam_ | Anno 5426. |
(_12mo._ 88 + ח (8) _pp._) [B. M.]
_Page 2._ “Prologo.... _Aviendo pues el Señor hecho merced al mundo en
traer a luz las obras divinas del H. Ribi Esayah, su memoria sea
para benedicion, las quales son llenas de doctrinas y modos de
encaminar al hombre a la salvacion...._”
_pp._ 61‒79. “Conficion _Muy Copiosa Maravillosa y llena de
divinos conceptos y misterios, hecha por el divino Theologo y
excellentissimo Sabio, Ribi Yshac Askenazi de Loria, Traduzida de
Hebrico, en lengua castellana, por el doctissimo Haham Menasseh
ben Ysrael; el Anno 5383. la qual se puede dezir estando el hombre
enfermo o de ajuno o en qual quiera tiempo_.”
_pp._ 80‒88. Vidvy Penitencial ... Auctor Selomoh De Oliuera.
וידוי כפרה ... שלמה די אוליוירה יצ״ו התחלתו ערב ר״ח אדר ראשון. בשנת מגיני אל אלהים מושיע ישרי לב׃
pp. א‒ה
תושלבע׃
X.
“DE TERMINO VITÆ――OF THE TERM OF LIFE,” BY MANASSEH BEN-ISRAEL
צרור החיים | Menasseh | Ben Israel, | De | Termino | Vitæ: | Libri Tres. |
_Quibus veterum Rabbi-|norum, ac recentium do-|ctorum, de hac
con-|troversia sententia | explicatur._ |
_Amstelodami._ Typis & sumpti-|bus authoris An. 1639. |
(_12mo._ 8 _ll._ + 237 _pp._ + 25 _ll._)¹ [I. S.]
¹ Sixty years later it was translated into English:――
Of The | Term | Of | Life. | viz. | Whether it is fix’d or
alterable; |
With the Sense of the _Jewish_ Doctors, | both Ancient and
Modern, touching | Predestination and Free-Will. |
Also an Explication of several obscure | _Passages_ and
_Prophecies_ in the Old Testa-|ment; together with some
remarkable Cu-|stoms observ’d by the _Jews_. |
_Written in Latin by the Famous_ Menasseh | Ben-Israel _the_
Jew _and now Translated | into_ English, _By_ Tho. Pocock,
M. A. |
To which are added, the Author’s Life, never be-|fore
Publish’d; and a Catalogue of his Works. |
London Printed, and Sold by _J. Nutt_, near |
_Stationers_-Hall, and by the Booksellers of _Lon-|don_ and
_Westminster_, 1699. |
(_sm._ 8º. 6 _ll._ + XVI. + 116 _pp._) [ I. S.]
_sig._ A2. “To _Colthorp Parker_, Esq.;”
* * * * *
_De Termino Vitæ_; | Or The | Term | Of | Life. | Viz. |
Whether it is fix’d or alterable; |
With the Sense of the _Jewish_ Doctors, | both Ancient and
Modern, touching | _Predestination_ and _Free-Will_. |
Also an Explication of several obscure _Passages_ and |
_Prophecies_ in the Old Testament; together with | some
remarkable Customs observed by the _Jews_. |
_Written in Latin by the Famous_ Menasseh | Ben-Israel _the
Jew, and now Translated into_ English. |
To which are added, the Author’s Life, never be-|fore
Publish’d; and a Catalogue of his Works. |
London, Printed for _W. Whitwood_ at the _Rose_ | and
_Crown_ in _Little-Brittain_. 1700. | (_sm._ 8º 6 _ll._ +
xvi. + 116 _pp._ + _l._ [_catalogue_]). [I. S.]
_sig._ A2. “To _Colthrop Parker_, Esq.;”
* * * * *
Of The | Term | Of | Life, | Viz.: | Whether it is fix’d or
alterable; | With the Sense of the _Jewish_ Doctors, | both
Ancient and Modern, touching Pre-|destination and Free-Will. |
Also an Explication of several obscure | Passages and
Prophecies in the Old Testa-|ment; together with some
remarkable | Customs observed by the _Jews_. |
_Written in Latin by the Famous_ Menasseh | Ben-Israel
_the Jew, and now Transla-|ted into_ English, _By_ Tho.
Pocock, A.M. | _Rector of_ Danbury _in_ Essex, _and Chaplain
to his | Grace the Duke of Bedford_. |
To which are added, the Author’s Life, by the Translator;
and a Catalogue of his Works. |
London, Printed for Tho. Baker at the | _Bible_ and _Rose_
in _Ludgate-street_. 1709. | (_sm._ 8º. 8 _ll._ + xxiv. +
117 _pp._ + 1 _l._) [I. S.]
_sig._ A2. “To _Christopher Tilson_, Esq.; Of The Treasury.”
XI.
“נשמת חיים――DE IMMORTALITATE ANIMÆ,” BY MANASSEH BEN-ISRAEL
ספר נשמת חיים על ענין הנשמה ... מנשה בן ישראל ... פה ק״ק אמשטרדם נדפס בדפוס בן המחבר שמואל
אברבנאל סואירו בשנת [תיב] לפ״ק׃
(_4to._ 8 + קעד (174) + 2 _ll._) [I. S.]
Some editions, which are excessively rare, have this Latin addition:――
נשמת חיים | Menasseh Ben Israel | Libri Quatuor | De | Immortalitate
Animæ. |
In quibus multæ insignes & ju-|cundæ quæstiones ventilantur, | uti
videre est, ex argu-|mento operis. |
Amstelodami, | Apud Autoris filium | _Samuel Ben Israel Abrabanel
Sueiro_. |
Anno ϲlͻ. ͻlϲ. LI. |
(8 _ll._) [I. S.]
_sig._ A2. (Epistola Dedicatoria) Ferdinando III. Augustissº. Romanorum
Imperatori....
Sig. A4². Augustissimi Imperatoris _Servus humillimus_ Menasseh Ben
Israel.
Amstelodami Calendis Decembris Anno ϲlͻ. lͻϲ. LI.
XII.
“RIGHTS OF THE KINGDOM,” BY JOHN SADLER
Rights of the Kingdom; | Or, | Customs of our Ancestours:... With an
Ocasionall Discourse of _Great Changes_ yet | expected in the World. |
London, | Printed by _Richard Bishop_. 1649.|¹
(_4to._ 4 _ll._ + AA‒MM + F‒Z + A‒C in fours.) [I. S.]
_sig._ G4. “How they are Now, I need not say, although I might also
beare them witnesse, that They are yet Zealous in Their Way. nor
doe they wholly want, ingenuous able men. of whom I cannot but
with Honour, mention Him, that hath so much obliged the world, by
his learned Writings; _Rab Menasseh Ben Israel_: a very learned,
Civill Man, and a Lover of our Nation.
“The more I think upon the Great Change, now comming on Them, and
All the World; the more I would be Just and Mercifull to Them, to
All.”
¹ It was republished thirty-three years later anonymously, as
was the first issue.
London: Printed for _J. Kidgell_. 1682. _4to._ 4 _ll._ +
319 _pp._ [B. M.]
XIII.
“NOVA SOLYMA,” EDITED BY REV. WALTER BEGLEY
Nova Solyma The Ideal City; Or Jerusalem Regained
An Anonymous Romance Written In The Time Of Charles I.
Now first Drawn From Obscurity, And Attributed To The Illustrious John
Milton.¹
With Introduction, Translation, Literary Essays And A Bibliography
By The Rev. Walter Begley
vol. i., ii.
London John Murray, Albemarle Street. 1902.
(_p._ 4). “The book was first presented to the public in small octavo
form with this title page:
Novæ | Solymæ | Libri Sex. | Londini Typis Joannis Legati.| MDCXLVIII. |
¹ The author was Samuel Gott (1613‒1671), see “The Authorship
of Nova Solyma,” by Stephen K. Jones (1910), and B.M.
Catalogue.
“The book contained three hundred and ninety-two pages, of which the
last contained the errata and the printer’s short notice to the reader.
There was no preface or introduction of any kind, and no notes. The
only printed extra was this Latin motto in the middle of the blank page
facing the title:
‘_Cujus opus, studio cur tantum quaeris inani?_’
‘_Qui legis, et frueris, feceris esse tuum._’
which I turn thus:
(_p._ 5). “‘Whose is the book?’ do you ask. ‘Why start such a bootless
enquiry?
If you but read and enjoy, you will have made it your own.’” (_pp._
5‒6). “... The next year the same book was published again――an evident
attempt to utilise the unsold remainder, as there was no difference
whatever, except a new title page with the old fly-leaf motto included
in it and a page at the end containing the autocriticon. In the only
copy I have seen, [St. John’s College, Cambridge], the title page runs
as follows:
Novæ Solymæ Libri Sex; sive Institutio Christiani.
1. De Pueritia.
2. De Creatione Mundi.
3. De Juventute.
4. De Peccato.
5. De Virili Aetate.
6. De Redemptione Hominis.
_Cujus opus, studio cur tantum quaeris inani?_
_Qui legis, et frueris, feceris esse tuum._
Londini: Typis Johannis Legati, et venundantur per Thomam Underhill
sub signo Biblii in vico Anglice dicto Woodstreet. MDCXLIX.”
Here we have the very useful addition that it was published by Thomas
Underhill, of Wood Street.
(preface _pp._ vii‒viii). “... That such a wide-reaching, learned,
and varied work should have been allowed to remain unappreciated and
utterly ignored for more than two hundred and fifty years is certainly
a very surprising literary fact....
“The critics seem to have been both blind and deaf. They gave no
encouraging praise, and no disheartening condemnation. They simply took
no notice. And so this great work of seventeenth-century art vanished
from the sight of men. A few copies were put away in college libraries,
where they rested for years undisturbed and dust-covered in their
original positions, and have so continued to rest for two centuries and
a half, lost to the world.”
(_p._ 18). “There is a spirit of pure, lofty, and unselfish morality
evident throughout all the various scenes of this interesting and
unaffected book. It shows us the brightest, strongest elements of
God-fearing Puritanism;...” “Here are the lyric songs from ‘the
law and prophets,’ Abraham’s meditation on the Mount Moriah, Cain’s
lamentations for Abel, David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan, and many a
noble ode from the Psalms and short epics from Job....” “Here Truth and
Justice and the Fear of God are all placed on the high pedestals they
so well deserve; and there is withal a kindly insistence everywhere on
those great teachings which tend to make life more abounding in hope,
more perfect in self-restraint and more lifted-up in spirit.”
All these ideas are Hebrew, and characteristically Biblical. But the
most curious fact, from our point of view, is that this work contains
a description of the Ideal State on Mount Zion. Of course, the tendency
is thoroughly Christian, but it is that kind of Christianity which is
inspired by the Old Testament and by a sentiment of love for the old
Jewish nation and the Holy Land. This book is the poetical expression
of the Restoration ideas of the seventeenth century. It begins with a
description of the springtime in New Jerusalem, “the city with twelve
gates” (Ezekiel xlviii. 31), and “a virgin who held in her right
hand a golden rod, and in her left the two tables of the Law.” The
tourist-visitors, “two Englishmen and the third a Sicilian,” are told
that “it is the anniversary of the founding of the city and the virgin
you saw represented Zion, or, as they say, the Daughter of Zion.”
“They” evidently refers to the Jews.
Strangers are received with remarkable hospitality (as in Herzl’s
_Altneuland_).
(_p._ 86). “But Jacob, for that was the old man’s name, urged him all
the more, ‘Come, come,’ said he, ‘it is a national duty with us to
treat strangers with kindness, not unmindful that we too, long ago,
were strangers in Egypt, and since then for a long time strangers and
wanderers among all the nations of the earth. But now we call none
aliens from Israel....’”
(_p._ 88). “We are now very close on the fiftieth year since our long
and widely-scattered nation was restored to its present wonderful
prosperity.” The old Jew then explains the system of education
adopted in the new country, a system of physical development and moral
integrity.
Joseph, who is one of the tourists and the hero of the romance,
indulges in songs of Zion.
(_pp._ 175‒6) “O sacred top of Solyma,
How lovely is thy place
Where stands the city of our King
Where faithful saints rejoice and sing
O mercy, love and grace!
“For there our greater Temple stands
With greater glory blest
And there redeemed from alien lands,
Brought back at last by God’s own hands,
His Israel finds her rest.”
Here the translator remarks:
(_p._ 177) note i.: “How many sighs and prayers have gone up from the
dispersed children of Zion in Russian Poland, in Galicia, in Roumania
and by the old broken wall of Jerusalem in these latter days! What
longing for this ‘antepast of Heaven’ that Joseph here speaks of!
What passionate desire for that time, when the children of Zion
should no longer have to sing ‘the Lord’s song in a strange land’!
Is this century to see the Zionists in possession again of their Holy
City――their longed-for Salem, the ‘Vision,’ the ‘Foundation,’ the
‘Inheritance’ of Peace, as expositors have variously entitled it? Who
can say? From a practical point of view the prospect somehow fails
to charm; but when I view it in theory, it seems as if the justice
of the world as well as the justice of the Eternal One would be nobly
consummated by such a termination to an earthly pilgrimage of nigh two
thousand years.”
The anonymous author proceeds to describe the old-new home, and the
people, new-born in benevolence, piety and purity, with their national
distinctiveness, and the two tables of the Law. Thus, with all his
honest and deep Christian convictions and belief in the final triumph
of his religious ideas, he recognizes the right of the Jewish nation
to have their country and to remain faithful to their traditions.
This strange romance, after all sorts of philosophical reflections and
sketches of various adventures in Sicily and elsewhere, comes back to
Zion to sing the songs of the Old Testament in Latin verse in a way
which shows that the author had the rhythm and atmosphere of Biblical
poetry to perfection, and also that his views were much more in harmony
with the notions of that time than with modern conceptions. The whole
work is inspired by great enthusiasm for Israel’s glory, and abounds
with sympathy and admiration for the Jewish nation.
Begley, who was a man of profound knowledge and an authority on matters
of composition and style, ascribes this work to Milton. If this view
be accepted, then to this poet’s glory must be added a further claim
to immortality, because he was the first poet who expounded――from a
Christian point of view――the idea of Israel’s Restoration in the form
of a poetical romance. But from our point of view it does not matter
whether Milton was the author, or another poet; the fact remains that
this remarkable work is English and appeared in England in 1648.
XIV.
“PRÆDAMITÆ――MEN BEFORE ADAM,” BY ISAAC DE LA PEYRÈRE¹
¹ Account of Peyreyra, Author of “Præadamitæ,” “Rappel des
Juifs,” &c. Translated from “Lettres Choisies de M.
[Richard] Simon, (1638 ‒1721) ou l’on trouve un grand nombre
de Faits et Anecdotes de Literature. Rotterdam 1702.”
(Gentleman’s Magazine, vol. lxxxii., November, 1812, _pp._
432‒434; and vol. lxxxiii., June, 1813, _pp._ 614‒616.)
Another of his famous works, also published anonymously, was:――
Præadamitæ. | Sive | Exercitatio | super Versibus duodecimo,
decimotertio, & | decimoquarto, capitis quinti Epistolæ | D. Pauli ad
Romanos. | Qvibvs Indvcvntvr | Primi Homines ante Adamum | conditi. |
Anno Salvtis, | M.DC.LV. |
(_4to._ 22 _ll._ + 297 + 8 _pp._ [Synagogis Ivdæorvm Vniversis.]) [I. S.]
In the following year it was translated into English:――
_Men before Adam._ | Or | A Discourse upon the twelfth, | thirteenth,
and fourteenth Verses | of the Fifth Chapter of the Epistle | of the
Apostle _Paul_ to the | Romans. |
_By which are prov’d_, | That the first Men were crea-|ted before
Adam. |
London, | Printed in the Year, 1656. |
(8º. 8 _ll._ + 61 _pp._ + 9 _pp._ + 35 _ll._) [I. S.]
_The End of the first Part_ (No more published)
_sig._ A.4. “To all the Synagogues to the Jews, dispersed over the face
of the Earth.”
_sig._ M.8. “Terræ Sanctæ Delineatio” (A map of the Holy Land).¹
¹ In another issue in the same year the eight preliminary
leaves are from another press. [I. S.]
XV.
ISAAC VOSSIUS
ISAAC VOSSIUS was born at Leyden in Holland, one of the sons of the
renowned scholar Gerard John Vossius by his second wife Elizabeth,
daughter of Francis du Jon (Junius) (1545‒1602), French theologian
and philologist. All the sons were precocious scholars, but Isaac was
undoubtedly the most eminent.... He was invited by Queen Christina of
Sweden, one of the most erudite women of her time, to come and shed the
lustre of his learning upon Stockholm. He arrived towards the end of
1649, was appointed a Court Chamberlain, and taught the Queen Greek.
In 1650 he sold her his father’s library for twenty thousand florins,
with the stipulation that he received five thousand florins yearly with
board and residence for its superintendence. In 1652 owing to certain
differences he left Sweden. In 1655 Manasseh Ben Israel dedicated to
him:――
אבן יקרה | Piedra Gloriosa | O | De La | Estatua | De | Nebuchadnesar. |
_Con muchas y diversas authoridades | de la S.S. y antiguos sabios._ |
Compuesto por el Hacham | Menasseh Ben Israel. | Amsterdam An. 5415. |
(_12mo._ 6 _ll._ + 259 _pp._ + 3 _ll._ + 4 etchings at _pp._ 5, 87,
160, 180.) [I. S.]
“_All muy noble y doctissimo Señor_ Isaco Vossio, Gentil hombre de la
camara de su Magestad, La Reyna de Svedia.
_Muy noble y doctissimo Señor, ... Intimo amigo y afficionado servidor
de V. M._,
Menasseh ben Ysrael.
_Amsterdam 25. de Abril, An. 5415._”
In a list of Manasseh’s works at the end of the volume, it is
catalogued “Piedra preciosa; o de la Estatua de Nebuchadnesar, donde
se sexpone lo mas essencial del libro de Daniel.” It was for this small
volume that Rembrandt designed and etched four illustrations.¹
¹ Rembrandt’s etchings for the Piedra Gloriosa, by [Dr.]
I[srael] A[brahams] [M.A.], with facsimiles, Jewish
Chronicle, 13 July, 1906, _pp._ 39‒40: The second series of
illustrations for the Piedra Gloriosa of Manasseh Ben Israel,
by Israel Solomons, _ibid._, July 27, _p._ 31.
Vossius was created D.C.L. at Oxford in 1670, and installed to a
prebend in the royal chapel at Windsor in 1673, which was presented
to him by Charles II. (1630‒1685), and died at Windsor 21 Feb., 1688.
He had accumulated the finest private library in the world, including
762 manuscripts. It was sold at Leyden in 1710 for thirty-six thousand
florins. A large number of original letters of Vossius are preserved at
the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
XVI.
“DOOMES-DAY”
Doomes-Day: | Or, | The great Day of the Lord’s Iudgement, | proved by
Scripture; and two other Prophecies, | the one pointing at the yeare
1640. the other at this | present yeare 1647. to be even now neer at
hand.
With | The gathering together of the Jews in great Bodies | under
_Josias Catzius_ (in _Illyria_, _Bithinia_, and _Cappadocia_) | for the
conquering of the Holy Land. | ...
London, | Printed for W. Ley. 1647
(_4to._ 1 _l._ + 6 _pp._) [I. S.]
(_p._ 2) “... even those people the Jewes, according to certaine and
credible information, are at this time [* Under _Josias Catzius_,
and according to Letters from beyond the Seas, they are numerous, and
shew themselves in great bodies in Illyria, Bethinia and Cappadocia.]
assembling themselves together into one body from out of all countreys,
whereinto they have been driven with a resolution to regaine the holy
land once more out of the hand of the _Ottaman_:”¹
¹ _Notes and Queries_, 10. S. IV., _pp._ 10 & 77, JOSIAS CATZIUS.
XVII.
“RESTAURATION OF _ALL_ ISRAEL _AND_ JUDAH”
_A Paper, shewing that the great Conversion and Restauration of all_
Israel _and_ Judah _will be fulfilled at Christs second comming;
and that the_ New Jerusalem, _called_ Jehovah Shamma, _described by_
Ezekiel, chap. 40. _to the end of the Book, is most probably then to
be set up, and is referred to the same time_, &c., May 1. 1674.
(_4to._ 8 _ll._) [I. S.]
XVIII.
“APOLOGY FOR THE HONORABLE NATION OF THE JEWS――APOLOGIA POR LA
NOBLE NACION DE LOS IVDIOS――VERANTWOORDINGE VOOR DE EDELE VOLCKEN
DER JOODEN,” BY EDWARD NICHOLAS
An | Apology | For The | Honorable Nation | Of The | Jews, | And all
the Sons of | Israel.
Written by _Edward Nicholas_, Gent. | ...
_London_, Printed by _John Field_, 1648. |
(_4to._ 15 _pp._)¹ [I. S.]
¹ This tract is alluded to in the concluding paragraph of
Manasseh Ben Israel’s “Humble Addresses,” but the author
has not yet been identified. He was at one time thought to
be Sir Edward Nicholas (1593‒1669), Secretary of State to
Charles I. and II., and it has even been stated that “Edward
Nicholas” was a pseudonym of Manasseh himself. (See _Jewish
Chronicle_, 9 Feb., 1906. “Edward Nicholas,” by Israel
Solomons.)
A Spanish translation was also published here:――
Apologia | _Por_ | La noble nacion de los | Ivdios | _y hijos de_ |
Israel. |
Escrita en Ingles | _Por_ | Eduardo Nicholas. |
E impresa en casa de Juan Field, en | Londres, |
Año ϲlͻ ϲlϲ XLIX. |
(_sm._ 8º. 8 _ll._) [I. S.]
Some years later a Dutch version was issued (Published together with
“De Hoop Van Israël” of Manasseh Ben Israel).
Verantwoordinge, | Voor | _De Edele Volcken der_ | Jooden, |
_En Kinderen van_ | Israel. |
In het Engels beschreven | Door | Eduardo Nicolas. |
_In’t Nederduyts overgeschreven | en gedruckt._ |
t’Amsterdam, | Voor Jozua Rex, Bœck-binder, | op de Cingel, recht over
de Appelen-marreckt | in’t Jaer 1666. |
(_12mo._ 1 _l._ + 26 _pp._ + 1 _l._) [I. S.]
XIX.
“A WORD FOR THE ARMIE,” BY HUGH PETERS
“A word for the | Armie. | And two words to the | Kingdome. | To |
Cleare the One, | And cure the Other. |
Forced in much plainesse and bre-|vity from their faithfull Servant, |
Hugh Peters. | ....
London, | Printed by _M. Simmons_ for _Giles Calvert_ at the black |
_Spread-Eagle_ at the West end of _Pauls_, 1647. |
(_4to._ 14 _pp._) [I. S.]
_sig._ B2. “IO{LY}. That Merchants may have all the manner of
encouragement, the law of Merchants set up, and strangers, even
_Jewes_ admitted to trade, and live with us, that it may not be
said we pray for their conversion, with whom we will not converse,
wee being all but strangers on the Earth.”
XX.
ISAAC DA FONSECA ABOAB
HE was the son of David Aboab and Isabel _da_ Fonseca. To distinguish
him from his contemporary Isaac _de_ Matatiah Aboab, he is generally
alluded to as “Fonseca Aboab.” He was born at Castrodagre, Portugal,
and brought to Amsterdam as a child, where he became a pupil of _Haham_
Isaac (_ob._ 1622) _de_ Abraham Uziel. In 1623 he was the _Haham_
of the _Nevé Shalom_, the second synagogue established in Amsterdam.
In 1642 he emigrated to Pernambuco (Recife) in Brazil, where he was
_Haham_ until he returned to Amsterdam in 1654. (In 1640 Manasseh
himself had intended going out to Brazil to join his brother Ephraim
Soeiro¹ in business.) During Aboab’s _Rabbinate_ there was war between
the Dutch and Portuguese for possession of the colony, which he
describes in _Hebrew_ verse, still in manuscript. He was the first
_Rabbi_ and the first _Hebrew_ Author in the New World. It has been
alleged, that in his declining years he was a secret votary of Sabbatai
Zebi. He was a great-grandson of the last _Gaon_ of Castile, the
Isaac Aboab (1433‒1493) who wrote a super-commentary to Nachmanides’
commentary on the Pentateuch, printed in Constantinople in 1525.
_Rabbi_ Abraham _de_ Samuel Zacuto, the author of the _Juchasin_, was
one of his pupils, and on his death delivered the funeral oration.
¹ Ephraim had evidently discarded his surname of “Ben-Israel”
for “Soeiro,” that of his maternal grandfather, who probably
left no male issue. In such cases, it was customary among
_Sephardi_ Jews for the second son of the eldest daughter
to use his mother’s maiden surname exclusively, or add it to
his own patronymic.
XXI.
DR. ABRAHAM ZACUTUS LUSITANUS
HE was one of the most eminent physicians of his time and the author
of many valuable works in connection with his profession. He was a
native of Lisbon and of _marrano_ origin. In the year 1625, when Philip
(1605‒1665) IV. of Spain (1621‒1665) and Portugal (1621‒1640) banished
the Jews from the latter kingdom, Zacutus escaped to Amsterdam from
the clutches of the Holy Office. Here he was initiated into the
_Abrahamic_ covenant and lived as an exemplary Jew. He was one of the
“Aprovaciones” of the first volume of the Conciliador “Sapientissimo
Viro, Domino Menasseh Ben Israel, sacrorum librorum eruditissimo
interpreti, Salvtem.... Amstelodami dié ultim. Mensis August. Anno.
1632.
Te summé colit, & observat,
Doctor Zacutus Lusitanus.”
Among his clientele he numbered the Elector Palatine Frederick V.
(1596‒1632), King of Bohemia (1619‒1620), and his consort Elizabeth
Stuart (1596‒1662), eldest daughter of James (1566‒1625) I., King
of England (1603‒1625). They were the parents of Sophia (1630‒1714),
Electress of Hanover, the mother of George (1660‒1727) I. (1714‒1727).
His great-grandfather was Abraham [Diogo Rodriguez] (1450?‒_post_ 1510)
_de_ Samuel _de_ Abraham Zacut, the astronomer, mathematician and
historian.
In 1473, while a professor in the University of his native town,
Salamanca, he wrote his world-famous: ביאור לוחות׃ [B. M.] (Astronomical
Tables), and here he became acquainted with Christopher Columbus
(1446?‒1506).
His pupil Joseph Vecinho (Vizino) [Diego Mendes], physician to João II.,
the Great (1455‒1495), King of Portugal (1481‒1495), translated the
work into Latin. It was printed by a Jew, Samuel D’Ortas, at Leiria in
1496, and entitled “Almanach Perpetuum.” Dr. Vecinho presented a copy
to Columbus, which he always carried with him and consulted on his
voyages, deriving invaluable help from it.
It was this very book that he used to predict the eclipse of the moon,
which so terrified the Indians in Jamaica that they became obedient to
him, and furnished his party food. After his death it was found in his
library. On the margins are calculations in his penmanship, which were
doubtless made to verify those of Zacuth.¹
¹ _The Authentic Letters of Columbus._ By William Eleroy
Curtis, ... Chicago, ... 1895, _pp._ 115‒116.
On the exile from Spain, 2 August, 1492, the author went to Lisbon,
where he was appointed astronomer and historiographer to João II.
He was of material assistance to the great navigator Vasco da Gama
(1460?‒1524), in preparation of his voyage to India. The ships were
provided with Zacuto’s newly perfected iron astrolabes, which hitherto
had been of wood. He was highly esteemed by da Gama, who took leave of
him on the 8 July, 1497, in the presence of his entire crew.
Portugal also expelled the Jews, so he fled with his son Samuel
to Tunis, and here in 1504 he wrote his famous ספר יוחסין which is a
chronological history of the Jews from the Creation up to 1500.
It was first printed in Constantinople in 1566 [B. M.], and an issue
edited by Herschell Filipowski (1817‒ 1872) was published in London in
1857, some copies of which were printed on vellum [B. M.]. Tunis being
invaded by Spain he emigrated to Turkey, where he died some time after
1510.
XXII.
JACOB JUDAH ARYEH D̅E LEON
_Haham_ Jacob Judah Aryeh _de_ Leon [Templo] of _marrano_ origin,
was born in Hamburgh in 1603. Here for some years he was teacher
in _Hebrew_ and _Rabbinics_ to the _Kahal Kadosh de Talmud Torah_.
Subsequently he was appointed _Haham_ of Middelburgh in Holland, where
in 1642 he published tracts in Spanish¹ and Dutch,² describing a model
he had constructed of Solomon’s Temple. Shortly after he settled in
Amsterdam and resumed his tutorial profession, and it was here that
a French version³ of the tract was published, and seven years later a
_Hebrew_ edition appeared,⁴ translated by the Author from his original
Spanish. Versions in German,⁵ Latin,⁶ and _Ladino_⁷ have also been
issued at various times. In anticipation of his visit to London to
exhibit his model before Charles II. (1630‒1685) and his Court, he
prepared an essay in English, which was printed and published in
Amsterdam,⁸ describing the model of Solomon’s Temple, and also that
of the Tabernacle of Moses, of which he had also constructed a model.
It was again on view here in the years 1759 and 1760.⁹ In 1778 it
was in the possession of a Mr. M. P. Decastro, who claimed to be a
near relation of _Haham de_ Leon. He exhibited the model here, and
translated and published the essay describing it,¹⁰ which he tells us
was “First printed in _Hebrew_ and Spanish.”¹¹
¹ Retrato Del Templo De Selomo.... _Compuesto, por_ Iaacob
Ievda Leon Hebreo, _vezino de Middelburgo, en la Provincia
de Zelanda_.
En el Año de 5402 ala creacion del Mundo.
En Middelbvrgo, En Casa de la Biuda y Heredeos de Symon
Moulert Imprimidor de los Estados de Zelanda. M.DC.XLII.
(_4to._ 4 _ll._ + 48 _pp._ [Bodleian.])
² Afbeeldinghe Vanden Tempel Salomonis, ... Door Iaacob Iehvda
Leon Ebreo.
Tot Middelburgh, By de Weduwe ende Erfsgenamen van Symon
Moulert, Ordinaris Drucker vande Ed: Mog: Heeren Staten van
Zeelandt. Anno 1642.
(_4to._ 4 _ll._ + 49 _pp._ + folded etching “El Templo de
Selomoh,” _etc._ _etc._ [B. M.])
Reissued at Amsterdam in 1644. [I. S.]
A fourth edition published at Amsterdam in 1669 [Bodleian].
³ Portraict dv Temple de Salomon, ... Composé par Iacob Iuda
Leon Hebreu, habitant de Middelbourg en la Province de
Zelande.
L’an de la creation du Monde 5403.
A Amsterdam, Imprimé chez Jean Frederick Stam, à l’Esperance,
ͻlͻ. lͻ. c. xliii. (_4to._ 6 _ll._ + 88 _pp._ [I. S.])
⁴ ספר תבנית היכל ... חברו בלשון לעז וגם העתיקו ללשון הקדש החכם ... כמהרר יעקב יהודה
ארי ... נדפס פה אמשטרדם שנת ה׳ בהיכל קֹדֹשׂוֹ ה׳ בשמים כסאו לפ״ק ...
(4ᵗᵒ 2 + לח _ll._ [i.s])
Two hundred and ten years later, it was reissued at
Warsaw with an “approbation” of Samuel Mohilewer, the
great Zionist, who at the time was Chief _Rabbi_ of
Suwalk.
⁵ Traktat des Jak. Jeh. Leonis von dem Tempel Salomonis. Aus
dem Holländischen ausgefertigt: Hannover, 1665, 8º.
(Bibliotheca Judaica.... Julius Fürst ... Leipzig ... 1849,
_p._ 232.)
⁶ Jacobi Jehvdæ Leonis De Templo Hierosolymitano, ... ex Ebræo
Latinè recensiti à Johanne Savberto ... Helmæstadt Impressit
Jacobvs Mvllervs ϲlͻ. lͻ ϲ. lxv.
(_4to._ Eng. Frontis. [Augustus ... Dux Brunovicensis et
Lunæburgensis ... Conr. Buno _fec._] + Eng. Title-page +
A‒D in _fours_ [c⁴: Jacobi Yehudæ Leonis Hebræi. Conr. Buno
_fec._] + ): (in _fours_ + 211 _pp._ [incorrectly numbered
203 _pp._] + at _p._ 35 _folio_ folded sheet with Latin
text + _folio_ folded sheet of Temple plans + engraving of
model of Solomon’s Temple, Palace and Fort Antonio, with
explanatory details in Dutch + at _p._ 94, engraving of the
“Priestly garments” + at _p._ 168, engraving of Holy Vessels,
Candelabrum, _etc._ + at _p._ 179, engraving of “Ark of
Testimony.” [I. S.])
It was reissued at Altdorph in 1674. [I. S.]
⁷ ליב׳רו די לה פ׳ורמה די איל פאלאסייו-לייאמאדו לשון הקדש תבנית היכל ... הרב יעקב יאודה
אריה זצוק״ל תח״מ אדונינו המלך שולטן עבדול עז״ז סאן יר״ה שאלוניקו אין ד״ 5636 איסתאמפאריאה
די קופת עץ החיים יב״ץ׃
(8º. 120 _pp._ [B. M.])
⁸ A Relation | Of the most memorable thinges | In The
Tabernacle | of Moses, | And The | Temple _of_ Salomon, |
_According to Text of Scripture._ |
By Jacob Jehudah Leon, Hebr. |
_Author of the Model of Salomon’s Temple._ |
At Amsterdam, | Printed by Peter Messchaert, in the
Stoof-steech, 1675. |
(_4to._ 4 _ll._ + 27 _pp._) [I. S.]
⁹ Ahiman Rezon, Or a help to all that are or would be Free
and Accepted Masons, ... the Second Edition. By Lau Dermott.
Secretary.... London, 1764. (8º. Eng. Frontis. + xxxvi. +
224 _pp._ [Quatuor Coronati Lodge library]) _p._ xxxiv.
¹⁰ An Accurate Description Of the Grand and Glorious Temple of
Solomon. In which are briefly Explain’d,
I. The Form of that Fabric.
II. The Vessels and Instruments belonging thereto.
III. The King’s Palace.
IV. Fort Antonio, built for the Defence of the Temple.
First printed in Hebrew and Spanish at Middleburgh, By that
celebrated Architect, Jacob Juda Lyon, In The Year MDCXLII.
Translated by M. P. Decastro, (Proprietor of the said Model,
and a near Relation to the Author.)
London: Printed for the above Proprietor, by W. Bailey,
_Wellclose-Square_. M.DCC.LXXVIII.
(8º. Eng. Frontis. [Jacobi Yehudæ Leonis Hebræi ... Salom
Italia _Sculpsit_] + 2 _ll._ + iii. _pp._ + 1 _l._ [etchings
of “Temple,” “Cherubim”] + 48 _pp._) [I. S.]
See “Jacob Jehudah Leon (Templo), by Israel Solomons,”
_Jewish Chronicle_, 30 Oct., 1903.
¹¹ The tract was first printed in Spanish and Dutch in 1642,
and not until 1650 did it appear in _Hebrew_.
Leon Templo,¹ as our _Haham_ is at times referred to, is supposed to
have invented “The Arms of yᵉ most Ancient & Honorable Fraternity, of
Free and Accepted Masons.” The original drawing was seen by Laurence
Dermott (1720‒1791) when he saw the model of the Temple in 1759‒1760.²
He also wrote on the “_Cherubim_” and on the “Ark of the Testimony.”
In 1671 he issued the Psalms in _Hebrew_, with a Spanish paraphrase
and notes. This was his last published work, in the preface of which
he tells us that although he was then sixty-seven years of age, he
completed the work in seven months, at times that he could spare from
his tutorial duties. Four works in manuscript are still unpublished.
After his death, among his sketches were found over two hundred designs
to illustrate and elucidate Biblical and Rabbinical passages. These
his son _Haham_ Solomon Raphael (_ob._ 1733 _circa_) _de_ Leon Templo
presented to Willem Surenhuis, who had them engraved for his edition of
the _Mishna_.³
¹ Templo was assumed as a surname by his descendants.
² Ahiman Rezon, _ibid._
³ Mischna sive Totius Hebræorum Juris, Rituum, Antiquitatum,
ac Legum Oralium Systema, ... Guilielmus Surenhusius....
Amstelædami, ... [1698‒1703] (vi. vols. _fol._)
Biographers do not seem to know when and where he died. David Franco
Mendes (1713‒1792) tells us that after his London visit he returned
to Amsterdam, and although he gives a transcription of his epitaph,
consisting of eight lines of _Hebrew_ laudatory verse, no date is
mentioned.¹ Dr. M. Kayserling suggests that he died after 1675, that is
after his London visit.² There is, however, good authority to surmise
that he died in London during his visit.
(_Franco_) חפשיby ¹תולדות החכם מחו׳ יעקב יהודה ליאון זצ״ל
.רצז-שא _pp_. המאסף חדש סיון תקמה
² _Jewish Encyclopedia_, 1904, vol. viii. _p._ 1.
XXIII.
THESOURO DOS DINIM
THESOVRO Dos Dinim.... Composto por. Menasseh Ben Israel. Estampado em
casa de Eliahu Aboab. An. 5405.
(8º. 16 _ll._ (_one blank_) + 625 _pp._ [in four sections])
*2 _Muy Nobres, Magnificos, e Prudentes Senhores, Parnassim deste Kaal
Kados de Talmud Torah_.... o Sʳ David Abarbanel Dormido, Parnas da
Sedaká, e Talmud Tora.... Menasseh ben Israel.
_Amsterdam_ 15 _de_ Hiyar, An. 5405. [B. M.]
* * * * *
THESOVRO Dos Dinim ultima parte ... ECONOMICA ... _Por_ Menasseh Ben
Israel.
Amsterdā, na officina de _Ioseph ben Israel seu filho_.¹ 5407.
8º 8 _ll._ (_one blank_) + 210 _pp._ + 4 _ll._
A2.... Dedicatoria. _Aos muy nobres, Magnificos e Prudētes Senhores,
os Senhores Abrahā e Ishak Israel Pereyra...._
A3. Este sen intimo, e affeiçoado amigo,
_o Hahā, Menasseh ben Israel_
_Amsterdam 12 de Tamuz, An. 5407._ [B. M.]
¹ The author, in his _Nishmath Chayyim_, 1651, _folio_ 103,
bewails the premature death of his son Joseph, the printer
of this book. He was, he tells us, a keen _Talmudist_,
and had a perfect knowledge of four languages. He had
sent him on a voyage for the first time, and on returning
to Amsterdam from Dantzig was shipwrecked. On his second
journey the following year to Poland, on nearing Lublin, he
died, being at the time about twenty years of age.
* * * * *
The two parts of _Thesouro dos Dinim_ were subsequently reissued in one
volume:――
Amsterdam Anno 5470 (8º. 4 + 201 + 2 _ll._)¹ [I. S.]
¹ This second issue is rarer than the first: 5470 is a misprint
for 5407.
XXIV.
“RETTUNG DER JUDEN,” BY MANASSEH BEN-ISRAEL
Manasseh Ben Israel Rettung der Juden Aus dem Englischen übersetzt.
Nebst einer Vorrede von Moses Mendelssohn.
Als ein Anhang zu des Hrn. Kriegsraths Dohm Abhandlung: Ueber die
bürgerliche Verbesserung der Juden....
Berlin und Stettin bey Friedrich Nicolai. 1782.
(8º. lii. + 64 _pp._) [I. S.]
XXV.
NEWES FROM ROME.
Illustration: _Newes from Rome._
Printed by I. R. for Henry Gosson, and are to be sold in Pater
_From a rare tract lent by Mr. Israel Solomons._
Of two mightie Armies, aswell footemen as horsmen: The first of
the great Sophy, the other of an Hebrew people, till this time not
discouered, comming from the Mountaines of Caspij, who pretend their
warre is to recouer the Land of Promise, & expell the Turks out of
Christendome. With their multitude of Souldiers, & new invention of
weapons.
Also certaine prophecies of a Iew seruing to that Armie, _Caleb
Shilocke_, prognosticating many strange accidents, which shall happen
the following yeere, 1607.
Translated out of Italian into English, by W. W.
Illustration: (‡ decoration)
❧ TO THE RENOWNED
Lord, _Don Mathias de Rensie_, of Venice.
AFTER the particuler thinges alleaged in my former writings vnto your
Lordshippe, I thought it good and conuenient by this my Letter, to
aduertise your Lordship, of certaine great, horrible, and fearefull
things that hapned in this quarter.
Purposing to certifie your Lordship of the pompe and great triumph
at the presenting of the Captaines of the Sea, vnto the great Turke:
the miserie and vnhappines of the poore prisoners: the discorde &
contention that came by the sonne of the Vice Roy of Naples, being
prisoner: the threatnings made to the Christians: the receiuing of the
Ambassadors of the Soffy: the pompes, tryumphes, and entertainments
made vnto them, and yet dissembled enough, with mocking one the other
at their departing: the presents giuen: the going of the great Turke a
hunting and all other thinges written at large, as your Lordship shall
vnderstand.
But now your Lordship shall vnderstand at thys time, the greatest, the
most wonderfull, and most strange thing that euer was heard of. The
which partly hath so troubled the great Turke, and all the rest, that
they haue left of all other affayres, to prouide for the perrill and
danger that at this time hangeth ouer theyr heads.
Your Lordships to vse,
Signior Valesco.
_Newes from Rome_
⁂
The newes are come that the king of _Hungarie_ maketh a great Army,
which shall haue for his ayde the gallies of _Buda_, and of many
other Princes of Christendome. And they say moreouer, that the king
of _Bohemia_ will helpe therein, and that the most part of Christian
Princes will come and ayde him in this enterprise against the Turke,
except the Signorie of _Venice_, which medleth nothing at all in it.
These reporters of newes affirme, that there shal come aboue a hundred
gallies, besides other Barks, ships, & Hulkes without number, which
is occasion that they hasten the warre the more. Notwithstanding,
men esteeme not so much hereof, as of the war that is made beyond the
Mountaines, as you shall understand not without wondering at it. The
_Tartars_ make friendes upon the greater Sea, & haue made a league &
friendship with the great Turke, requiring ayde, for they are molested
with war by the great Emperour of _Muscouia_, & prince of _Sagodie_,
of _Pogore_, of _Smelengie_, of _Drossy_, of _Gazam_, of _Virgolosam_,
of _Tartarie_, of _Cham_, and of diuers other people and regions lying
toward the South: they say that this Emperor or Duke hath two Armies,
and is called _Iohn Dwatillo_, a young man, of the age of xxiiii.
yeeres, noble and valiant, and a Christian, after the institution of
the Greekes, and presumeth that by reason of his blood, the Empire of
_Constantinople_ doth belong to him, And these two Armies are about two
hundred thousand horse.
They were not wont in time past to be so strong, nor so feared of
the Turks, for they had not the use of artillarie in the warre: but
nowe they haue meruailous great preparation in theyr warre. Hee hath
in wages certaine Dutch Captaines, and about tenne thousand Maister
gunners, and is meruailously well furnished with harquebushes, and
artillery, and because men understand that hee hath so vanquisht the
Tartarians, and brought thē to such a state, that they cannot much more
resist him, and that if the saide Muscouite should be maisters ouer the
Tartars, they should consequently be Rulers of the great sea, & the way
should bee open and easie for them to come, not onely to Constantinople,
but also to driue the Turke out of Europe: and because that the saide
great Turke is assured of this enterprise and commotion of the Greekes:
he hath cōcluded and determined, to send to the said Tartars a good
assistance of fifteene thousand fighting men, and also for this purpose,
hee hath sent to the sea ten Gallies to passe them ouer.
Men make mention and doubt of _Mondaccio_ which is a great Prince
and Ruler, and able to make foure score, or a hundred thousand horse:
and yet men are uncertaine whose part he will take, because hee is
tributarie unto the great Turke.
There is newes also from _Affrica_, that the king of _Bugien_, the king
_Tramece_, the king of _Tunis_, the children of _Serif_. The Lord of
_Murocho_, and of _Gran_, with the _Arabians_ and other, haue taken
in hand to driue and expulse the turke wholy out of _Affrica_, & to
endomage him as much as they may. Men know not yet in what place they
will war, but we shall know it shortly. The newes also is, that the
_Soffie_ is in Campe with a great Armie, and hath the _Medes_ to helpe
him, which border upon the Caspian Sea, and of one side neighbour to
the _Hircans_, called at this day _Correxans_ and _Zecatans_, with
whom he hath made a league and peace. There are on his side also the
_Ibeians_ and _Albians_, and also the people of _Melibar_, which harbor
upō the _Indians_, and likewise with the king of _Bosphorus_, all
beeing people meruailous swift and nimble. In this so mightie an host
and armie, is also _Bascet_ the sonne of the great Turke, by meanes
whereof, all in those parts is in great trouble, as well as heere.
It seemeth that the _Ienissaries_ bring him the lot of _Turkie_, as
_Baduget_, _Zermonia_, _Alepo_, and all the Regions lying neere to the
_Soffi_ is reuolted, all the which particularities shall be understoode
more at large.
This newes is great, and hath made the great turke to muse enough upon
it, but aboue all these meruelous and dreadfull newes which are hapned,
there is yet chaunced another, which hath greatly feared & abashed
all men, which although it seemeth to be incredible, yet upon my
credit it is most true, and that is, that a people heretofore unknowne,
mighty, swift, and meruelous nimble, hath taken weapon in hand, to
the disaduantage and losse of the house of _Ottoman_. They say that
_Alexander_ the great did in time past driue beyond the mountaine
_Caspe_ nine tribes and a halfe of the _Hebrewes_ which worshipped the
Calfe & Serpent of gold, and draue them away, that neuer since there
was no newes of them, neither knewe any man if they were in the worlde
or not: because the Sea of sand, or the sandie sea, by a certaine
inconuenience of sand Grauel or Beche, swelled & rose so high, that it
utterly tooke from them the way into this our Region. But now by the
meane of the newe Nauigation that yᵉ Hollanders haue made, they are
arriued in their country, and haue espied out all their dooings: and
after yᵗ the said Hollanders had instructed and taught them in the
science and knowledge of artillery, and gun=pouder for Harquebushes and
dags, whereunto they are meruelous apt and ready, they are become in
all thinges perfit. After this they egged them forward to take weapon
in hand, and passe the saide mountaine by Land. And because the sandy
sea did hinder their passage, it appeareth yᵗ some Duchman or Italian,
which yet men knowe not, but notwithstanding some great Astrologian or
Cosmographer taught them the way, making some hill plaine with fire,
whereby they might easilie passe, which is a thing of great wonder.
These people haue two mighty great armies, and infinite store of
victualls, by reason of the fruitfulnesse of theyr country, they are
also well prouided of all manner of preparation for war, & cunning in
the practise of theyr weapons. They say they will come & recouer the
land of Promise, towards the which the first army is already very neere,
to the great terror and dread of euery man which hath either seene or
heard of them. The spyes which haue been sent out by the great turke to
discry them, doe affirme, that beside a hundred and two armies, there
followe an infinite number of people, as well footmen as horsemen,
and theyr first armie is already arriued upon the limmits of Turkie,
putting all to fire and sword. Theyr language is bastard Hebrew:
& because men speake much of it heere, I will not forget to speake
also something thereof woorthy to be noted, and well understoode: The
Hebrewes of Constantinople say, that they haue certaine prophesies,
among the which one maketh mention, that from the foure parts of the
world, shall rise a people, and come into Gog and Magog, and then shall
appeare (as they perswade themselues) their _Messias_ in might and
power, and then they shall haue dominion and rule in the world, whereof
they secretly reioyce, & are wonderous glad. They say moreouer, that
there is a prophecie grauen in a piller set at _Podromo_ which saith
thus: A mightie Prince shall rise, whose beginning shall be of small
reputation, who by his Issue shal war of such force and strength (with
the helpe of God) that he shall bring to nothing, the empire and rule
of _Ottoman_, and shal be the right possessour and inheritor of the
Empire of _Constantinople_, & they beleeue all that it shall be this
Emperor and duke of _Muscouia_, which is alreadie in great estimation
among the Greeks.
The Turks haue a prophecie, which they sing often, and weepe bitterlie
the while, for it betokeneth and denounceth unto them, their utter
ruine and destruction. And although it seeme strange, to say that the
Turkes haue prophecies, it is no meruaile: for _Balam_ was a false
Prophet: the _Sybilles_ also prophecied and were Pagans. For all these
causes the great Turke hath forbidden wine & will that all men goe
fiue times in a day to the _Moschea_, and pray to God for theyr health
and saftie. And so hee prepareth three great armies, one against the
_Muscouites_ another against the _Soffie_, and the third for to goe
against the _Hebrewes_ of the Mountaines of _Caspij_. Within these
fewe dayes you shall haue other newes, wherefore thus making an end, I
commend me unto your good Lordship: from _Rome_, the first day of June,
1606. Your faithfull and trustie seruant, _Signior Valesco_.
_The description of the first Armie, conducted_
by _Zoroam_ a Iew, Captaine generall of the Armies.
First of all a Jew, of verie great stature, of a fleshlie colour,
more red then otherwise, with broad eyes, called _Zoroam_, is Captaine
generall of all the Armies, hee leadeth under his Ensigne twelue
thousand horse, and twenty thousand footmen. The horsemen are armed
after a light sort, but very good Harnes, almost after our fashion:
they carrie Launces of long Reedes, very hard and light, yet so sharpe
pointed, that they passe thorowe a thing with incredible lightnesse:
they carrie also shields or targets of bone, and in steede of swords,
they use certaine Courtilaxes.
They are apparrelled with the colour of their Ensigne, and all clothed
with silke: the foote-men carrie Pikes of the same sort, with Helmet
and Habergin: their Ensigne is of blacke silke and blew, with a dog
following a Hart, or Bucke, and a saying written in it, which is in our
language thus: _Either quick or dead_.
2. _Of the Armie of Don Phares._
There is one called _Phares_, which is an Earle, yong and valiant, not
regarding this present life: this man hath under his commaund fifteene
hundred horsemen armed lightly, onely on the fore-part and head-peece:
yet this Armour is so well tempered and wrought, that it keepeth out a
Launce and Harquebush shot.
This manner of arming themselues, is to the intent they may neuer turne
their backe to runne awaie: they have also fierce and light horses:
there are eighteene thousand footemen, apparrelled with a kinde of
sodden leather, made of the skinne of a certaine beast, so that no pike
nor harquebush can pearse it. These men are beastlie people, & will
neuer flie for any thing, they are very obedient and subiect unto
their Prince, and their ordinarie apparell is silke. The Ensigne that
they beare, is a falcon pecking or billing with another bird, with a
sentence that saith, _Either thine or mine shall breake_.
3. _Of the Marquesse of Galair._
There is a Marquesse of _Galair_ called _Goes_, this man leadeth
fifteen hūdred men of armes, which be all exceeding well armed & stout,
strong, and rebust men: their horses are moriskes, the greatest, the
strongest, the fairest, and the best that bee in the world: there are
also seuenteene thousand souldiers, very wel appointed with Launce
and harquebush: theyr Ensigne or armes is a redde field, with a maid
clothed in greene, holding a Lion in her hand, with these words _I hope
to subdue a greater thing_.
4. _Of the Duke of Falach._
There is a Duke of _Falach_, called _Obeth_, who hath under his conduct
xx. thousand footemen, armed with a certaine mettall like yron, but it
is light and hard, they have many good swords, launces, and other force,
harquebushes, and wiflers: their Ensigne or armes, is a mermaid in a
blacke field, and the deuise thus, _My singing shall not cease untill
the end_.
_The description of the Armie conducted by Captaine Nauison._
There is a captaine called _Nauison_, which hath under him xx. thousand
men, appointed and armed with the skin of a serpent, most hard & stiffe,
they haue Axes, pollaxes, pikes, harquebushes, and other kind of
weapons: their Ensigne or armes, is a white snaile in a blacke fielde,
with a deuise about it, _By little and little, men goe very farre_.
Of the tribe of _Simeon_ there is a Prince of _Arsay_, whose name is
not yet knowne, but they say he is a deuill, great, grosse, & thicke
beyond measure, with a flat nose, and both he and his men are of the
stature of Giants: he leadeth with him xx. thousand footemen, almost
all _Alfiers_, which are also so swift & nimble that they will take
horses running: they make a meruailous noise, such as no people use:
their Ensigne is an Lute in a blacke field, and haue for their posy,
_Such is my government_.
6. _Of the Duke of Barsalda._
There is a duke of _Barsalda_, and he is the conducter of xiii.
thousand footmen, which are all Harquebushers, & carry no fire matches,
but strike it with a stone: they are apparrelled & armed with such a
hard kind of leather, and so enchaunted, that no yron weapon in the
world is able to perse it thorow. They bee also very swift and light:
their Ensigne or armes, is a dry tree in a blew field, and their deuise
thus, _I hope to spread, and be greene againe_.
7. _Of the Armie of the Duke Passill._
There is a duke of _Passill_ called _Abia_, he hath under his conduct
a thousand footmen, very cruell, hauing all kind of weapons to push or
pricke far off, and to strike nigh, but farre different from ours, they
are very expert in artificiall fire, and make the greatest and most
dreadfull thinges withall yᵗ a man can imagin: they do it either by
arte or enchauntment, so that it seemeth that it raigneth fire upon
their enemies, and yet notwithstanding hurteth not themselves at all,
by reason they are apparalled with a certaine Serpents skin which
preserueth them. Their Ensigne is a Cat holding a Rat in her paw in a
blacke fielde, and theyr posie thus, _Euen so hapneth it to him that
is not gouerned_.
8. _Of the Army conducted by the Earle of Albary._
There is an Erle of _Albary_ called _Orut_, which hath under his
gouernaunce a thousand horse-men with Crosse-bowes, some of them weare
certaine light armour of a kind of hard mettall, with Rapyers and
daggers after theyr manner, they fight alwayes running and their horses
are so swift that it is wonderfull. This man also hath xx. thousand
horses barbed with very fine leather. Some carry pikes & Partisans,
& such like weapons. Their Ensigne or armes is a man in chaines, in
a field parted halfe with greene and purple, and this deuise withall,
_My chaines shall bind another man_.
9. _Of the Marquesse of Vorio._
There is a Marques of _Vorio_ called _Manasses_, who hath under his
conduct xvii. thousand footemen, armed with a very hard & strong
leather, which men beleeue to be enchaunted, because that no weapon nor
harquebush is able to perse it thorowe, yet it is as light as Linnen
cloth, and a thing very fayre to see to. These now haue all sorts
of weapons that an Armie may haue: and they are deuided and set in a
very faire, comely, and decent order: their Ensigne is an old man in a
chariot, in a blacke field, saying thus, _After a long iourney, I shall
be happy_.
_Caleb Shilock_ his prophesie, for the yeere, _1607_.
Be it knowne unto all men, that in the yeere _1607_, when as the Moone
is in the watrie signe, the world is like to bee in great danger: for
a learned Jew, named _Caleb Shilock_, doth write, that in the foresaid
yeere, the Sun shall be couered with the Dragon in the morning, from
fiue of the clocke untill nine, and will appeare like fire: therefore
it is not good that any man doe behold the same, for by beholding
thereof he may lose his sight.
Secondly, there shall come in the same yeere a meruailous great flood
of water, to the great terror and amasement of many people.
Thirdly, there shall arise a meruailous great wind, and for feare
thereof many people shall be consumed, or distraughted of their wits.
Fourthlie the same yeere, about the month of May, will arise another
wonderfull great flood, and so great as no man hath seene since _Noyes_
flood, which wil continue three daies and three nights, whereby many
Citties and Townes which standeth uppon sandie ground will be in great
danger.
Fiftly, Infidels and Hereticks, through great feare and dread, will
flie, and gather together, and asmuch as in them lies, make war against
Christian princes.
Sixtlie, in the same yeere after the great waters be past, about the
end of the yeere will be very great and fearefull Sicknesses: so that
many people are like to die by the infection of strange diseases.
Seauenthly, there will be throughout the Worlde great trouble and
contention about matters of Religion, and wonderfull strange newes unto
all people, as concerning the same.
Eightly, the Turke with his God Mahomet shall be in danger to lose his
Septer, through the great change and alteration in his Regiment, by
reason of famine and warres, so that the most part of his people will
rather seeke reliefe from the Christian, then from him.
Ninthlie, there will also arise great Earth=quakes, whereby diuers
goodly buildings & high houses, are like to be ouerthrowne and ruinated.
Lastlie, there will be great remoouings of the earth in diuers places,
so that for feare thereof, many people will be in a strange amazement
and terror.
These punishments are prognosticated by this learned Jew, to fall
uppon the whole world by reason of sinne, wherefore it behooueth all
Christian to amend their euill liues, and to pray earnestly unto God to
with=hold these calamities from us, and to conuart our harts wholy to
him, whereby we may find fauour in our time of neede, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
FINIS.
COLLATION
A‒B in fours; Black letter, with the exception of title-page and
introductory leaf: Lowndes, p. 2749 notes “Valesco, S. Jewes Prophecy,
&c. Halliwell, May, 1856, imprint cut into £10‒5‒0: No other copy
known.” This is now in the British Museum, the fore edge of which is
badly cropped, the name “_Shilocke_” on the title-page being cut down
to “_Shilo_.” As in this copy, the imprint is cut off after “Pater,”
but there is just visible the top edge of the next line, which may
be “noster rowe at the signe of the Sunne,” but no indication of a
date. These are the only two copies known of this remarkable tract.
To students of Shakespeare, it is of considerable interest. James
Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, _formerly_ Halliwell (1820‒1889), the great
Shakespearean scholar, in his introduction to the Merchant of Venice
(Halliwell’s Shakespeare, vol. v., p. 277: London, 1853) maintains that
the name of the predominant character of the play suggested itself to
the author, from this tract. [Notes and Queries, 10s. ix. 269. April 4,
1908.]
XXVI.
“THE WORLD’S GREAT RESTAURATION,” BY SIR HENRY FINCH
THE | Worlds | Great Restavration. | _Or_ | The Calling Of | The Ievves,
and (with them) | _of all the Nations and King_-|domes of the earth, to
the faith | of Christ. |
Published by _William Gouge_, B. of D. and | _Preacher of Gods Word in
Black-fryers. London._ |
London | Printed by Edvvard Griffin for | William Bladen, and are to be
sold at his Shop | neare the great North dore of _Pauls_, at the signe
| of the Bible. 1621. |
(_4to._ 7 _ll._ + 234 _pp._ + 1 _l._) [I. S.]
This work has a second title page:――
“The Calling of the Ievves. | A | Present | To Ivdah And | The Children
Of | Israel that ioyned with him, | and to Ioseph (the valiant tribe |
of Ephraim) _and all the_ | house of Israel that | ioyned with him. |
The Lord giue them grace, that they | may returne and seeke Iehovah |
_their God, and_ David _their_ | King, in these latter dayes. | There
is prefixed an Epistle vnto them, | written for their sake in the
Hebrue tongue,¹ | and translated into English. |
Published by _William Gouge_, B. of D. and | _Preacher of Gods word in
Blackefryers. London._ |
London | Printed by Edward Griffin for | William Bladen, and are to be
sold at his Shop | neare the great North dore of _Pauls_, at the signe
| of the Bible. 1621.” |
¹ The Hebrew epistle referred to is a translation by the author
of a section of this title page. It is printed by itself on
one of the preliminary leaves in somewhat archaic characters,
and reads as follows:――
מזרה ישראל
ᵃיקבצנו׃
* * * * *
ᴮמנחה היא
ליהודה ולבני ישראל חבריו וליוסף
אשר ביד אפרים וכל בית ישראל
וישבו ᵈ׃ ימציאם אלהים חן ᶜהבריו
ובקשו את יהוה אלהיהם ואת
דויד מלכם באחרית
ᵉהימים
ᶠעמוס חּ גּ אדני יהוה
דבר מי לא ינבא
ᵃ Jeremiah xxxi. 10.
ᵇ Genesis xxxii. 19.
ᶜ Ezekiel xxxvii. 16.
ᵈ Proverbs iii. 4.
ᵉ Hosea iii. 5.
ᶠ Amos iii. 8.
The British Museum, and the Mocatta Library, in University
College, have copies, without the first title page (The
Worlds Great Restauration) and Gouge’s preliminary leaf
“To the Reader.” Probably issued in this state after the
incarceration of Finch and Gouge.
XXVII.
“THE WORLD’S GREAT RESTAURATION” (_continued_).
Contemporary reference to the book is to be found in letters from the
Rev. Joseph Mead (Mede) (1586‒1638), the eminent biblical scholar, to
Sir Martin Stuteville.
(B. M. _Add._ 4176: 121, 123‒6.)
_Christ’s College Cambr. March 31. 1621._
_Sr._
“_... Sʳ Henry Finch was last week examined before the High
Commission about the book I wrote of, but wonderful privately.
He gave up his answer in writing, ᶜʰ⁄w was sent to the King, &
expected from him what should be his censure...._”
_Christ’s College, Apr. 7 [1621]_
_Sr_
_... I have seen Sʳ Henry Finch’s =The World’s Great
restauration, or Calling of the Jews=, & with them of all the
Nations of the Earth, to the Faith of Xᵗ. I cannot see but for
the main of the discourse I might assent unto him. God forgive
me, if it be a sin; but I have thought so many a day. But the
thing, which troubles His Majesty, is this point, which I will
write out for you =verbatim=; “The Jews & all Israel shall
return to their land & antient Seats, conquer their =foes=,
have their Soil more fruitfull than ever. They shall erect a
glorious Church in the Land of Judah it self & bear rule far
and near.” ... We need not be afraid to aver and maintain,
that one day they shall come to Jerusalem again; be Kings
& chief Monarchs of the Earth; sway & govern all, for the
glory of Xᵗ; that shall shine amongst them. And that is it
Lactantius saith Lib. 7. Cap. 15. =“The Romans name I will
speak it, because it must one day be shall be taken from the
Earth, & the Empire shall return to Asia. And again shall the
East bear dominion & the West be in subjection.”= In another
place Ashur & Egypt, all these large & vast Countries, the
whole tract of the East & South, shall be converted to Christ;
the chief Sway & sovreignty remaining with the Jews. All
nations shall honour them._
_Some say, the King says, he shall be a pure King, & he is so
auld that he cannot tell how to do his homage at Jerusalem._
_This with my best respect,_
_Yours ever,_
_JOSEPH MEAD._¹
¹ This letter has been transcribed, somewhat inaccurately
in “The Court and Times of James the First;” ... [Robert
Folkestone Williams.] ... London: ... 1848. Vol. ii., _pp._
250‒251. It is also to be found in (Notes & Queries, 2nd S.
xi. 127., Feb. 16, 1861) “Modern Apocryphal Apocalypse,” by
Moses Margoliouth, LL.D., PH.D.
Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series, James I. 1619‒1623....
Edited by Mary Anne Everett Green.... London ... 1851.
_p._ 247 April 18? (1621).
96. Petition of Sir Hen. Finch to the King. Disclaims the opinion which
His Majesty thinks is asserted in his book; is sorry for having
written so unadvisedly; begs liberty and restoration to favour.
_p._ 248 April 18, 1621 London:
Chamberlain [to Carleton.]
97. ... Serjeant Finch is committed for his book on the conversion of
the Jews.
XXVIII.
PHILIP FERDINANDUS
THE Jew referred to was Philip Ferdinandus (1555?‒1598), a native of
Poland. He was converted to Roman Catholicism, but afterwards became a
Protestant. He taught Hebrew at Oxford, and subsequently at Cambridge
(D.N.B.).
His only publication is entitled:――
_Hæc sunt verba Dei, etc._ |
Praecepta In Monte Sinai | data Iudæis sunt 613, quorum 365 negativa, &
248 af-|firmativa, collecta per Pharisæum Magistrum Abraha-|mum filium
Kattani, & impressa in Bibliis Bomber-|giensibus, anno à mundo creato
5288 Vene-|tiis, ab Authore VOX DEI appellata: |
translata in linguam Latinam per _Phi-|lippum Ferdinandum Polonum_. |
_His accesserunt nonnulla quæ sequens pa-|gina indicabit._ |
_Lex Dei integra est, Psal. 19._ |
_Aperi oculos meos, vt videam mirabilia legis tuæ._ |
_Vocem audivistis, et similtudinem non vidistis, | præter vocem._ Deut.
4. 12. |
Vox Dei semel data est per Mosem in monte Sinai. |
Sed similitudinem videre. i. arcana, singulis diebus da-|tur. _Ex
Hazoar._ |
Cum licentia omnium primariorum virorum in in-|clyta & celeberrima
Cantabrigiensi Academia.
Cantabrigiae, | Ex officina Iohannis Legat. 1597. |
(_4to._ 3 _ll._ + A‒H. in fours.) [B. M.]
XXIX.
PETITION OF THE JEWES
JOHANNA & EBENEZER CART[EN][W]RIGHT
THE | Petition | Of The | Jewes | For the Repealing of the Act of |
Parliament for their banishment | out of England. |
Presented to his Excellency and the | generall Councell of Officers on
| Fryday Jan. 5. 1648. | _With their favourable acceptance thereof._ |
Also a Petition of divers Comman-|manders, (_sic_) prisoners in the
Kings | Bench, for the releasing of all pri-|soners for Debt, according
to | the Custome of other | Countries. |
_London_, Printed for _George Roberts_, 1649. |
(_4to._ 1 _l._ + 6 _pp._) [I. S.]
_sig._ A.2. “To the Right Honourable, Thomas _Lord_ Fairfax, (His
Excellency) Englanes (_sic_) Generall, And The Honourable Councel
of Warre, Conveaned for Gods Glory, _Izraells_ Freedom, Peace,
and Safety, _The humble Petition of_ Johanna Cartenright, _Widdow,
and_ Ebenezer Cartwright _her Son, freeborn_ of England, _and now
Inhabitants of the City of_ Amsterdam.”
_sig._ A.3. “_This Petition was presented to the generall Councell
of the Officers of the Army, under the Command of his Excellency,
Thomas Lord Fairfax, at Whitehall on Ian. 5. And favourably
received with a promise to take it into speedy consideration, when
the present more publike affaires are dispatched._”¹
¹ American Elements in the Re-settlement. By Lucien Wolf.
(Transactions of the Jewish Historical Society of England,
vol. iii. 1896‒8.... London, ... 1899.... _p._ 87.)
XXX.
“THE MESSIAH ALREADY COME,” BY JOHN HARRISON
THE | Messiah | Already Come. | ...
Written in Barbarie, in the yeare 1610, and for that cause directed |
to the dispersed Iewes of that Countrie, and in them to all others now
groaning under the heauy | yoake of this their long and intollerable
captivitie, which yet one day shall have an end:...
Amsterdam, | Imprinted by Giles Thorp. Anno M.DC.XIX. |
(_4to._ 5 _ll._ + 68 _pp._) [B. M.]
_sig._ A3.――To The High And Mighty Prince Frederick King of Bohemia,
&c.... _This Treatise was published seven yeares agoe and Printed in
the Low Countries...._ Your Maᵗᶦᵉˢ most humble devoted seruant Iohn
Harrison.¹
¹ It appeared again under the following title:――
A Vindication Of The Holy Scriptures....
By that Learned, and late Eminent Divine John Harrison.
London ... 1656.
(_12mo._ 11 _ll._ + 150 _pp._ + 1 _l._) [I. S.]
XXXI.
“DISCOURSE OF MR. JOHN DURY TO MR. THOROWGOOD――JEWES IN
AMERICA,” BY THO. THOROWGOOD――“AMERICANS NO JEWS,” BY
HAMON L’ESTRANGE
AN Epistolicall Discourse Of Mr. Iohn Dury, To Mr. Thorowgood.
Concerning his conjecture that the Americans are descended from the
Israelites. With the History of a Portugall Iew, _Antonie Monterinos_,
(_sic_) attested by _Manasseh Ben Israel_, to the same effect.... _Your
faithfull friend and fellow-labourer in the Gospel of Christ._ J. Dury,
St. Iames, _this_ 27 Ian. 1649/50.
(_sig._ D‒E, in fours.)
This will be found in the preliminary leaves of:――
Ievves in America, | Or, | Probabilities | That the Americans are of |
that Race. |¹
“The Epistle to the Reader” is dated _Mar. 30. 1651._
With the removall of some | contrary reasonings, and earnest de-|sires
for effectuall endeavours to | make them Christian. | Proposed by Tho:
Thorovvgood, B. D. one of the | Assembly of Divines. | ...
_London_, Printed by W. H. for _Tho. Slater_, and are to be sold | at
his shop at the signe of the Angel in Duck lane, 1650. |
(_4to._ 22 _ll._ + 139 _pp._) [I. S.]
The Imprimatur signed _Iohn Downame_ is dated _Septem. 4. 1649._
_pp._ 129‒(139) contain “_The Relation of Master_ Antonie Monterinos,
(_sic_) _translated out of the French Copie sent by_ Manasseh Ben
Israel.... J. Dvry Received this at _London_, 27 of _Novem._ 1649.”
This was the affidavit of Montezinos, superscribed by Manasseh Ben
Israel, sent to John Dury at his particular request.
¹ A reply was made to this tract:――
Americans no Iewes, | Or | Improbabilities that the |
_Americans_ are of that race | ...
By Hamon l’Estrange, Kᵗ. |
London, | Printed by W. W. for _Henry Seile_ over against |
St. _Dunstans Church_ in _Fleetstreet_. 1652. |
(_4to._ 2 _ll._ + 80 _pp._) [I. S.]
XXXII.
“WHETHER IT BE LAWFUL TO ADMIT JEWS INTO A CHRISTIAN
COMMONWEALTH,” BY JOHN DURY
A | Case | Of | Conscience, | _Whether it be lawful to admit Jews |
into a Christian Common-wealth?_ |
Resolved By | Mʳ John Dury: | Written To | _Samuel Hartlib_, Esquire. |
London, | Printed for _Richard Wodenothe_, in Leaden-Hall street, |
next to the Golden Heart, 1656. |
(_4to._ 1 _l._ + 9 _pp._) [I. S.]
_p._ 9: “... Sir! _Your most affectionate and faithful servant_ ...
John Dury. _Cassell_, in haste, Januarie 8 1656.”¹
¹ John Dury and the English Jewry. By the Rev. S. Levy, M.A.
(Transactions of the Jewish Historical Society of England,
vol. iv. 1899‒1901.... London.... 1903.... _pp._ 76‒82.)
XXXIII.
“LIFE AND DEATH OF HENRY JESSEY”
THE | Life and Death | of | Mr. Henry Jessey, | Late Preacher of the
Gospel of | Christ in _London_; | Who, having finished his Testimony,
was | Translated the _4th_ day of _September_, 1663. | Written for the
benefit of all, especially such as | were acquainted with his godly
conversation, | and Pertakers of his unwearied Labours in | the Lord. |
With an Elegy upon the Death of Mr. | William Bridg. | ... _Anno
Domini_ 1671. |
(8º. 4 _ll._ + 108 _pp._) [B. M.]
The author is unknown, but page 97 bears the initials “E. W.”
_p._ 67: “Towards the Jews his Charity was famous beyond President and
many ways exprest,...”
_p._ 69: “3. His Charity was most eminently shewn to them in the
great Collections, which through his importunity was made for the
poor _Jews_ at _Jerusalem_, who were reduced to extream poverty
and misery; having lost, by reason of the _Swedish_ Navies Wars,
15000000 of Rix Dollers; which their brethren of _Hungary_,
_Poland_, _Lithuania_, and Prussia, were wont to send them yearly,
for the maintenance of learned _Rabbies_ and Students, and for the
relief of antient Widows and decripid men, and other necessitous
people, with which the _Holy-Land_ doth abound; who (as we said)
by cutting off their subsistance were brought (in 1657) into great
extremity, not only of Famine and nakednesse (that of 700 Widows,
400 were famished out-right) but also by the imprisonment and
scourgings of their Elders and Rabbyes, by their cruell Creditors,
being the principal men of the Land to whom the _Jews_ were
indebted 20000 Rialls of Eight, which if the Ryall be 4_s._ 8_d._
a piece, it is 4666_l._ 13_s._ 4_d._ for the liberty of dwelling
there, etc. which they extorted with great rigor and exaction,
resolving to sell them all for slaves, in case payment was not
speedily made.”
_p._ 70: “This befel the onely then _Germane Jews_ at _Jerusalem_, for
the Congregation of _Portugal Jews_ were relieved by the Alms of
their Rich Brethren in _Portugal_.”
_p._ 70: “4. The only Anchor the miserable Wretched and distressed
Persons had, was to Implore succour from their Brethren in other
parts, to which end they sent Letters to _Venice_, _Amsterdam_,
and by _Rabbie Nathan Levita_, an Elder, and Cabalist: But all
they got from them served only for payment of Interest of Debts:
so that they had still perished, if the bowels of Christians in
_Holland_, had not compassionated their State, who sent them 500.
Rix Dollars, and by Letters did earnestly press Mr. H. J. to
further a Collection in _England_.
“To which he made some demurs till he obtained full satisfaction of
the truth of the Relation, and certainty of safe conveyance of the
money that Charity might not be abused; for the first, the Messengers
from _Jerusalem_ brought Commissions signed by their Elders, which
Commissions were sent to the _Synagogues_ in _Germany_, and in the
_Netherlands_ to be examined; who assured that they knew the hands,
and that those men would not subscribe to an untruth, and that they
themselves had contributed upon the same Information.
“And as for Conveyance, two Noted Merchants of _Francford_, would
return the mony, and give Bond for so much; till they procure a Receipt
from the Elders of _Jerusalem_, as they had done for the above named
summe of 500. Rix Dollars; and had a Letter returned from _Jerusalem_
to the Charitable Christians of _Amsterdam_, both in way of Receipt
and Gratitude with Original _Hebrew_ Letter with the Messengers,
Commissioners, and other necessary Instructions being sent to Mr.
_Jessey_, removed all scruples, so that immediatly informed divers
_London_ Ministers, by whose assistance, together with his own private
Friends and Interest, the some of 300_l._ Sterling was in short time
gathered and sent, and a Bill of Receipt, with thankfulness returned:
some of it being also sent to distressed _Iews at Vilna_ and other
places in _Poland_.”
_p._ 67: “When their liberty of returning and trading in _England_ (as
they did in _Germany, Poland, Russia, Portugal, Netherlands etc._)
was moved, disputed and debated for and against; He laboured that
it might be granted, with such limitations, (as our Merchants
yielded unto, _viz_) that they should be seated in some decayed
Port Towns, and pay Custome for Goods, thence transported into
other parts of the Nation, besides what they should pay there for
exporting _English_, and importing forreign Commodities: such a
tollerating of their trade might not onely be beneficial several
ways to our selves, but be some satisfaction for the unhandsome
dealings of our Nation against that people in the days of King
_Rich._ I. King _John_ and _Edward_ the first, for the space of
100 years till their final Banishment, _An. Dom._ 1290. with those
circumstances of cruelty, that our own Histories do not seem to
approve of;...”
XXXIV.
“THE GLORY OF JEHUDAH AND ISRAEL――DE HEERLICHKEYDT ...
VAN JEHUDA EN ISRAEL,” BY HENRY JESSE.
THE Glory of Jehudah and Israel is referred to in the concluding
paragraph of “The Humble Addresses.”
Manasseh Ben Israel writes:――
“... Now, having prooved the two former Points, I could adde a third,
viz. of the Nobility of the Iewes: but because that Point is enough
known amongst all Christians, as lately yet it hath bene most worthily
and excellently shewed and described in a certain Booke, called, _The
Glory of Iehudah and Israel_, dedicated to our Nation by that worthy
Christian Minister Mr. Henry Iessey, (1653. in Dutch) where this matter
is set out at large:...”
“The Life and Death Of Mʳ Henry Jessey,” page 79: “... Mr. H. J.
seconded his Almes with divers Consolatory Letters to the dispersed
seed of _Jacob_, having before in 1650. wrote a compleat Treatise yet
extant, and called (the glory & Salvation of _Jehudah_, and _Israel_)
tending towards the reconciliation of _Jews_ and _Christians_,...”
J. C. Wolf, in his _Bibliothecæ Hebræae_, 1733, vol. iv., _p._ 901,
in his biography of Manasseh Ben Israel, incidentally refers to “De
Heerlickheid en heyl van Jehuda en Israel” written in Flemish (Belgice)
by Henr. Jesse.
It is apparently very rare, the only copy that has been traced is
mentioned in “Catalogue De La Bibliothèque de literature hebraique et
orientale et d’Auteurs hebreux De Feu Mʳ Leon V. Saraval Trieste ...
1853.”¹ [I. S.]
Nᵒ. 619 “JESSE HENRY de Heerlichkeydt en Heyl van Jehuda en Israel
(en langue flamande, traduit de l’anglais.) Amst. 1653 in 8º ...
tres-rare....”
¹ In 1853 the Saraval library was purchased for the Breslau
Jewish Theological seminary.
XXXV.
OF THE LATE PROCEEDS AT WHITE-HALL, CONCERNING THE JEWS
[HENRY JESSE]
A | Narrative | Of the late Proceeds at | White-Hall, | Concerning The
| Jews: | Who had desired by _R. Manasses_ | an agent for them, that
they might return to | England, and Worship the God of their Fa-|thers
here in their Synagogues, etc. |
Published for satisfaction to many in several parts of _Eng-|land_,
that are desirous, and inquisitive to hear the | Truth thereof. |
London: | Printed for L: Chapman, at the Crown in Popes-|head-Alley.
1656. |
(_4to._ 1 _l._ + 14 _pp._)¹ [I. S.]
¹ A translation appeared in:――
Neue Schwarmgeister=Brut Oder Historische Erzehlung....
IV. Die Wieder=Einnehmung der Juden in Engeland
V. Die Bekehrung der Indianer in New=Engeland ...
Gedrukkt im Jahr 1661. pp. 189‒223.
(8º. 24 _ll._ + 223 _pp._ + 1 _l._) [I. S.]
_p._ 11: “_Here followeth part of a Letter written at_ Ligorn, 1652.
_and sent by the Preacher in the_ Phœnix _Frigot, to a friend in
London_.
_Ligorn, aboard the_ Phœnix, 19 _of the_ 1, 1652.
_Dear Brethren_:...”
_p._ 12: A Postscript, To fill up the following Pages, that else had
been vacant: Containing,
1 _The Proposals of_ R. Manasses ben Israel, _more fully_.
2 _Part of his Letter written Anno_ 1647.
3 _The late progress of the Gospel amongst the Indians in
New-England._
A translation appeared in:――
Neue Schwarmgeister=Brut Oder Historische Erzehlung....
IV. Die Wieder=Einnehmung der Juden in Engeland
V. Die Bekehrung der Indianer in New-Engeland ...
Gedrukkt im Jahr 1661. pp. 189‒223.
(8º. 24 _ll._ + 223 _pp._ + 1 _l._) [I. S.]
XXXVI.
BISHOP THOMAS NEWTON AND THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL
“THE preservation of the Jews is really one of the most signal and
illustrious acts of divine Providence. They are dispersed among all
nations, and yet they are not confounded with any. The drops of rain
which fall, nay the great rivers which flow into the ocean, are soon
mingled and lost in that immense body of waters: and the same in all
human probability would have been the fate of the Jews, they would
have been mingled and lost in the common mass of mankind; but, on the
contrary they flow into all parts of the world, mix with all nations,
and yet keep separate from all. They still live as a distinct people,
and yet they no where live according to their own laws, no where
elect their own magistrates, no where enjoy the full exercise of their
religion.... No people have continued unmixed so long as they have done,
not only of those who have sent forth colonies into foreign countries,
but even of those who have abided in their own country. The northern
nations have come in swarms into the more southern parts of Europe; but
where are they now to be discerned and distinguished? The Gauls went
forth in great bodies to seek their fortune in foreign parts; but what
traces or footsteps of them are now remaining any where? In France
who can separate the race of the ancient Gauls from the various other
people, who from time to time have settled there? In Spain who can
distinguish exactly between the first possessors the Spaniards, and the
Goths, and the Moors, who conquered and kept possession of the country
for some ages? In England who can pretend to say with certainty which
families are derived from the ancient Britons, and which from the
Romans, or Saxons, or Danes, or Normans? The most ancient and honorable
pedigrees can be traced up only to a certain period, and beyond
that there is nothing but conjecture and uncertainty, obscurity and
ignorance: but the Jews can go up higher than any other nation, they
can even deduce their pedigree from the beginning of the world. They
may not know from what particular tribe or family they are descended,
but they know certainly that they all sprung from the stock of Abraham.
And yet the contempt with which they have been treated, and the
hardships which they have undergone in almost all countries, should
one would think, have made them desirous to forget or renounce their
original; but they profess it, they glory in it: and after so many wars,
massacres, and persecutions, they still subsist, they still are very
numerous: and what but a supernatural power could have preserved them
in such a manner as none other nation upon earth hath been preserved?
“Nor is the providence of God less remarkable in the destruction of
their enemies, than in their preservation. For from the beginning
who have been the great enemies and oppressors of the Jewish Nation,
removed them from their own land, and compelled them into captivity
and slavery? The Egyptians afflicted them much, and detained them
in bondage several years. The Assyrians carried away captive the ten
tribes of Israel, and the Babylonians afterwards the two remaining
tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The Syro-Macedonians, especially
Antiochus Epiphanes, cruelly persecuted them: and the Romans utterly
dissolved the Jewish state, and dispersed the people so as they have
never been able to recover their city and country again. And where are
now these great and famous monarchies, which in their turns subdued
and oppressed the people of God? Are they not vanished as a dream,
and not only their power, but their very names, lost in the earth? The
Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians, were overthrown, and entirely
subjugated by the Persians; and the Persians (it is remarkable) were
the restorers of the Jews, as well as the destroyers of their enemies.
The Syro-Macedonians were swallowed up by the Romans: and the Roman
empire, great and powerful as it was, was broken in pieces by the
incursions of the northern nations; while the Jews are subsisting as
a distinct people to this day.”¹
¹ Dissertations on the Prophecies ... By Thomas Newton, D.D.,
... vol. i., London ... MDCCLIV. _pp._ 216‒219.
XXXVII.
“A CALL TO THE CHRISTIANS AND THE HEBREWS”
“YOU are at length to be restored to the land of your forefathers,
where, after ages of dispersion and suffering, you will find rest and
enjoyment; and will restore, surpass and enjoy, for ever, all that you
have ever known, or conceived of happiness and glory. ... Ye have sown
in tears, _ye shall reap_ in joy.” (Psalm cxxvi, 5.)
“They who deny that you will be restored and re-established in your
ancient inheritance, may better deny that you are dispersed; for as
certainly as the prophecies of your dispersion and preservation have
been verified, so shall the numerous prophecies of your _restoration_
be realized and fulfilled.”
“Will the British who preside over the Atlantic, Mediterranean and
Indian Seas assume the glorious enterprise, and conduct the Hebrews
from Tarshish and the various coasts of their dispersion?
“This island has given birth to the Bible Society, through whose
labours the glorious work has been undertaken and sustained of
circulating the sacred scriptures, among the various nations of the
earth in the respective languages.
“From this isle of ancient fame, the Hindoos and the lone isles of the
Pacific and Atlantic Seas, again receive their Vedas and sacred scrolls.
“The uplifted shell sounded from this Arctic isle, will gain the ear
of the wakeful Spirits of peace within it, and upon either Continent;
of those watchers of the world, who listen to gather and transmit to
all kindred and nations, the grateful sounds fraught with good tidings,
which ascend ever and anon, as the all-presiding God calls them forth
from some one of his train on Earth.”¹
¹ A Call to the Christians and the Hebrews. By Theaetetus....
London MDCCCXIX. 8º. 1 _l._ + 35 _pp._ [B. M.] _pp._ 16‒17,
33‒34.
XXXVIII.
THE CENTENARY OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY
THOSE who wish to read the full record of the Society’s work can do so
in the two delightful volumes of Mr. William Canton. In his _History of
the British and Foreign Bible Society_ (London, Murray, 1904) he tells,
in fine style, the story of the first half-century of the Society’s
career. When the Society began its work, that is to say at the
beginning of the nineteenth century, “all the Bibles in the world in
all languages and in every land, printed or in MSS., did not greatly
exceed 4,000,000 copies, and of the forty or fifty languages into which
the Scriptures have been translated, several, like the Anglo-Saxon of
Bede and the Mæso-Gothic of Ulfilas, were extinct tongues.” But now
how stands the matter? “Under its auspices and mainly at its charges,
scholars have been employed in translating the Scriptures into over 300
languages, including all the great vernaculars of the world. Neither
expense nor labour has been spared in making these versions as perfect
as possible; and when completed they have been printed, and thus placed
within the reach of the poorest of those for whom they were intended.
In 100 years over 180,000,000 copies of the scriptures, complete or
in part, have been issued by the Society; and at the present time more
than 6,000,000 copies per annum are being put into circulation.”
The well-known scholar, Dr. Israel Abrahams, after quoting this passage
in the _Jewish Chronicle_, March 4th, 1904, rightly remarks: “... the
Society is doing a noble work, with much of which Jews must completely
sympathise. With some of its work we do not sympathise; but this
reservation does not prevent us from offering cordial congratulations
to the Society on its centenary,...” This is our point of view with
regard to non-Jewish activities on behalf of Zionism, as well as on
behalf of the Bible.
XXXIX.
LORD KITCHENER AND THE PALESTINE EXPLORATION FUND
DR. SAMUEL DAICHES read a paper on the 7th February, 1915, to the
Jews’ College Union Society about Lord Kitchener’s work in Palestine.
Sir Edward Pears, who is a member of the Council of the Palestine
Exploration Fund, presided. Dr. Daiches pointed out that there was
an early period in Lord Kitchener’s life which provided him with work
in which he developed his great capacities――the period of his work in
Palestine――nearly forty years ago, when he was engaged for four years
(from 1874 to 1878) in exploration work in the Holy Land. He first
took up the work (at the age of twenty-four) as second-in-command under
Lieutenant Conder, and later, owing to the ill-health of Conder, took
command of the survey party of the Palestine Exploration Fund. The
lecturer made it clear that the real underlying motive which induced
Lord Kitchener to take up this work was a love for the Bible and the
land of the Bible. Kitchener left for Palestine in command of the
Survey in January, 1877. By the beginning of July the survey of Galilee
was completed, 1000 square miles having been added to the map. Four
weeks later he went with a reduced party to the south country and
surveyed 340 square miles in the desert around Beer Sheba. The survey
of the whole of Western Palestine was thus completed. Then the revision
work was done. In January, 1878, Kitchener was back in England, and
after a short leave he joined Conder at the South Kensington Museum,
and arranged and wrote the Memoirs for the sheets of the map executed
by himself. In September he formally handed over to the Committee the
whole of the Maps and Memoirs complete. As a result of the work of
Conder and Kitchener we now have the large map of Western Palestine
in twenty-six sheets, three volumes of Memoirs on the topography,
orthography, hydrography and archæology, and the volume of Arabic
and English name lists. A volume of _Special Papers_ (vol. v. of the
series) contains contributions from Conder and Kitchener. Kitchener’s
contributions concerning the ancient Synagogues in Galilee are very
valuable, and his reports show a sympathetic understanding of Jewish
traditions in Palestine.¹
¹ Lord Kitchener and his work in Palestine. By Dr. Samuel
Daiches. London ... 1915. (8º. 88 _pp._)
XL.
BONAPARTE’S CALL TO THE JEWS (1799)
Gazette Nationale ou Le Moniteur Universel.
_No. 243. Tridi, 3 prairial an 7 de la république française une et
indivisible._
[_Page_] 987. Politique. Turquie. _Constantinople, le 28 germinal._
“Bonaparte a fait publier une proclamation, dans laquelle il invite
tous les juifs de l’Asie et de l’Afrique à venir se ranger sous ses
drapeaux pour rétablir l’ancienne Jérusalem. Il en a déjà armé un grand
nombre, et leurs bataillons menacent Alep.”
_No. 279. Nonidi, 9 messidor_ etc.
[_Pages_] 1136‒1137. _De la conquête probable de-l’empire ottoman par
Bonaparte._
“... Attendons la confirmation de ces heureuses nouvelles. Si elles
sont prématurées, nous aimons à croire qu’elles se réaliseront un
jour. Ce n’est pas seulement pour rendre aux juifs leur Jérusalem que
Bonaparte a conquis la Syrie;...” (David.)
XLI.
[A ZIONIST] LETTER, ADDRESSED BY A [FRENCH] JEW
TO HIS CO-RELIGIONISTS IN 1798
“_Brothers_,
“You who have groaned for so many ages under the weight of the cruelest
persecutions, do you not wish to burst from the state of degrading
humiliation in which intolerant and barbarous religions have placed
you? Contempt accompanies us everywhere. Our sufferings are unpitied
and despised. The unshaken constancy with which we have preserved the
faith of our ancestors, far from procuring for us the admiration due to
such a conduct, has only increased the unjust hatred which all nations
bear towards us. It is only by affecting the exterior of baseness and
misery, that we are enabled to secure our property and preserve our
unhappy existence. It is at least time to shake off this insupportable
yoke――it is time to resume our rank among the other nations of the
universe. Vile robbers possess that sacred land which our ancestors
were compelled to yield to the Romans. They profane the holy City which
we defended with so much courage. Posterity has preserved a dreadful
remembrance of the struggle――we, surely, have not forgotten it. That
courage has only slumbered: the hour to awaken it is arrived. O my
brethren! let us rebuild the temple of Jerusalem!
“An invincible nation, which now fills the world with her glory, has
shewn us what the love of country can perform. Let us implore her
generosity――request her assistance; and we may be assured that the
philosophy which guides the chiefs of that nation, will induce them to
give our demand a favourable reception.
“We are more than six millions of people scattered over the face of
the earth; we possess immense riches: let us employ the means that are
in our power to restore us to our country. The moment is propitious,
and to profit by it, is our duty. The following are the means best
suited for carrying this holy enterprize into execution:――There shall
be established a Council, the members of which shall be elected by the
Jews, who are spread over Europe, Asia, and Africa.”
[Here the writer divides the Jews into the 15 following tribes, viz.
The Italian, Helvetic, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Northern, British,
Spanish, Gallic, Dutch, Prussian, German, Turkish, Asiatic, and African.
These the author proposes shall each form a body of electors in the
capitals of the respective districts; and then he proceeds.]
“The fifteen deputies of these tribes shall form the Council, which
shall hold its sittings at Paris. When they shall have assembled to
the number of nine, they may begin to deliberate on the object of their
mission. Their decisions will have with all the Jews the force of laws;
they shall be obliged to submit to them. The Council shall appoint
an agent, to communicate to the Executive Directory of France the
propositions which it may think proper to make to the French government.”
“The country we propose to occupy shall include (liable to such
arrangements as shall be agreeable to France) Lower Egypt, with the
addition of a district of country, which shall have for its limits a
line running from Ptomelais or Saint John D’Acre, to the Asphaltic
Lake, or Dead Sea, and from the South point of that Lake to the Red Sea.
This position, which is the most advantageous in the world, will render
us, by the navigation of the Red Sea, masters of the commerce of India,
Arabia and the South and East of Africa; Abyssinia, and Ethiopia, those
rich countries which furnished Solomon with so much gold and ivory and
so many precious stones, will trade the more willingly with us, that
the greater part of their inhabitants still practise the law of Moses.
The neighbourhood of Aleppo and Damascus will facilitate our commerce
with Persia; and by the Mediterranean we may communicate with Spain,
France, Italy, and the rest of Europe. Placed in the centre of the
world, our country will become the _entrepôt_ of all the rich and
precious productions of the earth.
“The Council shall offer to the French government, if it will give us
the assistance necessary to enable us to return to our country, and to
maintain ourselves in the possession of it,
“1. Every pecuniary indemnification.
2. To share the commerce of India, &c. with the merchants of France
_only_.
“The other arrangements, and the propositions to be made to the Ottoman
Porte, cannot yet be rendered public: we must, in these matters,
repose on the wisdom of the Council, and the good faith of the French
nation. Let us choose upright and enlightened deputies, and we may have
confidence in the success of this undertaking.
“O! my brethren! what sacrifices ought we not to make to obtain
this object? We shall return to our country――we shall live under our
own laws――we shall behold those sacred places which our ancestors
illustrated with their courage and their virtues. I already see you all
animated with a holy zeal. _Israelites_! the term of your misfortunes
is at hand. The opportunity is favourable――take care you do not allow
it to escape.”¹
¹ The Restoration of the Jews the Crisis of all Nations;...
Second Edition. By J. Bicheno, M.A. London:... 1807....
(8º. 2 _ll._ + 235 _pp._ [I. S.]) _pp._ 60‒62.
See _Appendices_ XLIII.‒XLVI.
This appeal――a prototype of Pinsker’s _Autoemancipation_ and of
Herzl’s _Judenstaat_――produced a deep impression, but since the whole
expedition proved a failure, Jewish opinion――not on the principle, but
on the opportunity and the means――was divided.
XLII.
“TRANSACTIONS OF THE PARISIAN SANHEDRIM,”
BY DIOGENE TAMA
TRANSACTIONS Of The Parisian Sanhedrim,
Or Acts Of The Assembly Of Israelitish Deputies of France and Italy,
Convoked At Paris By An Imperial And Royal Decree, Dated May 30, 1806.
Translated From The Original Published By M. Diogene Tama,
With A Preface And Illustrative Notes By F. D. Kirwan, Esq.
London;... Published by Charles Taylor, Hatton Street. 1807.
(8º. xvi. + 334 _pp._) [I. S.]
XLIII.
“SIGNS OF THE TIMES”――“A WORD IN SEASON”――“COMMOTIONS SINCE
FRENCH REVOLUTION”――“HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY”――“THE GERMAN
EMPIRE”――“FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY,” BY REV. JAMES BICHENO
THE Signs of the Times:... By J. Bicheno ...
London: Printed For The Author; And Sold by Parsons, Paternoster-Row;
Wayland, Holborn, London; and James and Cottle, Bristol.
Price 1S. 6D.[1793]
Of whom may be had the Author’s Friendly Address to the Jews, and a
Letter to Mr. D. Levi. Price 1s. 6d.
(8º. 4 _ll._ + 67 _pp._) [B. M.]
A Word in Season:... To Stand Prepared For The Consequences Of The
Present War ...
By J. Bicheno,... London ... 1795.
(8º. 2 _ll._ + 53 _pp._) [B. M.]
The Probable Progress And Issue Of The Commotions Which Have Agitated
Europe Since The French Revolution,...
By J. Bicheno ... London ... MDCCXCVII.
(8º. 2 _ll._ + 94 _pp._) [B. M.]
A Glance At The History of Christianity,...
By James Bicheno, M.A., Newbury ... MDCCXCVIII....
(8º. 28 _pp._) [B. M.]
The Destiny Of The German Empire;...
By J. Bicheno, M.A.... London:... 1801....
(8º. 2 _ll._ + 96 _pp._) [B. M.]
The Fulfilment of Prophecy Farther Illustrated By The Signs Of The
Times;...
By J. Bicheno, M.A. London ... 1817.
(8º. xvii. + 254 _pp._) [B. M.]
XLIV.
“RESTORATION OF THE JEWS”――“FRIENDLY ADDRESS TO THE JEWS,” BY
REV. JAMES BICHENO――“LETTER TO MR. BICHENO,” BY DAVID LEVI
THE Restoration of the Jews, The Crisis Of All Nations;
Or, An Arrangement Of The Scripture Prophecies, Which Relate To
The Restoration Of The Jews, And To Some Of The Most Interesting
Circumstances Which Are To Accompany And Distinguish That Important
Event;
With Illustrations And Remarks Drawn From The Present Situation And
Apparent Tendencies Of Things, Both In Christian And Mahomedan
Countries.
By J. Bicheno, M.A.... London ... 1800. [Price Two Shillings And
Sixpence.]
(8º. 2 _ll._ + 115 _pp._) [B. M.]
The Restoration Of The Jews The Crisis Of All Nations;
To Which Is Now Prefixed, A Brief History Of The Jews, From Their First
Dispersion, To The Calling Of Their Grand Sanhedrim At Paris, October
6th, 1806.
And An Address On The Present State Of Affairs, In Europe In General,
And In This Country In Particular.
Second Edition.
By J. Bicheno, M.A.
London:... 1807. (_Price_ 5s.――_Entered at Stationer’s-Hall._)
(8º. 2 _ll._ + 235 _pp._) [I. S.]
He also wrote:――
A Friendly Address To The Jews....
To Which Is Added, A Letter To Mr. D. Levi; Containing Remarks On His
Answer To Dr. Priestley’s Letter To The Jews; Shewing, That however
his Arguments may affect the Opinions of Dr. Priestley, they form no
Objection against the Christian Religion.
By J. Bicheno, Newbury. London:...
(8º. vi. _pp._ + 1 _l._ + 88 _pp._) [I. S.]
Which occasioned the following reply:――
A Letter To Mr. Bicheno, Occasioned By His Friendly Address to the Jews,
And A Letter To Mr. David Levi, Containing Remarks On Mr. Levi’s Answer
To Dr. Priestley’s First Letters To The Jews.
By David Levi, Author Of Lingua Sacra, The Ceremonies Of The Jews,
etc....
See _pp._ 127‒134 in “Letters To Dr. Priestley, In Answer To His
Letters To The Jews, Part II.” Occasioned By Mr. David Levi’s Reply to
the Former Part. Also Letters 1. To Dr. Cooper, ... 2. To Mr. Bicheno,
3. To Dr. Krauter, 4. To Mr. Swain, And 5. To Anti-Socinus, _alias_
Anselm Bayly. Occasioned By Their Remarks On Mr. David Levi’s Answer To
Dr. Priestley’s First Letters To The Jews. By David Levi, ... London:
... M,DCC,LXXXIX.
(8º. 2 _ll._ + 159 _pp._) [I. S.]
XLV.
“ATTEMPT TO REMOVE PREJUDICES CONCERNING THE JEWISH NATION,”
BY THOMAS WITHERBY
AN Attempt To Remove Prejudices Concerning The Jewish Nation. By Way Of
Dialogue.
By Thomas Witherby.
Part I.¹
London: Printed For The Author, ... 1804. (Entered at Stationers-Hall.)
(8º. xx. + 511 _pp._) [I. S.]
¹ The pagination is consecutive, but Part II. is dated 1803.
XLVI.
“OBSERVATIONS ON MR. BICHENO’S BOOK,” BY THOMAS WITHERBY
Dedicated to the Jews.
Observations on Mr. Bicheno’s Book, Entitled The Restoration Of The
Jews The Crisis Of All Nations:
Wherein the revolutionary Tendency of that Publication is shewn to
be most inimical to the real Interest of the Jews, who are not to
expect the Restoration to their own Land until they are, by the free
Grace of the God of their Fathers, enabled to acknowledge his Justice,
Righteousness, and Mercy, in their long-continued Dispersion, and in
the Preservation of their Nation amidst those awful Sufferings which
they have endured under his righteous Judgments.
Together With An Inquiry Concerning Things To Come;...
London: Printed For The Author ...
(8º. xx. + 323 _pp._) [I. S.]
Page iii.: (Dedicated) “To The Jews. Distinguished Nation.... Thomas
Witherby. Enfield, _Middlesex_, Aug. 22, 1800.”¹
¹ _Gentleman’s Magazine_, 1801, vol. lxxi., _pp._ 830‒836.
XLVII.
“LETTERS TO THE JEWS,” BY JOSEPH PRIESTLEY
Letters To The Jews; Inviting Them To An Amicable Discussion Of The
Evidences Of Christianity.
By Joseph Priestley, LL.D., F.R.S....
Birmingham, ... MDCCLXXXVII. [Price One Shilling.]
(8º. 2 _ll._ + 54 _pp._ + 1 _l._ (Catalogue.) [I. S.]
Letters To The Jews. Part II. Occasioned By Mr. David Levi’s Reply To
The Former Letters.
By Joseph Priestley, LL.D. F.R.S.... Birmingham, ... MDCCLXXXVII.
[Price One Shilling.]
(8º. iv. + 56 _pp._) [I. S.]
_Page_ 56: “Your brother in the sole worship Of the one only true God,
Joseph Priestley. Birmingham, _July_ 1, 1787.”
XLVIII.
“AN ADDRESS TO THE JEWS ON THE PRESENT STATE OF THE WORLD,”
BY JOSEPH PRIESTLEY
A Comparison Of The Institutions of Moses With Those Of The Hindoos And
Other Ancient Nations;
With Remarks on Mr. Dupuis’s Origin of all Religions,
The Laws and Institutions of Moses Methodized,
And An Address to the Jews on the present state of the World and the
Prophecies relating to it.
By Joseph Priestley, LL.D. F.R.S. &c....
Northumberland:¹ ... MDCCXCIX.
(8º. xxvii. + 428 _pp._ + 2 _ll._ (catalogue).) [B. M.]
_pp._ 393‒428: “An Address To The Jews.”
¹ Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
XLIX.
“LETTERS TO DR. PRIESTLEY,” BY DAVID LEVI
Letters To Dr. Priestly, In Answer To Those He Addressed To The
Jews; Inviting Them To An Amicable Discussion Of The Evidences Of
Christianity.
By David Levi, ... London, ... MDCCLXXXVII.
(8º. 2 _ll._ + 99 _pp._) [I. S.]
Second Edition MDCCLXXXVII. (103 _pp._) [I. S.]
Third Edition, M,DCC,XCIII. (2 _ll._ + 99 _pp._) [I. S.]
L.
“A FAMOUS PASSOVER MELODY,” BY THE REV. F. L. COHEN
“... Isaac Nathan, a fashionable singing master of London ... conceived
the idea of imitating the ‘Irish Melodies’ of Thomas Moore (batches
of which had been published since 1807, with the greatest success)....
Less fortunate than Moore, Byron’s verses were not wedded to melodies
of the national type they professed, because even before Nathan had
thus exhausted his choice, he had made a most superficial search
through the repertory of the Anglo-Jewish synagogues of his day, which,
by the way, had not yet experienced the inspiringly melodious influence
of ‘Polish’ _Chazanuth_.... The opening poem, ‘She walks in beauty,’
for example, he set to a tawdry _Lecha Dodi_.... But among the six
actually ‘Hebrew’ melodies, there were one or two exceptions to the
general inferiority of the music; and prominent among these was the
tender and expressive air to which, by a happy inspiration, Nathan set
the verses:――
‘O weep for those that wept by Babel’s stream.’
Here, at least,
‘Music and sweet poetry agreed,
As well they should, the sister and the brother’;
and the result became world famous as a type of what Hebrew melody
might be. It has often been republished; and has also appeared in other
settings, as by the Rev. M. Hast to Ibn Gabirol’s hymn:――
‘At morn I beseech Thee,’
or by Ernst Pauer in his Traditional Hebrew Melodies. But what is
more especially known to and prized by musicians, it forms the only
pianoforte composition of Robert Franz, the great songwriter, under
the title
‘Beweinet, die geweint an Babel’s Strand,’
and as such, it has become famous.... The origin of the melody is ...
simply the old chant of the _Cohanim_ on the Festivals, as it used to
be sung in London synagogues on the Passover a hundred years ago, with
a joyous touch of Pesach tune....”¹
¹ _Jewish Chronicle_, 1st April, 1904, page 21.
LI.
“REMINISCENCES OF LORD BYRON ... POETRY, ETC.,
OF LADY CAROLINE LAMB,” BY ISAAC NATHAN
FUGITIVE Pieces And Reminiscences Of Lord Byron:
Containing An Entire New Edition Of The Hebrew Melodies, With The
Addition Of Several Never Before Published;
The Whole Illustrated With Critical, Historical, Theatrical, Political,
And Theological Remarks, Notes, Anecdotes, Interesting Conversations,
And Observations, Made By That Illustrious Poet: Together With His
Lordship’s Autograph.
Also Some Original Poetry, Letters And Recollections Of Lady Caroline
Lamb.
By I. Nathan, Author Of An Essay On The History And Theory Of Music,
The Hebrew Melodies, &c. &c....
London: ... 1829.
(8º. xxxvi. + 196 + 11 _pp._) [I. S.]
LII.
“SELECTION OF HEBREW MELODIES,” BY JOHN BRAHAM AND ISAAC NATHAN
A Selection of Hebrew Melodies Ancient and Modern with appropriate
Symphonies & accompaniments.
By I. Braham & I. Nathan.
The Poetry written expressly for the work By the Right Hon. Lord
Byron....
Published & Sold by I: Nathan Nᵒ 7 Poland Street Oxford Strᵗ. and to be
had at the principal Music and Booksellers. [Price One Guinea. (1815.)
(_4to._ 4 _ll._ + 133 _pp._) [I. S.]
A second edition was published in 1861.
(_4to._ 2 _ll._ + 218 _pp._) [B. M.]
LIII.
EARL OF SHAFTESBURY’S ZIONIST MEMORANDUM SCHEME
FOR THE COLONISATION OF PALESTINE
_Lord Ashley¹ to Viscount Palmerston._
“ST. GILES HOUSE,
“_September 25th, 1840_.
¹ Succeeded his father in 1851 as the seventh Earl of
Shaftesbury.
“MY LORD,
“The Powers of Europe having determined that they will take into their
own hands the adjustment of the Syrian Question, I venture to suggest
a measure, which being adopted will promote the development of the
immense fertility of all those countries that lie between the Euphrates
and the Mediterranean Sea.
“The consideration of the person or the authority to whom these
territories may be assigned by the award of the contracting Powers
is of no importance. The plan presupposes simply the existence of a
recognised and competent Dominion; the establishment and execution of
Laws; and a Government both willing and able to maintain internal peace.
“These vast regions are now nearly desolate; every year the produce of
them becomes less, because the hands that should till them become fewer.
As a source of revenue they are almost worthless, compared, at least,
with the riches that industry might force from them. They require both
labour and capital.
“Capital, however, is of too sensitive a nature to flow with readiness
into any country where neither property nor life can be regarded as
secure; but if this indispensable assurance be first given, the avarice
of man will be a sufficient motive, and it will betake itself with
alacrity to any spot where a speedy or an ample return may be promised
to the speculator.
“An inducement such as this is sufficient to stimulate the mercantile
zeal of every money-maker under Heaven, and it would be advisable
that the Power, whoever he may be, to whom these provinces may fall,
should issue and perform a solemn engagement to establish, in his
laws affecting property, the principles and practices of European
civilisation: but, in respect of these regions now under dispute, there
are, so far as a numerous, though scattered, people is concerned, other
inducements and other hopes, over and above those which influence the
general mass of mankind.
“Without entering into the grounds of the desire and expectations
entertained by the Hebrew Race of their return ultimately to the land
of their fathers, it may be safely asserted that they contemplate a
restoration to the soil of Palestine. They believe, moreover, that
the time is near at hand. Every recollection of the past, and every
prospect of the future, animates their hope; and fear alone for their
persons and their estates represses their exertions. If the Governing
Power of the Syrian provinces would promulgate equal laws and equal
protection to Jew and Gentile, and confirm his decrees by accepting
the four Powers as guarantees of his engagement, to be set forth and
ratified in an article of the Treaty, the way would at once be opened,
confidence would be revived, and, prevailing throughout these regions,
would bring with it some of the wealth and enterprise of the world at
large, and, by allaying their suspicions, call forth to the full the
hidden wealth and industry of the Jewish people.
“There are many reasons why more is to be anticipated from them than
from any others who might settle there. They have ancient reminiscences
and deep affection for the land;――it is connected in their hearts with
all that is bright in times past, and with all that is bright in those
which are to come; their industry and perseverance are prodigious; they
subsist, and cheerfully, on the smallest pittance; they are, almost
everywhere, accustomed to arbitrary rule, and being totally indifferent
to political objects, confine their hopes to the enjoyment of what they
can accumulate. Long ages of suffering have trained their people to
habits of endurance and self-denial; they would joyfully exhibit them
in the settlement and service of their ancient country.
“If we consider their return in the light of a new establishment or
colonisation of Palestine, we shall find it to be the cheapest and
safest mode of supplying the wants of those depopulated regions.
They will return at their own expense, and with no hazard but to
themselves; they will submit to the existing form of Government, having
no preconceived theories to gratify, and having been almost everywhere
trained in implicit obedience to autocratic rule; they will acknowledge
the present appropriation of the soil in the hands of its actual
possessors, being content to obtain an interest in its produce by the
legitimate methods of rent or purchase. Disconnected, as they are,
from all the peoples of the earth, they would appeal to no national
or political sympathies for assistance in the path of wrong; and
the guarantee which I propose, for insertion in the Treaty to be
carried out by the personal protection of the respective Consuls and
Vice-Consuls of the several nations, would be sufficient to protect
them in the exercise of their right.
“The plan here proposed may be recommended by the consideration that
large results are promised to the application of very small means; that
no pecuniary outlay is demanded of the engaging parties; that while
disappointment would bring no ill-effects except to those who declined
the offer, the benefit to be derived from it would belong impartially
to the whole civilised world....
“I have the honour to be, my Lord,
“Your Lordship’s most obedient, humble servant,
“ASHLEY.
“THE VISCOUNT PALMERSTON, M.P.
Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.”¹
¹ The Life and Work of the Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, K.G.,
by Edwin Hodder, 1866, vol. i., _pp._ 313‒315.
LIV.
RESTORATION OF THE JEWS
[The annexed documents have just appeared in a periodical entitled
_Memorials concerning God’s Ancient People of Israel_, and are probably
as yet but little known to the world at large:――]
MEMORANDUM.
To the Protestant Powers of the North of Europe and America――Victoria,
by the grace of God, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland; Frederick
(William) III. King of Prussia; William (Frederick), King of
Netherlands; Charles (John) XIV., King of Sweden and Norway; Frederick
VI., King of Denmark; Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover; William, King
of Wurtemberg; The Sovereign Princes and Electors of Germany; The
Cantons of the Swiss Confederation professing the Reformed Religion;
and the States of North America, zealous for the Glory of God; grace,
mercy and peace from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!
“High and Mighty Ones,
“The Most High God, who ruleth in the kingdoms of men (Dan. iv. 32),
by whom kings reign and princes decree justice (Prov. viii. 15), having
in these days granted a season of repose to his witnessing church
(Acts ix. 31; Rev. xii. 16), planted in the lands whereof ye are kings
and governors (Isaiah xlix. 23); the vine of His planting among the
Gentiles (Acts xxviii. 28) hath extended her boughs unto the seas and
her branches unto the rivers (Isa. xlix. 6), that now in nearly all
the world the gospel of the kingdom is being lifted as a witness unto
all nations (Matt. xxiv. 14), and in the isles afar off. The days are
drawing near (Rev. xxii. 20) when the dominion, and the glory, and
the kingdom, with all people, nations and languages, shall serve Him,
who cometh in the clouds of heaven (Dan. vii. 14, Rev. i. 7), whose
dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom that shall not
be destroyed (Psalm xlv. 6). Blessed be He! He hath given his waiting
people to hear the sound of His approaching footsteps, and to mark the
signs of His drawing near (1 Thess. v. 4). The fig-tree putteth forth
her leaves again (Matt. xxiv. 32). Israel’s sons are asking the way
to Zion, by which we know that summer is at hand. Blessed are all they
that wait (2 Thess. iii. 5), and hold fast (Rev. iii. 11), for quickly
He cometh. Amen.
“In the prospect of the Christian Church, of the speedy appearing of
her glorified head, the zeal of the Lord’s servants hath been stirred
up (Rev. iii. 2) to a multiplied diligence in those labours of faith
and love which were devolved upon her (Matt. xxviii. 19), when the
Son of God, as a man taking a journey into a far country, bade his
servants occupy, until he returned again (Luke xix. 13). With other
responsibilities, the circumstances of one peculiar people, whom the
Most High hath separated (Gen. xii. 1) and taken into covenant with him
(Gen. xvii. 7; Exod. xxxiv. 7), and which covenant no act of theirs,
however iniquitous or rebellious, can repeal or destroy (Mal. iii. 6),
whom he hath scattered in all lands as witnesses of his unity and power
(Isa. xliii. 9), connected with whom the welfare of mankind is bound up,
and in the lifting up of whose head the most stupendous consequences
are made to depend (Rom. xi. 15), are presented at this eleventh hour
for the repentance and faith of Christendom, that the blood of our
brethren of circumcision which has been unjustly shed may be atoned for
in the blood of the Lamb (Isa. i. 18), and the fruits of forgiveness
be manifested (Matt. iii. 8) in presenting the children of this people
continually at the throne of grace (1 Pet. ii. 5; Ps. cxxii. 6) for
the atoning sacrifice of Christ to cover them (Joel ii. 17); and as the
Almighty, in his providential appointments, shall make the way plain to
present the children of Israel who may be willing to go up (Ps. cx. 3)
as an offering to the Lord of Hosts in Mount Zion (Isa. xxviii. 7).
“For 300 years the testimony of the churches, planted in the lands over
which Almighty God hath made you rulers, hath been lifted up against
that apostacy which hath usurped the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ
in the earth (Rev. xxii. 5, and xxiii. 5) daring presumptuously to
assert power over nations (Rev. xviii. 7), and over kingdoms, to root
up and to pull down, to build, to plant, and to destroy (Dan. vii. 20,
Rev. xiii. 2, 7). The millstone which shall sink the Great Babylon in
the abyss of an unfathomable perdition (Rev. xviii. 21) when her hour
arrives (and it is very near!) with the judgment under which she hath
long lain, for being drunken with the blood of the saints and of the
martyrs of Jesus (Rev. xvii. 6), shall include the avenging of the
wrongs of God’s ancient people (Isa. li. 22, 23), and a terrible
account it is; and the issue shall be joy and gladness to the whole
earth, for it is written, ‘Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people; for
He avengeth the blood of His servants, and shall render vengeance unto
his adversaries, and will be merciful to His land and to His people’
(Deut. xxxii. 43). ‘Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O
people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help and the sword of thy
excellency? and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and thou
shalt tread on their high places’ (Deut. xxxiii. 29).
“In the events, on which the eyes of nations are fixed, taking place
around, whilst the continuance and stability of your thrones and sway,
O kings, is the earnest prayer of the Christian church (1 Tim. ii. 2),
she cannot but uphold the witness that the days draw nigh, when, under
the hallowed sway of Messiah the Prince, the now despised nation of the
Jews shall possess the kingdom (Dan. vii. 27), and she directs, with
reverential awe, your eye to that mighty empire in the east which is
crumbling to dust, and drying in all her streams (Rev. xvi. 12) to make
way for the event. Palestine hath been a burdensome stone (Zech. xii.
2) unto the followers of the false Prophet (Rev. xvi. 13), as it was to
the ancestors of many of you, O Princes, when, under the banner of the
Popish Antichrist, their mistaken zeal sought to recover the Holy City
from the Saracen’s grasp. But the fulness of the Gentiles is at hand
(Romans xi. 21) and unto Israel the dominion shall return (Micah iv. 8).
“The apostate Julian sought to plant the children of this people in
the seats of their fathers, in despite of the holy faith, one of the
external evidences of whose trust was, that their house was left unto
them desolate, until they should say ‘Blessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord’ (Matt. xxiii. 38, 9). But is it anywhere declared in
the word of our God, that the children of Israel, scattered and peeled,
humbled and dispirited, impoverished and broken down, should not be
presented as an offering in faith to Jehovah of Hosts in Mount Zion?
that there they may be pleaded with face to face by the God of their
fathers (Ezekiel xx. 13), that there the veil may be rent (Isaiah xxv.
7) which is over their hearts (2 Cor. iii. 15), that there they may
look on him whom they have pierced (Zech. xii. 10). Your attention,
high and mighty ones, is directed to the recorded fact that such an
offering is expected. And before that full and final gathering which
follows the judgments poured out on all the earth (Isaiah lxiii. 15,
16, 20), a power, and that power a northern one (Jer. iii. 12, xxxi. 6,
9, xxxiii. 7, 8――Isaiah xliii. 6, xlix. 12), shall be employed to lead
a people wonderful from their beginning hitherto――a nation expecting
and trampled underfoot――whose land rivers have spoiled, unto the name
of the Lord of Hosts in Mount Zion (Isaiah xviii.). These designs and
purposes of the Lord God of Israel, King of Kings and Lord of Lords,
are declared unto you, high and mighty ones, his servants (Dan. v. 23),
that you may ponder them, and know His will, from the voice, with which
He is about to speak unto nations and unto men (Haggai ii. 6――Isaiah i.
10), for the time is at hand (Rev. i. 3).
“Your wisdom hath been exercised to mark the boundaries of kingdoms,
and to define the limits of empires; and has not the aggressor
overleaped all barriers, and the strength of treaties snapped asunder
as tow? And why? Because when the Almighty awarded to the nations their
inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of
the people according to the number of the children of Israel (Deuteron.
xxxii. 7, 8). By an unrepealed covenant, the Lord God declared unto
Abram, concerning the land of Palestine, ‘Unto thy seed have I given
this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river
Euphrates’ (Genesis xv. 18). This gift was ratified unto him for an
everlasting possession, and to his seed after him, when the Almighty
gave him the covenant, and changed his name to Abraham (Genesis xvii.
4, 8) . For the purposes of infinite wisdom fast hastening to maturity,
the Lord God hath scattered his inheritance to the four winds of heaven.
But hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the
isles afar off. He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him
as a shepherd doth his flock.
“As the spirit of Cyrus, King of Persia was stirred up to build the
Lord’s Temple, which was in Jerusalem (ii Chron. xxxvi. 22, 23), who
is there among you, high and mighty ones of all the nations, to fulfil
the good pleasure of the holy will of the Lord of Heaven, saying to
Jerusalem, ‘Thou shalt be built’ and to the Temple, ‘Thy foundation
shall be laid’? (Isaiah xliv. 28). The Lord God of Israel will be with
such. Great grace, mercy, and peace shall descend upon the people who
offer themselves willingly; and the fire offerings of their hearts and
hands shall be those of a sweet-smelling savour unto Him who hath said,
‘I will bless them that bless thee (Genesis xii. 3), and contend with
him who contendeth with thee’ (Isaiah xlix. 25).
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. Signed and sealed
in London, 8th of January, in the year of our Lord, 1839, in the name
of the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, on behalf of many who
wait for the redemption of Israel.”
(Copy 1.)
“LONDON, January 22nd, 1839.
“May it please your Majesty,――I have the high honour of laying at your
Majesty’s feet the accompanying memorandum relating to the present
condition and future prospects of God’s ancient people, the Jews.
Your Majesty’s pious feelings, I doubt not, will be excited to give
the Scriptural hopes and expectations therein set forth your earnest
attention, considering the high station it hath pleased Almighty God
to call this Protestant land to, as the great seat of the church.
“According to the petitions of this peculiar people at a throne of
grace, that in your Majesty’s reign ‘Judah may be saved and Israel
dwell safely,’ is the prayer of your Majesty’s dutiful subject and
servant.
“Her most Gracious Majesty Victoria, Queen of
Great Britain and Ireland.”
(Copy 2.)
“January 19th, 1839.
“MY LORD,――I have the honour of transmitting through your Lordship
a document which it is the desire of some of her Majesty’s subjects
should be laid at her Majesty’s feet, relating to the Scriptural
expectations of the church, connected with the restoration of the
Jews to Palestine, the land of their fathers.
“I am induced to solicit your Lordship’s good offices in being the
medium of communicating this document to her Majesty, as the substance
of it relates to the present rights of an ally of this country――namely,
the Sublime Porte.
“But I would respectfully press upon your Lordship’s attention, that,
in holding forth the Scriptural hopes of God’s ancient people, those
who emanate the accompanying document never for one moment dream of
political force to accomplish the end desired. When the hour comes
of Israel’s planting in, doubtless Almighty God will not fail to
raise up chosen instruments, who, with willing hands and hearts, shall
accomplish the good pleasure of His will.
“If we are wrong in the course we have taken to bring the memorandum
before Her Majesty, we will be happy to be set right. Should your
Lordship undertake the duty, desiring the glory of God in this matter
to be furthered, the Lord God of Israel will not be slack to reward the
labour of faith and love proceeding from a desire to honour His name.
“I have the honour to be, &c.,
“THE RIGHT HON. LORD VISCOUNT PALMERSTON.”
Lord Palmerston’s Answer.
(Copy 3.)
“FOREIGN OFFICE, March 14, 1839.
“I have to acknowledge your letter of the 19th January, enclosing a
letter and a memorandum from some of Her Majesty’s subjects, who feel
deeply interested in the welfare and future prospects of the Jews;
and I have to acquaint you that I have laid those documents before the
Queen, and that Her Majesty has been pleased graciously to receive the
same.
“I am, &c.,
“PALMERSTON.”¹
¹ _The Times_, Wednesday, August 26, 1840, _pp._ 5‒6.
LV.
ANOTHER ZIONIST MEMORANDUM――RESTORATION OF THE JEWS
“To the Editor of _The Times_.
“SIR,――The extraordinary crisis of Oriental politics has stimulated an
almost universal interest and investigation, and the fate of the Jews
seems to be deeply involved with the settlement of the Syrian dilemma
now agitating several Courts of Christendom.
“... The peace of Europe and the just balance of its powers being
therefore assumed as the grand desideratum, as the consummation
devoutly to be wished, I peruse with particular interest a brief
article in your journal of this day relative to the restoration of
the Jews to Jerusalem, because I imagine that this event has become
practicable through an unprecedented concatenation of circumstances,
and that moreover it has become especially desirable, as the exact
expedient to which it is to the interest of all belligerent parties
to consent.
“The actual feasibility of the return of the Jews is no longer a
paradox; the time gives it proof. That theory of the restoration of a
Jewish Kingdom, which a few years ago was laughed at as the fantasy of
insane enthusiasm, is now calculated on as a most practical achievement
of diplomacy.
“It is granted that the Jews were the ancient proprietors of Syria;
that Syria was the proper heart and centre of their kingdom. It
is granted that they have a strong conviction that Providence will
restore them to this Syrian supremacy. It is granted that they have
entertained for ages a hearty desire to return thither, and are willing
to make great sacrifices of a pecuniary kind to the different parties
interested, provided they can be put in peaceful and secure possession.
“It is likewise notorious, that since the Jews have been thrust out of
Syria that land has been a mere arena of strife to neighbouring Powers,
all conscious that they had no legitimate right there, and all jealous
of each other’s intrusion.
“Such having been the case, why, it may be asked, have not the Jews
long ago endeavoured to regain possession of Syria by commercial
arrangements? In reply it may be said, that though they have evidently
wished to do so, and have made overtures of the kind, hitherto
circumstances have opposed their desires....
“Now, however, these obstacles and hindrances are in a great measure
removed; all the strongest Powers in Europe have come forward as
arbitrators and umpires to arrange the settlement of Syria.
“Under such potent arbitrators, pledged to the performance of any
conditions finally agreed on, I have reason to believe that the Jews
would readily enter into such financial arrangements as would secure
them the absolute possession of Jerusalem and Syria.
“I know no reason, under such powerful empires, why the Hebrews should
not restore an independent monarchy in Syria, as well as the Egyptians
in Egypt, or the Grecians in Greece.
“As a practical expedient of politics, I believe that it will be
easier to secure the peace of Europe and Asia by this effort to restore
the Jews, than by any allotment of Syrian territories to the Turks
or Egyptians, which will be sure to occasion fresh jealousies and
discords....
“I believe that the cause of the restoration of the Jews is one
essentially generous and noble, and that all individuals and nations
that assist this world-renounced people to recover the empire of their
ancestors will be rewarded by Heaven’s blessing. Everything that is
patriotic and philanthropic should urge Great Britain forward as the
agent of prophetic revelations so full of auspicious consequence....
“Your very obedient servant,
“F. B.¹
“Aug. 17.”
¹ _The Times_, 26 Aug., 1840, _p._ 6.
LVI.
EXTRACTS FROM AUTOGRAPH AND OTHER LETTERS BETWEEN
SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE AND DR. N. M. ADLER
MY hearty thanks are due to my friend Mr. Elkan N. Adler for giving
me access to his father’s letters. It may be mentioned that, although
Dr. N. M. Adler was never able to visit Palestine, all his three sons
went there. Palestinian activity has practically been a tradition
of the Adler family. Mr. Elkan Adler originally visited Palestine in
1888, 1895, 1898 and 1901, in connection with the Montefiore work. His
first visit was a professional one, undertaken on the instructions of
the Council of the Holy Land Relief Fund. Its object was to clear up
certain legal difficulties which had arisen on the land at Jerusalem
and Jaffa purchased in 1855 by his father and Sir Moses Montefiore out
of the funds of the Holy Land Appeal Fund and the Judah Touro Bequest.
At that time their only buildings in Jerusalem were the Judah Touro
Alms-houses and the Windmill. The vacant land adjoining had been jumped
after the death of Sir Moses Montefiore by about three hundred poor and
desperate Jews, who claimed that it had been originally intended for
the poor, and they were poor.
The journey was successful. The squatters were removed, and their
place was taken by industrious settlers, who, through the agency of the
building societies, financed by the Sir Moses Montefiore Testimonial
Committee, erected hundreds of pleasant little dwellings in the place
of the rude, uninhabited shanties which stood there in 1888.
In 1894 Mr. Elkan Adler became a member of the “Water for Jerusalem
Committee,” of which Sir Charles W. Wilson, K.C.M.G., was Chairman and
Sir Edmund A. H. L. Lechmere, Bart., M.P., and Sir (then Mr.) Isidore
Spielmann, C.M.G., Honorary Secretaries. The Turkish Government and
the Jerusalem Municipality had sanctioned the scheme, but bureaucratic
dilatoriness prevented its ever maturing. Its object was to secure,
under a concession, for purely philanthropic purposes, a modern water
supply for Jerusalem from King Solomon’s Pools.
Mr. Adler was also one of the founders of the London _Chovevé Zion_,
and as Honorary Solicitor drafted its Constitution, which was settled
by the Right Hon. Arthur Cohen, K.C.
* * * * *
“Grosvenor Gate, Park Lane,
“London, 28th Hesvan, 5602.
“12 November.
“My dear and much esteemed Sir,
“.. . I am most highly gratified, my dear Sir, by the very kind manner
in which you have been pleased to notice my feeble exertions in favour
of our unfortunate and persecuted Brethren in the East....
“Believe me to be,
“With sincere Respect and Esteem,
“My dear Sir,
“Your obedient Servant,
“MOSES MONTEFIORE.
“The Reverend
Doctor N. Adler, Chief Rabbi, &c. &c. &c.”
* * * * *
“Alliance Office,
“Bartholomew Lane,
“31 May, 5614.
“My dear and respected Sir,
“... I hope to find the amount of Contributions much increased from
your admirable Letter having at last found its way in the hands of the
several Seat-holders of each Synagogue, and I am sure if they respond
to it with the same liberality as our Christian fellow-subjects have
evinced for our suffering Brethren in the Holy Land I am confident
you will rejoice at the success which has attended your benevolent
exertions....
“I am with great respect and esteem,
“Your faithful Servant,
“MOSES MONTEFIORE.
“The Revd. Dr. Adler,
Chief Rabbi, &c. &c.”
* * * * *
“East Cliff Lodge,
“Ramsgate,
“17th August, 5614/1854.
“My dear and respected Sir,
“... I am obliged to you for the information which Mr. Albert Cohn’s
letter has afforded me and believe me I am most truly thankful to
the God of Israel that my days should have been prolonged to see
the welfare of our unfortunate Brethren in Jerusalem cared for by so
wealthy and powerful a family as the Barons de Rothschild. May the
institutions which they propose diffuse all the advantages we hope
for. I will endeavour to write this evening to Lord Clarendon and will
take the earliest opportunity to communicate the result after I shall
have had an interview with his Lordship. I have requested Mr. Green to
forward all the letters to you that have arrived from the Holy Land.
I shall take no step regarding the Hospital but with your concurrence.
You may rely that there will be no opposition in any way on my part,
and I am only too happy to see that Jerusalem is not forsaken....
“Believe me,
“With the greatest esteem and respect,
“Your faithful Servant,
“MOSES MONTEFIORE.
“To the Reverend
Doctor Adler,
Chief Rabbi.”
* * * * *
“Alliance Office,
“Bartholomew Lane,
“Wednesday Morn,
“23 Augt., ’614.
“My dear and respected Sir,
“... I now beg to trouble you with the enclosed letters which Dr. Lowe
has written to the Holy Land with a remittance of £1200 divided in
the following manner.... I have not thought it proper to send anything
to the Portuguese at Jerusalem as they have not yet complied with
your request in the mode of distribution or forwarded any particulars
whatever. I therefore hope you will be satisfied with the arrangement
that this will bring the Portuguese to a sense of the necessity they
are under to conform to your instructions, or they will receive no more
money from England....
“To the Revd.
Dr. Adler,
Chief Rabbi.”
* * * * *
“Buxton, 15th Septr., 5614/1854.
“My dear and respected Sir,
“... I have felt much vexed at M. Albert Cohn’s having taken the
liberty of using your name as well as mine as having deputed him to
carry out his schemes in the East....
“Believe me to be,
“With great regard and respect,
“Your faithful Servant,
“MOSES MONTEFIORE.
“The Revd. Dr. Adler,
Chief Rabbi, &c. &c.”
* * * * *
“Alliance Assurance Office,
“Bartholomew Lane,
“Monday Evening,
“26 Jany., 5617.
“My dear and respected Sir,
“Having this moment heard from Lady Montefiore that you expressed a
desire to Visit the Holy Land, and well knowing the lively interest
you have ever evinced in promoting the prosperity of Jerusalem, I beg
to assure you that nothing could be more gratifying to my feelings,
than to be honored with your Company during our intended Tour. We had
fixed in our minds the 10th day of February for our departure, but
to enjoy the honor of your Society, we would postpone it to meet your
Convenience to any day that would enable us to reach Jerusalem for
Passover.
“Hoping to have the gratification of a favorable reply from you.
“Believe me to be,
“Your faithful Servant,
“MOSES MONTEFIORE.
“To the Reverend
Dr. Adler,
Chief Rabbi.”
* * * * *
“East Cliff Lodge,
“Ramsgate,
“14th September, 5619.
“My dear and respected Sir,
“... With respect to the Jaffa farm I hope in a few days to have an
opportunity of speaking with you. I think it was your wish that our
co-religionists should be employed on it....”
“Believe me with great esteem,
“Your faithful Servant,
“MOSES MONTEFIORE.
“To the Reverend Dr. Adler,
Chief Rabbi.”
* * * * *
“To the Rev. Dr. ADLER, Chief Rabbi, etc. etc.
“_East Cliff Lodge, Ramsgate, May 15th, 5614‒1854_.
“REVEREND AND RESPECTED SIR,
“For the sake of Zion I cannot remain silent, and for the sake of
Jerusalem I cannot rest, until the whole house of Israel have been made
acquainted with the lamentable condition of those of our brethren who
devotedly cling to the soil, sacred to the memory of our patriarchs,
prophets and kings.
“Thrice having visited the Holy Land, it was my earnest desire to fully
inform myself as to the condition of our brethren there....
“Aware, however, reverend Sir, of your great anxiety for the physical
amelioration of our suffering brethren, and how watchfully you note
their spiritual welfare, I am induced to put you in possession of
the documents and appeals which I have received from the Holy Land,
with the assurance that your powerful co-operation, in the shape
of a pastoral letter addressed to the Jews of Great Britain and
America――or the exercise of the same in any other mode your wisdom may
dictate――will, with God’s blessing, not only tend to remove the present
appalling misery of our starving brethren in Zion, but spare us the
humiliation of its recurrence.
“I have the honour to be, reverend and respected Sir,
“Your faithful servant,
“MOSES MONTEFIORE.”
* * * * *
“TO SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE, Bart., etc. etc.
“_Office of the Chief Rabbi, London, 18th May, 5614._
“MY DEAR AND ESTEEMED SIR,
“.... Although I should have much preferred that the duty of addressing
our co-religionists on behalf of the afflicted had been assumed by
yourself, as you would have made a far deeper impression than I can
hope to do, from the well-known fact that you have devoted a great
portion of your life to the amelioration of the condition of our
brethren in Palestine, and this, too, at the risk of much personal
suffering and danger, yet, to avoid all delay in the present emergency,
I have to-day written a letter to the congregations under my charge, a
copy of which I beg to enclose; and I fervently pray that the Lord may
strengthen my feeble words, and incline the hearts of our brethren to
this good work of charity.
“I am, my dear Sir Moses,
“Yours very faithfully,
“N. ADLER, Dr.”
* * * * *
“PASTORAL LETTER
“To the Wardens, Members, and Seat-holders of the
United Congregations of Great Britain.
“_Office of the Chief Rabbi, London, May 18th, 5614._
“Beloved Brethren,
“... the present condition of our poor brethren scattered through the
four cities of Jerusalem, Zaphed, Hebron and Tiberias, is absolutely
heart-rending. This is no exaggeration but a stern and dreadful reality.
The almost total failure of the last harvest, which raised the price
of all the necessaries of life to an unparalleled height; the present
war and general political disturbances; the diminution of the usual
resources for the poor, especially those derived from Russia, which has
hitherto contributed the most, have brought about an awful famine....
While all surrounding nations make that spot the object of their
deepest concern, expending vast sums thereon, should we be unmindful
of that land with which our past glory and future hope are inseparably
connected? ... It may be thought by some that the unfortunate state of
the Jewish residents of Palestine might have been brought about ... by
their reliance on fixed pensions and casual alms without the exercise
of industry, either in agriculture, commerce or other employments;...
Why, therefore, continue a life of pauperism, which will endure until
the springs of poverty are stopped――and what will be the use of a
collection, which can but mitigate the evil for a moment?
“My dear brethren,――Before you accuse the sufferers of indolence,
and their leaders of neglect, let us assure you that the people are
most anxious to free themselves from the thraldom of dependence;
that the Rabbis and the heads of the Congregations have proved to Sir
Moses Montefiore, who has been at all times the strenuous advocate of
industrial pursuits, the willingness of the people to till the soil, if
only it could be done with security. But hitherto the great impediment
to agriculture has been not alone the want of pecuniary means, but the
want of _protection_ on the part of the Government, it being absolutely
impracticable to labour outside the walls of the cities, owing to
the depredations of the roving and lawless Bedouins, for whatever the
inhabitants sow is speedily seized by others.
“Without, however, alluding to the happy restitution that we anxiously
look for, which lies in the hand of the Lord who commandeth us ‘not
to stir, neither to awake His love, until He please’――the present war
may, by the Divine blessing, bring about a great and beneficial change
in the Holy Land. It is more than probable that the Government of the
Porte will concede to our brethren in Palestine the right of holding
land; and that this right will be placed under secure protection. It
will then become the duty of our leading men to organise a proper plan
of operations, put themselves into communication with the different
Committees abroad, to raise the necessary means, to send men of ability,
properly authorised, to Jerusalem, to bring about a unity of action
among the different congregations there, to purchase land, to establish
farms and factories, and to devote a portion of the money annually
collected, as wages to those who will labour therein under the charge
of the persons superintending those undertakings. The time for the
realisation of such a scheme may not be remote, as the munificent
legacy of the philanthropist Judah Touro, New Orleans, was bequeathed
for this very purpose, which bequest will have an important bearing on
the improvement of the Holy Land.
“... I remain, yours very faithfully,
“N. ADLER, Dr., Chief Rabbi.”¹
¹ An Appeal on behalf of the famishing Jews in the Holy Land.
_Donations will be thankfully received by_ The Rev. The
Chief Rabbi, 4, Crosby Square, and Sir Moses Montefiore,
Bart., Alliance Assurance Office, Bartholomew Lane. Rev.
Aaron Levy Green, Hon. Sec.
London: Printed by Wertheimer and Co., Circus Place, Finsbury
Circus.
1854 (8º. 16 _pp. in printed wrapper_), _pp._ 3‒7.
In February, 1855, Dr. Adler and Sir Moses published their first Report
enumerating the appropriations of money they had made and the sums
set apart for the establishment of institutions designed to relieve
distress, and to encourage and promote industry.
In May, 1856, Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore set out on a mission to the
Holy Land to organize means for the appropriation of the funds “with a
view to the utmost benefit of the supplicants.”
The Trustees resolved to attempt the organization of some industrial
scheme, and, says their Second Report, dated 1856: “In a land naturally
so fertile as Palestine, offering so prolific a return for industry,
but altogether wanting in commercial resources, agriculture must of
necessity be the first object of attention, as likely to prove the
most powerful auxiliary in bringing about a healthful reaction, by
alleviating distress, by promoting industry, and by exciting a feeling
of self-reliance.” The Trustees were confirmed in their views by the
opinion of experienced agriculturists in the Holy Land, and by the
valuable suggestions of munificent donors.
“On the 17th June Sir Moses had an audience with the Sultan, and on
the 27th July the first meeting was held with the representatives of
_Zapphed_.
“The desirability of cultivating land was discussed at this sitting,
and the great probabilities of success in the undertaking were shown by
the mention of numerous well-authenticated facts. The views entertained
by the Trustees having been confirmed by the best evidence, a Committee
of practical agriculturists――men distinguished by their probity, and of
acknowledged skill――was, without further delay, appointed to aid in the
selection of land, and to advise as to the fitness of the parties to
be employed in its cultivation. Assisted by this Committee, Sir Moses
selected thirty-five families from the Holy City of _Zapphed_, provided
them with means to commence agricultural pursuits, and also secured for
them local governors. Some orphan lads were also provided for, by being
placed under the care of the Committee, to be trained as agriculturists.
A district in the vicinity of _Zapphed_, called the Bokea, having
been pointed out as a most desirable spot for agricultural purposes,
sufficient means were granted to give employment to fifteen families,
to be engaged in the cultivation of that fruitful district; the whole
being placed under the supervision of the Agricultural Committee at
_Zapphed_. The claims of _Tabaria_ were next considered ... and means
afforded to thirty families to enable them to engage in agricultural
pursuits. At _Jaffa_ some land, with a house, and well affording an
abundant supply of excellent water, was purchased, and a number of
our poor co-religionists are already engaged upon such land.” An
establishment for weaving was instituted.
“Sir Moses eventually succeeded in purchasing a tract of land to the
west of the Holy City, in a most beautiful and salubrious locality,
within a few minutes’ walk from the Jaffa and Zion Gates. Here a
considerable number of our co-religionists and others at once found
employment on the land and in the building of the boundary wall.” A
windmill was erected on this site to supersede the expensive method
used at Jerusalem for grinding corn.
LVII.
THE FINAL EXODUS
“AND what now is the aspect of Palestine? Still, truly, it is a land
rich in the grandeur and beauties of nature’s handiwork――still, in
some parts, ‘... hills, plains, and valleys, fields of wheat and
barley, vineyards and olive-yards, are spread out before you as on a
map’――still does the benign influence of the sun’s warmth engender in
the bosom of the earth the germs of fruits and flowers, that languish
for want of culture, and never arrive at perfection――still do the hills
uplift their heads amid the clouds, which drop down, as though with
tears of sorrow, upon their barren and exposed sides, once covered with
artificial soil and by the hands of a favoured race rendered fruitful
as the vale beneath. The mountains remain unshaken, but where are the
countless flocks? the stones of the water-course are there, but where
is the limpid stream? Alas! the promised blessing has been withdrawn
from the land; the flocks no longer multiply as heretofore, neither as
in former days do springs and fountains burst forth everywhere out of
the valleys and the hills; and her cities are desolate and forsaken,
and of many even the site is not accurately known; _literal_, indeed,
has been the fulfilment of the prophetic declaration ‘the land shall
be desolate.’ Solitude now reigns where once the busy hum of voices
enlivened many a glad city, ay, even in the wilderness――ruins now
mark the spot where once rose the sound of harp and tabret, and
where heart joined with hand in mocking with merriment the threatened
desolation....”
“... But more than this――Britain! rejoice! it is for you to lead back
to their beautiful land the long-dispersed members of Judah’s neglected
race, and by planting in their native country a colony of whose
attachment to its protectors there could be no doubt,...”
“... Jerusalem shall, indeed, become again the glorious city among
the nations: no longer shall her name be Jerusalem, but ‘the City of
the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel,’ for _there_ shall be
holiness,’ and in the midst of her ‘the King of Israel, even the Lord;’
... Her walls shall be called ‘Salvation,’ and her gates ‘Praise’; and
her children shall enjoy the former and the latter rain; ‘the floors
shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil;
and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall
also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them....’
“Among these there are _many_ whose wealth――... has caused the name of
the Jew too often to be coupled with the idea of sordid gain...: but it
will be well for the _few_, who by ... prosperity, . .. occupy now an
elevated ♦position, ... prepare to head with energy every warrantable
occasion for furthering the restoration of their unhappy people
to Palestine. Providential is it for them, that among them are men
possessing influence and wealth sufficient to become their leaders....”
♦ “postion” replaced with “position”
“Once again――Britain, beware! and hasten to exert the means which,
lying at your disposal, may be made use of as a defence for your
valuable possessions in the East, and for the advancement of God’s
glory, by the return of His people to the land whither He has
said He would bring them again ‘that they might be called trees of
righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.’”¹
¹ The Final Exodus; or, the Restoration to Palestine of
the lost Tribes, the result of the present crisis; with a
description of the battle of Armageddon, and the downfall of
Russia, as deduced wholly from prophecy. London ... 1854.
[8º. 30 _pp._] _pp._ 4‒5, 13‒14, 27, 30.
LVIII.
DISRAELI AND THE PURCHASE OF THE SUEZ CANAL SHARES
THE story of the purchase of the Suez Canal shares by Lord Beaconsfield
has been told many times, but Mr. [afterwards Sir] Henry Lucy, in
“Sixty Years in the Wilderness,” throws fresh light on the subject.
“On a certain Sunday night in the spring of 1875 he¹ chanced to be
dining in Bruton Street with Henry Oppenheim, one of the original
proprietors of the _Daily News_. During a residence in Paris and Egypt
that gentleman, just settling down in London, was brought into close
connection with Egyptian financial affairs. On the previous day he
heard of the intention of the impecunious Khedive to sell _en bloc_ his
holding in the capital of the Suez Canal. Greenwood instantly saw the
opportunity for a great stroke of State. On leaving Bruton Street he
went direct to the private residence of the Foreign Secretary (Lord
Derby) and told him of the rare chance. Lord Derby informed the Prime
Minister, whose Oriental mind glowed at the prospect of so stupendous
a deal. Inquiry secretly made at Cairo disclosed the fact that the
Khedive would ‘part’ for a sum of four millions sterling. But it must
be money down.
¹ Frederick Greenwood, one of the ablest journalists of his day.
“It was, Greenwood told me, on Lord Beaconsfield’s personal suggestion
that the difficulty, at the moment apparently insuperable, was overcome.
The consent of Parliament was necessary to confirmation of the deal.
That involved both delay and publicity, either fatal to success. Late
on the Thursday night following the Bruton Street dinner, the Premier
sent his private secretary, Monty Corry,¹ to call upon Baron Rothschild,
the Sidonia of ‘Coningsby, ’ at the time head of the great financial
house. Even a Rothschild did not happen to have about him at the moment
a trifle of four million sterling. Nor was it possible, in accordance
with the traditions of the house, that such a transaction should be
entered upon without having been considered in family council. Corry
accordingly returned to the Premier without definite reply. It came
promptly on the following morning, the terms being that the money would
be advanced on a commission of 2½ per cent.
¹ Afterwards Lord Rowton.
“These terms were pretty stiff, involving a payment of £100,000.
The City heard of them with envy, and they were discussed with
much severity when the matter came before the House of Commons. The
Rothschilds and their friends defended them on the ground that the
colossal transaction involved a certain measure of risk. There was
absolutely no security beyond the influence of the Premier, still
master of a majority in the House of Commons, and pledged to invoke its
aid in order to obtain Parliamentary sanction. The whole thing happened
between two Sundays. On the first Greenwood dined at Bruton Street; on
the second, calling on Lord Derby, he learned that the transaction had
been successfully carried through, and was invited to say what form
his personal recompense should take. He declined to specify a request,
protesting he had done nothing but his duty, and was content that its
accomplishment should be his reward....”¹
¹ Cornhill, January, 1912, _pp._ 64‒65.
LIX.
CYPRUS AND PALESTINE
THE Anglo-Turkish Convention had given a new and unexpected addition
to the already extensive list of British territorial responsibilities.
It is true that a “conditional” element ... enters into the connexion
formed with the Turkish Government; and the claims to interpose between
the Sultan and his subjects, as well as the circumstances which would
render interference necessary, are not very clearly defined. But the
British Government, not only by entering into the Convention, but by
the prominence with which important events invested that treaty, as
also by its positive acquisition of the island of Cyprus, stand pledged
before Europe and the world to secure to the populations of Asiatic
Turkey a deliverance from the corrupt rule which has hitherto burdened
them....
“In the minds of all thoughtful men there is a strong belief that this
country is the instrument by which freedom, peace and true religion
will be carried to the uttermost ends of the world. If that be so,
there is assuredly no portion of the earth’s surface which more needs
the possession of these blessings, or from which can come in keener
despair the cry ‘Come and help us.’ The countries of Asia still
remaining ... include those whereon the earliest progenitors of the
human race appeared, and those which are familiar to us in Biblical
records, or interesting as the platform upon which mighty nations
strove, and empires fell in the strife which was raging then as now
between the powers of Good and Evil.”¹
¹ Cyprus and the Asiatic Turkey, by J. M. London, 1878,
_pp._ v.‒vii.
LX.
DISRAELI AND HEINE
“DEUX noms, dont le rapprochement peut sembler d’abord inattendu, me
viennent sans cesse à l’esprit lorsque j’embrasse d’un coup d’œil cette
physionomie singulière d’homme d’état et d’écrivain, et ils aident,
si je ne me trompe, à en démêler la signification. M. Disraeli me
fait souvent penser à Henri Heine. Chez tous les deux, en effet,
même vivacité d’intelligence, même pénétration, même promptitude
à saisir toutes les idées et à s’approprier pour un instant toutes
les doctrines, même vagabondage d’imagination, même indiscipline de
génie, même mélange bizarre de fantaisie et de pensée, de frivolité
et de profondeur.... M. Disraeli a eu la chance, qui n’échut pas à H.
Heine, de vivre dans un milieu oû certains excès n’eussent jamais été
tolérés.... Il n’a pas connu non plus les souffrances morales, les
âpres soucis, les angoisses, les sérieuses épreuves, qui répandent
l’amertume dans l’ironie du poête allemand, et lui arrachent, parmi ses
éclats de rire, des cris si poignans: mais comme il tranche néanmoins
sur la société anglaise,... Quelle perturbation il jette dans son parti,
quelle inquietude il y sème par les saillies de sa verve goguenarde,...
De quel doigt irrespectueux il lève tous les voiles et touche aux
institutions qu’il prétend défendre! Ici, comme chez H. Heine, on ne
saurait méconnaître l’influence persistante de la race. L’un a fini par
embrasser le catholicisme, l’autre est né dans l’eglise anglicane; mais
ils restent Juifs, et pour sa part M. Disraeli, courageux avocat des
Juifs à la chambre des communes et dans ces livres, n’a jamais désavoué
sa parenté avec eux. L’eût-il essayé d’ailleurs, que le sceau de la
race, vivement empreinte dans son génie et dans son caractère, l’aurait
trahi. Malgré son torysme d’emprunt, on sent, il faut le dire à son
honneur, dans le langage de M. Disraeli une sympathie de cœur pour les
déshérités qui n’est guère une disposition anglaise et aristocratique:
c’est bien plutôt un souvenir de l’égalité juive et un sentiment puisé
dans la législation républicaine de Moïse; mais ce qui est plus juif
encore, c’est ce fonde de cynisme, dernière défense d’une race trempée
de longue date par la persécution et le mépris, bronzée par l’habitude
de l’outrage. M. Disraeli n’est pas plus exempt que H. Heine de cette
audace qui défie le ridicule et qui même sait en tire parti....”¹
¹ Le Roman Politique en Angleterre: Lothaire de M. Disraeli,
par M. P. Challemel-Lacour, _pp._ 445‒447. Revue des Deux
Mondes ... 15 Juillet ... Paris ... 1870.
LXI.
DISRAELI’S DEFENCE OF THE JEWS
DISRAELI supported the emancipation of the Jews in England on religious
grounds:――
“... The very reason for admitting the Jews is because they show so
near an affinity to you. Where is your Christianity if you do not
believe in their Judaism?... The Jew was necessarily a religious being,
but not a proselytising one, and so would support and not undermine the
Christian Church.... What possible object can the Jew have to oppose
the Christian Church? Is it not the first business of the Christian
Church to make the population whose minds she attempts to form, and
whose morals she seeks to guide, acquainted with the history of the
Jews? Has not the Church of Christ――the Christian Church, whether
Roman Catholic or Protestant――made the history of the Jews the
most celebrated history of the world? On every sacred day you read
to the people the exploits of Jewish heroes, the proofs of Jewish
devotion, the brilliant annals of past Jewish magnificence.... Every
Sunday――every Lord’s day――if you wish to express feelings of praise
and thanksgiving to the most High, or if you wish to find expressions
of solace in grief, you find both in the works of Jewish poets.... In
exact proportion to your faith ought to be your wish to do this great
act of national justice. If you have not forgotten what you owe to this
people, if you were grateful for that literature which, for thousands
of years, has brought so much instruction and so much consolation to
the sons of men, you as Christians, would be only too ready to seize
the first opportunity of meeting the claims of those who profess this
religion.”¹
¹ The Life of Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, by
William Flavelle Monypenny and George Earle Buckle. Volume
iii. ... London ... 1914, _pp._ 68‒69.
LXII.
A HEBREW ADDRESS TO QUEEN VICTORIA (1849)
TRANSLATED Extract from an Address of Russian Jews in Safed on their
coming under England’s protection, 1849.
(After compliments to the Consul in Jerusalem.)
“We acknowledge to the Lord and praise Him that He has put it into the
heart of the Glory the Pity of the mighty Crowned Queen, the pious, the
precious, the upright who reigns over the provinces of England and its
dependencies, to do good to the people of Israel and to succour them
with every kind of aid, for great and small, and to defend them from
those that rise up against them.
“With a perfect heart
Of mercy and loving kindness;
And with the tips of the wings of Mercy
And the grace of her Righteousness
She has extended and caused to shine upon us,
Who dwell in our own land,
The holy (be it established in our days,)
Us, who are burdened with troubles――
Sinking into distress,
Poverty and calamity,
But loving the land of our Fathers,
The place of our honour.
We here are those
Who are the sons of the provinces of Russia,
And this is the day we have looked for:
We have found it, we have seen it――
For she has bent down her pity to receive us
Under the shade of her wings of compassion,
And to comfort us with shade of her mighty rule,
For a name, for a praise, and for glory!
Yea, our souls within us are bound
To implore Him, who is fearful in mighty acts,
With praises and prayers,
That He may prolong her days
In rest and satisfaction;
That the Lord may hedge her in,
And all that are hers:
The princes around her,
With her nobles,
And all those comforted in her shadow
May they rise on wings of elevation, of prosperity,
In fulness of joy;
And may her kingdom be established
Like the Moon, for ever and ever,
Until the coming of Messiah!
May the Lord bless their lives and their substance,
And increase their honour,
And crown their praise!
Amen, so be Thy will!”¹
¹ Stirring Times ... of 1853 to 1856, by the late James Finn
... vol. i. London ... 1878, _pp._ 130‒132.
LXIII.
AN APPEAL BY ERNEST LAHARANNE (1860)
“OH! que de proscriptions, que de larmes, que de sang dans cette
période de 18 siècles, et vous êtes encore, fils de Juda!
“Contre la haîne, le mépris, le dédain, le dégoût vous avez franchi
ces obstacles, sans nombre, que les bourreaux des siècles d’aveugle
foi tendaient à votre passage, et l’éternelle main vous conduisait sans
cesse!
“Mais la France vous a faits libres!...
“Vous avez été citoyens et vous êtes nos frères!
“L’an 1789 a été pour vous la première étape de la réhabilitation, si
la réhabilitation est là où il n’y a pas la honte et infamie, mais là
où il y a eu un malheur!
“Marchez alors sous l’égide sacrée de cette France émancipatrice! Dans
sa mission libérale, son étoile de salut distingua échelonnés, sur la
route des peuples, toutes les races proscrites et tous les parias du
monde. Et vous étiez sur ce grand chemin, et l’opprobre et les malheurs
ombrageaient seuls l’épineuse et brûlante voie!”
“Elle vous appella dans ses assemblées, dans ses triomphes, dans ses
joies, dans ses malheurs; et au jour des délibérations, vous avez parlé,
et au jour des marches triomphales vous avez applaudi, et au jour de
nos malheurs, vous avez pleuré!...”
“Nous nous inclinons devant vous, hommes forts! Car vous fûtes forts
durant votre histoire antique; vous fûtes forts, depuis le drame de
Jérusalem; vous fûtes forts au temps du moyenâge, alors qu’il n’y avait
que deux noires puissances: l’inquisition avec la croix, les pirates
avec le croissant!
“Mais vous ne nous êtes pas arrivés tous jusqu’à nous. Combien n’en
a-t-il pas fallu pour payer l’immense tribu de 18 siècles!
“Mais, ceux qui restent, vous pouvez grandir encore et rebâtir la porte
de Jérusalem.
“C’est votre tâche. Dieu ne vous aurait pas conduits jusqu’à nos temps
s’il n’avait pas voulu vous réserver la plus sainte des missions....”
“Une haute mission vous est réservée. Placés comme un vivant trait
d’union entre trois mondes, vous devez amener la civilisation chez
les peuples inexpérimentés encore, vous devez leur porter les lumières
d’Europe que vous avez recueillies à flots.”
“Vous servirez d’intermédiaires entre l’Europe et l’extrême Asie, et
vous ouvrirez les grandes voies qui mènent aux Indes et à la Chine et
aux archipels encore inconnus, mais qu’il faudra explorer.
“Vous arriverez aux champs de Juda, avec la couronne du martyre et les
cicatrices des longues douleurs, et le monde s’inclinera et les fronts
se découvriront, comme devant un aîné des peuples!...”
“Vous avez assez aidé à civiliser les peuples, en Europe, à faire
avancer le progrès, à faire et à favoriser les révolutions; vous devez
maintenant songer au vallées du Liban et aux grandes plaines de
Génézareth.
“Marchez! Dans votre œuvre rénovatrice, nos cœurs vous suivront et nos
bras vous serviront d’aide!
“Nous le ferons! Vous avez en vous-mêmes de ces hommes si rares en
nos temps, qui out fait appel à vos sympathies, et à vos secours, pour
venir soulager nos frères dans le malheur!¹
¹ “L’illustre M. Crémieux, dont le nom, en ces circonstances,
ne saurait être jamais assez, non pas glorifié, mais
béni....”
“Cette voix que nous entendons encore a retenti d’un bout à l’autre du
monde. Et qui ne serait pas reconnaissant aujourd’hui du généreux élan
qu’a provoqué le grand homme?
“Marchez, Juifs de tous les pays!... L’antique patrie vous appelle, et
nous serons fiers de venir rouvrir vos foyers!”
“Marchez, fils de martyrs!...”¹
¹ La Nouvelle Question d’Orient. Empires d’Egypte et d’Arabie.
Reconstitution de la Nationalité Juive. Paris ... 1860. (8º.
47 _pp._) _pp._ 39‒41.
LXIV.
STATISTICS OF THE HOLY LAND
A FOLDED page with which the Addenda (Extracts from some of the reports,
letters, and addresses on agriculture in the Holy Land received by
Sir Moses Montefiore, F.R.S., etc. etc., during his sojourn there.
Translated from the originals, by Dr. L. Loewe) to Lady Montefiore’s
Notes from a Private Journal, 1844, concludes, is entitled:――
“A form of the lists giving a statistical account of the Children of
_Israel_ dwelling in the Holy Land. In the Year 5599/1839.” _These are
the names of the worthy persons fearing God, who resided in the Holy
City, in the year_ 5599‒1839.
The form is divided into seventeen columnar sections, headed with the
following queries:――
Number in Family――Names――Where born――Age――Date of arrival in the Holy
Land――How Situated――Occupation――Married――Single――Names and number of
children――Age above 13――Age under 13――Names of Widows――Age――Names of
Orphans――Age――Remarks.
Sir Moses, accompanied by his wife, first visited the Holy Land in 1827,
and the urgent necessity and vast importance of statistics must have
deeply impressed him, for we find that on his second pilgrimage, eleven
years later, he caused forms similar to the above, which were also
in Hebrew, to be distributed in the Holy Cities of Jerusalem, Safed,
Tiberias, Hebron, and in other towns and villages. The information
furnished was signed, countersigned and sealed by the Heads of each
_Kahal_.
Forms applicable to synagogues, colleges, schools, and various other
institutions were also circulated, requesting particulars as to
situation, the names of the ecclesiastical and lay heads, and other
officials. The purpose of each organization, its income and expenditure,
and a number of other minor details.
This information――collected for thirty-six years 5599‒5635 =
1839‒1875――was compiled and arranged by Dr. Louis Loewe (the life-long
friend of Sir Moses, whom he accompanied on thirteen of his missions
abroad) and transcribed in fifteen imperial folio volumes, a model of
Hebrew calligraphy.
In addition to these particulars of a personal nature, this invaluable
thesaurus contains information dealing with land, agriculture,
buildings, industries, cotton, oil, fruit-trees, and the condition
of the country in general. The volumes are now deposited at the Jews’
College, Queen Square House, London, but form part of the Library of
the Judith, Lady Montefiore Theological College of Ramsgate.
A wealth of material lies at the disposal of future historians and
statisticians, and it is devoutly to be hoped, that this great work
will find its proper resting-place in the Archives of Jerusalem.
LXV.
AN OPEN LETTER OF RABBI CHAYYIM ZEBI SNEERSOHN
OF JERUSALEM (1863)
“THERE were hundreds of Jews, preferring labour to starvation, to
be seen working for their daily bread at one shilling per day in the
fields of the so-called ‘Industrial Plantations for Jews,’ then under
the auspices of Mr. Finn, late English Consul for Palestine, and up
to the present time there are many Jews engaged in performing even
the most menial offices and doing their best to provide food for
their families. The other day a meeting was held by the Chief Rabbi,
Haim David Hassan, and many other notabilities of the different
congregations, at which I also attended. The subject proposed was
an enquiry to ascertain the number of those who are likely to devote
themselves to agricultural pursuits and to draw up a plan in which way
they could be helped in order to attain the object desired. The result
was that up to the present about one hundred heads of families declared
their readiness to go and till the ground of their fathers. The result
of the preliminary discussion on the plan to be adopted was to get a
_hodjet_, or secure possession from the Government or possession of
cultivated ground, consisting of gardens, olive trees, vineyards and
fields.”
Palestinian Rabbis were quick to recognize the activity of the British
Consul. James Finn was indeed an English pioneer of the idea of
colonization of Palestine and of Britain’s protection of Palestinian
Jews. He was appointed Consul before the death of Bishop Alexander
(who was a converted Jew and the first Bishop appointed by the British
Government in Jerusalem), in 1848, and the chief reason for his
appointment was his known love of the Jewish cause. He was at the
time a member of the London Society’s Committee, had published an
interesting and learned work on the History of the Spanish Jews, as
well as a tract upon the Chinese Jews, had devoted himself with great
zeal and rare success to the study of Hebrew, which he spoke and wrote
with fluency, and was considered on this account to be particularly
well qualified for the post of Consul at Jerusalem (another proof of
the great appreciation of the national Jewish character of Palestine
on the part of the British Government at that time). Finn went out
as a devoted friend to the Jewish cause, and such he proved himself
throughout. Though an ardent Christian, he won the sympathy of the most
orthodox Jerusalem Rabbis, and their moral support for the colonization
of Palestine.
Palestinian Jews themselves advocated the establishment of Jewish
agricultural colonies in 1863:――
“Behold, we are now awaking to a sense of the profound degradation
which systematic dependence on charity must produce and to the
awful demoralization which must be the necessary consequence of its
precariousness. The increasing prosperity of those around us makes
us the more deeply feel our own unutterable misery: while European
ideas, gradually penetrating to us, are rousing us from our apathy
and inspiring us more and more with the wish to wipe away from us the
disgrace of sloth, with which we are but too often stigmatized. We want
to work, and to work hard, in order to support ourselves by the sweat
of our brows. But there is in Palestine no other source of employment
capable of giving bread to a community consisting of thousands of
individuals, save agriculture. You dole out to us annually thousands
of pounds, just enough to keep us, year after year, on the brink of
starvation. This has now been going on for centuries, with the result
which we have seen. Now try whether a change for the better could not
be brought about. Lay out, by way of experiment, and on a small scale,
just to begin with, a portion of the funds destined for the Holy Land
in productive labour. Some of us, at least, will, instead of being
maintained in involuntary idleness, see what our handiwork can produce,
whereby you give the mere consumer of to-day a chance of becoming the
producer of to-morrow, and in time you may have the satisfaction of
seeing the country dotted with self-supporting agricultural colonies of
happy Jews――the very same who are now a burden to you, and whose cry of
distress every now and then resounds through the countries of the West.”
Rabbi Sneersohn was on a visit to Melbourne in 1861, and addressed (in
Hebrew) a “Meeting of the members of the Jewish Faith (to which persons
of other denominations were also invited) for the purpose of adopting
measures to assist in building houses of refuge on Mount Zion” (_The
Salvation of Israel_, an address, etc., by Rabbi Hayim Zwi Sneersohn,
Melbourne, 1862).
LXVI.
THE TRAGEDY OF A MINORITY,
AS SEEN BY AN ENGLISH JEWISH PUBLICIST (1863)
“THE whole Tragedy of our People is to be found in the fact that we
must everywhere _be in the minority_: and no matter how just our cause
may be, we shall always have to complain of slights and insults, of
being overlooked by accident or design, of being scorned by many,
and denounced by zealots or infidels, all for the sake of being a
minority.... But once again blessed with a Government of our own,
though only a small portion of Israelites should be found in their own
land, while the many would prefer to remain in the countries where they
now sojourn, and the advantages of which they might not wish to give up,
the feelings of the world would necessarily undergo a great change, and
the treatment meted out to us would not be what it is now. If we have
our agriculturists, our statesmen, our mechanics, our public teachers,
equal to the best found anywhere, who would dare to insult us by
stating that he knows us only as pedlars, bankers and merchants: and
class us as a whole among petty traders and men of low pursuits? No
effort which we can make, situated as we are all over the world, will
readily change the long habit which was forced on us to depend on
commerce, large and small, in all its branches, in which the meaner
necessarily predominated, owing to the exclusive laws to which we
were subjected: and therefore it will be centuries before the unjust
prejudices against us die out, if ever they can, in case we ever
succeed in divesting ourselves of that habit. If our land be restored
to us, and we to it, how nobly will our character, which is now
concealed and obscure, burst forth in all ancient vigour and beauty,
and we shall naturally present to the world again examples worthy of
imitation, and the harp of Judah, which has so long hung mute on the
willows of many a Babylon, will again resound to the master-touch
of the inspired poet. He will again sing aloud the praises of the
Most High. Our judges will sit on the judgment-seat of our ancient
counsellors, and decide for the lofty and the lowly according to the
demands of the Mosaic legislation: and the wisdom which had its chief
residence on the hills of Jerusalem will evermore be diffused to
enlighten a suffering world, and will prove its strength in contrast
with the failures of antagonistic systems.... Will this dream be
speedily realized? We cannot tell indeed: events occasionally creep
slowly over the face of the world, but at other times they rush rapidly
forward, and one great development follows closely on the heels of
the other. The same may be the case with the now apparently distant
restoration of Israelites to Palestine. The world is becoming rapidly
peopled: the boundaries of nations in the meanwhile are frequently
changed: jealousies of one people against another are constantly
developed: the balance of power, a vain desire to preserve peace among
men, is constantly vibrating to and fro. Is it then so unlikely that
an effort will be made to place in Palestine and the neighbourhood an
enterprising race which shall restore it?”
LXVII.
הברת ישוב ארץ ישראל ודרישת ציון בלאנדאן הבירה׃
LONDON HEBREW SOCIETY FOR THE COLONIZATION OF THE HOLY LAND
PLANS
“THE London Society for the Colonization of the Holy Land intends:――
“1. To collect funds for the purchase of deserted and desolate towns,
and fields and vineyards in the Holy Land, and to prepare Hebrew
Persons able and willing to work, so as to fit them for agricultural
labour in the Holy Land.
“2. All Israelites, expert in sacred scripture and the Hebrew language,
who are members of this society for six years, and prove their ability
in agriculture, honest, and of respectable behaviour, able and willing
to work, will be sent out to the Holy Land by this Society.
“3. On those sent out by the Society the sacred duty devolves to
fulfil faithfully the commandments of the תורה not to work――or cause to
work――on Sabbath, Festivals, Schemita, and Jobal, as well as to observe
לקט שכחה ופאה and all other commandments relating to the cultivation of
the soil in the Holy Land.
“4. All Israelites having lived uninterruptedly for three years in the
Holy Land will be considered as free members, and, after passing proper
examination, can enjoy the same rights as those who have contributed.
“5. A house, with adjoining land, and cattle, implements and all other
requirements for agriculture, and all necessaries for himself and his
family shall be provided by the Society until the soil is fertilised
and productive.
“6. In each colony the Society shall establish a Synagogue with all its
requirements as ס׳ת, etc., schools for children and adults, appoint and
pay Rabbis, readers and the other officials, provide books, &c.
“7. The Rabbi must not only have thorough knowledge of the Hebrew
language and Theology, but must also be expert in other sciences and
languages, especially the language of the country.
“8. Every colonist has the preference, after the stipulated time, to
farm the land fertilised by his labour, which land remains the property
of the society.
“9. The colonists will be placed under the protection of the great
European powers.
“10. Co-religionists trained to the use of arms will be appointed by
the society, to protect the colony from the attacks of the Bedouins;
also police to enforce the laws and to maintain order.
“11. Israelitish co-religionists of all countries and of either sex
will be accepted as members of the society.
“12. Those of other religions can only be accepted as honorary members.
“13. Boys and girls from 13 to 20 years of age, and persons more than
50 years of age can be members of the second class only.
“14. Children under 13 years of age are members of the third class.
“15. Communities forming societies among themselves will be accepted as
branches of this society.
“16. Members, who bequeath money or property, according to their means,
for the benefit of the society will be constituted perpetual members.
“17. Any member desiring to perpetuate the memory of deceased relations
or friends, can do so by paying a certain sum, according to his means,
to have them inscribed as perpetual members.
“18. Each member to pay an entrance fee of not less than 1s. 6d.,
one-third of which fee must be paid at the time of entrance.
“19. This third part will be used to meet the expenses of stationery,
printing, advertising, rent of lecture hall, management, &c., and for
the assistance of those persons preparing themselves for agriculture.
“20. Each member agrees to pay a certain voluntary contribution towards
the funds of the society, which sum has to be paid to the committee
every ראש חדש for which he will receive a receipt.
“21. A public meeting will be held every ר׳ח when the names of the
members and the amount of their contributions will be published.
“22. General meetings will be held three times during the year, at such
time and place as the monthly meetings shall appoint.
“23. Admission of non-members to the monthly meetings by ticket, to be
had gratis.
“24. None but members will be allowed to address the meeting.
Non-members can submit any question in writing, which will be
communicated, and if necessary discussed at the meeting.
“25. To explain and to illustrate the principles of the society,
lectures will be delivered every Sabbath in the hall of the society,
to which members have free admission, non-members by ticket, sold for
the benefit of the society.
“The land will be divided by ballot, for which members of the first
class only are qualified. For assistance and for instruction every
member of six months standing, in the first and second class, has a
claim.
“Members who shall have obtained a plot of land and should not
desire to emigrate, can convey the same to another person, provided he
be qualified as described in Rule 2.”¹
¹ כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל The Hebrew National. A weekly Journal [Edited by
Herschel Filipowski] ... London, vol. i., No. 2, Feb. 22nd,
1867, _pp._ 29‒30.
An appeal from this Society “By order of the Committee, E. I.
Polak, Secretary (_pro tem._),” appeared in a specimen of a
unique newspaper lent to me by Mr. James H. Lowe, entitled
יידיש דייטשע צייטוננ׃ London Jews’ Weekly Times, No. 4, 31st May
= 26 _Iyar_, but the year is omitted. The advertisements
were printed, but the news was lithographed. The offices
were situated at 4 Sun street, and the paper was published
by Harris Leyserowich of No. 3 Sweedland Court, Bishopsgate
Street, City.
LXVIII.
AN OPEN LETTER OF HENRI DUNANT (1866)
“THE disquieting circumstances in which Europe finds itself should not
let us forget that the Eastern question, which has already troubled
the Governments and peoples, may speedily reappear and complicate a
position grave enough in itself. Instinctively every one feels that the
day when this question will call for a definite solution, all Europe
will perhaps be in inextricable difficulties.
“Diplomatic difficulties can only end in barren expedients, but the
present, which is averse to a system of forcible conquest by fire and
sword, has a much more powerful weapon at its disposal――that of pacific
conquest by civilization.
“What is therefore to be done in order to prevent grave complications,
and regenerate the East by rousing its vital forces and infusing into
it the spirit of Western civilization?
“One of the most powerful means would be the formation of a large
society, having an eminently international character, and which would
have thereby the merit of reconciling the particular interests of the
several European Powers with those of civilization. This Society would
open for the West new and abundant sources of wealth: it would become
for the East an efficient means of moral regeneration: and lastly would
be for all nations co-operating in the matter a great honour and a
great profit.
“The following is the manner in which such an association may be
presented to the European public:――
“Objects of the Eastern International Society:――
“To promote the development of agriculture, industry, commerce, and
public works in the East, and especially in Palestine. To obtain
from the Turkish Government privileges and monopolies, whether in
Constantinople or the rest of the Empire: notably the concession and
the gradual abandonment of the soil of Palestine. To distribute for
pecuniary considerations such portions of the land, the concession
whereof might have been acquired or received by the Company, and to
colonize the more fertile valleys of the Holy Land.
“The Turkish Empire contains virtues of all kinds, which, if they were
utilized by a powerful company, would yield considerable results; but
the Porte neither possesses the resources nor the necessary forces
in order to create and lead to a favourable issue the works of public
utility, which the internal development of the Ottoman Empire so
urgently demands: left to her own resources she can neither augment her
revenues nor form new ones, she is unable to give energetic support to
either agriculture or industry, which are the only means of increasing
public wealth and prosperity.
“It is therefore for the West, which possesses the capital and where
the creative forces are superabundant, to turn to an account the real
advantages presented by Turkey, and to take in hand a work capable of
yielding excellent results. Skilfully conducted, operations in this
new country bring in a very high interest: but new combinations must
be devised, which should enjoy both the approval of the European
Powers, and the support of the Sultan’s Porte. Therefore, in order
not to weaken its forces, the Society must utilize certain special
circumstances in which Turkey is now placed, and Palestine offers
itself at first sight to the mind as the earliest field of activity.
“Palestine, as known, only wants human labour in order to produce
abundantly: it is one of the most remarkable and fruitful countries
on the globe: products of all latitudes are to be met with there,
and emigrants from Europe find there the climate of their country.
Commerce and private industry completing the work of agriculture,
will draw hither in numbers merchants, colonists and capitalists.
This resurrection of the East, uniting with the new rise of religious
sentiment, will be aided by the co-operation of Israelites, whose
valuable qualities and remarkable aptitudes cannot but prove very
advantageous to Palestine.
“Having established commercial undertakings at Constantinople and
other cities of the Turkish Empire, the Society will construct at Jaffa
a port and a good road, a railway from this city to Jerusalem. The
territory through which the railway runs should be granted by Turkey
to the Society, which might sell it to Israelitish families. These in
their turn would create colonies and make them prosperous, with the
help and the labour of those of their Eastern brethren whose love for
their ancient country has maintained itself as ardently as formerly.
Special committees might at their cost send Israelitish emigrants from
Morocco, Poland, Moldavia, Wallachia, the East, Africa, etc.
“The result pursued and obtained by the Society by means of a sincere
international understanding, the co-operation of those interested in
Turkey, and the establishment of Western populations in Palestine, will
infallibly be in a less distant future than might be imagined.
“The reconstruction of Holy Places at Jerusalem, which might be carried
out internationally, and in a manner worthy of Christendom: the end of
conflicts which are being incessantly renewed between the Great Powers
on account of the Holy Places: the transformation of ancient Jerusalem
into a new city which shall rival in importance the finest cities in
the West: the creation of European colonies which in time will become
centres when Western civilization will spread into Turkey and penetrate
the extreme East.
“Under the nominal suzerainty of the Sultan the Society will administer
with intelligence and equity the territories that might develop upon
it. Thus India has long been administered and governed by an English
company. The Sultan, grateful for the financial support which will
be given to him, might, perhaps, grant to the Holy Land a special
administration, which, under the high direction of the Porte, would
offer real security to the populations that might repair thither, and
guarantees for the funds that might be employed there. Thanks to this
combination, which would procure for her valuable resources, Turkey
would not be obliged to contract new loans in order to pay the interest
on previous ones.
“The rising colonies might diplomatically be neutralized, like
Switzerland, and by a treaty which would have some analogy to the
Convention signed at Geneva in favour of the _amboulance_, sanitary
bodies, and wounded soldiers. It would not, moreover, be so difficult
to neutralize Palestine by an agreement among the Powers, since there
exists a remarkable precedent, which is the neutralization of the Lower
Danube officially obtained from the Seven Powers, who signed the treaty
at Paris. Now the Commission of the Lower Danube has created its flag
and a small fleet, it possesses a numerous staff and revenues: it
actually seeks to contract a loan, the same as an independent state.
“In order to prepare the organization of an International Eastern
Society, it is necessary that the minds should be induced to
occupy themselves with these great and interesting questions. It
is indispensable for this purpose to form a committee composed of
influential and honourable men of different nations and different
opinions, having at heart the success of these views in the general
interest. For the rest the elements of such a committee are quite clear.
“Its programme, at the same time economic, humanitarian, scientific,
etc., is also international: it cannot hurt the susceptibilities of
any nation. Influential men in France, England, and elsewhere are
favourably disposed to the scheme.”¹
¹ Société Nationale Universelle pour la Renouvellement de
l’Orient [Henri Dunant] Paris ... 1866.
LXIX.
AN APPEAL OF RABBI ELIAS GUTMACHER AND RABBI HIRSCH KALISCHER
TO THE JEWS OF ENGLAND (1867)
_Appeal to Our Brethren_
THOU shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters
shall plant and shall eat them as common things. Jeremiah, chap. xxxi.
And I will raise up for them a plant of renown and they shall be no
more consumed with hunger in the land. Ezekiel xxxiv.
Hear ye generous people, learn ye who take an interest in holy matters,
show your tender feelings towards our brethren in the holy land!
Think of the abandoned, devastated, sacred soil. Thus voices and
signs urgently warn you, pointing out to you that the time long ago
vouchsafed has arrived to render them effectual help.
Destructive epidemic diseases and famine ravage in that land in the
same awful way this year as they did in the past one and your ever so
abundantly flowing gifts and donations are not efficient to alleviate
the misery, to satiate the hunger; upon us the needy cast their looks
and crave for relief. But there is only _one_ way, _one_ remedy to
prevent a recurrence of such distress, and that is: colonization,
cultivation and improvements of the Palestine soil.
This proposal, suggested already many years ago, urges now more than
ever upon final realization, the soil must be redeemed. The society,
“Alliance Israélite,” in Paris, so great in its activity, at the head
of which M. Adolphe Crémieux stands as president, has declared itself
in favor of this idea and promised its own assistance and interference
(_sic_) elsewhere, to accomplish the object, as we have seen from that
society’s recently published half-yearly report.
A letter Sir Moses Montefiore addressed to us after his safe return
from Palestine states that the idea has been approved of there also.
Sir Moses in the same letter says that from Zephat alone sixty Jewish
families addressed to him personally the fervent prayer for a grant
of land for agricultural purposes. That the hard tried Israelitish
inhabitants of Schabatz in Servia have declared themselves ready to
emigrate for the purpose of cultivating the Palestine soil, is known
to us already, through the medium of Hebrew periodicals.――To realize
the idea in question, money must be raised before anything can be
done: the funds in hand are not sufficient, the number of Subscribers
must increase, and the subscriptions be permanent. The leaders of
congregations should take the matter in hand and every member of a
congregation in good circumstances ought to join the society, with a
yearly contribution of two Thalers (six shillings), by which they would
be instrumental in the performance of the religious commands attached
to the sacred soil just as if they themselves had been performing it.
To enable members in more humble circumstances to contribute, quarterly
payments might be received. But he whom the Almighty has blessed
with earthly fortunes and who has the heart for the sufferings of
his co-religionists anywhere in the Universe――he should not fail to
join the “Alliance Israélite” of Paris, as a member with a yearly
contribution of 1 Thaler 10 Sgr. (4 Shillings), and thus further
the great aim. Two treasurers have been appointed by us to receive
contributions. The well-known Banker, Mr. Seegall, in Posen, is Chief
Treasurer, and Mr. S. Fuerst, in Schmiegel, Special Treasurer for
amounts up to 100 Thalers (£15). The latter Gentleman has offered to
pay all postages out of his own private pocket, and is resolved to
go at his own expense to Palestine and to make a beginning with the
colonization; perhaps the undersigned Mr. Hirsch Kalischer may take
upon himself the expense and hardships of such a voyage, to see there
after the strict observance of the religious commands connected with
agriculture in Palestine. Were there one at least in every congregation
that would zealously take the matter in hand; we would willingly confer
upon him the diploma of a Governor of the society and give him the
necessary instructions. We are also ready to purchase a priceworthy
piece of land in Palestine on account and in the name of any of our
wealthier brethren in faith that would remit to us a sum for the
purpose, and to have it administered according to their instructions.
We hope that with the proper assistance from the congregations of
Israel and by the aid of the Omnipotent we shall in a very short time
be able to give effect to the idea of Colonization.
Thorn in the month of _Marcheshvan_ 5627. “Be of good courage, and let
us play the men for our people and for the cities of our God” (2 Samuel
x. 12).
ELIAS GUTMACHER, Rabbi in Graetz.
HIRSCH KALISCHER, Rabbi in Thorn.¹
¹ כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאַל The Hebrew National, vol. i., No. i., Feb. 15th,
1867, _p._ 6.
LXX.
ALEXANDRE DUMAS (_fils_) AND ZIONISM
IN _La Femme de Claude_, pp. 50‒51, Daniel says:
“Nous sommes dans une époque où chaque race a résolu de revendiquer et
d’avoir bien à elle son sol, son foyer, sa langue et son temple. Il y
a assez longtemps que nous autres Israélites, nous sommes dépossédés
de tout cela. Nous avons été forcés de nous glisser dans les
interstices des nations, d’où nous avons pénétré dans les intérêts des
gouvernements, des sociétés, des individus. C’est beaucoup, ce n’est
pas assez. On croit encore que la persécution nous a dispersés, elle
nous a répandus; et nous tenant par la main, nous formons aujourd’hui
un filet dans lequel le monde pourrait bien se trouver pris le jour où
il lui viendrait à l’idée de nous redevenir hostile ou de se déclarer
ingrat. En attendant nous ne voulons plus être un groupe, nous voulons
être un peuple, plus qu’un peuple, une nation. La patrie idéale ne nous
suffit plus, la patrie fixe et territoriale nous est redevenue
nécessaire, et je pars pour chercher et lever notre acte de naissance
légalisé.”
Isidore Cahen writes, Le Daniel de la Femme du Claude “... prévoit
et prédit une restauration matérielle de la grandeur de Juda, la
reconstitution d’un Etat politique juif! M. Dumas va jusqu’à citer
le vœu célébre de la Hagadah: ‘L’année prochaine à Jérusalem....’
“Dans ces vœux qui contiennent nos livres traditionelles il n’y a
qu’une espérance allégorique un vœu mystique: c’est une Jérusalem
idéale, ... et non pas une Jérusalem politique....”¹
¹ _Archives Israélites_, 1ᵉʳ Fevrier, 1873, _p._ 86.
... Il faut que je sois bien maladroit et que je dise bien mal ce
que je veux dire pour qu’il y ait erreur sur mon appréciation des
Israélites. Le jour où j’ai écrit la Femme de Claude, j’ai cru les
glorifier. Je ne vois pas que Daniel et Rebecca ne représentent pas un
idéal supérieur et si Daniel menace un moment ceux qui pourraient se
montrer hostiles ou ingrats de la puissance que ses coreligionnaires
out acquise, il a parfaitement raison. Ce n’est pas quand depuis
près de deux mille ans une race subit l’injustice et la persécution
comme l’a fait votre race, qu’elle va, après de grands services
rendus, supporter l’ingratitude et l’hostilité de ceux qu’elle a tirés
d’affaire. Il n’en est pas moins vrai que lors de l’apparition de la
Femme de Claude, beaucoup de vos co-religionnaires se sont trompés sur
mes intentions et que quelquesuns ont organisé une cabale contre la
pièce. Je ne leur en veux pas. Je ne ferai jamais entrer une question
personnelle dans ce jugement que je puis avoir à porter historiquement
et philosophiquement sur toute une Nation.
... Comme j’assiste pendant le temps que je passe sur la terre
aux évolutions de l’humanité à laquelle j’appartiens, je m’amuse
quelquefois à essayer de prévoir et même de prédire la direction
qu’elles peuvent prendre. Comme j’ai bien étudié celles de votre race,
que je l’ai vue asservie et persécutée de tous temps et en ces mêmes
temps toujours patiente et laborieuse, je me suis, dans mon intérieur,
pris de sympathie pour elle, et si j’avais été capable de pratiquer
une religion c’est à celle de ces persécutés et de ces laborieux que
je serais allé. Quand un peuple a établi toute la morale humaine sur
dix petits versets, il peut vraiment se dire le peuple de Dieu, étant
donné la conception que les hommes les plus éclairés peuvent se faire,
derrière Moise d’un Dieu personnel. Seulement j’ai le tort d’appliquer
à ceux que j’étudie et qui m’intéressent les idées que j’aurais si
j’étais à leur place..., quand j’ai vu les évènements politiques nous
apporter en 1870, en établissant la République et en nous retirant de
Rome, vous apporter la revanche de tant d’injustices et d’humiliations
patiemment supportées, je me suis demandé quelle mission je me
donnerais, si dans les idées où je suis, j’étais membre de ce peuple
particulier. Je me suis dit alors que je n’aurais qu’une idée, ce
serait de reprendre possession de mon sol d’origine et de tradition
et de rebâtir le temple de Jérusalem, sinon sur la place du tombeau
du Christ, du moins en face. C’est cette idée que j’ai incarnée dans
Daniel. On m’a dit souvent depuis, que je me trompais sur les ambitions
des Israélites, qu’ils ne pensaient plus à ces représailles-là, que
leur idéal était de vivre en paix avec les différentes nations qui leur
out donné droit de cité et qu’ils out renoncé à finir leurs jours dans
un foyer à eux. Tant pis pour eux, si c’est vrai. Il est bon d’avoir
un idéal, même quand il est irréalisable. Voilà mon cher ami, aussi
brièvement que possible, mes idées sur vos coreligionnaires. Ils m’ont
toujours inspiré les sentiments que leur courage, leur persévérance,
leurs malheurs, leurs efforts de toutes sortes doivent inspirer à des
esprits de bonne foi et à des consciences désintéressées....¹
¹ The foregoing are extracts from a hitherto unpublished letter
sent by Alexandre Dumas (fils) to a prominent French Jew. It
is dated 1873.
LXXI.
APPEAL OF DUNANT’S ASSOCIATION
FOR THE COLONISATION OF PALESTINE (1867)
PALESTINE COLONISATION
To the Editor of the _Jewish Chronicle_.
“... International undertaking for the Rejuvenescence of Palestine.
――Palestine is a rich and fertile country, although now little
populated, and therefore uncultivated. A soil greatly subject
to a variety of circumstances is the cause of a great variety of
meteorological conditions. Hence a great variety of productions
peculiar nearly to every latitude; hence also a great facility for
every colonist to find in his new country a climate approaching that
of his native land.
“It is not to be feared that the colonisation of the Holy Land,
judiciously carried on, can lack warm sympathies or labour under a want
of colonists. Numerous adhesions from emigrants by the thousand, easy
in circumstances and willing to work, have already addressed themselves
to the founders of the undertaking for the rejuvenescence of Palestine.”
“The new reforms introduced by the Ottoman Government, the law which
authorised strangers to purchase and hold real estate in the Turkish
empire, the road now being constructed from Jaffa to Jerusalem, the
works projected in the port of Jaffa, the improvements effected in the
great lines of communication――all these undertakings and circumstances
united seem to indicate that the moment could not be better chosen for
commencing the colonisation of Palestine....”
“The capital required for such an undertaking would not long remain
unproductive; indeed, the financial operation of the company that
should be formed for this purpose would be one of the simplest.
“The uncultivated land in Palestine purchased of the Ottoman Government
at a comparatively small price, and with facilities for payment, resold
at a higher figure, would bring in an important profit. The increase in
the value of this land――a direct result of the colonisation――would be
an additional guarantee for the realisation of this expectation.
“The supply to the colony of agricultural and industrial tools, a
trade of importation organized on a scale strictly proportionate to the
acknowledged wants of the new settlement, would offer to the company a
field for a second operation, which, presenting neither risk nor peril,
would nevertheless insure from the very beginning undoubted profits.
“The life which begins to stir in the port of Jaffa will take a fresh
rise with the development of agriculture and manufacture in colonised
Palestine. The rejuvenescence of Central Asia, which England on the
one hand and Russia on the other pursue with so much vigour――the
former in the way of peace and the latter in that of war――will not
fail favourably to react on the trade of the coast of Syria, once so
flourishing, and the decline of which only dates from the fall of the
great empire of Persia.
“Ancient Phœnicia, the cities of Tyre and Sidon, the richest of
antiquity, owed their prosperity only to the intermediate trade carried
on between the east and the west. The fall of the empire founded by
Cyrus produced in Central Asia so great a moral and material decay that
the trade and industrial pursuits of these immense regions perished
from inanity. Tyre and Sidon had no longer any basis for existence;
their grandeur accordingly gradually declined. Alexander, after these
splendid and proud cities, succeeded in forming direct relations with
India, which the founder of this empire had brought nigh to Europe. But
Alexandria in its turn had to experience fortune’s inconstancy. Since
the discovery of the route to India to the day when steamers and the
railway to Suez restored to it some life, desertion and oblivion were
its lot. The piercing of the isthmus of Suez will end by restoring
to Alexandria its pristine importance. The trade of India will once
more completely come back to it, but the cities on the coast of Syria
and Jaffa in particular will not the less remain mistresses of every
commercial market of Central Asia, upon which a new destiny is dawning.
“A great economical revulsion in the old world is preparing, and the
coast of Palestine will again become as in days of old, in common
with that of Lower Egypt, the centre of all exchange between the old
continents.
“The Palestine Company has therefore an immense future, which it
is easy to foresee even now, but we must allow events to proceed in
the development of its activity beyond the modest limits which we at
present mark out for it.
“Paris and Jerusalem, March, 1866 and September, 1867.”
The address of the secretary-general of this undertaking is Paris, 24,
Rue de la Paix.¹
¹ _Jewish Chronicle and Hebrew Observer_, December 13, 1867,
_p._ 6.
LXXII.
EDWARD CAZALET’S ZIONIST VIEWS
“IT was through the armed intervention of England, that, in the year
1841, Syria was transferred from Egyptian to Turkish rule. At that time
Lord Palmerston was in office; and his policy, as he explained to the
French Ambassador, M. de Bourgoing, was to turn Syria into a desert
under Turkish rule, and interpose this desert between the Sultan and
his Egyptian vassal. In confirmation of this, which may seem to some
an astounding statement, I can only refer you to ‘Guizot’s Memoirs,’
vol. 2, p. 525 ... to Syria assuredly reparation is due on the part of
England.... To attempt to improve the Turkish Government of Syria is,
for obvious reasons, a hopeless task.... No other country has anything
like the same interest in Syria, that we have; besides which, it is
to the English nation alone that the population of Syria look for
protection and support....
“It was England who handed this country over to the Turks in 1841.
Turkey has ever since abused her charge, and it is only just that she
should be now called upon to transfer it into more capable hands.”
“The Arabs, who form two-thirds of the whole of the population of Syria,
and are for most part lords of the soil, are with very few exceptions
completely illiterate, regardless of truth, dishonest in their dealings,
and immoral in their conduct. In large towns the greater proportion
of the upper classes are both physically and mentally feeble, owing to
the effects of polygamy, early marriages, and degrading vices. Out of
such elements there is no possibility of creating a ruling class. The
other sects are too few in number, and too bigoted and superstitious,
to be of any assistance in the government of the country. If, then,
the regeneration of Syria is to be attempted, it must of necessity
come from without, and can only be brought about by an influx of an
industrious and more enlightened people. Fortunately this last resource
is not denied to us. The restoration of the Jews to their own land,
seems to me the only practicable means by which the regeneration of
Syria can be effected. You must not imagine that this event, important
though it unquestionably must be, need cause any great perturbation in
Europe, or prove in any way a strain upon the resources of England. All
that is required is that England should create the conditions under
which a large number of Jews would gradually migrate on their own
account to Syria and Palestine. The first condition of such a movement
is that law and order should be introduced under our Protectorate....
“But there is another influence which would greatly assist the
colonization of the country. It has long been a cherished project with
the Jews to establish a college in the Holy Land, which would serve as
a centre of Jewish philosophy and science. Such an institution would
readily meet with support, and incalculably quicken the pulses of their
national life. With an extensive literature in their own language,
in which every branch of philosophy and science is represented, the
Jews would be able to make such an institution a genuine centre of
intellectual activity. The leading learned men of the Jewish race would
be naturally attracted to such a national centre, and would form a
nucleus round which all the intellect of the nation would gather, by
means of which the necessary elements of the future government of the
country might be formed. I understand that the most suitable site for
this college has already been generally agreed upon.
“I have still to show you that these attractions would be sufficient to
induce numbers of Jewish families to migrate to Syria. The total number
of the Jews throughout the world is variously estimated from eight
to ten millions. Of those the greater number――probably six millions
――inhabit Russia and the old Polish provinces which now belong to
Austria, Germany and Roumania. The condition of the Jews in Russia
is deplorable in the extreme. They are denied civil rights. They are
forbidden to hold landed property. They are treated as aliens, and
are restricted to limited areas in which they suffer from the evils of
over-population. These conditions have induced no fewer than 250,000
Jews to emigrate to America within the last thirty or forty years,
and it may be confidently predicted that Syria under our protectorate
would offer still greater attractions. The land of Palestine alone,
is capable of supporting ten times its present population. It may seem
strange to say of the Jews who are scattered throughout the world,
that they still consider this to be their fatherland. But, if they are
denied the actual possession of it, they still bear it in their hearts.
Three times a day every Jew offers up a prayer for the restoration of
his race to the land and the temple, from which he has been exiled
for eighteen centuries. It is a remarkable fact that this scattered
and downtrodden people possess within themselves all the elements
which go to form a united nation. They have a code of laws for their
own government; they have a literature, a history, a language and a
religion, which are peculiar to them. Their education is, with some
exceptions, on a par with that of the most civilized nations. Numbers
of them excel in all the different branches of mechanics and art; and
in trade and finance they are, as we all know, unrivalled. Though last,
not least they are a people who would fight bravely in the defence of
their country.
“During the last twenty years of the reign of the Emperor Nicholas,
the military conscription fell heavily upon the Jews. In proportion
to their numbers, for every Russian that was enlisted, five Jews were
compelled to enter the service; and during the late Turkish war they
bore themselves bravely in the face of the enemy. _No one who has any
knowledge of the Jewish character can for a moment doubt that if the
Jews were restored to their country under an English protectorate they
would prove true to our nation, and that Syria would become as firmly
united to England as if it were peopled by our own countrymen._”¹
¹ England’s Policy in the East: our Relations with Russia
and the Future of Syria. By Edward Cazalet. Second Edition.
London: ... 1879. [8º. iv + 32 _pp._ in printed wrapper.]
_pp._ 22‒26.
LXXIII.
A COLLECTION OF OPINIONS OF ENGLISH CHRISTIAN AUTHORITIES
ON THE COLONIZATION OF PALESTINE
1. _General Sir Charles Warren’s Views_
“MY proposal is simply an _arrangement_ by which, ... Palestine, this
unfortunate land may yet be placed in ... a position which may enable
her again to take a place socially among the kingdoms of the earth....”
“It will probably at once occur, ‘And what of the Arabs of Palestine?’
I ask in reply, ‘Who are the Arabs?’ They are certainly not Turks in
any degree; they are for the most part not Arabs of Arabia, of the
Desert. Then who are they? It has long been known, and no person has
thrown more light upon the subject than M. Ganneau, that the people of
Palestine are of a very mixed race: some of Canaanitish descent, some
Jewish, some of Arabia. It is evident that many of them being Moslems
are so for convenience,... We cannot, therefore, look upon the natives
of Palestine as rigid Moslems of one race; but we must recognize
them as descendants of Canaanites, Israelites, Greeks, Romans, Arabs,
and Crusaders, now professing the Moslem or the Christian faith,
according to circumstances, but retaining above everything the ancient
traditions――yes, and in some instances, I have little doubt, their
veritable old religion.”
“Palestine is about the size and shape of Wales, and has now a
population of about one and a half millions. Give her good government,
and quicken the commercial life of the people, and they may increase
tenfold, and yet there be room. The soil is so rich, the climate so
varied, that within ordinary limits it may be said that the more people
it contains, the more it may. Its productiveness will increase in
proportion to the labour bestowed on the soil, until a population of
fifteen millions might be accommodated there.
“Let us observe how the country may be improved. It consists of the
hill country, or mountain districts; the Shephalah or swelling hills,
or _wolds_; the maritime and Jordan plains, and the tablelands of
Arabia.
“All these are most productive naturally; but are, for the most part,
at present enjoying a long Sabbath.
“In the hill country, even now the white skeletons of the old system of
terracing are visible in parts; but the rich loamy soil is washed down
into the wadies, leaving the hillsides bare and desolate, and glaring
in their nakedness. A cultivated strip may be seen at the bottom of
the wady, subject to being swept away by any storm of rain forming a
torrent down the bare hillsides, or withered before its time by the
reflection of the sun from the bare rocks.
“Place the valley in proper hands, and note the results. The earth from
the bottom will be carefully carried up the hillsides, and laid out in
terraces, on which are planted young trees――those of a more delicate
nature being placed on the northern declivity, in order that they may
suffer less from the sun’s rays. The trees thrive rapidly, as they
will do in Palestine; the rain falls, but not as heretofore, rushing
fiercely down the bare rocks, and forming a torrent in the valley.
No; now it falls on the trees and terraces, percolates quietly into
the soil and into the rocky hillside, and is thus absorbed, scarcely
injuring the crops at the bottom of the valley. The rain that sinks
into the rocks will shortly reissue in perennial springs, so refreshing
in a thirsty land. The trees, having moisture in the soil at their
roots, spread out their leaves in rich groves over the land. The
sun’s rays now do not fall on the ground, but on the green leaves and
fruit, by which they are intercepted and absorbed, giving no glare or
reflection. The heat of the sun causes a moisture to rise from the
trees and soil beneath them, which, on reaching the higher and cooler
winds, is condensed into visible vapour, constantly forming as the
breeze passes over the grove, so that each grove, so to speak, supplies
its own umbrella. The climate is thus changed. Where were hot, glaring
sun, dry wind, dry earth, stony land, absence of vegetable products,
are now to be found fleecy clouds floating through the balmy air,
the heat of the sun tempered by visible and invisible vapours, groves
with moist soil, trickling streamlets issuing from the rocks, villages
springing up apace, Palestine regenerated.
“This is no dream. I have seen this change take place in Palestine in
three years, on a small scale. Why is the Lebanon so different to the
hill country of Palestine? In a great measure, because, by reason of
its position and conformation, its woods have not been cut down....
“Again, on the east of Jordan, in Gilead, I have seen the same. After
riding for miles through the ruins in the glaring summer atmosphere,
through a country denuded of trees, nearly choking with the scorching
wind, I came upon a district where the ancient woods had not been
cut down. Immediately a change was felt: clouds were seen hanging
over the woods, the air became soft and pleasant, the sun’s rays beat
less fiercely, flowers were seen under the trees, blackberries on the
brambles, water gushing out from the hillsides, birds chirping in the
shade. This was not due to any change in the atmosphere generally, but
was entirely local, and due to the presence of trees. In fact, there
are spots where you can, on the same level, change the climate in an
hour by passing from the bare land to that which is well wooded.
“This matter I have frequently examined into in Palestine. I mention
one particular instance. During the prevalence of hot winds at
Jerusalem, I noticed two clouds constantly stationary a few miles off,
in an otherwise cloudless sky. On riding over towards them, I found
them to be hanging over two large olive groves about seven miles off,
recently planted by the Greek convents. Although the wind was blowing
briskly, the moisture ascending was condensed as quickly as it rose,
and formed an umbrella over these groves.
“In the wolds of Palestine the same process may be continued. Not so
much terracing is wanted, but much planting of wood, particularly on
the south side――trees of a hardy growth; so that, with a green southern
slope opposite, the delicate fruit trees planted on the northern slopes
may bring their fruit to perfection.
“The water, which will now be found gushing from the rock, from
springs which have long been silent, will be carried in ducts along
the hillsides, and used for irrigation purposes, passing thence into
the plain, where it can still be used for irrigation, or else assist
in filling up the wells near to the surface of the ground――wells which
have hitherto been between thirty to ninety feet deep.
“Now again we shall find a difference in the crops in the plain.
Hitherto there has been but one season, and then a long interval of
desolation, from July to November, when the heaven is of brass and
the earth iron. During this long period, scarcely a green blade can be
seen over the vast plains――nothing but sticks, and stones, and dust;
the monotony relieved only by the noise of the gulgul careering on the
wings of the whirlwind....
“The presence of water brought down on the surface from the hills,
together with the vast groves of trees to be planted, causes a change.
The latter rains of June will be found to fall, giving a second
season――a never-ending succession of crops. The fulfilment of the
Prophecies will commence taking place――when the ploughman shall
overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed....
“The advance of the rolling sand-hills, which is now overwhelming the
fairest of the maritime plains, may now be arrested. The rich ground
between Gaza and Ascalon, which the sand has swallowed up, must
again be recovered. This can easily be effected, by the planting of
_coniferæ_ along the sea coast, as has been done already at Beyrout....
If we examine the Jordan valley, we find even greater changes can be
effected: it can be made far more fertile than it ever was....
“The whole valley, however, may be made one vast garden, not merely
by rebuilding the great aqueducts, remains of which still exist, and
by means of which the great cities were watered, but by means of the
Jordan river itself. The Jordan, out of Tiberias, falls ten feet to the
mile, or 600 feet in sixty miles.... The waters of the Jordan might be
brought out of Tiberias in aqueducts falling one foot to the mile, and
thus be brought over the great plain of Basan and of Jericho, and be
made to irrigate all the lands which the streams have not touched. At
the same time, the streams themselves will have increased exceedingly
from the development of the country in the high lands.
“The country can thus be transformed.”¹
¹ The Land of Promise; or, Turkey’s Guarantee. By Charles
Warren. London: George Bell and Sons, York Street, Covent
Garden. 1875. (8º. 24 _pp._ in printed wrapper) _pp._ 5‒6,
8, 14‒20.
2. _The Rev. James Neil on the Colonization Movement_
“At a moment when all eyes are turned to the East, it cannot be
unimportant to learn that, after the slumber of ages, Palestine is
awakening to new life, and Israel are actually returning to its shores
in such numbers, and at the same time in such a way as they have never
been known to do, or could have done, since their formal banishment
by the Emperor Hadrian, in the year A.D. 135. Many Jews, it is true,
driven ruthlessly out of Spain in 1492, found a home in the Holy
Land. To go still further back, the celebrated Hebrew traveller,
Benjamin of Tudela, tells us in the twelfth century that he found
considerable numbers residing in the various towns of Palestine which
he visited――descendants, perhaps, amongst others, of some of the 30,000
who joined the arms of Chosroes the Persian in his capture of Jerusalem,
A.D. 616, or even of the Jews whom Julian the Apostate restored, A.D.
363, when he vainly endeavoured to discredit Christianity by rebuilding
the Temple. But there is this all-important difference between what
happened in the case of those who then returned, and those who are
now flocking back to the land of their forefathers. While in the
former instances, whether under Pagan, Christian, or Moslem masters,
they were, as all history shows, equally the subjects of extortion,
oppression and contumely: now they are beginning to hold a position of
comfort, independence, and power. This remarkable change is in itself
significant, and the whole movement should surely be watched by the
student of prophecy with eager and expectant attitude....
“... The feeling everywhere seems abroad that the time has at last
arrived to restore the desolations of Zion, and to rebuild the waste
places of the land of Israel. The very existence of ‘The Syrian and
Palestine Colonisation Society,’ which is about a year old, constitutes
a striking expression of such a sentiment. This society, according
to its prospectus, has ‘been formed to promote the Colonisation of
Syria and Palestine and the neighbouring countries by persons of good
character, whether Christians or Jews. ’ This it proposes to effect by
obtaining information for intending settlers, and making arrangements
for their transport and reception; by assisting approved applicants
with advances; and by making arrangements for the purchase of land by
the emigrants, or securing suitable tracts of Government waste lands,
under certain guarantees; and by exerting themselves to improve the
communications. Having mentioned this association, let me plainly say,
from an intimate experience of this matter, that there are at present a
variety of reasons why emigration to Palestine by English people cannot
possibly be undertaken with any hope of success, in the same way as
emigrants to the United States or to a British Colony. In the first
place, the heat of the plains is too great to admit of their labouring
during summer with their own hands. The German colonists in attempting
this have suffered a fearful mortality. Again, to employ Arab labour
to advantage, and to hold any dealings with the people, the peculiar
manners and customs of the East must be known, and colloquial Arabic
to some extent be mastered. But, above all, the want of thorough
protection to life and property so long as Palestine remains in Ottoman
hands is greatly against any emigration scheme that does not include
European government for the whole colony. Hence the evident wisdom in
such a case of the plan put forth by Captain Charles Warren, R.E., in
a pamphlet, published last year, entitled ‘_The Land of Promise, or
Turkey’s Guarantee_.’ This officer, who has an intimate acquaintance
with Syria, derived from his able work there on behalf of the Palestine
Exploration Fund, proposes that, if only as a solution of the pecuniary
embarrassments of the Porte, Palestine should be handed over to
a company similar to the old East India Company, to be farmed and
governed by such an association for a period of twenty years. He
suggests that such a Company should pay to Turkey its present revenues,
and to the creditors of Turkey a proportion of the interest due to
them, taking for itself six per cent. on its capital and expending
the remaining revenue in improving the country. What he considers the
ultimate future of the land we learn from his own words. ‘Let this’
(the above arrangement), he says, ‘be done with the avowed intention
of gradually introducing the Jew, pure and simple, who is eventually
to occupy and govern this country.... Concerning what that settlement
is in part to be, I can profess no doubt, because I feel none. It is
written over and over again in the Word of God.... Israel are to return
to their own land. This event, in its incipient stage, I have shown to
be now actually taking place. That which is yet to be looked for is the
public recognition of the fact, together with the restoration, in whole
or part, of Jewish national life, under the protection of some one or
more of the Great Powers....’”¹
¹ Palestine Re-Peopled; or, Scattered Israel’s Gathering. A
Sign of the Times. By the Rev. James Neil, B.A.... Third
Edition, Revised. London.... 1877. _pp._ v.‒vi. and 34‒37.
3. _Colonel C. R. Conder on Palestinian Colonization_
The greatest authority on Palestine in our generation, Claude Reignier
Conder, wrote:――
“It has always seemed to me that the future element of prosperous
colonisation is to be found among the Jews of Eastern Europe. The
thrift and energy of the race are not their only qualifications. Those
who mean to thrive in Palestine must not only be prepared to work
on the land, but they must be accustomed to the harder conditions of
existence which are common in uncivilised countries, and almost unknown
in the west. It is true that they will have to encounter the evils due
to bad government and corruption, which are mitigated by civilisation;
but if the accounts received from America are credible it is doubtful
if these evils are less apparent in South America than they are in
Turkish dominions. A people which has not only been able to live, but
which has prospered more than the native born population, under Russian
tyranny, will not find it difficult to prosper as subjects of the
Sultan. A people which has lived under one form of Oriental despotism
will be less discouraged by another similar condition than Europeans
would be. It is from the Oriental, Jewish, agricultural class, expelled
from Russia for their religion, that the colonists most naturally
fitted for agriculture in Syria may evidently be drawn.
“I have often thought that the words of that famous passage in the Law,
which predicts the future of Israel, must have come home with a sad and
overwhelming force to the Jews in Russia during the last few years:
“‘And among these Goim shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole
of thy foot have rest, and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee;
and thou shalt fear day and night; and shalt have none assurance of
thy life. In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even; and
at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning; for the fear of thy
heart wherewith thou shalt fear; and for the sight of thine eyes which
thou shalt see.’
“But what is the other picture which the Law presents of Israel in its
own land? ‘Blessed shalt thou be in basket and in store.’
“The proposal so to settle agriculturists, as freeholders tilling their
own lands, is in accord with the general tendency of all enlightened
statesmanship of the present age. We have too many artisans starved by
competition, and too few tillers of the earth. Whether is it better for
a man to sell penny toys in the streets of a foggy metropolis, or to
till the red corn lands, and make food for himself, for his wife and
for his children, for the citizens beyond the seas? Even if the whole
of Palestine east of Jordan were covered with cornfields and vineyards,
with mulberry and fig gardens, with cotton and maize, and pot herbs,
and fruit orchards, there would not be too much produce useful to man.
There would be markets in which the growers could compete with ease;
and towns would grow up, where manufactories of silk and cotton might
arise. There would be rice and indigo grown in the Jordan Valley, where
now there are only flowers, and there would be petroleum and bitumen,
and other minerals, to be worked near the Dead Sea shores. There would
in short be a return of the old prosperity, which once covered this
country with great Roman cities, and a prosperity yet greater because
of the facilities offered by modern science.
“If then I were asked for advice on this subject I would say: Buy
all the land you can get at moderate prices in Bashan and in Northern
Gilead, and buy it soon, for the price will go up. Promote as far as
possible the making of a railway, which is practicable, and which will
bring this region within the pale of civilization. Send out as many
fit men as you can, to till the land; and send their wives and children
after them. They will be happy, and, if they work, they will be rich.
The difficulties are less than those to be expected elsewhere, and the
advantages are greater. The movement is not artificial, not merely due
to religious sentiment, or to visionary philanthropy. It is a natural
and healthy one, which ought to be encouraged, by giving power and
money to the organization which seeks to aid it, and to control its
direction in a wise course. The case has been laid before you fairly,
and the details and precedents have been sufficiently studied. The
experience of ten years will be of high value; and the consent of the
Sultan, whose country it is, has been gained, both to the construction
of a very important line of railway, and to the settlement of Jews,
willing to abide by the law of that land as they have obeyed the much
more tyrannical laws of the Czar.
“I confidently expect therefore, within a few more years, to see
prosperity increasing in Palestine, and the empty lands filling up with
an industrious population. And if this be so the Jewish people will
have reason to remember with gratitude the name of Baron Rothschild
as a generous benefactor, and the Society of the Chovevi Zion, as an
organisation which undertook a very important work at a time when help
was sorely needed.”¹
¹ Eastern Palestine. A Lecture delivered for the Western Tent
of the Chovevi Zion Association. By Claude Reignier Conder ...
Chovevi Zion Association.... 1892. (8º. 36 _pp._ in printed
wrapper) _pp._ 5‒6 and 35‒36.
4. _Sir John William Dawson on the Future of Palestine_
Sir John William Dawson, Professor of Natural History at Montreal
University, the worthy disciple of Lyell and Darwin, in a description
of the Holy Land, writes:――
“From the higher parts of Jaffa one may obtain a good idea of the
physical characters of the maritime plain of Southern Palestine. Along
the shore stretch banks and dunes of yellow sand, contrasting strongly
with the deep blue of the sea, and shading off on the east into the
verdure of the plain. Near Jaffa this is covered with orange orchards,
laden in February with golden fruit of immense size, and which forms
one of the most important exports of the place. To the south the plain
spreads into the fertile flats of ancient Philistia, interspersed in
the distance with patches of sand, the advanced guards of the great
Arabian desert. To the north it constitutes the plain of Sharon,
celebrated in Hebrew song, and extends for fifty miles to where Mount
Carmel projects its high rocky front into the sea. On the inland side,
the plain is bounded first by the rolling foot-hills of the Judean
range, the Shephelah or low country ... and then by the hill country
proper, which, clothed in blue and purple, forms a continuous range,
limiting the view eastward from Jaffa....
“The maritime plain was also a granary ... and it still produces
much wheat and barley, though large portions of it are neglected and
untilled, and the culture carried on is by means of implements as
simple and primitive as they could have been in the days of Abraham.
In February one found it gay with the beautiful crimson anemone (A.
coronaria), which may have been the poetical ‘Rose of Sharon,’ while
a little yellowish-white iris represented the ‘lily of the valley’ of
Solomon’s Song....
“... Along the shores of the Dead Sea there are springs which produce
petroleum; and this when hardened becomes Asphalt.
“Now the valley of the Dead Sea is an ‘oil district,’ and from the
incidental mention of its slimepits, or literally asphalt pits, in
Genesis xiv., was apparently more productive in mineral pitch in
ancient times. It is interesting in connection with this to notice that
Conder found layers of asphalt in the mound which marks the site of
ancient Jericho, showing that the substance was used in primitive times
for roofs and floors, or as a cement to protect brick structures from
damp; and it is well known that petroleum exudes from the rocks both
on the sides and in the bottom of the Dead Sea, and, being hardened by
evaporation and oxidation, forms the asphaltum referred to by so many
travellers.
“... Palestine, to the ordinary traveller, appears, especially in
the drought of summer, a bare and barren country. Yet the climate
and rainfall of Palestine, with the chemical quality of its rocks and
soils, rich in lime, alkalies, and phosphates, render it productive
to a degree which cannot be measured by our more northern lands. Its
plains, though limited in extent and often stony, have very fertile
soil. The olive, the vine, and the fig-tree will grow and yield their
valuable fruit in abundance on rocky hills which at first sight appear
barren and worthless. Whenever culture has been undertaken with skill
and vigour, it has been well rewarded. In the olden times the Tirosh
(often incorrectly translated ‘wine’), as the Hebrews called the fruit
of their hill orchards and vineyards, was one of the main sources of
wealth; and the vineyards, with their vines trailing over the warm
rocks and clothing the ground with their leaves and fruit, realize the
prophetic description of hills running with the grape juice, and of a
land flowing with milk and honey, if by the latter we understand the
‘dibs’ or syrup of the grape. In Palestine a few olive-trees on a rocky
hill, that in colder climates would be worthless, may maintain a family.
There is also an abundance of nutritious pasturage, more especially for
sheep and goats, all the year round, on the limestone hills....
“Palestine must originally have been a well-wooded country, and its
forests are mentioned in the historical books of the Bible; but they
have for the most part perished, and this had tended to make the
climate more arid. The wild hill-sides are, however, often covered with
an exuberant growth of bushes and young trees, which, if permitted to
grow, or if replaced by cultivated trees, would soon clothe the land
with verdure, and tend to produce a more abundant summer rainfall. With
just laws, well administered, there is nothing to prevent Palestine
from becoming as wealthy and populous as we learn from the Bible it was
in the days of the Jewish kings, and it seems to have been at a later
time under the Roman government....
“In Palestine, ... the country is gay with flowers, especially in
early spring, and the conspicuous objects of culture are the vine and
the olive. Even in the plains, cultivated fields are few, and much is
merely wild pasture. The palm-tree is rare, though it still grows in
the plain of Jericho and the sheltered valleys throughout the country,
yielding dates smaller than those of Egypt, but of very pleasant
flavour....
“That the future of these old lands may be more important than their
present, it requires little penetration to see; and the old Book,
whose history of these lands in the past we have been considering,
has something to say of their future as well. Whatever belief men
may repose in prophecy, they cannot doubt that the word of God
has committed itself to certain foreshadowings of the future; and
though some of these are shrouded in a symbolism to which varied
interpretations have been given, others are sufficiently plain....
“We know, however, that physically these lands are still young, and
capable of greater things than those of the past, and we may content
ourselves with repeating the inspired words of an older Jewish
prophet:――
‘For the Lord will comfort Zion:
He will comfort all her waste places,
And will make her wilderness like Eden,
And her desert like the garden of the Lord:
Joy and gladness shall be found therein,
Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.’
Isaiah li. 3.
“The Holy Land is a fine tract of country well defined by natural
boundaries, extending from the shore of the Mediterranean to the
Syrian desert. It is a compact district, distinct and complete in
itself, enclosed by mountain and sea, and consequently offering great
facilities of defence against invasion. It has its highlands and its
lowlands, its hills and its valleys, its streams and its lakes, its
hot springs and its cold springs, a fine sea coast broken by bold
promontories, cliffs towering above, beaches spreading out below, and
is replete with all the capabilities essential for civilized life.
The Holy Land is rich in vegetation, from the time-honoured ‘cedar of
Lebanon to the hyssop on the wall. ’ Groves of olive and mulberry trees,
vineyards of grapes of extraordinary size and richness, interspersed
with fields of golden grain, with magnificent hedges of the cactus
almost reaching the height of trees; the sycamore with its thickness
of foliage――these, and more can be enumerated in a brief outline, are
there for the endowment and adornment of the Holy Land. Nevertheless,
the wealth of nature is in a great measure of a passing character.
The sloping terraces of the hills, made fertile by means of artificial
irrigation, and now deprived of the help of the tending hand of man, no
longer display that fruitful aspect which was formerly their glory. The
land mourns under its present masters. The tillers of the soil do not
even sow in tears to reap in joy. With listless fatalism they cast into
the ground the seeds of a harvest which they know, as they watch it
come into being, shall minister mostly, not to their wants or wealth,
but to the greed of unrighteous local administration. And, wherever
these people are crowded together in their miserable villages, all is
mud, slum, penury, depression, chaos and picturesque misery. A goodly
land, the almond tree white in bloom, orange and olive, everywhere
lilies, the scarlet anemone; but no system, no industry, no skill,
no capital. No nation has been able to establish itself as a nation,
in Palestine, up to this day, no national union, and no national
spirit have prevailed there. The motley, impoverished tribes which have
occupied it, have held it as mere tenants at will, temporary landowners,
evidently waiting for those entitled to the permanent possession of the
soil.”¹
¹ Modern Science in Bible Lands. By Sir John William Dawson,
G.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S., F.G. S., etc.... London: ...
MDCCCLXXXVIII. _pp._ 449‒450, 487, 522, 524, 527, 533, 536.
LXXIV.
PETITION TO THE SULTAN
THE following is the text of a petition to His Majesty the Sultan of
Turkey, which was presented by Mr. Samuel Montagu, M.P. (afterwards
Lord Swaythling), to Lord Rosebery, with the request to transfer the
same to Constantinople. The petition was signed by the officers of the
Executive Committee and by the Commander and Secretary of each Tent:――
“To His Imperial Majesty Abdul Hamid Khan, Sultan of
The Ottoman Empire.
“May it please your Majesty,
“The undersigned Association of Chovevi Zion (Lovers of Zion) beg
humbly to submit to your Imperial Majesty that this Association has
been founded to assist a limited number of worthy and industrious Jews
to purchase and cultivate land, and to earn their living by agriculture.
The Association has purchased some portions of land in your Imperial
Majesty’s Dominions on the eastern side of the Jordan, and desires to
acquire such other portions of land in the same region as may be for
sale, and suitable for the cultivation of corn, vines, fruits, and silk,
or to the raising of cattle and horses.
“And the Association desires to send to this land fitting colonists,
industrious and peaceable men, provided by the Association with
sufficient means to till the land and to erect for themselves houses,
and to sink wells and construct roads so that they may be able to reach
markets.
“The Association wishes thus to send to your Imperial Majesty’s
dominions only such men, with their families, as will with God’s help
and under your Imperial Majesty’s protection, increase the prosperity
of your Imperial Majesty’s dominion, and become faithful subjects to
your Imperial Majesty.
“The Association therefore humbly begs your Imperial Majesty to grant
the Association of Chovevi Zion a Firman with the following privileges.
“First: that such persons as may be selected by the experienced men who
conduct the affairs of the Association may, when provided with proper
certificates that they have been so selected, and that land has been
purchased for them, be allowed to settle in your Imperial Majesty’s
dominions, and to cultivate land there, and that the privilege be
granted to them of becoming naturalised as your Majesty’s subjects.
“Second: That in view of the great expenses attending the beginnings
of cultivation, the building of houses, the sinking of wells, and the
making of roads, the agriculturists be relieved from the tax of the
‘Tenth’ for a period of seven years.
“Third: that it be graciously permitted to them, under the direction
and on the lands of the Association, to build houses and stables,
schools for their children, and temples in which to worship the Most
High, to construct roads, drainage and irrigation works, and to sink
wells, without having to crave special permission in each case.
“Fourth: that on condition that the Association send only men free from
disease or illness and approved by experienced Doctors, such persons
may freely travel in your Imperial Majesty’s dominions.
“And the Association, reckoning on your Imperial Majesty’s benevolence
and wisdom, believes that your Imperial Majesty will confer these
benefits on deserving and industrious people, and your Imperial
Majesty’s most humble petitioners invoke on your Imperial Majesty,
the blessing of the Most High.
President.
Honorary Secretary.”
The following reply was received:――
“FOREIGN OFFICE,
“_11th March, 1893_.
“SIR,――I am directed by the Earl of Rosebery to acknowledge the receipt
of your letter of the 3rd inst., forwarding a number of petitions,
addressed to the Sultan, by the ‘Lovers of Zion’ in favour of the
colonization of certain lands on the East of the Jordan by Jewish
emigrants.
“His Lordship will enquire of Her Majesty’s Ambassador at
Constantinople whether the fact of these petitions being sent in
through the British Embassy would be likely to lead to a relaxation of
the regulations affecting immigration to Syria.
“I am, Sir,
“Your most obedient, humble servant,
“(Signed) T. V. LISTER.¹
“Samuel Montagu, Esq.”
¹ _Palæstina_, The Chovevé Zion Quarterly, No. 3, 1893, _p._ 7.
LXXV.
(1) _CHOVEVÉ ZION_ AND ZIONIST WORKERS
A GREAT deal of idealism, energy and capacity has gone to the making
of the Zionist movement in its earlier and its more recent form. It
would be outside the scope of a history of Zionism dealing mainly with
England and France to attempt to do justice to the work of all those
individuals――mostly Russian Jews――who have devoted themselves to the
national revival, in Palestine or in the Diaspora. The purpose of
this Appendix is to place on record the services of some of the most
prominent workers (not mentioned in the text of this book) in the field
of organization, of propaganda or of Palestinian colonization.
Young men of ability and studious habits founded the _Bnei Zion_
Association at Moscow. This Society had indeed concentrated upon and
developed most strongly the national and Zionist ideal. The position
of the Moscow _Bnei Zion_ was so conspicuous, because that organization
was the headquarters of prominent Zionist workers who played a
distinguished part in the national revival in Russia and in other
countries. Among these the most active and important leaders were: E. W.
Tschlenow, M. Ussischkin, J. Maze, A. Idelsohn, T. Brutzkus, B. Mintz,
S. Mintz and M. Rabinovitz.
E. W. TSCHLENOW’s life of strenuous work was characterized by calmness
and steadfastness on the one hand, and gentleness and high virtue on
the other. Since his earliest youth he combined within him the noble
spirit of idealism and great capacity for precise work. As a young
student, he soon won his way to the foremost rank among the _Chovevé
Zion_ workers. The soundness and farsightedness of his views were
remarkable. Simple but impressive as a writer, as well as platform
orator, his generosity and devotion soon made him a favourite of the
_Bnei Zion_, and brought him prominence as organizer, leader and orator.
He graduated at the Moscow University in medicine, and distinguished
himself, after further study at other universities abroad, in a special
branch of his science. He then settled in Moscow. His successful
medical career, however, never prevented him from devoting a
considerable part of his time, and when necessary all of it, to useful
Jewish public work in general, and to Zionism in particular. After his
important and fruitful work in the _Chovevé Zion_ movement he entered
the Zionist Organization. He was in Palestine twice, not as a mere
tourist but as an investigator. He wrote a great number of pamphlets,
reports and articles, and a very good book against Territorialism
(_Zion and Africa_, in Russian, 1903). His second journey to Palestine
enabled him to increase his already extensive knowledge of colonization,
and he laid down his observations and conclusions in another excellent
work, which he wrote in Russian, and which has been translated into
other European languages. The conspicuous service which he rendered
amid formidable difficulties to the Jewish National Fund, of which he
was the manager in Russia, his tact, his calm energy and his counsel
were of inestimable value to the Zionist cause. After having been for
many years a member of the Greater Actions Committee, he was elected
at the Vienna Zionist Congress of 1913 a member of the Inner Actions
Committee. He then gave up his brilliant medical career in Moscow to
undertake a work of singular complexity and extreme heaviness. In this
he won the same measure of confidence as that he enjoyed in Russia,
and provided the most important personal link between the East and
the West. In 1914 he was delegated, together with the author, for
Zionist political work in this country; and he came here again in 1918
notwithstanding his failing health. During his brief but momentous
excursus into the regions of politics and diplomacy he revealed the
same high qualities which had elsewhere marked his mind and character.
In consequence of his efforts, his health, which had some years ago
been weakened, broke down, and his tragic death took place on the 31st
of January, 1918, in London――the greatest loss Zionism has sustained
since the death of Wolffsohn.
M. USSISCHKIN’s career as Chovevé Zionist and modern Zionist is unique
as well as remarkable. In some respects, and in some quarters, his
influence was far greater than that of anyone else. A strong, perhaps
the strongest organizer, possessed of deep nationalistic convictions
and of intense Jewish feeling, and endowed with the wonderful gift
of being able to impress the masses, he succeeded in establishing a
very high reputation when a mere student, and later on as one of the
founders and leaders of the _Bnei Zion_, and subsequently among the
_Chovevé Zion_ leaders. He was also a founder of the _Bilu_. On his
long visits to Palestine, in propaganda work for the purpose of raising
funds for colonization, and throughout his whole long and fruitful
career of nationalist work, he exhibited the most indefatigable
activity and greatest courage. Having graduated at Moscow in Technology
and Engineering, he settled in Ekaterinoslaw, where his strong,
unbending personality, his power of leadership, and the general respect
he commanded, soon brought him into prominence, and gained for him
a high reputation in Russia, in Palestine, and elsewhere. The very
strength of mind, energy, outspokenness and self-reliance, combined
with inflexible determination and ardent zeal, distinguish his untiring
efforts on behalf of the Zionist Organization. While others faltered
and failed, he remained firm; while others despaired, he remained
confident, and his zeal and perseverance gained for him the respect
even of those who opposed some of his methods, while it increased the
admiration in which he was held by many of his adherents. He greatly
distinguished himself in his strenuous work for the Zionist financial
institutions, and was also the most influential champion of the idea of
immediate practical work in Palestine. His pamphlets on Palestine and
the Zionist programme are written with admirable cleverness. He has
lived now for some years in Odessa, where he is the Chairman of the
Society for the promotion of Jewish colonization work in Palestine.
Being Jewish Nationalist to the backbone, he naturally takes a great
interest in the revival of the Hebrew language.
A. IDELSOHN is the most modern and the most ingenious Zionist publicist
in the Russian language. His influence has been underestimated rather
than justly appreciated. While, on the one hand, the pathetic devotion
and enthusiasm of others are undoubtedly most useful and indispensable
conditions for the success of the movement, an analytical mind, as
a temporizing element and corrective, is of no less importance. This
mind was devoted to the cause by Idelsohn since his youth, and found
expression in his writings in the Zionist organ, written in the Russian
language, its name being _Razswiet_ and _Ievreiskaiu Shisn_. A critic,
and a somewhat ironical thinker, he never permits an emotional effort
to mar his clear intellectual discrimination. In later years he formed,
with M. A. Soloveitschik, A. Goldstein, J. Klebanow, A. Seidemann, M.
Aleinikow, D. Pasmanik, S. J. Janowski, J. Brutzkus, Ch. Grinberg, J.
Eljaschew, I. Gruenbaum, and others who comprised the editorial staff
of his paper, a brilliant ensemble of Zionist intellectuals which has
recently been augmented by L. Jaffe, who sometimes acted as editor.
Idelsohn is an eminent Zionist and a member of the Actions Committee.
JULIUS BRUTZKUS was an active and highly appreciated member of the
_Bnei Zion_. Most gifted and learned, with a clear mind, and generally
well informed, he adhered to the national idea from early youth.
He graduated in medicine at the Moscow University, and settled for
some years in Petrograd, where he became active in matters communal,
literary and journalistic. He wrote several excellent articles and
pamphlets.
The two MINTZS were also appreciated for their faithfulness, sincere
devotion, and excellent and tactful propaganda. B. Mintz has since
settled at Rostow, where he takes a leading part in Zionist work.
S. Mintz graduated at Moscow in medicine and settled in Warsaw, where
he attained a high reputation in his profession as well as in communal
activity. A sincere Nationalist, of a serious and studious turn of
mind, deeply attached to Zionism, an excellent Hebraist, most active
in all movements making for the revival of the national language,
he has remained true to _Bnei Zion_ traditions. There are, further,
the zealous Alperin, and Michael Rabinovitch, resident at Rostow, a
distinguished Zionist worker who was member of the Actions Committee.
The great earnestness and untiring assiduity of the _Bnei Zion_ did not
fail to attract attention and to produce a deep impression. The immense
zeal for this cause dispelled the apathy of those around them. Thus the
Moscow _Chovevé Zion_ and Zionist Group became indeed one of the best,
the most esteemed and the most active in the world. Of those in touch
with the first pioneers was Kalonimos Wolf Wissotski (1824‒1904),
the well-known _Chovev Zion_ and Zionist, a zealous supporter of the
colonization of Palestine, a generous friend of Hebrew literature, a
patron of learning and learned men. The representatives of his great
firm have to the present day remained faithful to the traditions of the
founder in a most liberal-minded and far-reaching manner.
The following names are arranged in alphabetical order.
ELIESER BEN-JEHUDA, born in Russia, is a prominent representative of
the revival of the Hebrew language and of the national renaissance.
As early as 1880 he expounded his political views on Zionism in
Smolenskin’s monthly _Ha’shachar_. In 1881 he went to Palestine, where
he became a sturdy and independent fighter for Hebrew as a living
tongue and for Jewish nationalism. In 1885 he founded the Hebrew
weekly paper _Ha’zevi_, which he edited for several years, assisted
by his wife (Hemda) and his son. Together they formed the first
Hebrew-speaking family in the country. He has revolutionized Hebrew
style and introduced many new colloquial and journalistic expressions.
As a pioneer of modern methods, radically opposed to the old ways of
thought and action, he defended his heterodox ideas with energy, became
involved in controversies, and was arrested by the Ottoman authorities
for his nationalistic propaganda. Many years ago he started the
publication of his great Hebrew dictionary (_Millon_). He was one
of the first Palestine Zionists who approached Herzl and devoted
themselves to Zionist propaganda in Palestine.
VASSYLI BERMANN (1862‒96) was a young man of high intellectual
attainments and endowed with exceptional literary gifts, and would
undoubtedly have risen to great eminence had he continued to devote
himself to literature. But he gave almost all his time to the _Chovevé
Zion_ movement. His name is closely connected with the history of the
national Jewish movement in Russia. Born at Mitau, he received his
elementary education at the school founded by his father, a capable
pedagogue, in Petersburg, and completed his college studies in the
same town. Already, as student of the faculty of Law in Petersburg,
Bermann placed himself at the service of Judaism, and strove, through
the foundation of a suitable association, to spread the idea of the
liberation of the Jewish people into wide circles of the community.
In the year 1884 he published the compilation _Palestine_. Even this
first work drew general attention upon the highly gifted young writer.
At the meeting of the Russian _Chovevé Zion_ at Drusgenik, in 1887,
Bermann was considered, by the side of the spiritual father of the
national Jewish movement in Russia, Leo Pinsker, as the leader of
the “Zionophiles,” as Bermann called the adherents of the national
Jewish idea. When it was found desirable to obtain the authorization
of the Russian Government for the “Odessa Association for Supporting
Jewish Artisans and Agriculturists in Syria and Palestine,” the shrewd
lawyer, Vassyli Bermann, employed his utmost energy in order to help
in overcoming all difficulties which stood in the way of the foundation
of this association. He was one of the members of the first official
congress of the Russian _Chovevé Zion_ which was held at Odessa in
the year 1890. Once again in Petersburg, Bermann devoted all his zeal
to the editing of his continued compilation, which he intended to
transform into a year-book. In this way _Zion_, published in the year
1891, was brought out. It is considerably superior to its predecessor
in contents and get-up. _Zion_, which is dedicated to Pinsker, affords
an interesting insight into the phase of development of the national
Jewish thought of that time. From Bermann, who was well aware of
the influence of historical knowledge upon the strengthening of the
national consciousness, came also the initiative towards the foundation
of the “Historio-Ethnographic Commission” within the “Society for the
Propagation of Culture among the Jews in Russia.” When, in the year
1892, the Petersburg central committee of the Jewish Colonization
Association was formed, and the necessity for a scientific basis of the
colonization question became evident, Bermann undertook, at the request
of the J. C. A., a mission of study, the result of which he recorded
in a comprehensive memoir, and thus afforded the central committee
valuable material towards the work of colonization. The exertions of
travelling had much affected Bermann’s health. But he would not allow
that to prevent him from further work in favour of his brethren with
the greatest devotion. At last he found himself compelled to seek the
mild climate of Egypt. There, on March 18th, 1896, Vassyli Bermann
breathed his last. His tombstone bears the inscription: “If I forget
thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget (her cunning).” The dying
man had wished it so.
GREGOR BELKOVSKY, a distinguished lawyer, born in Odessa, was one of
the first pioneers of the _Chovevé Zion_ movement. He was a member
of the Societies _Nes Ziona_ and _Ezra_. In 1895‒7 he was Professor
of Law at the University of Sofia, Bulgaria. On his return to Russia,
he entered the Zionist Organization and came into prominence from the
First Congress onwards. He was one of the most notable workers for
the establishment of the Zionist financial institutions. He also did
important work in connection with the movement in Russia.
JEHIEL BRILL (1836‒86), born in Russia, and taken to Constantinople
when he was quite young, was later brought to Jerusalem, where he
received a talmudic education. In 1863, with the assistance of his
father-in-law, Jacob Saphir, he established the Hebrew monthly,
_Ha’lebanon_, which, after the appearance of the twelfth number, was
suppressed by the Turkish Government. He then went to Paris, where
he resumed publication of _Ha’lebanon_. After the Franco-Prussian War
he removed to Mayence, where he renewed the publication of his paper.
When the _Chovevé Zion_ movement was inaugurated, Brill, who was well
acquainted with Palestine, was chosen by Baron Edmond de Rothschild,
on the recommendation of Rabbi Samuel Mohilewer, to conduct a group
of experienced farmers from Russia to Palestine. He gave a vivid
description of his mission in his Hebrew pamphlet _Yesod Ha’maalah_
(Mayence, 1883).
H. BRODY was, when in Berlin, a studious, scholarly worker, and at the
same time active in Zionism. Later he was appointed Rabbi in Nachod,
Bohemia, and, being a scholar and a prolific writer, he became very
active in scientific and literary matters. He has contributed to
_Ha’magid_, _Ha’eshkol_ and _Ha’shiloach_; has edited (with A. Freimann)
a Bibliographical Review, and has written valuable books on Jehuda
Ha’levi and Moses Ibn Ezra. In defence of Zionism he has written, under
the _nom de plume_ Dr. H. Salomonsohn, an excellent pamphlet, in which
he proves that Zionism is an essential principle of Jewish tradition.
MARTIN BUBER, born in Galicia, was a member of the Vienna _Kadima_ who
afterwards studied in Berlin. He was closely akin to Berthold Feiwel in
aspirations and activity. Buber was one of the founders of the _Verlag_
and one of its principal contributors. He was really one of the authors
of the Jewish Renaissance, not a product of it. He has no equal as
an inspirer of the Jewish intellectuals in Western Europe. He has
been a Zionist since the inception of the Organization, but he has
devoted himself mostly to literary work in connection with the Jewish
Renaissance. Sweet and pathetic legends, delicate Chassidic sketches,
tales of wonder, mystic and philosophical treatises and allegories,
profoundly Jewish and reflected in deep Murillo-like shades, such are
the subjects of his _Story of Rabbi Nachman_ (1906), _Legends of the
Baal Shem_ (1907), _Daniel_ (1914) and other writings.
Rabbi I. H. DAICHES, a great Talmudist, formerly Rabbi of Neustatt
Shirvint, and now in Leeds, supported the _Chovevé Zion_ movement, and
was afterwards a delegate to the Zionist Congress.
JOSHUA EISENSTADT (BARZILAI), the oldest, and, as far as enthusiasm
is concerned, still the youngest among the propagandists in Palestine,
a man of high aspirations, who looks at things from the standpoint of
a devotee rather than of a critic, exercises considerable influence
through his speeches and popular articles. He died in Switzerland in
1918.
Rabbi MORDECAI ELIASBERG (1817‒89), Rabbi of Bausk in Russia, an
eminent Talmudist, a profound theologian and a diligent student of
history, who wrote valuable books and articles on talmudic subjects,
was one of the most ardent advocates of the ideas of the _Chovevé Zion_.
By his numerous contributions to _Ha’melitz_ he helped very much in
the spread of Zionistic ideas, and his memory will be cherished as one
of the representatives of orthodox Judaism who raised the banner of
Palestine.
BERTHOLD FEIWEL, born in Brunn, Moravia, was a member of the
Vienna _Kadima_, but did most of his work in Berlin. A young man
of exceptional attainments, he early attracted the notice of Herzl,
and was for some time editor of the _Welt_, for which work he was
particularly well qualified. But the work of leader-writing did not
satisfy the poetic and æsthetic side of his nature, and he turned to
literature. The promise of his early writings, with their beauty and
originality, is amply fulfilled in the literary activity which he
subsequently developed in the _Almanach_ and in other publications of
the _Jüdischer Verlag_, which was founded by him and his friends. His
poems, as well as his excellent translations of Rosenfeld and other
works, have won him a lasting reputation. He has also taken an active
part in the work of the Zionist Organization, and was a member of the
Actions Committee. He was editor of the _Welt_ for the second time in
the years 1906‒9, and has written many pamphlets.
The brothers ISAAC and BORIS GOLDBERG hold a specially distinguished
place both in Russian Zionism and in the movement at large. Isaac
Goldberg has made himself indispensable to all Zionist institutions,
and has attained the highest repute in the Zionist Organization, and in
Palestine. Boris Goldberg is a very influential member of the Actions
Committee, with a thorough knowledge of all matters concerning Zionism
and Palestine, and an important contributor to the Zionist press.
He was a member of the Zionist Commission of Inquiry which visited
Palestine five years ago.
J. GRAZOWSKI has written popular and useful books on general Jewish
history, and has collaborated in a Hebrew dictionary. He is now in the
service of the Anglo-Palestine Company at Jaffa.
MORDECAI (MARCUS) BEN HILLEL HA’COHEN was even in his early youth
an excellent, versatile contributor to the Hebrew and Russian Press.
Possessed of great vivacity and a humorous and enthusiastic disposition,
an enlivening speaker, with the national idea deeply at heart, he has
worked for Zionism, Hebrew and the national idea with considerable
success. His writings in _Ha’melitz_, _Ha’zefirah_, _Razswiet_, and
other papers and reviews, as well as his own pamphlets, the description
of his journey to Palestine, and his reminiscences, written in a
brilliant style, have won him a well-merited popularity. After working
several years in the _Chovevé Zion_ movement, and in the Zionist
Organization, he settled in Palestine, where he is active as one of
the most popular leaders of the Tel-Aviv community, and is particularly
engaged in educational, communal and literary work.
Dr. WILLIAM HERZBERG (1827‒97), a highly educated writer and communal
worker, who, though not writing in Hebrew, greatly influenced the
movement, and his work was translated into Hebrew. He wrote the famous
book, _Judische Familienpapiere_ (1875‒6). This book made a stir in
the Jewish scholastic world. Zacharias Frankel welcomed the book as
a modern Kusari. It was only after some time that the identity of the
author was discovered, for it was published under the _nom de plume_ of
Gustav Meinhardt. Perez Smolenskin was much inspired by the nationalist
spirit of this phenomenal literary production, and translated the most
important parts of it in the _Haschachar_ (he had made it a rule not
to publish any translation, but in this case departed from the rule).
Herzberg intended to obtain a professorship in a German University, but,
finding that this was impossible for a Jew, he contented himself with a
professorship in the Gymnasium. He passed his probationary year in the
Gymnasium of his native town, Stettin, but, when his final appointment
was recommended by the Head Master, who was much impressed by the fine
scholarship of the young teacher, the Minister of Education confirmed
it cordially, on the supposition, however, that the candidate had
embraced Christianity, as a Jew could not be appointed Professor in a
Gymnasium. In 1877 he was induced by his friend, Professor Grätz, to
accept the post of Director of the Agricultural School, Mikveh Israel,
near Jaffa. Dr. Herzberg remained one year in this position and then
accepted the Headmastership at the Von Laemel School at Jerusalem.
ISAAC M. HIRSCHENSOHN, born in Russia, has rendered great services to
the progress of the Jews in Palestine as a publisher, bibliophile and
Talmudist. He advocates rabbinical ideas, in harmony with the national
principle.
Dr. N. KATZENELSOHN, of Libau, Russia, holds an important place in the
history of Zionist organization. After having joined the Organization
at one of the first Congresses, he soon became a prominent member,
particularly in the domain of financial affairs and institutions.
One of the devoted friends of Herzl, he accompanied him on his visit to
Russia in 1903, and took part in some of his political efforts there.
In 1905 he was appointed President of the Board of Directors of the
Jewish Colonial Trust, and regularly gave his reports of the activities
of this Institution, as well as of those of the A.P.C. at the Zionist
Congresses. He visited Palestine in 1907, and particularly investigated
the financial and economic situation of the country. He also
accompanied Wolffsohn in the same year to Constantinople on a political
mission. Dr. Katzenelsohn was a member of the First Russian Duma,
and was for many years very active in the work of the I.C.A. for the
emigration of the Russian Jews, a question on which he also submitted
reports to the Zionist Congresses.
Illustration: 5644 * THE KATTOWITZ CONFERENCE * 1884
Dr. JACOB KOHAN-BERNSTEIN, of Kishinew, was one of the earliest of
the _Chovevé Zion_. His speeches and appeals when he was in charge of
the so-called “Post-Centre” were most effective in kindling Zionist
enthusiasm. As a member of the Actions Committee he has occupied a high
position in the movement.
The late ABRAHAM MOSES LUNCZ (1854‒1918), born in Russia, lived
since his early youth in Palestine. He rendered great services to the
exploration of the Holy Land from the historical, geographical and
physiographical standpoint, by means of his guide-books for Palestine,
his Palestine annuals, and his Jerusalem almanac.
JOSEPH LURIE was born in Russia, and became a prominent nationalist at
the Berlin University. He settled later in Warsaw, where he was engaged
in educational work, and afterwards edited a Zionist Yiddish weekly
paper, published by the _Achiasaf_. After the suspension of this paper
he lived for about two years in St. Petersburg, where he was assistant
editor of the _Fraind_. Thence he went to Palestine, and became a
teacher at the Jaffa Gymnasium. Some time afterwards he was elected
President of the Union of Teachers (_Agudath Ha’morim_) of Palestine.
He has not, however, given up his journalistic work. His articles
on Palestine are unequalled for clearness of exposition and logical
argument.
Rabbi SAMUEL MOHILEVER (1827‒1903), of Bialystok, wrote many appeals
in favour of the _Chovevé Zion_ movement. He was a lifelong adherent
of the national cause, helped to promote colonization, and gave his
unqualified adherence to the new Zionism. Even in very advanced age he
was still a fighter in the forefront, travelling, preaching, collecting
funds and generously spending his own means. At the outbreak of the
pogroms in 1881, he took the Jewish refugees to Lemberg. Here he became
acquainted with Sir Samuel Montagu (afterwards Lord Swaythling) and
Laurence Oliphant, and he sought to win the former for the Palestinian
colonization movement. On his return to Russia he called a conference
at Warsaw and formed a _Chovevé Zion_ Society. In the same year he
undertook a journey to Paris to obtain, through the Grand Rabbin
Zadoc Kahn and M. Erlanger, Baron Edmond de Rothschild’s support for
the colonization movement. Returning again to Russia, he went on a
propaganda tour, agitating in several towns in favour of Palestinian
colonization. In 1885 he presided at the Kattowitz Conference. In 1890
he journeyed to the Palestinian colonies and witnessed the founding of
the colony of Rechoboth.
LEO MOTZKIN was born in Russia and educated in Berlin. His intellectual
versatility made him a leading personality in student circles and
Jewish societies, particularly in the Zionist Organization. He soon
attracted attention at the Congresses, and was delegated to proceed to
Palestine and inquire into the condition of the colonies, on which he
prepared a report. As a member of the Actions Committee, he took part
in 1914 in a Commission consisting of Zionists appointed to inquire
into the state of affairs in Palestine. He has also written valuable
books and pamphlets on the Russo-Jewish problem.
ISAAC NISSENBAUM, born in Russia, lives in Warsaw, where he was one of
the sub-editors of _Ha’zefirah_ and a lecturer at the Zionist Synagogue.
Though not a Rabbi, he belongs by virtue of his education, associations
and the nature of his occupation to the Rabbinical world. A learned
Talmudist, a powerful preacher and a prolific Hebrew writer, he has a
worthy record in all these spheres.
ALFRED NOSSIG, scientist, artist and journalist, was one of the first,
perhaps the first in Galicia, to publish pamphlets in Polish in defence
of Jewish nationalism. He has pursued a line of his own in Zionism, and
from the point of view of the Zionist Organization his activities have
often been open to criticism. But he deserves recognition, both as a
man of letters and as a strenuous advocate of Palestinian colonization.
DANIEL PASMANIK is a Russian Zionist who has done much propaganda work
and proved himself a writer and journalist of extraordinary capability.
His book _Die Seele Israels_ (written in Russian and translated into
German) is a noteworthy contribution to Zionist thought.
JEHIEL MICHAEL PINES (1842‒1912), born and educated in Russia, a Hebrew
writer and Talmudist, was elected delegate to a conference held in
London by the Association _Mazkereth Mosheh_ for the establishment of
charitable institutions in Palestine in commemoration of the name of
Sir Moses Montefiore; in 1878 he was sent to Jerusalem to establish
and organize such institutions. Thenceforward he lived in Palestine,
working for the welfare of the Jewish community and interesting himself
in the organization of Jewish colonies. In his Hebrew book, _Yalde
Ruchi_, and particularly in Part I., _Rib Ami_ (Mainz, 1872), he
expounded the Jewish national idea. He was a contributor to all Hebrew
periodical publications, especially to those in Palestine.
SAMUEL POZNANSKI pursued his studies at Berlin, and was already, as
a young man, a rising representative of the Hebrew Revival. Having
graduated, he returned to Poland, where he is now the Rabbi and
Preacher of the Great Synagogue at Warsaw. His achievements in the
field of Jewish scholarship are great and universally recognized. He
has written many valuable books and treatises, all of which are the
result of careful observation and patient study, and are distinguished
by depth of thought. A devoted Hebraist, he contributes to Hebrew
literature and the Press, and as a communal worker he has succeeded in
counteracting destructive assimilationist tendencies by the advocacy of
a sound traditional nationalism.
Rabbi SAMUEL JACOB RABBINOWITCH, of Sopotkin (now in Liverpool), was
first a _Chovev Zion_ and early joined the Zionist Organization. His
calm piety and gentle nature won him the hearts of all Zionists. He
was for several years a member of the Zionist Actions Committee. He
contributed a number of articles to _Ha’melitz_, which later were
published under the title _Ha’dat Weha’leumit_ (Warsaw, 1900). He has
also written talmudic works.
Rabbi ISAAC JACOB REINES (1839‒1915) was a great talmudic authority,
author of halachic works, in which he taught the rigid application of
logic to the solution of talmudic problems, and founder and principal
of a modern _Yeshivah_ (Rabbinical College) in Lida. He was an ardent
_Chovev Zion_, and joined the Zionist movement, in which he became one
of the most prominent workers, orators and propagandists. He occupied a
high and influential position in orthodox Zionism, and was the founder
of the orthodox Zionist section, _Misrachi_.
Rabbi PINCHAS ROSOWSKI, a great talmudic scholar and prominent Hebraist,
was an enthusiastic _Chovev Zion_, and later a member of the Zionist
Organization. He wrote articles inspired by the nationalist idea.
JACOB SAPHIR (1822‒86), a Russian Jew, who settled in Palestine, was
not directly connected with the new colonization. He was commissioned
by the Jewish community of Jerusalem to undertake a journey through the
southern countries, in order to collect alms for the poor Palestinian
Jews. In 1854 he made a second tour, visiting Yemen, British India,
Egypt and Australia. The result of this journey was his Hebrew book
_Eben Saphir_ (vol. i., Lyck, 1866; Mayence, 1874), in which work
he gave the history and a vivid description of the Jews in the
above-mentioned countries. There is in his book a touch of _Haskalah_
(Enlightenment) and even of national sentiment.
His grandson, ELIE SAPHIR, who died a few years ago, was a conspicuous
figure among the pioneers of the new colonization by virtue of his
great knowledge, especially of the Arabic language and literature,
and the laws and customs of the country. A man of keen judgment, he
occupied the position of assistant-manager of the Anglo-Palestine
Company at Jaffa. The leaders of financial and agricultural
institutions were always eager to consult and confide in him. But he
was essentially a scholar. His Hebrew writings, and particularly his
last work _Ha’arez_――a physiographic and scientific examination of the
conditions of Palestine――are of great value.
M. SMILANSKI, of Rechoboth, has one of the longest and best records of
work in Hebrew literature. His writings on Palestinian colonization are
as sound as his literary sketches are instructive.
A. TANNENBAUM, of St. Petersburg, was an ardent _Chovev Zion_ and
an excellent Hebraist. Of his Hebrew writings, his study on “The
Architecture of the Synagogues” (in the first volume of _Knesseth
Israel_) is of enduring merit. This group strongly supported the local
_Chovevé Zion_ Society, which was of considerable importance. At that
period Rosenfeld undertook with great courage and determination the
propaganda in the first _Razsweet_, which, however, had to be suspended
after a period of brilliant journalistic exploits in troublesome and
stormy times (in the eighties), in which period the two years of that
organization happened to fall. Later on, the late Salomon Grazenberg,
a medical man of great knowledge and an ardent Zionist, whose articles
were characterized by soundness of argument, took up the same work in
a new Russian weekly paper, entitled _Boudoushtshnost_, which managed
to exist a little longer.
VLADIMIR TEMKIN was one of the most important and, undoubtedly, the
most popular champion of the _Bilu_. An idealist, an enthusiast,
an attractive personality and a powerful speaker, he possessed a
special gift for propaganda, and became one of the chief organizers
of colonization in Palestine. He belonged to the Zionist Organization
from its inception, was a prominent Congress representative and member
of the Actions Committee, and is to-day one of the leading Zionists.
DAVIS TRIETSCH has not always found the appreciation he deserved. He
has been frequently drawn into controversies and misunderstood owing to
the support he has given to schemes which appeared to be impracticable
and fantastic, but in ordinary circumstances would not have given
rise to opposition. But he is a man of varied experience and untiring
activity, and his advice has often been very useful. He lived for a
couple of years in Palestine, where he grappled with many forms of
industrial work; he has written books, pamphlets and articles, and is
an indefatigable advocate of the idea of colonization. He has given a
considerable impetus to the study of Palestine and to many practical
ideas.
SEMION WEISSENBERG worked hard with Berman and Temkin in the St.
Petersburg Students’ Palestinophile Association, took part in
the Odessa _Chovevé Zion_ meetings, and later entered the Zionist
Organization, of which he is a prominent member. His bent lies in the
direction of work in connection with the Jewish problem in Russia.
DAVID YELLIN (1858), a son-in-law of J. M. Pines, is one of the most
eminent Hebraists and educationists in Palestine. The Zionist idea
captured him early in life and grew upon him during his many-sided
literary and educational career. He has written the best text-books
of the Hebrew language, based on the principle of the modern method
_Ibrith B’ibrith_ (Hebrew in Hebrew), and has thus helped to make
Hebrew a living language. He has been teacher and principal of several
Hebrew schools and of the seminary for the training of teachers. He has
many connections in England, and is on the Montefiore foundations in
Palestine.
In St. Petersburg Zionism has now gained a strong footing, owing to the
steady efforts of the distinguished, devoted and indefatigable member
of the Actions Committee, Israel Rosoff, Michael Aleinikow, the able
and gifted Abraham Idelsohn, A. J. Rapaport, as well as of the very
able and devoted workers S. S. Babkow, W. Grossmann, A. Goldstein, S. J.
Janovski, A. Seidemann, M. Sachs, and others. As far as Nationalism is
concerned the learned and talented historian, Shimon Dubnow, and the
group of his followers, are undoubtedly most faithful adherents to this
idea, and the same may unhesitatingly be also said of N. M. Friedmann,
M. Ch. Bomesch and E. R. Gurevitch, the members of the Duma, and many
other leading St. Petersburg Jews. The old Zionist leader, Gregor
Belkovsky, a man of high standing in the Zionist Organization, who
has already been mentioned, has for many years been very active, his
influence being still as great as ever.
The number of the _Chovevé Zion_ societies increased. They watched
each other’s activities and emulated each other in brotherly devotion.
The University groups were influenced by the literature and the press,
as well as by the old leaders; and the old leaders were in their turn
again stimulated by the ardour of the younger men. To return to the
older _Chovevé Zion_ societies and later Zionist societies, a few of
the most important should be mentioned, as, for instance, the Odessa
Group (or the Official Society), under the leadership of Pinsker,
_Achad Ha’am_, M. L. Lilienblum, A. Grünberg (who was for some years
President of the Society), Ch. Tschernowitz, L. Lewinski, Rawnitzki,
S. N. Barbasch, A. E. Lubarski, Frankfeld, J. Klausner, M. Scheinkin,
Ben Ami Rabinowitsch, and at a later period, Ussischkin, Bialik, S. A.
Benzion-Guttmann, M. Kleinmann, Ch. Grinberg, and others. The Bialystok
Group, with Rabbi Samuel Mohilewer, Dr. Chasanowitsch (who deserves
an honoured place as a zealous pioneer of Nationalism and a great
worker for the Hebrew revival in Palestine, and for his noble, almost
life-long efforts for the purpose of establishing his Hebrew library,
“Baith Neeman,” in Jerusalem) and Nissenbaum was of great importance
during the lifetime of Rabbi Mohilewer and retained a great practical
influence later, especially in consequence of the fact that the
Bialystok _Chovevé Zion_ themselves took a prominent part in various
colonization schemes. The Warsaw Group had a principal leader in
Isidore Jasinowski, a man of great sincerity, enthusiasm and love for
the cause. An ardent _Chovev Zion_, he afterwards joined the Zionist
movement, and, till the Territorialist split, remained devoted to the
cause. The most energetic workers there were Schefer-Rubinoscitsch;
J. M. Meyersohn; Eleasar Kaplan, who died recently and was an able and
enterprising Nationalist, a most zealous worker, to whom great praise
is due in connection with the _Achiasaf_ and other Hebrew literary
enterprises; W. Gluskin (one of the most notable workers and leaders),
who joined with L. Kaplan in the foundation of the _Achiasaf_ and
_Ha-Zofe_, undertook afterwards the Directorship of the Palestine
Wine Company, “Karmel,” and settled in Rishon L’Zion, in Palestine,
where he is now one of the leaders of the new colonization); Stawski;
Mates Cohn; Dr. Bychowski; Samuel Luria; Dr. T. Hindes (who lived some
years in Palestine, and takes a useful part in the propaganda); M. M.
Pros; M. Feldstein (the well-known _Chovev Zion_ and supporter of the
literary movement, a prominent member and representative of Zionist
institutions); J. Lewite; Jacob Braude; Rafalkes; Ginzburg; Friedland;
L. Davidsohn; and others.
All these important workers were afterwards active in the Zionist
Organization. The development of Zionism gave a new impetus to the
Palestine propaganda and to the national movement. The University
movement, though most vigorous in other parts of the Russian Empire,
had only few adherents in Poland. It is worthy of note that Dr.
Zamenhof, the inventor of Esperanto, was, during a certain period
of his university career, a Jewish Nationalist of great zest, and
a contributor to Rosenfeld’s _Razsweet_. Meierowitz, the old _Bilu_
pioneer, as well as the pioneer Freimann, came from Warsaw; Mekler,
Elie Margulies, Manson (who died young) were the most prominent
_Chovevé Zion_ among the Warsaw students in the eighties. Only with
the new Zionist Organization a strong movement of a local character
came into being with adherents who were natives of the country, and
this resulted in the production of literature and a Press in the native
tongue. In this respect, the activity of the late Jan Kirszrot was very
helpful. A great idealist, an honestly and deeply convinced Zionist,
who had been brought to the cause out of assimilated surroundings, a
worker of the most generous impulses, and a writer _par excellence_
in the Polish language (like many other young Zionists of assimilated
education he had acquired the knowledge of Hebrew), he worked side by
side with the gifted and devoted Isaac Grunbaum, who became in later
years a prominent leader, a publicist of excellent abilities and a
worker of great intellectual integrity; also with the zealous Nahum
Syrkin, whose significant activities extended over a large sphere, with
the remarkable, energetic, indefatigable worker Leon Lewite, with the
keen, persistent and conscientious Zelig Weizmann, the graceful and
judicious S. Seidemann, the sound and forceful Isaac Gruenbaum, the
talented and consistent Hartglass (for a certain period), the keen and
learned Shimon Rundstein, the intellectual and devoted Julian Kaliski,
and a number of other young writers and organizers――in connection
with older Zionists and men of letters, and together with the
general Zionist Organization, particularly with the younger and more
progressive element. They had founded a Nationalist group “Safroth,”
issued a Zionist weekly in Polish (_Prgyszlose_), and published a very
interesting miscellany in that language. Kirszrot’s life of devotion to
the highest ideals and his brilliantly youthful career were unhappily
cut short by the hand of death.
But the University nationalist Jewish movement had begun. A change
was in process, the extensive scope of which was scarcely noticed by
the representatives of Assimilation, to whom it seemed that the small
group of students and intellectuals consisted merely of visionaries
and dreamers. Yet there obtained in this apparently insignificant group
a vitality which was destined to become a powerful factor in the life
of Polish Jewry. The evolution of this young movement was the result
of the whole Zionist movement, the rapid growth of Jewish cultural
life, of Jewish education, of the Jewish literature and press, of
which all Warsaw had become a very important centre. At that period
we see already the influential Zionist leaders busy with great Zionist
work. Zionism, the Hebrew Revival, national education, the defence of
Jewish interests and of the national principle in communal affairs,
now engaged the attention and support of the generous, experienced, and
beloved Abraham Podliszewski, of the acute and energetic H. Farbstein,
of the thorough and dignified Dr. Poznanski, of the calm and pacific
Dr. Mintz, of the strong, vigilant and inflexible Isaac Gruenbaum, the
devoted and popular Nissenbaum, Dr. Klumel, Olschwanger, M. I. Freid,
Dr. Hindes, Horodischtsch, Dunajewski, Dr. Gottlieb, Zabludowski, the
educational worker and excellent Hebraist S. L. Gordon, and of many
others. In this camp we meet again all the _Chovevé Zion_ of bygone
days.The same development took place at Lodz, where the able, eloquent
Dr. Jelski, Dr. Silberstrom and others had long been at work, and where
afterwards a strong Zionist group, with the esteemed and influential Dr.
M. Braude as guide and leader, was doing most useful work. In Minsk we
find working in the _Chovevé Zion_ movement Joshua Syrkin, the man of
faith and energy, whose mind is well stored with treasures of Hebrew
literature, and here we also meet with the zealous Neifach, the late
Rabbi Chaneles, and the eminently able Wilbuschewitsch family. We come
again across them later in Zionism together with the active Zionist
workers Kaplan, Churgin, Berger and others. In Pinsk at the _Chovevé
Zion_ period, Eisenberg, Rosenbaum, Hiller, Naiditsch, Pinchas Breymar,
J. Breyman, L. Berger, Maslanski were the leaders. The aged Reb Dowidel
(Friedmann), the great Talmudist, pious and saintly, supported the
Movement and took part in the Kattowitz Conference. Among them we can
trace Naiditsch, now of the Actions Committee; Eisenberg, the great
authority on colonization――in Rechoboth, Palestine; Maslanski, the
powerful preacher at New York; Weizmann, a member of the Inner Actions
Committee, and S. Rosenbaum, the lawyer, the member of the First Duma,
and Lithuanian statesman, who proved his worth during many years as
member of the Actions Committee, as legal adviser, as representative
of several Zionist institutions, as a great worker in the Organization,
and as a defender of Zionism in Russia. In Wilna, the late S. J. Finn,
and his son the late Dr. Finn, Joseph Gurland, Ch. L. Markon, Triwusch,
Gordon (who settled later on in Palestine), Miriam Zalkind, who
founded the Society of the “Daughters of Zion”; Lewanda, Fischel Pines,
who attended the Kattowitz Conference; Ben-jakob, Isaac Goldberg,
Boris Goldberg, Neuschul and others very early took an interest in
the _Chovevé Zion_ movement. In the Zionist Organization, Wilna at a
certain period was the centre of activity, from the point of view of
organization, propaganda and press. Ben-jakob did good work for the
Jewish Colonial Trust, Neuschul is a thorough and devoted Nationalist.
Among those in Wilna who succeeded in rising to the height of national
importance, doing at the same time great national work of a general
character, and useful, indispensable local work in Russia, belong the
two excellent and distinguished Zionists: Isaac and Boris Goldberg.
The influence of these Russian and Polish enthusiasts soon spread
further. Mention has already been made of the _Kadimah_ of the Vienna
University and of Nathan Birnbaum, one of its leaders. Others of its
prominent members were: Dr. N. T. Schnierer, the physician, scholar
and editor, who was a highly respected member of the First Zionist
Actions Committee; the gifted brothers Marmorek, supporters of Herzl
and his political Zionism; Schalit, who represented the sympathetic,
real Viennese type; the very capable and devoted Werner, who became
later one of the secretaries of Herzl and editor of the _Welt_; the
well-known polemical journalist, S. R. Landau; the reserved and learned
Berkovitsch; the energetic and faithful Alkalai of Serbia, who has been
a member of the Actions Committee since the inception of the Zionist
Organization;¹ the devoted worker, M. Moscowitz of Roumania, who was
a member of the Actions Committee (he recently died in Palestine, where
he was physician of the colony Rechoboth); the enthusiast, Caleff of
Bulgaria; Erwin Rosenberger, and many others from different countries.
¹ It is noteworthy that Zionism is an old tradition of the
Alkalai family. Rabbi Jehouda Alkalai (died in 1878) was
a precursor of political Zionism which he expounded in his
_Goral L’Adonai_ (Vienna, 1857; Amsterdam, 1858; Warsaw,
1903). He was the author of _Minchath Yehouda_ (Vienna,
1843) in honour of the Montefiore and Cremieux mission, 1840.
He addressed also a special appeal to the English Jews in
favour of Zionism and wrote further series of other Zionist
pamphlets in Hebrew. There were also other members of the
Alkalai family who were closely connected with Palestine and
devoted to the idea of its colonization by the Jewish people.
The similarity of their views on Jews and Judaism brought them more and
more closely together, and they soon agreed that the fundamental views
of the higher-educated Jews of the time were in need of a change, and
that a vigorous attack against the theory of assimilation prevailing
among Western European Jews would have to take place. They clearly
realized that the lever ought to be applied to the academical youth,
not only because those circles were nearest to them, but because in
their midst the assimilation theory had found most adherents. The
assumption seemed justified that the academical youth once converted
would propagate the national Jewish idea with all the fire of its
enthusiasm and authority among the largest strata of the population.
These few young men soon obtained a small addition of courageous
fellow-combatants, and a phalanx was at once formed which undertook
the foundation of an academic Jewish national union. Their aspirations
met with powerful support and advancement from a man whose name
shines in golden letters in the history of Jewish literature――Perez
Smolenskin. A profound judge of the human soul, an even more thorough
investigator of the Jewish national psyche, he at the same time
wielded in a masterly way the language of the prophets. He had fought
for years in numerous writings, and particularly in his monthly
publication _Hashahar_, against the dissolving tendencies and for the
nationalization of Judaism with all the brilliancy of his mind and all
the sharpness of his caustic satire. How welcome to him must have been
the small band of Jewish university students who undertook to carry his
ideas into practical life and to make them the common property of the
Jewish academical youth. Until his death Smolenskin was to them a kind
and wise leader. Among many other obligations, the Union owes him its
name.
At the beginning of the summer term of 1882 there appeared for the
first time upon the notice-board of the Vienna University an appeal
of a Jewish national society, addressed to the corporation of Jewish
students. The sensation produced by this appeal was extraordinary. The
Christian students shook their heads incredulously, while most Jewish
students poured out upon the innovators a flood of scorn and ridicule.
And not only the students but the middle-classes, the official
representatives of Judaism, opposed the _Kadimah_ most mercilessly.
It was a contest of all against a few. But the few went on, calm and
undismayed; engrossed by the magnitude of the idea for which they
fought, they unswervingly pursued their aim. The _Kadimaner_ propagated
the Jewish national ideal by innumerable lectures, meetings and
publications. Their number increased constantly, and by and by a
specific Jewish national student life developed at Vienna University,
which began to throb with increased intensity when the _Kadimah_,
compelled by the conditions of the Vienna University, was transformed
into a fighting, “duel-bound” association. People may hold different
opinions about duelling at most Western European Universities, but one
thing must be admitted, namely, that it has had a favourable influence
upon the physical development of the Jewish young manhood, and that the
duelling Jewish student corporation gained the esteem of its Christian
colleagues. Partly through this transformation and partly through the
growing propagation of the national ideal among the Jewish students,
the number of Jewish national academical unions was gradually increased.
One association after another came into existence: “Unitas,” “Ivria,”
“Gamala,” “Libanonia,” “Hasmonäa,” and others; so that there exists at
the present day, at nearly every university at which Jewish students
study, a Jewish national student association.
Old Assimilants looked upon this movement at first as a farce.
Certainly no one at that time anticipated that the mainsprings of new
life perceptible in many different places would soon become a powerful
source of cleansing and reviving Judaism. As the preparatory work for
creating a clearer conception of things was at first confined to groups
of such young men, most opponents looked upon it as a pastime only
fit for young, inexperienced schoolboys. Meanwhile, the movement
continued to make rapid progress. At the end of the eighties there
existed an important association in Berlin, which was at first somewhat
theoretical in character, but very soon afterwards became a sister
society of the Vienna Association, taking also the name of _Kadima_. In
this organization we come across a great number of workers whose names
are inseparably bound up with the history of the Zionist Organization
and with Jewish national literature in all languages.
The large number of young men who have been associated with the Jewish
National Students’ Association at Berlin would make a list too long for
detailed enumeration. But the following must specially be mentioned:――
SHEMARYAH LEVIN was born in Russia. He is an enthusiastic nationalist,
a good Hebrew scholar, and as an exceptionally effective speaker
he attained considerable popularity already as a young student. He
lectured on Hebrew literature and attracted much attention. Having
graduated, he returned to Russia, and was Rabbi in Grodno. Later,
he lived for some time in Warsaw, where he devoted himself to Hebrew
literary work in connection with _Achiasaf_, and possessing great
mastery over the Hebrew language, he wrote books and pamphlets of
great value. Since then he has contributed to numerous Hebrew reviews.
Some time afterwards he was Rabbi in Ekaterinoslaw and Wilna, and was
elected a member of the first Russian Duma, where he distinguished
himself as a most able speaker and worker. Then he left Russia
and settled abroad. Already as a youth he was most active in the
_Chovevé Zion_ movement; later he took a prominent part in the Zionist
Organization, and is now a member of its Small Actions Committee and
one of the most influential leaders. An excellent orator, closely
attached to Palestine, where he has lived for a considerable time,
a plodding worker, he has for some years been busily engaged in
propaganda work in Europe and America.
VICTOR JACOBSOHN was born in Russia, and brought up from his infancy
in an intensely assimilated (Russianized) environment. His father was
a judge at Simferopol, but the son became irresistibly drawn towards
Jewish nationalism. He was much influenced by the Berlin Students’
Group. An accomplished young man, of splendid literary taste, a
lover of fine art, thoroughly impressed with the righteousness of the
national cause, he soon became one of the leaders among the students.
After having graduated, he returned to Russia, where he took a large
and active share in the _Chovevé Zion_ movement, and took up the
Zionist Movement from the time of its inauguration. He was very soon
elected member of the Actions Committee, but, apart from his work for
the Organization as a whole, he was, when still in Russia, a steady and
successful local worker. He then moved to the East, living in Palestine
and in Constantinople, where he devoted himself entirely to Zionist
work, both financial and political. Being a business man as well as a
man of letters, a political thinker as well as an able financier, he
has become one of the most influential Zionist leaders. He is a member
of the Small Actions Committee.
CHAIM WEIZMANN, who was born in Russia, was already in his boyhood very
active in the young _Chovevé Zion_ movement. During his studies at the
Charlottenburg Polytechnic he took a leading part in the Berlin Jewish
National Students’ Association. Of amiable and genial disposition,
a pleasant and persuasive speaker, inseparably bound up with the
deep national affection and humour of the Jewish home in Russia,
young Weizmann soon gained great popularity among his fellow-students.
Later he came into great and well-merited prominence at the Zionist
Congresses and Conferences. With Feiwel, Buber and others he was most
active in the Students’ propaganda, and during his visits to Russia
took a prominent part in the propaganda there. Having graduated, he
went to Switzerland, and was soon appointed Lecturer of Chemistry
at the Geneva University, where he became the central figure of the
West Zionist Group. About that time he, with Feiwel, Buber and others,
conceived the idea of a Jewish University. At the Basle Congress
in 1901 the Actions Committee had included the question of the
establishment of a Palestine University in their programme, and Herzl
took steps to obtain a concession for the University from the Turkish
Government; but, in consequence of the pressure of other problems, this
project was lost sight of for some years. The movement in favour of
this idea, however, continued to develop, and its inception as well as
its popularity is due to Weizmann more than to any other Zionist. The
general Zionist activity of Weizmann grew from one Congress to another.
He was elected member of the Actions Committee and of several important
Zionist institutions. He has been living in England for some years
now, occupying a chair in the faculty of chemistry at the Manchester
University and taking a leading part in the English Zionist Federation.
(The new University Scheme, and Weizmann’s activity in this direction,
are described elsewhere.)
LEO MOTZKIN, BERTHOLD FEIWEL, MARTIN BUBER and JOSEPH LURIE, also
prominent in this circle, have already been mentioned.
In the Berlin group we also come across Isidor Eliaschew, a refined
critic of great artistic culture, an important contributor to Jewish
literature――mostly in Yiddish. His talents and information are of
the most varied character, for he is the author of charmingly written
essays, studies, monographs and sketches extending over a wide sphere
of thought. He occupied a leading position in the radical wing of
Zionism and among the literary workers of the Renaissance. We also come
across Soskin, a clear-minded, enterprising and practical Zionist, a
young man of wonderful foresight and an agricultural engineer of renown;
further, Berman, whose studies were concentrated on colonizing work.
Both of them went to Palestine later, and supervised colonization work
there, acquiring in that way much valuable information and experience,
which they recorded in various instructive books. We also find
there Nachman Syrkin, the radical propagandist, the leader of the
Zionist-Socialists; the able and cautious Estermann; Elie Davidsohn,
who took a prominent part in discussing the open controversy between
the various sections; Wilenski, an active and enthusiastic worker of
considerable influence, first abroad and later in Russia; Mirkin,
powerful, energetic and highly respected; Meschorer, determined and
broad-minded, who, though not identifying himself with the Organization,
worked hard in Warsaw when first the propaganda for securing capital
for the Jewish Colonial Trust was set on foot, and died recently;
Grigory Wilbuschewitsch, one of the family of energetic enthusiasts
for and in Palestine; Salkind of Minsk; Kunin, a loyal and devoted
worker; Pevsner, who worked zealously; and――last, but not least――Ch.
D. Gurevitsch, the excellent Hebrew writer and essayist, novelist and
publicist, a contributor to the Hebrew and Yiddish Press, a learned
economist who was particularly interested in introducing his economic
programme into Zionism, who expounded the idea in a lecture he
delivered at a Conference of Russian Zionists held at Minsk in 1902.
Then there were also Davis Trietsch and Ephraim Lilien, who have
already been mentioned.
In course of time the movement spread steadily and systematically.
Similar associations were soon founded in Heidelberg, Munich, Leipzig,
Königsberg, Breslau, Berne, Zurich, Geneva, Lauzanno, Montpellier and
Galicia.
The Jewish University students, particularly those hailing from Russia,
pursued their studies at different universities, often passing from one
to another. We, therefore, find some of them changing their places and
activities in the Movement. For this reason it is impossible to follow
a precisely geographical or chronological course.
At Heidelberg, Joseph Klausner and Saul Tschernichewski were already
active before the First Zionist Congress took place. Loeb Jaffe
of Grodno, who combined idealism with practical astuteness, wrote
emotional Zionist poetry, and at the same time did organization work
perhaps more than any other Jewish student who happened to be at
Heidelberg. Later he became a great Zionist worker, organizer, editor
and member of the Actions Committee in Russia. Gurland of Wilna,
Eliasberg of Pinsk, Feitlowitsch, J. Melnik, Blumenfeld and others
were the pioneers of the Zionist idea who had rallied around Professor
Herman Schapiro, that venerable and cherished veteran, who, aided by
his devoted wife, made his home a rendezvous of the local Zionist group.
In Munich, the intellectual and kind-hearted brothers Strauss, members
of an old noble Jewish family, worked together with G. Halpern, who
during his University career had already distinguished himself by his
great talents, and who was a good economist, a journalist of great
skill, and a devoted Zionist worker. At a later period he was elected
member of the Actions Committee. Lew, Izkovitsch, Abramowitsch
and Nemzer may be mentioned among others. The last-named had
greatly endeared himself to his fellow-students by his sincerity and
warm-heartedness. He died very young, in Riga (1906), in a tragic way,
a martyr’s death. At Leipzig there was also Loeb Jaffe, working with
the devoted Kunin, who became in the last few years one of the pioneer
workers in Palestine, as manager of Medjdel; and also Gurland, the
engineering student at Mitwreida, as well as others.
It is interesting to glance back upon the various stages of propaganda
in order to discover how the Russian Jews influenced their brethren
abroad, how Zionism infused new life into the older _Chovevé Zion_
movement, and how the present important representatives of new Zionism
gradually appeared upon the scene and took up so strong a position.
A little society for the support of Palestine colonization was already
in existence in Berlin as recently as 1871, but there seems to be
little on record about it. At the beginning of the eighties there was a
venerable, orthodox Rabbi, Dr. Israel Hildesheimer, assisted by his son
Hirsch, together with some other members, notably the philanthropist S.
Lachmann, Willy Bambus, a devoted Zionist, who travelled in Palestine,
and has published many pamphlets and articles, and in connection with
a _Chovevé Zion_ of Russia, M. Turow, took an important part in the
_Chovevé Zion_ movement, and the late Moses of Kattowitz. We read
already, in Dr. Rülf’s appeal of 1882: “Do not divide us; take us to
places where we can live together, remain together, and work together
as a united community, _arranged like any other human society_, where
we may be Jews, without being interfered with” (this circular was
issued in English by Haim Guedalla), and that is a trumpet-call of
Zionism. Rülf, the Rabbi of Memel, was a man of genius and thoroughness,
who was well known for his talent as an author of philosophical works,
a theologian, preacher, and above all a noble character: he afterwards
took part in the Zionist Movement and in the Congress. In 1884, a
society for the support of a Jewish colonization in Palestine, called
“Esra,” was founded in Berlin. In Cologne a _Chovevé Zion_ group was
established through the efforts of David Wolffsohn, Dr. M. Bodenheimer,
Rubensohn and others. The Jewish National Students’ Association,
consisting first almost exclusively of foreigners, gradually attracted
the best elements of the local Jewish youth. One of the first and
foremost was H. Löwe, a young man of great enthusiasm and energy, of
vigorous eloquence, who travelled in Palestine and appeared at the
First Congress as a delegate from Jaffa.
Arthur Friedemann, an able student, a member of an old and honoured
family; Gronemann, the son of a respected Rabbi, a brilliant student
and an excellent Jew; Klee, a keen propagandist and attractive speaker;
Jungmann, a humorous, attractive and talented writer; Hantke, who
distinguished himself by profound honesty of purpose and love of
detail, and as a highly gifted, indefatigable and successful organizer;
Jeremias, a faithful adherent to the movement (he died recently);
Elias and Israel Auerbach, who possessed, besides their noble Jewish
national aspirations, the most excellent literary gifts; Zlozisti, a
fine writer and a poet full of wit and humour; Kalmus, a quiet, steady
and enthusiastic Zionist worker; Sandler, an eminently able young
scholar; Kollenscher, a strong political Zionist; Chamitzer, a faithful
and zealous adherent of the Organization; the late Pell, an eminent
propagandist and organizer; Leszynski, a quiet, persistent and
conscientious member of the party; Witkowsky, an intelligent and
active supporter; Oscar Levy; Emil Cohn, an eminently able theologian;
Goldberg, a determined worker in the Organization; Edelstem; A. Wiener,
a wholehearted, ardent worker; and at a later period, Gideon Heymann,
a young man of burning zeal and considerable attainments; Blumenfeld,
a propagandist of great eloquence and literary talents; Brunn,
Hildesheimer and other medical men, steady workers, who devoted
themselves to medical work in Palestine; Salomon, the brothers Treidel,
Biram, a studious and very clever pedagogical worker, who recently
was engaged together with Tachauer in Haifa, Löwenberg in Jerusalem,
and others in national educational work; Richard Lichtheim, a gifted
adherent to the cause; Rosenblüth, an able worker; Weinberg; Goitein
(the latter died recently), who assisted in the work of the Palestinian
Office, and many others――all of them took part in the University
movement.
We find most of them joining in later years the Zionist Organization,
which was in course of time supported by a representation of the
older generation. Otto Warburg, botanist, author and professor, was an
active member of the “Esra” for a long time. He then joined the Zionist
Organization, and placed his great scientific knowledge at the service
of the Movement, especially for the purpose of colonization work.
Simple-minded, of high integrity and unassuming, he worked with a quiet
determination and an intense love of Palestine. He edited _Palästina_,
_Altneuland_, founded the Palestine Land Development Company, was
elected member of the Small Actions Committee and succeeded David
Wolffsohn in 1911. Hantke, so devout in national aspirations and with
such great capacity for organization, and an exceptional record of
local work for some years, entered the Small Actions Committee at
the same time. Dr. Bodenheimer, one of the oldest and most prominent
Zionists, was an excellent practical worker in the management of the
Jewish National Fund. Dr. Oppenheimer, the famous economist, gave
a great impetus to co-operative work in Palestine. Dr. Ruppin, a
man of great learning, high intelligence, wonderful energy, and an
exceptionally active administrator, had the largest share in the
management of practical work in Palestine, and a considerable record
of literary work in connection with the problems of colonization. And
in the work of organization Julius Simon proved an eminent worker;
likewise Dr. Moses, an experienced Zionist; H. Schachtel, indefatigable
in important work; Hermann Struck; Wagner, a splendid worker, the
well-known painter and Zionist worker of high religious sentiment, and
Dr. Frank, the leader of the “Misrachi.”
A similar development took place in all other countries. The revival
among the Jewish students at the Swiss universities commenced in the
eighties, and there again we come across many who in later years have
achieved leading positions in literature, in the Zionist Organization,
or in educational and practical work in Palestine. Among the names of
note at the Bern University we may mention: Mossensohn, Bogratschow,
Jacob Rabinovitscz, Metman-Cohn, Jochelmann, Aron Michael, Boruchow,
Isaac, Loeb Boruchowitsch, J. Becker, Chissin, Glikson, Rabin, Salkind,
Melamed, Klazkin, Bernstein, Seleger, Robinsohn, Marschak, Meir Pines
and many others; in Geneva: Weizmann, Harari, M. and Mme. Aberson,
Grunblatt, Stupnitzki, and later Daniel Pasmanik, Ben Ami Rabinowitsch,
and others; in Zurich: David Farbstein, Felix Pinkus, Mlle. Reines
(later Mme. Davidsohn); in Basle: Ezekiel Wortsmann――and many others.
Switzerland, the favourite place of students and political
international workers, became of course a great centre of intellectual
Zionist activity. The circumstance that the First Zionist Congress,
as well as most of the following ones, took place in Switzerland,
contributed much to the importance of this centre. The number of
Jewish students from Eastern Europe, particularly owing to the great
facilities with regard to university studies in Switzerland at that
time in comparison with other countries, has for some time been very
considerable. The pressure occasioned by the exceptional restrictions,
which interfered with Jewish education in Russia, caused a steady
increase in this number, while, as a natural and psychological effect,
the baseness and injustice of the restrictions awakened in the Jewish
young men a consciousness of their real position and of the necessity
for a radical solution. It was there that the battles were fought
between the young, enthusiastic champions of the different movements:
Socialists, Bundists and various schools of Zionism, conservative,
radical, political, practical, etc.
All the aforementioned pioneers could be found at work at those
different periods, and afterwards. To mention only a few of them,
Weizmann’s activities had considerably developed when in Geneva;
Mossensohn, a man of striking individuality and an orator of renown,
was a most active propagandist, thoroughly nationalist; he became
afterwards professor and subsequently director of the Hebrew Gymnasium
at Jaffa; Metman-Cohn and Bogratschow, both widely read and fine
scholars, also Marschak and Harari did much to cause a great revival
of Hebrew in Palestine; Rabin is a pedagogical worker who did good
work in Palestine and Russia; A. U. Boruchow, pre-eminent among Zionist
intellectuals, took a conspicuous part in the Poale-Zion movement;
Chissin distinguished himself in practical work in Palestine; Klazkin,
Boruchowitsch, Melamed and Bernstein are well-known Hebrew writers,
most gifted and very active, and regarded as important in the Zionist
Movement; Aberson was well known as a smart disputant and propagandist;
Stupnitzki is a thoughtful Yiddish publicist; J. Becker, who really
belongs to the Berlin group, has for many years been most actively
engaged in the Movement, he has been editor of the _Welt_ and has
published many reports of the Congresses; in the same direction, and
of a similar character, was the activity of Pinkus; Jochelman joined,
after years of useful and honest Zionist work, the Territorialist
movement, of which he is one of the leaders; Wortsmann is an arduous
Zionist writer of inexhaustible energy. David Farbstein of Warsaw was
one of the most prominent pioneers. A very learned and discreet lawyer,
with a mind stored with useful information, and a good Hebrew scholar,
he was highly appreciated at the First Congress, and was able to give
valuable legal advice in matters appertaining to financial questions.
Daniel Pasmanik developed considerable activity at a later epoch and
devoted himself with exceptional sincerity to propaganda work; as
a writer and journalist of extraordinary capabilities and of great
vivacity, he became an invaluable contributor to the Zionist press,
particularly in Russia. Lastly, we must mention the Montpellier group,
with its leaders: Mohilewer, Kalwaryjski, Buchmil, Mlle. Imas (later
Mme. Buchmil), Einhorn, Katzmann, Miss Ginsberg (later Mme. Krause),
and others.
Old Zionists will remember what a significant impression the appearance
of the Montpellier delegates created at the First Congress. Later
experiences confirmed this favourable impression. Kalwaryjski is
now successfully engaged as manager of the Rothschild Colonies in
Upper Galilee, in Palestine; Mohilewer, the grandson of Rabbi Samuel
Mohilewer, worthily upholds the traditions of his family, and occupies
the post of a capable communal Rabbi in Bialystok; Buchmil is engaged
in propaganda; Katzmann did good work in America, where he lives; and
Einhorn, an excellent agricultural engineer and a fine Hebraist, has
written a very useful book on this subject.
In Galicia, the Movement can be traced back to the early eighties,
and it was closely connected with the Vienna _Kadima_. Some of the
Galicians belonged to different groups in Germany, Switzerland and
other countries. In later years the Universities of Lemberg and Cracow
became great centres of the Jewish national movement. Ruben Bierer
belonged to the founders of the _Kadima_, also Birnbaum, who is
a Galician. Practically most of the Vienna _Kadima_ students were
Galicians, and also a certain number of the Berlin _Kadima_. To the
most distinguished Zionist leaders belongs Mordecai Braude of Lemberg,
who graduated at Freiburg, was Rabbi at Stanislau, and only missed by a
small minority being elected to the Austrian Diet. He is now Rabbi and
Preacher at the Great Synagogue in Lodz, Poland. A man of learning and
high character, he showed immense capacity for Zionist work, as also in
his rabbinical career.
Stand, Korkis, Zipper, Rabbi Schmelkes, Malz, Schiller (living
in Palestine), Thon, Wahrhaftig, Hausmann, Waschitz, Emil Reich,
Silbermann, Kornhäuser, Reis, Waldmann, Schorr, Zimmermann, Samuel
Rapaport, Balaban and many others――now important Zionist workers――were
mostly influenced by the University movement. Stand has a fine record
as a brilliant Zionist and politician. He, with Mahler, Straucher and
the late Gabel, formed a Jewish National Club, composed of members of
the Austrian Parliament. As a political speaker he always strove to
spread the truth concerning the Jewish situation in all its purity and
strength. Alfred Nossig, mentioned already in another connection, also
came from Galicia.
Although Zionism played an important part in Western Europe, Russia has
yet always been the most important centre of Zionist propaganda. The
penetration of Zionism into University circles began, naturally enough,
in that country, where Jewish life is so real, where the knowledge of
the Hebrew language and of the national past is so widely diffused, and
where the persecutions have always been so strongly felt. There were
several centres of the movement; but, while one of those centres was
considered the foremost as far as national aspirations were concerned,
and others in other directions, there was one that seemed the most
prominent from the beginning, and which seemed destined to rank far
above the others, namely, Charkow.
A _Chovevé Zion_ group was founded at Charkow in 1882, which was the
_Bilu_――mostly composed of University students. Israel Belkind, the
most zealous, true-hearted and indefatigable worker, was one of the
first leaders; this group was in connection with another _Chovevé Zion_
Society, which was at that time already in existence in Krementhsug,
of which David Levontin (now Managing Director of the Anglo-Palestine
Company), one of the first _Chovevé Zion_ of Russia, and one of the
first pioneers in Palestine, was the President. The latter Society was
in touch with David Gordon in Lyck, and with some other societies which
were already in existence in various parts of Russia. They were also
in touch with Jehiel Brill, the editor of the _Ha-Lebanon_, and with
M. Pines of Rishnoi. The banker Karassik in Charkow was the Treasurer
of the _Bilu_ Society. Joseph Feinberg, an intellectual communal worker
and a good linguist, who had graduated in chemistry in Switzerland,
was at the time in touch with Dr. Mandelstamm, in Kiew, who was
greatly interested in the movement. The _Bilu_ Society sent twenty
propagandists all over Russia, with the result that 525 members joined.
The central office was in Charkow. The Society eventually came into
touch with Dr. N. Adler, Sir Moses Montefiore and Laurence Oliphant.
An office was opened in Odessa and another in Constantinople, where an
Appeal was issued (see Appendix LXXIX., “The Manifesto of the _Bilu_
(1882)”). After a meeting in January, 1882, Levontin and Feinberg were
sent to Palestine for the purpose of purchasing land. The negotiations
with Oliphant, who was at that time in Constantinople, having fallen
through, the representatives of the _Bilu_ addressed themselves
directly to the Ottoman Government, and were received by the Grand
Vezir. And Levontin and Feinberg, having found some suitable plots of
land in the South of Palestine, negotiated with the Bedouins for the
purchase of them.
In June, 1882 (the 7th of Tammus), the first _Bilu_ party, consisting
of fourteen persons (among whom was one girl, Debora, the sister of
Israel Belkind, now the wife of Dr. Chissin), and later joined by
further six persons, arrived in Palestine. Grave difficulties arose,
however, in connection with the formalities for the purchase of the
land. Meanwhile, a number of new pioneers had arrived also from
Roumania.
In Roumania, in 1882, the Zion Society at Galatz had voted ten thousand
francs towards the project of the colonization of Palestine. At Jassy
a committee, comprised of the most influential members of the Jewish
community, was formed to collect subscriptions for the same object. The
Palestine Colonization Society at Berlad sent a delegate to the Holy
Land to confer with the Governor on the question as to the purchase of
land. The office of the Central Committee of the Society for Promoting
Jewish Emigration from Roumania (preferably to Palestine) was in Galatz,
under the control of M. Samuel Pineles. The President was (in 1882) M.
Isaac Löbel, and M. Abeles at Galatz, M. Neuschotz at Jassy, M. Marco
Schein, L. Goldberg, Dr. L. Lippe, M. Mattes and M. Weinberg. Dr. Moses
Gaster, at that time a young but influential man, strongly supported
the movement. On the 4th May, 1882, a general meeting was held at Jassy
concerning the Palestine Colonization Scheme. Laurence Oliphant was the
central figure of this assembly, and power of attorney was given him
by the Committee to negotiate on their behalf at Constantinople. It
was also resolved to send a commission to Palestine to purchase land
(E. Cohn, Helman, Denirerman). At that period there were forty-nine
Palestinian societies in Roumania. A new Society was founded: “The
Advanced Guard” (“Chaluzei Yessod Ha-Maala”) (see Appendix XCI.: “The
Advanced Guard”), with David Levontin as President, F. M. Halsoferes,
Treasurer, A. N. Hillel, A. Lande, S. Sogrisebas of Roumania, as
members, and later on S. A. Schulman as Secretary.
At this period Mr. Moore was the British Consul at Jerusalem, and
M. Hayman Amzulak, a respected Jaffa citizen, was British Consular
Agent at Jaffa. The _Chovevé Zion_ expected great help from England.
M. Amzulak, who was himself a Jew, took a keen interest in the movement
and, evidently encouraged by Mr. Moore, went to Constantinople for the
purpose of helping to surmount the difficulties. Unfortunately, the
war in Egypt had just broken out, and owing to the strained diplomatic
relations between Britain and Turkey in consequence of the occupation
of Egypt, the moment did not prove opportune for the intentions of
M. Amzulak and Laurence Oliphant. It looked as if in that way nothing
could be done. At last 3300 Dunan were bought at Rishon, but new funds
were much needed. M. Amzulak was elected Honorary President of the
“Advanced Guard,” and appeals were sent to England. Meanwhile new
groups, which despatched their envoys to several countries, were formed.
In April, 1882, M. Hirsch Braun and M. Isaac Temkin of Elizabethgrad,
Russia, proceeded to Vienna, Paris and London on behalf of 150 families
of Elizabethgrad, comprising nine hundred persons in all, who had
raised a fund of thirty thousand roubles for the purpose of migrating
to Palestine. But this plan and similar schemes were still in an
undeveloped stage, while the _Bilu_ business, which had already been
started, was really pressing. The Company wanted a loan of thirty
thousand francs. In 1883 M. Feinberg was delegated to go abroad to get
this loan. He went first to Vienna, where the _Chovevé Zion_ Society
(called “Ahirath Zion”), with Perez Smolenskin, Dr. Schnirer and
Kremenezky was already in existence. M. Feinberg was introduced to
various committees which promised contributions, provided the Paris
_Chovevé Zion_ would head the list. M. Feinberg went to Paris holding
letters of introduction from the former teacher, Professor Herman
Schapiro, to M. Zadoc Cahn, the Grand Rabbin of France, and was well
received by the French rabbi, who got him in touch with M. Michel
Erlanger. In that way he was introduced to the _Alliance Israélite_,
and to Baron Edmond de Rothschild, and succeeded in getting the
required loan.
This was practically the first colonization experiment of Jewish
_immigrants_. The die was cast. The nucleus of colonization by
immigrants had been formed. This pioneer group naturally could not
remain very long in that place, because it was badly suited for
that purpose. There were no means, skill, method, or experience.
Great privation was endured. The little group soon found itself in a
deplorable condition; some of them, overwhelmed by hardships, anxiety,
disappointment and despair, had to leave; but the “survival of the
fittest” prevailed. Some went to _Mikveh Israel_, where they worked as
farm labourers, others to Katra, twenty-five miles south-west of Jaffa,
where M. Pines had bought some three hundred Dunam of land for them.
But the fact remains that these students and idealists were the first
in the field as Palestinian colonizers. The present writer had the
moral satisfaction to meet survivors of these pioneers in Palestine six
years ago: the old-experienced settlers, M. Tschernow in Rishon L’Zion
and M. Leibowitz in Katra, and Israel Belkind, the most enthusiastic
worker――all three veterans of the struggle for the survival on the land.
But all these difficulties only stimulated the efforts of other new
pioneers. The _Bilu_ stirred up the enthusiasm of all noble-minded
Jewish students at the Russian Universities.
(2) MODERN HEBREW LITERATURE
THE necessarily brief outline in the text may be supplemented by some
account of the principal figures in Hebrew literature during the last
generation. The names are in alphabetical order.
BEN-AVIGDOR (Schalkowitsch, 1866), born in Warsaw, was Secretary of
the _Bnei Mosheh_, for some years assistant manager of the Publication
Society, _Achiasaf_, and founded in 1897 the new Publication
Company, _Tushiah_, which has published hundreds of new Hebrew books,
particularly in the domain of education. His idea was to create a
popular Hebrew literature, and he has greatly stimulated Hebrew writing
and Hebrew education. He is himself a successful and prolific Hebrew
novelist.
S. BENZION (Gutman), born in Russia, has done important literary and
pedagogical work in Odessa, and during the last few years in Palestine.
He is one of the best Hebrew writers of our time; his stories are
remarkable for beauty, charm and vividness of language. He has
contributed to many Hebrew reviews and newspapers, and has co-operated
in the publication of _Achiasaf_, _Tushiah_, and _Moriah_, chiefly
in the domain of pedagogical literature. He was also editor of the
excellent review _Moledeth_ at Jaffa. A selection of his sketches and
tales was published not long ago.
M. J. BERDITCHEVSKI is an original stylist and a prose-poet of great
sensibility and mystic beauty, distinguished especially for his gift
of allegory. His mode of thought is original, sometimes eccentric, but
always spiritual.
SIMON BERNFELD, born in Galicia, and graduated in Germany. He is one of
the most prolific and distinguished of Hebrew writers. During the last
years of David Gordon’s life he was a regular contributor to _Ha’magid_,
and after Gordon’s death was for a time editor of that paper. At that
time he ardently supported Jewish nationalism and the _Chovevé Zion_.
After a couple of years as Chief Rabbi at Belgrade he returned to
Germany and devoted himself entirely to literary and journalistic
work, mostly in Hebrew. He has been a regular contributor to the Hebrew
press all over the world. He has written also a large number of books
on history and the philosophy of religion, and many biographies. His
vast erudition and his popular style have won him a prominent place in
Hebrew literature.
REUBEN BRAININ, born in Russia, has lived in Vienna and in Berlin, and
is now in the United States. He is a critic, essayist and publicist.
His contributions to the Hebrew press, as well as his biographies
of Mapu, Smolenskin and others, have won him a high place in this
domain of letters. His style is fresh and easy, and distinguished
by correctness and taste. He edited _Mimisrach Umimaarav_, and has
written novels and treatises of great literary value. He was one of
the pioneers of the national movement in Vienna, and was in the closest
connection with the _Kadima_ and Herzl.
R. A. BROIDES, born in Russia, belonged to the old Wilna school.
He had a pure and pleasant Hebrew style, and wrote some novels of
value. He contributed to _Ha’shachar_, and was afterwards sub-editor
of Gottlober’s _Ha’boker Or_ in Lemberg. He worked for the Zionist
movement in Galicia and Vienna, and wrote several articles for the
propaganda of Zionism. He died in Vienna in 1902.
M. M. DOLITZKY, born in Bialystok, Russia, lived for many years in
America. He was a contributor to _Ha’shachar_ and _Ha’melitz_, and
wrote several novels and essays, as well as poems full of Zionist
enthusiasm. Critics may differ as to the exact literary value of his
poems, but there is no doubt as to their depth of feeling and beautiful
Biblical style.
DRUJANOW, born in Russia, active in Odessa, in Palestine and in Wilna,
belongs to the most prominent representatives of “cultural” Zionism.
He was Secretary of the _Chovevé Zion_ in Odessa, lived a few years
in Palestine and acquired a high and well-deserved literary reputation
as editor of _Ha’olam_. A conscientious publicist, of consistent and
independent judgment, with an admirable mastery of the Hebrew language,
he is an intellectual worker in the best sense of the term. Besides his
work as a publicist, he has written some excellent essays.
MORDECAI EHRENPREIS, born in Galicia, graduated in Germany, was Rabbi
in Esseg, Austria, then Chief Rabbi in Sofia, Bulgaria, and is now
Chief Rabbi in Stockholm. He is a Hebrew nationalist of genius and
experience, many-sided, with international associations and wide
knowledge. He belonged to the Nationalist Students’ Association in
Berlin, and has been in the Zionist Organization since the first
Congress, at which he played a prominent part. He represents the
intellectual and spiritual side of the movement. A man of clear
judgment and of strong character, he is very active in important work
connected with the international Jewish problem. In Hebrew literature
he is one of the best critics and essayists. He writes excellent Hebrew,
and has sound literary judgment.
ELEASAR EISENSTADT, born in Russia, was Rabbi at Rostow, and is now
official and communal Rabbi at St. Petersburg. As a student at Berlin,
where he graduated, he was one of the most enthusiastic of the young
nationalists. Endowed with a keen perception, and intimately acquainted
with the life of the Russian Ghetto, he is a master of anecdote,
and has turned his gift to account in a series of Hebrew tales. A
many-sided and energetic communal worker, particularly interested in
Jewish education (in which he was formerly engaged at St. Petersburg),
he enjoys a wide popularity.
ZALMAN EPSTEIN, of Odessa, now in Warsaw, who belonged to the _Achad
Ha’am_ circle, and was Secretary of the _Chovevé Zion_ in Odessa, is
an ardent nationalist and a zealous worker for the Jewish revival.
He contributed during several years to _Ha’melitz_ and other
Hebrew periodicals. His productions are distinguished by a vivid,
nervous style, and by a deep earnestness of conviction. An acute
controversialist, with a strong predilection for traditional ideas, he
has written several articles against the extravagances of modernism.
A. S. FRIEDBERG (_Har Shalom_), born in Grodno, lived in St. Petersburg
and in Warsaw. He was one of the most popular Hebrew writers of his
time. He wrote with ease and elegance and was at one time considered
the successor of Mapu, particularly for his translation of Grace
Aguilar’s _Vale of Cedars_――into Hebrew, _Emek Ha’arazim_. He possessed
a wonderful Hebrew style, and had the closest acquaintance with
current Jewish affairs. A convinced and enthusiastic nationalist,
he was a member of the editorial staff of _Ha’melitz_, afterwards of
_Ha’zefirah_, and of the first volume of the Hebrew Encyclopædia, and
became ultimately one of the principal writers of the _Achiasaf_, for
which he wrote a series of popular books.
S. I. FUCHS, born in Russia, graduated in Switzerland, and was a
scholar of great versatility and deep learning. As a student he
belonged to several nationalist students’ associations and was
distinguished by his earnestness and high moral sense. His treatises
dealing with Jewish historical and literary topics are of enduring
value. He was one of the assistant editors of _Ha’magid_ and had a
considerable share in the propaganda of Zionism.
S. J. HURWITZ, born in Russia, a Hebrew writer of marked individuality.
A learned Talmudist, with considerable erudition in ancient, mediæval
and modern literature, a keen, inquiring and independent thinker, he
pursued “Jewish science” and historical studies in a way which often
brought him into collision with established and accepted traditions. He
contributed to several reviews, and edited his own review, _He’atid_.
He is a devoted champion of the Hebrew revival.
WOLF JAVITZ, born in Warsaw, scholar and writer, is a master of the
Hebrew language, in the knowledge of which he has few equals. A student
of extraordinary assiduity, he has amassed a vast fund of erudition,
which is revealed in the writings of his later years. An enthusiastic
nationalist and _Chovev Zion_, and at the same time an upholder of
strict traditional principles, he is the most eloquent interpreter of
the national idea in the spirit of traditional Judaism. He lived for
several years in Palestine, and has written several books. Many years
ago he began writing a complete History of the Jews, of which several
volumes――works of great learning――have already appeared.
ISAAC KAMINER, born in Russia, was a physician and a prolific
contributor to the Hebrew press. His essays, causeries and parodies are
distinguished by skill and “temperament.” His poems are full of fight
and an honest zeal for the Jewish national cause. He had an original
and entirely free metrical and rhythmical system. A selection of his
works appeared posthumously in Odessa (1907), with an introduction by
_Achad Ha’am_.
AARON KAMINKA, born in Russia, studied abroad, mostly in Paris. He
contributed regularly to _Ha’melitz_, _Ha’zefirah_, and several reviews.
He also translated classical poems and wrote original verses. He took
a considerable share in the _Chovevé Zion_ movement, preaching with
great zeal the spiritual progress of the nation, and emphasizing the
importance of a living Hebrew language. He was then appointed Rabbi
in Slavonia, afterwards at Prague. He joined the Zionist movement, but
left it through a difference of opinion. He has since become Secretary
of the _Israelitische Allianz_ at Vienna, for which he has travelled
much. He has published records of his travels, as well as a selection
of his Hebrew poems.
DR. J. C. KATZENELSOHN (1848‒1917) (_Buki ben Yogli_) wrote essays and
short stories which are literary jewels. His scientific works in Hebrew
are unequalled for learning and mastery of style.
A. S. KERSCHBERG, of Bialystok, Russia, is a Hebrew scholar and writer
of great ability. He has contributed to _Ha’zefirah_ and _Ha’shiloach_,
and has written treatises dealing with talmudical matters. An ardent
nationalist, he has been connected with the _Chovevé Zion_ movement
since it began. He has lived in Palestine and has published his
observations and experiences in an interesting pamphlet.
JOSEPH KLAUSNER, born in Odessa, a graduate of Heidelberg, is one of
the most prominent disciples of _Achad Ha’am_, whom he succeeded in
the editorship of _Ha’shiloach_. A devoted _Chovev Zion_ and a keen
Hebraist, he commenced Hebrew journalistic work in his earliest youth.
At Heidelberg and elsewhere he assisted in the formation of the
Nationalist Students’ Association, in which he took a leading part. He
has done valuable work in the field of Biblical and historical studies.
He was for many years lecturer at the Rabbinical College in Odessa.
Palestinian nationalism and culture based upon Hebrew tradition are
the guiding principles of his numerous publicistic writings. He is a
pioneer of Palestinian Hebrew education. The impressions of his last
visit to Palestine are given in his _Olam Mithhaveh_ (A World in
Evolution).
L. LEVINSKI, born in Russia, lived during the most important period
of his life in Odessa, where he was a prominent member of the _Chovevé
Zion_, of the editorial staff of _Ha’shiloach_, of the _Moriah_, of the
Zionist Synagogue _Javneh_, and other institutions. His quaint felicity
of style, continual flow of wit, and easy, vivacious narrative won
him a great reputation as a satirist. He contributed to the Hebrew
press feuilletons and reviews of current events, and also wrote some
pamphlets of value. A selection of his works has been published since
his death by the _Moriah_.
MORDECAI ZEVI MANE was born in the village of Radoshkevitsch, in
Russia. He studied at the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, and won
distinction as a gifted painter, a Hebrew poet, and an excellent writer
in prose. He contributed to _He’assif_ and _Knesseth Israel_. Though he
may not rank among the Olympians, he produced in his modest way many a
Zionist poem of enduring worth. He died young, and a collection of his
works appeared posthumously (Warsaw, 1907).
DAVID NEUMARK, of Galicia, studied at Berlin, and was one of the
most original and prominent figures in nationalistic students’
circles. After having graduated, he was appointed Rabbi at Rakowitz,
Austria, where he officiated for a few years. He entered the Zionist
Organization and became a loyal and zealous worker, with a strong
inclination towards “cultural” Zionism. He soon devoted himself to
philosophy, and, besides his History of Jewish Philosophy, first
written in German, he contributed a series of philosophical articles,
written in an elaborate and exact style, to _Ha’shiloach_. He also
wrote other essays of value. Later he was appointed Professor at the
Cincinnati Hebrew Union College, where he has pursued his educational
and literary activity.
SAUL PINCHAS RABINOWITSCH (_Schefer_) (1875‒1911) won a very prominent
place among the distinguished pioneers of Zionism in Russia, as well
as among the ablest and most popular Hebrew writers and publicists. He
devoted many years of his life to the propaganda of the _Chovevé Zion_
movement, and was for many years Secretary of the Warsaw _Chovevé
Zion_. He was an ardent and active Zionist from the very beginning of
the Zionist Organization. In close connection with Rabbi Mohilever,
Leo Pinsker and Alexander Zederbaum, he often travelled on important
missions, maintaining a world-wide correspondence with hundreds of
Jewish leaders and writers, and occupied principally with _Chovevé
Zion_ affairs, but also with Russian-Jewish affairs generally,
particularly during the period of the pogroms. He was a zealous
and devoted Jewish national worker, was assistant editor of the
_Ha’zefirah_, 1857‒80, contributor to several Hebrew and other
newspapers, editor of the year-book _Knesseth Israel_, one of the
editors of the first volume of the Hebrew Encyclopædia _Ha-Eschkol_,
and author of many monographs and biographies. His greatest work was
the Hebrew translation of Graetz’ _History of the Jews_ (with many
valuable original additions of Harkavy and of other scholars, as well
as of his own).
J. CH. RAWNITZKI, born in Russia, author and educationist, whose
activity has lain mostly in Odessa, has for many years been engaged in
Hebrew literary work of a nationalist character in the _Chovevé Zion_
movement. He edited _Ha’pardes_, contributed to several reviews, and
is one of the principal editors and authors working for the _Moriah_
in Odessa.
A. J. SLUTZKI, born and living in Russia, was an able and shrewd
Zionist publicist. He contributed to _Ha’melitz_ under J. L. Gordon,
and actively assisted the _Chovevé Zion_ propaganda.¹
¹ He was killed, together with his wife, in a pogrom which took
place at Novograd Sieversk in 1918.
O. TAVIEV, born in Russia, lives in Moscow. He is one of the most
prominent Hebrew journalists, authors and educationists. He is one
of the originators of the modern Hebrew style. For several years he
contributed regularly to _Ha’melitz_ and other Hebrew papers and
reviews. He has written causeries and critical essays in an easy and
pleasant style, and has also translated some works of _belles lettres_.
His principal services, however, lie in the domain of pedagogy.
JOSHUA THON, born in Galicia, now Rabbi and preacher at the temple of
the Jewish Congregation at Cracow, took an active part in the Students’
national movement as a student in Berlin, where he graduated, and
distinguished himself by great learning and strength of character. A
convinced Zionist and an enthusiastic champion of Hebrew, he entered
the Zionist Organization, of which, owing to his oratorical powers and
personal influence, he is one of the most active leaders. Besides his
numerous writings in Polish and in German, he is a Hebrew writer of
value, and his essays, mostly published in _Ha’shiloach_, exhibit a
considerable critical faculty.
CHAIM TSCHERNOWITZ, born in Russia, had a thorough talmudic education,
was Rabbi in Odessa, then studied at a German University and graduated
in Switzerland. His contributions to _Ha’shiloach_, under the _nom
de plume_, _Rav Zaair_ (A young Rabbi), attracted attention by the
broadminded views and comprehensiveness of historical sense in dealing
with religious and ritual matters which they disclosed. He has also
written historical and talmudic sketches. He was for several years
Principal of the Odessa Rabbinical College. He is in the closest touch
with the _Chovevé Zion_ movement, and is one of the leaders of those
nationalistic Rabbis who unite faithfulness to the old traditions with
a modern spirit of science and critical inquiry.
HILLEL ZEITLIN, born in Russia, active in Wilna, and more recently
in Warsaw, was one of the editors of the Wilna _Ha’zman_, to which he
contributed valuable essays and articles. A Talmudist of erudition,
an authority on Chassidism, a semi-mystic enthusiast endowed with a
poetical imagination, a master of the Hebrew language and of the forms
and methods of modern literature, he achieves a degree of pathos and
beauty unsurpassed in modern Hebrew literature. He joined the Zionist
movement, but afterwards identified himself with Territorialism. In
recent years he has gone over to the Yiddish press, of which he is one
of the most gifted and influential writers.
Other Hebrew writers worthy of mention are Joshua Steinberg, from a
scientific point of view one of the most important of the Hebraists of
Russia; Bendetsohn, who exceeded Mapu in biblical purity of language in
the form of an idealistic prose; Moses Reichersohn; Mordecai Wohlmann;
T. E. Epstein; A. B. Gottlober, the popular poet, superficial yet
clear and graceful; Eleazer Ha-Cohen Zweifel, the sweet Midrash-like
moralist, homiletical critic and essayist; the wonderful modern
novelists Feuerstein, Jehuda Steinberg, Berschadski and Grassin;
Eleasar Atlas the sharp-witted critic, M. A. Schatzkes, who
notwithstanding his loquacity had a rich style and some good ideas, and
his other protagonist in the same field of _Agada_-explanation; Jehouda
Schereschewski, distinguished by his concentrated calm――and their
followers; Weissberg; Dubzevitch; Edelman (“Adulami”); Maskileison;
the learned and thoughtful Joseph Rosenthal; the serious scholars
Jacob Bachrach; A. I. Bruck; David Kahane; Salomon Mandelkern, the
industrious scholar and skilled poet who translated Byron’s _Hebrew
Melodies_ with masterly skill; Slominsky; Lichtenfeld; Lipkin; Medalie;
Barasch; Y. Margulies; Hirsch Rabinovitch; and Sosnitz, who introduced
natural science into Hebrew literature; J. L. Kantor; Proser; Silberman;
J. Kohn Zedek; Werber; Frumkin; Fischer; Ch. L. Markom; Joseph Brill,
masters of journalistic style――all these writers and many, many others
were the precursors of the revival of Hebrew. In this connection,
special mention must be made of some of the living writers who, though
not showing any special nationalistic or Zionist tendency, have greatly
contributed to the enrichment and development of the Hebrew language
and literature.
Great attention and acknowledgment are due to David Fischmann, the
charming poet, the brilliant causeur and essayist, the wonderful
critic who deals in a witty way with the most serious questions,
the translator of many works of science and fiction; to the old
Hebrew novelist and poet, Nathan Samuely, whose poetry is replete
with sweetness and harmony; to the greatest of Jewish historians,
bibliographers and critics of world-wide fame, Dr. Abraham Harkavy;
the learned Israelsohn; the able Abraham Cahan; the Talmudist, N. A.
Getzow; the learned and thoughtful Heller; the ingenious scholar and
mathematician, Ch. J. Bornstein (who translated _Hamlet_ into Hebrew);
the bibliographer, Wiener; the orientalist, Isaac Marcon; the studious
T. Ratner, magid; the old writer of lyric impulse, I. L. Levin
(Jehabel), a poet and publicist of merit; the critic and essayist,
A. J. Paperna, one of the last representatives of the old school;
the able journalist and talmudical critic, Benzion Katz; the talented
modern novelists: Brenner, Schofman, Berkowitsch, Kaabak; Sneur, the
young poet of vigour and ardour, noble spirit and bold fancy, who
refreshed Hebrew poetry by a new stream of modern fiction; and Isaac
Katzenelsohn, Ben Schimon, Heftmen, Pinski and others, who gave us
sunny thoughts and beautiful pictures, in which delicacy of taste is
accompanied by versatile and roaming fancy. Shalom Asch, the greatest
in the coterie of the artists of the Polish Ghetto, gave us some of
his tales in Hebrew; the gifted Abraham Reisin, a master of Yiddish,
and the talented Numberg, who masters the Hebrew language, and who
besides writing essays and tales of value in Hebrew worked hard and
successfully in Hebrew journalism, have contributed very much to the
modernization of Hebrew literature. And, as regards the two greatest
stars of the Yiddish literature, “J. L. Peretz” and S. Rabinowitsch
(“Scholom Aleicham”), whose loss we so deeply lament, and whose undying
names belong to the chief glories of our literature of the present age,
it is well known that both of them were partly Hebrew poets and writers
of considerable genius.
Finally, there are Ben Ami Rabinowitzch (Mark Jakovlevitch), born in
Russia, lived in Odessa, and now in Geneva, Switzerland, who is one
of the best writers of fiction on Jewish life in Russia. His writings
breathe a noble passion of love for the Jewish people, his observations
are those of a high-minded man and an artist, and are full of national,
noble emotion. He joined the Zionist movement from its very beginning.
Vladimir Jabotinski, born in Odessa, studied in Russia, in Italy and
in Austria, and graduated at Petrograd, is a brilliant journalist and
an orator of great eloquence and power. He is a contributor to great
Russian newspapers, and has established a reputation as correspondent
and an essayist of admirable skill. He worked with great devotion and
success in the Zionist propaganda. Having acquired a sound knowledge of
Hebrew, he translated Bialik’s poems into Russian, and wrote also some
articles in Hebrew.
It will also be interesting to mention that the famous Russian-Jewish
writer of the last generation, Lewanda, who was one of the
representative writers of the period of enlightenment, during his
successful literary career adhered in the last years of his life to
the national idea, and supported the _Chovevé Zion_ movement.
It is impossible to enumerate all the literary and educational
representatives of the National Revival in Palestine; but a few names
of note, in addition to those which have already been mentioned, cannot
be omitted.
Israel Belkind has given proof of considerable literary ability in a
series of pamphlets dealing with Palestine. J. Menuchas, who was born
and is still living in Jerusalem, is a prominent contributor to the
Hebrew press, as well as an excellent teacher. Ahroni, the zoologian,
a scholar of renown, is pursuing his idealistic, scientific work at
Rechoboth. Isaac Epstein now lives in Switzerland, but he is in spirit
and style decidedly a Palestinian. He lived for years in seclusion,
in a rustic tent among the hills of Upper Galilee, and wrote his work
by the light of heaven. He remained faithful, as few priests have
ever remained to their calling, a priest of the Hebrew language, which
was revealed to him in all its beauty. M. Scheinkin, the devoted and
popular worker, is a prolific publicist. Freimann, the old settler of
Rishon, writes excellent books. Aronovitz, with his contributors, made
the _Ha-Poel Ha-Zaiv_ one of the best Hebrew weeklies which have ever
existed; the _Ha-Omer_ and the _Moledet_, splendid magazines, had a
real Palestinian charm. (Of the last-mentioned the excellent essayist,
pedagogical writer and poet, Fischmann, was recently the editor.)
The numerous and various writings of Ben-Zion Guttman have been added
to in Palestine; the “Waad Ha-Lashon” (Committee for the Language)
at Jerusalem, with Yellin, Ben Yehouda, Zouts, Dr. Mazie and others,
has done good work. Nearly all the specialists in agriculture and in
medicine write in Hebrew; and Brenner, the most modern belles-lettres
writer in Jerusalem.
On the other hand, the new Hebrew schools brought into the country
a host of intellectual workers: Metman-Cohn, Bogratschow, Turow,
Mossinsohn, Alexander Rabinowitsch, Lurie, Zutta, Segal, Schiller,
Ladyshewski, Marschak, Biram, Tachower, Rosenstein, Ziphroni, Feldmann,
Mowschensohn, Ozerkowsky, Jehieli, Papper. Others added merely their
young modern efforts to the brilliant abilities of a Yellin or of that
admirable type of a national educator represented by Vilkomitsch at
Yessod Ha-Maaleh. All these pioneers are inspired Zionists, and they
are paving the way for a great Revival.
In addition to these writers, the following prominent Hebrew
journalists may be mentioned:――
Abraham Loudvipol, a writer of great ability and strength of conviction,
who became editor of the _Ha’zofeh_; Moses Kleinmann, a shrewd
journalist, and a publicist of sound judgment; Samuel Tschernowitz
(the brother of Chaim Tschernowitz), a journalist of a high order, who
worked with great success for _Ha’zefirah_ and _Ha’zman_; Nahum Syrkin,
a wholehearted Zionist, an orator and a publicist of keen observation,
and an eloquent exponent of the national idea, author of hundreds of
articles, sketches, causeries and speeches¹; N. J. Frenk, a moderate
and consistent publicist of wide experience, who takes a leading part
in the work of _Ha’zefirah_; and S. Jatzkan, at present editor of the
_Haint_, formerly a contributor to _Ha’melitz_ and _Ha’zefirah_, a
zealous journalist and fighter: and among those of the older generation,
M. Braunstein of Roumania (“_Mibaschan_”), master of a flowery and
elaborate biblical style, author of many pedagogical books, but best
known by his innumerable contributions to the Hebrew press; Lazar,
the able editor of _Ha’mitzpeh_ in Cracow; M. M. Pross of Warsaw, a
judicious writer of causeries and criticisms in the old style; Ch.
Z. Zagorodzki of Warsaw, a polished Hebrew stylist, author of several
fine sketches, for many years one of the principal collaborators of
_Ha’zefirah_; Shimón Volkov, a talmudical parodist with a peculiar
style of his own; Dr. Berkowitz, of Vienna, a Jewish scholar and an
excellent Hebrew writer, who was at one time Hebrew Secretary of the
Vienna Zionist Organization and a regular contributor to _Ha’zefirah_;
M. Rabinsohn, author of several sketches and translator for _Ha’zman_
and _Ha’zefirah_; Z. Prilutzki, an old _Chovevé Zion_ writer and worker.
These and many others have perhaps done more to make Zionism popular by
their everyday work as journalists than many authors of books.
¹ He died in 1918 at Kiew.
Other contributors to modern Hebrew journalism are: Leon Rabinowitsch,
who was editor of _Ha-Melitz_ in Petrograd after Zederbaum; S.
Rosenfeld, who afterwards came into prominence as a Yiddish publicist;
J. E. Triwusch of Wilna; Samuel Leib Zitron of Wilna; the late
Hirsch Neimanowitsch and M. Weber of Warsaw; E. Goldin of Lodz;
J. D. Berkowitsch, now in New York; P. Lachover of Warsaw; Hermoni of
Palestine; and E. D. Finkel of Warsaw. To the new Hebrew pedagogical
literature: Ch. D. Tawiow of Riga, Salomon Berman, P. Kantorowitz, A.
Libuschitzki of Warsaw, P. Berkman of Lodz, and the two great Yiddish
poets Simon Frug of Odessa and Jehoasch of New York have played
important parts in the awakening of the national feeling.
LXXVI.
NOTE UPON THE _ALLIANCE ISRAÉLITE UNIVERSELLE_
AND THE ANGLO-JEWISH ASSOCIATION
IN considering the relationship of the _Alliance Israélite Universelle_
and the Anglo-Jewish Association to the Jewish National Movement,
regard should be had to the foundation period of these institutions,
when not only were those associated with their establishment men
of Jewish Nationalist sympathies, but their activities were met by
similar criticism to that which has confronted the Zionist leaders
of recent years. Time has brought about a change in the personnel of
the leadership of the _Alliance_ and the Anglo-Jewish Association,
but it is useful to bear in mind that this change is simply personal
and that there is nothing changed in principle in the organizations
which should prevent them being expressive of that nationalist spirit,
characteristic of their earlier days. M. Charles Netter, Dr. Abraham
Benisch, Dr. Albert Löwy and Mr. Baron Louis Benas, J.P. (M. Netter,
one of the founders of the Alliance, Dr. Benisch, Dr. Löwy and
Mr. Benas, associated with the establishment of the Anglo-Jewish
Association) were all men of Jewish Nationalist sympathies. M. Netter
is permanently identified with the foundation of the _Mikveh Israel_
Agricultural School near Jaffa, the foster-mother of the Jewish
Colonies of Palestine. Dr. Benisch, to whom the suggestion of an
Anglo-Jewish Association on the lines of the _Alliance Israélite_ was
made by Mr. Benas, who had established in Liverpool the first branch
of the _Alliance_ in England in 1867, enthusiastically took up the idea
and became the organizer of the English institution founded three years
later. The formation of the first English branch of the _Alliance_ at
Liverpool called forth in 1868 at the end of its first year’s work the
highest appreciation of M. Crémieux. Dr. Benisch had in his student
days inaugurated with Dr. Löwy and Professor Steinschneider a Zionistic
movement, and in the foundation of the Anglo-Jewish Association the two
former saw the possibilities of the realization of many of the hopes
and aspirations of their youth. Mr. Benas, Dr. Benisch and Dr. Löwy
were active propagandists on behalf of the Association. Mr. Benas and
Dr. Löwy were members of the International Palestine Committee which
was formed in 1878 on the recommendation of the Palestine Section of
the International Jewish Conference held that year in Paris, and of
which section Mr. Benas was one of the two English representatives,
the other being the Rev. S. Jacobs. The Palestine Section undertook to
institute an examination of the general condition of the Jews in the
East and especially of the Jews in Palestine with a view of effecting
such improvements as might be needful, that country being known to
several members who had visited it at various times. This section
had the advantage of being attended by delegates from both Europe and
America. This section of the Conference resolved “That the _Alliance_
be requested to bring about the formation of a special commission on
Palestine. This Committee is to be composed of persons of every country
who take an interest in the welfare of brother Israelites and in the
prosperity of the Holy Land.” On its formation, the Committee was
entrusted with the establishment of new schools and particularly the
control of the Institution _Mikveh Israel_. The report significantly
added, “in entrusting the control of this Agricultural School to
the Committee, with the view of further aiding in the development
of that Institution, the _Alliance_ would obtain a solid basis for
its civilizing action” (Anglo-Jewish Association, 8th Annual Report,
pp. 30, 36). In 1885 Mr. Benas and the late Chief Rabbi, Dr. Hermann
Adler, visited Palestine together. En route they had an interview with
Baron Edmond de Rothschild in Paris, at whose request materials were
collected for a report of the condition of Jewry in the Ancient Jewish
Homeland. The late Chief Rabbi gave an oral account of the educational
institutions in Palestine to the Executive Committee of the Association.
Mr. Benas’ “Report of his Travels in the East” was published as an
Appendix to the Fourteenth Annual Report of the Association. The Report,
which drew from the historian Graetz a most appreciative letter to
the author, disclosing Graetz’ strong Zionistic sympathies, is not
only valuable as one of the few historical documents in English giving
a contemporary account of the early renascence of Jewish life in
Palestine by a Jewish writer, but because of its accurate forecasting
of the conditions of future development, the revival of Hebrew as a
living language being particularly noted. The following are extracts
from the report:――
“_Jaffa._ Jaffa was reached on April 26th, and I at once, in company
with Dr. Adler, visited the _Mikveh Israel_ or Agricultural School. The
director, Monsieur Hirsch, happened to be absent at Aleppo, but we were
received by the sub-director, M. Haim.
The whole neighbourhood of Jaffa is most charming, full of the choicest
exotics, whilst palms, citrons, and oranges luxuriate everywhere. The
vines are in splendid condition. Everything seems to flower there in
profusion, even wild roses and poppies in the cornfields, whilst the
fig takes the place of our bushes and thickets. There are some charming
properties about Jaffa.
As far as a model farm and beautifully cultivated garden is concerned,
the _Mikveh Israel_ holds its own with any institution of its kind, I
would almost say, in Europe, and is a perpetual monument of the efforts
of the late Mons. Netter.
There are 240 hectares, mostly under cultivation. They produced
excellent wine, which, I am informed, is sold at a good profit. They
have oranges, lemons, and various other fruit trees, besides cereals.
The technical instructor, M. Klotz, an Alsatian, told me that there is
considerable promise for the estate. There are now thirty-five pupils
in the school, one of whom is a Moslem. They have a carpenter’s shop,
where three boys are at constant work. They have thirty cows――ten
giving a full supply of milk; they have eight calves, two horses and
ten mules to assist the agricultural operations, and a good supply of
water and a complete system of irrigation.
Everything in the establishment is thoroughly well kept. We were shown
through the dormitories, and found twelve slept in each room, but the
chambers were tolerably large.
_Jerusalem._ I arrived at Jerusalem on the night of the 27th April.
The first thing that strikes the visitor is the fact that Jerusalem
is a Jewish city. The Jewish population has so steadily increased as
to tower head and shoulders above all others; this can best be noticed
on a Sabbath, when almost all the streets and bazaars are silent.
The native born Jewish population are in physique superior to their
European co-religionists; they are taller, more dignified, and are
decidedly of a handsome type. I am indebted for my statistics to M.
Nissim Behar and the banker, M. H. Valero, both of these estimable
gentlemen being natives of Jerusalem. The total population of Jerusalem
is about 35,000. There are conflicting accounts as to the Jewish
population; some put it at 20,000, others at 18,000.
There are two Jerusalems, the one within the walls of the city, the
other outside the Jaffa Gate, which has sprung into existence during
the last five or six years, and inhabited almost exclusively by Jews.
I am undervaluing rather than exaggerating when I state that the villas
and residences outside the city are quite equal in neatness and in
their inviting aspect to some of the best parts of the Cheshire side
of the Mersey, which they much resemble.
The Asiatic Jews are wealthy, and have mostly emigrated from the
neighbourhood of Batoum, Poti and Tiflis. Their residences might almost
be described as attaining a degree of positive comfort. They are a
large community, and are quite independent in their means; they have
their own rabbi, and give considerable assistance, when required, to
their more indigent co-religionists. These Jews are scrupulously clean
in their habits, are above the average height, and their flowing robes
of spotless white cashmere betoken at once their manners. Credit must
also be given to the Montefiore Testimonial Fund Buildings, which, if
small, are decidedly clean and well kept, especially those tenanted
by the Sephardi Jews――a great number of tenements having been built
through the aid afforded by this fund. There are also the buildings
of the _Meah Shearim_, a kind of building society, who have erected
a large square block of tenements, which compare favourably with
artisans’ dwellings in Lancashire cities.
The Judah Touro houses outside the city walls are fairly well kept,
but, of course, the more modern houses have the advantage of superior
construction. The defects in earlier constructions have here been
carefully avoided.
The Yemen Jews are very poor; they present a most peculiar ethnological
type. They have a very dark complexion, almost of a deeper shade than
that of the Arabs; they have beautifully chiselled features, lustrous
eyes, are most simple in their piety and devotion to the Holy City.
They still retain their manuscript prayer books, which Dr. Adler states
are most interesting. I saw a Yemen woman with her child working in
the heat of the sun at what, in Lancashire, would be termed navvy’s
work, and at the close of the day saw the clerk of the works give her
sixty centimes as her daily wages. They were in terrible distress at
first and slept in caverns, but, thanks to the exertions of Mr. Marcus
Adler, who raised a fund in England, they are building cottages on the
hillside upon which they work themselves, and owing to their thrifty
habits and aptitude for labour, it is to be hoped that their worst
difficulties are passed, and that they will attain some degree of
independence. There are two sets of tenements being built for them, the
one by the London Committee and the other by the help of the Society
called _Ezrath Nedachim_. I may add, the Yemen Jews, both male and
female, dress exactly like the native Arabs, from whom they are hardly
distinguishable.
When I write upon the Jewish tenements in the interior of the city my
report, of course, must be less favourable. I took the means of going
alone with M. Valero, when unexpected, into some of the back streets
and slums of Jerusalem; I dropped into various houses here and there,
and saw matters from a practical point of view. It is most unfair for
any one coming from Princes Park, Liverpool, or Kensington, London, or
the Champs Élysées, in Paris, instituting a comparison between those
neighbourhoods and the lanes of Jerusalem. But I maintain that the old
streets of Marseilles and Florence, the Ghetto in Rome, the labyrinths
in Naples, and the slums of Venice, are infinitely worse than the
worst slums of Jerusalem. Nay, more, I maintain that the old Judengasse
in Frankfort, the Judengasse in Worms, and some of the by-lanes in
Vienna are decidedly no better than those of Jerusalem. They are more
ancient and grimy than dirty; the absence of timber, and the constant
employment of stone for building purposes in Old Jerusalem, gives a
rough and jagged appearance to the walls, but there is nothing except
the absence of drainage (and that is the same in every continental city,
whether it be in France, Italy, or Austria) that calls for especial
condemnation, nay, the dingy tenements inside Jerusalem, inhabited
by the Sephardi Jews, are made presentable by a considerable use of
clean white calico hung over the walls and covered over their simple
furniture and beddings.
The future prospects of Jerusalem rest entirely with the rising
youth, and I shall speak later on of the enormous value and high
hopes I entertain of the Lionel de Rothschild School, conducted by the
admirable and excellent director, M. Nissim Behar, of whose devotion,
ability, and conscientiousness nothing too much can be said.
The Lionel de Rothschild School, or “Institution Israélite pour
Instruction et Travail,” contains 140 pupils, all boys. The institution
is singularly fortunate in possessing M. Behar as its chief. To be
able to effect good work in Jerusalem it is almost imperative to be
a native of the city. A teacher from England, France, or Germany who
has longings for Europe or his native land, however able he may be, or
however zealous, is incapable of infusing enthusiasm in his pupils, and
when one is found like M. Nissim Behar, who is a man of great culture,
and combines Parisian refinement with an ardent love and patriotism
for the city in which he was born, and feels that he has a mission to
perform and is perfectly oblivious to pecuniary advantages, it is to
have already gained half the victory. Everything is neat, clean, and
methodical.
The hours of instruction are from 8 o’clock until 12, and from 1 to 5.
I shall devote my report principally to the course of technical
education, with which I believe the future prosperity of the Jews of
Jerusalem is bound up.
The Technical School contains a forge, a carpenter’s shop, a
cabinet-maker’s bench, a tailor’s department, a shoemaker’s shop, a
turner’s lathe, a school of art for modelling, drawing, and sculpture,
and a gymnasium for physical development.
Of these schools, the forge, the carpenter’s shop, and the school of
art have produced capital results; we saw Jewish lads, who have only
been a few weeks at the classes, making some excellent sketches, and in
order to test their genuineness gave them several impromptu subjects to
execute in our presence, which they did admirably.
The Forge is another successful institution.
Although the French language is the medium of tuition and the general
language adopted, Hebrew is used side by side, not only as a language
of prayer, but also as a means of conversation. French, as a medium
of intercommunication amongst Europeans and officials, is very much
required in the East.
The Girls’ School――Evelina de Rothschild Institute――contains 184 girls.
_Hebron._ I regret to have to report very adversely upon the
condition of our co-religionists in Hebron. The pleasure and
hopefulness I experienced in Jerusalem present a marked contrast
to the disappointment I felt at the abject position of the Jews in
the City of Abraham.
I met several Jews on the road who were trading with the neighbouring
villages in butter and cheese; of course their profits would be
exceedingly small. The soil around Hebron is most fertile, and the
natural resources of the immediate neighbourhood decidedly good.
I venture to think that it is not eleemosynary aid that will do any
real good for them. Food of all kinds and wine of a good quality is
abundant and very cheap. I believe the Jews would work hard if taught
what to do. Technical and general education would very soon transform
an abject congregation into a happy and prosperous community.”
Mr. Benas delivered a large number of lectures upon the subject of his
visit to Palestine and granted many interviews, all of which helped
to arouse interest on behalf of the budding Jewish life in the Ancient
Homeland. In its earliest days the Anglo-Jewish Association received
from members of the Board of Deputies criticism not unakin to that
which in later days members of the Board levelled at the Anglo-Jewish
Association. In those days the Board was oligarchic, assimilative,
and insular in outlook, while the Anglo-Jewish was popular, national
and world-Jewish――true to the motto כל ישראל חברים. If to-day, while
the Association cannot be called insular there are those who would
ascribe to it the characteristic of the Board of Deputies of earlier
days, signs are not wanting of a change towards the original outlook,
particularly among the branches. It is in fairness due to the
Anglo-Jewish Association to bear in mind that the Public Demonstration,
the Conference, the International gatherings for Jewish purposes now
a phenomenon of everyday life in Jewry owe to the Association and
the Alliance their origin. To both no inconsiderable share of the
foundation and the interest in the Western world in the foundation
of the Jewish colonies in Palestine may justly be credited. Thus the
organizations and those who established them merit the recognition and
the gratitude of all who hold to the Jewish national ideal and strive
for its fulfilment.
[The Reports of the _Alliance Israélite Universelle_ and the
Anglo-Jewish Association contain much valuable material for the History
of the Resettlement in Palestine.]
LXXVII.
AN APPEAL OF THE BERLIN _KADIMA_
IN 1891 the Russian Jewish Students’ Colony in Berlin submitted to
the International Committee for the assistance of the Russian Jews a
memorandum, in which they urged the Committee to use its endeavours to
divert the stream of Jewish emigration, and, above all, of well-to-do
emigrants, from America to the Holy Land. The document is of very great
interest. What is called the wave of emigration, say the writers, is
not so much emigration as flight. Only well-organized colonization
can prove a remedy in the present calamity. A Jewish peasantry must be
founded, consisting not only of the poor, but to a great extent also of
the middle and intelligent classes. Palestine is the only country which
affords the possibility of attaining that aim, because (1) Palestine
itself, and especially Galilee and the land on the other side of the
Jordan, and also Syria and Mesopotamia, contain an amount of land ready
for sale and scarcely populated. The settlement of Jews there cannot
meet with any objection. The Turkish Government will not only tolerate,
but favour the immigration, if properly organized. An additional
advantage is that in the near future no competition need be feared,
because other emigrants, as a rule poor people, are not attracted
by an uninhabited, uncultivated country. (2) The soil is fertile
everywhere. Where no corn can be grown, wine can be produced. The
Jewish wine-growers in Palestine will shortly be able to compete in
the markets of Europe, and will greatly shake the monopoly of other
wines. The climate of Palestine is as healthy as that of Italy, so that
invalids will go there on the recommendation of their physician instead
of to Italy. In the colony Rishon Le’Zion, which was founded about nine
years ago, there has been up till now only one death, although there
are between three hundred and four hundred people living there. (3) It
is the only country able to create a peasantry, because there is no
trade there. It is true that in other countries also the Jews will at
first turn to agriculture; they will watch for anything offering them
the means of subsistence. But a great portion will always be anxious
to settle in the towns and again apply themselves to trade, whereas in
Palestine the colonists will be compelled to persist in agricultural
pursuits. Thus, in America, the colonists have gradually returned
to the cities after millions have been wasted. But in Palestine the
colonies founded by Baron Edmond de Rothschild and by the efforts
of the colonists themselves are in a most thriving condition. Of
course, the fact that the Jews are animated by love for Palestine
and inspired by the many associations connected with the country must
not be overlooked. Only in a country where every stone bears biblical
reminiscences the labour is sweet to them. This idealistic motive will
assist in turning traders into agriculturists. It is to this idea that
some twenty larger and smaller colonies owe their existence. It is
owing to this motive that the great Palestine Committee in Odessa,
under the presidency of Dr. Pinsker, is able annually to give land
and tools to Jewish peasants to the value of 200,000 frcs., that there
is in Jaffa an Executive Committee, presided over by the engineer
Vl. Temkin, that in London enormous meetings are being held in favour
of the Palestine idea, that limited companies have arisen, like the
_Dorsche Zion_ in Minsk, in Kovno, in Bialystok, in Wilna, as well as
in Warsaw, Riga, etc., which intend to buy land in Palestine for their
members, to be repaid to them by instalments. (4) The more civilized
and intelligent class of Russian Jews will also be induced to go to
Palestine for the purpose of following agricultural pursuits.
The students concluded by saying that they were willing to seek for
happiness and safety by readily submitting to the harvest labour in the
fields of Palestine. “Then we shall be enabled to pass a happy life,
for enthusiasm will make our paths straight, and provide us with a
healthy courage.” The document bore sixty-four signatures.
LXXVIII.
THE JEWISH COLONIES IN PALESTINE
(The figures are taken mostly from the Report of the Jewish
Colonisation Association for 1910.)
Gross
Area. Income.
Name. │ Year.│ Hect.│ Pop. │ Francs
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
I. JUDEA. │ │ │ │
Mikveh-Israel¹ │ 1870 │ 225 │ 150 │ ――
Mozah │ 1873 │ 59 │ 28 │ ――
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Petach-Tikvah │ 1878 │ 2275 │ 1500 │ 466,971
Katra │ 1882 │ 500 │ 150 │ 76,415
Rishon-le-Zion │ 1882 │ 1180 │ 1190 │ 121,213
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Wady-el-Chanin │ 1882 │ 285 │ 200 │ ――
Jehudie │ 1883 │ 12 │ 15 │ ――
Ekron (Mazkeret Mathya) │ 1884 │ 1275 │ 300 │ 144,918
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Kastinieh │ 1888 │ 550 │ 150 │ ――
Rehobot │ 1890 │ 1300 │ 600 │ 128,415
Artuf │ 1896 │ 460 │ 50 │ ――
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Ben Shemen │ 1906 │ 210 │ 100 │ ――
Bir Jakob │ 1907 │ 200 │ 70 │ ――
Ain Ganim │ 1908 │ 65 │ 100 │ ――
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Hulda │ 1909 │ 182 │ 40 │ ――
│ │ │ │
II. SAMARIA. │ │ │ │
Zichron Jacob │ 1882 │ 1850 │ 1000 │ 183,210
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Um-el-Dschemal │ 1889 │ 253 │ 80 │ ――
Schweja │ 1891 │ 851 │ 50 │ ――
Hedera │ 1891 │ 1750 │ 200 │ 121,915
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Kefar Saba │ 1894 │ 635 │ 30 │ ――
Atlit │ 1897 │ 460 │ 50 │ 18,950
Hefzi-bah │ 1905 │ 200 │ 8 │ ――
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Tanturah │ ―― │ 40 │ 16 │ ――
│ │ │ │
III. GALILEE. │ │ │ │
Rosh-Pinah │ 1882 │ 3800 │ 800 │ 48,096
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Yessod Ha-Maaleh │ 1883 │ 910 │ 300 │ 29,913
Mishmar Ha-Yarden │ 1890 │ 230 │ 100 │ 27,453
Ain-Seitun │ 1891 │ 509 │ 20 │ ――
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Metula │ 1896 │ 1350 │ 310 │ 69,685
Sedjera │ 1899 │ 1850 │ 200 │ ――
Mahanayim │ 1899 │ 100 │ 100 │ ――
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Milhamie │ 1902 │ 1350 │ 100 │ 74,100
Mescha │ 1902 │ 900 │ 200 │ 70,122
Yemma │ 1902 │ 2750 │ 400 │ 91,027
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Kinnereth │ 1908 │ 550 │ 80 │ 13,300
Delaika │ ―― │ ―― │ ―― │ ――
Mizpah │ 1908 │ 360 │ 40 │ ――
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Dagania │ 1909 │ 320 │ 30 │ ――
Migdal │ 1910 │ 450 │ 100 │ ――
Merchavyah │ 1911 │ 900 │ 100 │ ――
─────────────────────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────────
Poriah │ 1911 │ 350 │ 30 │ ――
│ │ │ │
IV. TRANS-JORDANIA. │ │ │ │
Bene Yehuda │ 1888 │ 315 │ 83 │ ――
¹ The Mikveh Israel Colony is situated outside of Jaffa, to the
south. The _Alliance Israélite Universelle_ has here a fine
and large agricultural school for Jews. At the time of our
visit――in 1914――about 150 pupils were enrolled. Some of them
we found in the well-kept garden, weeding and hoeing. Others
were engaged in planting through a newly planted vineyard.
Still another group were piling brush and rubbish; while a
considerable number were in classrooms undergoing just then
an examination in the theoretical branches of study. They
were a fine and manly-looking lot of young men and boys,
mostly Russian-Jews. The glow of health was on their cheeks.
They had none of the hunted and depressed look which has
been imprinted upon millions of Jews by persecution and
oppression. It seemed to us that, in a minor sense, these
young Jews were already lifting up their heads because
of the drawing nigh of the redemption of their land and
their nation. They looked as though it afforded them great
satisfaction to till the soil of the land, which some day
must be the happy home of their people. There was a quiet
modesty, coupled with justifiable pride, in their bearing.
LIST OF COLONIES IN 1913.
│ Year │
Name of the │ of │ # of │ Area in│ Kind of work,
colony. │ Start│ Souls│ Dounams│ institutions, etc.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
JUDEA. │ │ │ │
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Mikveh Israel │ 1870 │ 150 │ 2,612 │ Agricultural School of
│ │ │ │ the “Alliance Israélite
│ │ │ │ Universelle”; 100
│ │ │ │ pupils, 15 teachers and
│ │ │ │ officials. Manager: M.
│ │ │ │ Krause.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Rishon le-Zion │ 1882 │ ―― │ ―― │ Plantations. School
│ │ │ │ for boys and girls.
│ │ │ │ Kindergarten. Religious
│ │ │ │ school “Netzah Israel.”
│ │ │ │ People’s Hall (Bet Am)
│ │ │ │ with library and
│ │ │ │ orchestra. Great wine
│ │ │ │ cellar and centre of
│ │ │ │ the wine trade.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Nachlath Jehuda │ 1913 │ 850 │ 11,402 │ Plantations. Founded in
│ │ │ │ commemoration of Dr.
│ │ │ │ Leo (Jehuda) Pinsker.
│ │ │ │ Dwellings for labourers.
│ │ │ │ The colony is situated
│ │ │ │ in the neighbourhood
│ │ │ │ of Rishon.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Rehobot │ 1890 │ 800 │ 14,193 │ Plantations; vines,
│ │ │ │ olives and almonds.
│ │ │ │ School for boys and
│ │ │ │ girls. Kindergarten.
│ │ │ │ Religious school
│ │ │ │ “Netzah Israel.”
│ │ │ │ Zoological collections
│ │ │ │ of Dr. Ah’roni.
│ │ │ │ Place of the yearly
│ │ │ │ celebration “Chagigah.”
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Wadi el Chanin │ 1882 │ 200 │ 2,793 │ Plantations. School
(Ness Ziona) │ │ │ │ for boys and girls.
│ │ │ │ Vineyards and gardens
│ │ │ │ planted by J.C.A.
│ │ │ │ for the labourers
│ │ │ │ of the neighbouring
│ │ │ │ colonies. Kindergarten.
│ │ │ │ Bee-keeping.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Ekron │ 1884 │ 350 │ 12,723 │ Agriculture, Plantations.
(Maskeret Batja) │ │ │ │ School for boys and
│ │ │ │ girls. Kindergarten.
│ │ │ │ Religious school. Most
│ │ │ │ of the colonists were
│ │ │ │ engaged in agricultural
│ │ │ │ work in Russia.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Katrah (Gederah) │ 1884 │ 200 │ 5,632 │ Plantations, Agriculture.
│ │ │ │ School for boys and
│ │ │ │ girls. Religious school
│ │ │ │ “Netzah Israel.” This
│ │ │ │ colony was founded by
│ │ │ │ the Bilu pioneers.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Kastinie │ 1896 │ 150 │ 5,622 │ Agriculture. Religious
(Beer Tobia) │ │ │ │ school “Netzah Israel.”
│ │ │ │ This colony was founded
│ │ │ │ by the Odessa Chovevé
│ │ │ │ Zion.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Dschemama │ 1911 │ 25 │ 6,000 │ In the early stages of
(Ruchama) │ │ │ │ colonization. The land
│ │ │ │ was bought by two
│ │ │ │ companies of Russian
│ │ │ │ Jews, and is cultivated
│ │ │ │ by a group of labourers.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Bir Jacob │ 1907 │ 25 │ 2,048 │ Colony of labourers.
│ │ │ │ Plantations. Was founded
│ │ │ │ by Dagestan Jews.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Hulda │ 1909 │ 50 │ 1,890 │ Jewish National Fund
│ │ │ │ Domain. In this colony
│ │ │ │ the so-called Herzl
│ │ │ │ Forest (of olive trees)
│ │ │ │ in commemoration of
│ │ │ │ Herzl is planted.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Ben Shemen │ 1906 │ 120 │ 2,329 │ J.N.F. Domain and Farm.
│ │ │ │ Second part of the
│ │ │ │ Herzl Forest. Houses
│ │ │ │ for Yemenite Jews.
│ │ │ │ Agricultural institu-
│ │ │ │ tions and experiments
│ │ │ │ (Mr. I. Wilkanski).
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Abu-Shushe │ 1912 │ ―― │ 7,000 │ In the early stages of
│ │ │ │ colonization.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Kafruriah │ 1912 │ 20 │ 5,000 │ In the early stages
│ │ │ │ of colonization.
│ │ │ │ Cultivated by a group
│ │ │ │ of labourers.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Artuf │ 1896 │ 70 │ 4,670 │ Agriculture. School
│ │ │ │ for boys and girls.
│ │ │ │ The first settlers
│ │ │ │ were Bulgarian Jews,
│ │ │ │ Sephardim. Now property
│ │ │ │ of Mr. Isaac Goldberg
│ │ │ │ of Wilna.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Mozah │ 1890 │ 40 │ 1,100 │ Agriculture, three-
│ │ │ │ quarters of an hour
│ │ │ │ from Jerusalem.
│ │ │ │ Synagogue. Mill. Vines
│ │ │ │ and vegetable-growing.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Dilb │ 1913 │ ―― │ 1,800 │ In the early stages of
│ │ │ │ colonization.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Petah-Tikvah │ 1878 │ ―― │ ―― │ Plantations. The largest
│ │ │ │ colony in the country.
│ │ │ │ Schools for boys and
│ │ │ │ girls. Centre of the
│ │ │ │ religious schools
│ │ │ │ (Dr. Auerbach). Home
│ │ │ │ orphans. Soup for
│ │ │ │ kitchen for labourers.
│ │ │ │ Agricultural school.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Machne Yehouda │ 1913 │2,500 │ 23,837 │ Settlement for Yemenite
│ │ │ │ Jews.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Yehoudieh │ ―― │ ―― │ ―― │ ――
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Ain Ganim │ 1908 │ ―― │ 762 │ Settlement for labourers.
(Fedje) │ │ │ │ Founded by Chovevé Zion
│ │ │ │ for the Petah-Tikvah
│ │ │ │ labourers (a little
│ │ │ │ house and orchard for
│ │ │ │ every family).
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Bir Ados │ 1912 │ 40 │ 4,220 │ In the early stages of
│ │ │ │ colonization.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Kinnereth Colony │ 1908 │ 25 │ 5,572 │ In the early stages of
│ │ │ │ cultivation.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Kinnereth Farm │ 1909 │ 60 │ 3,703 │ Farm of the Jewish
│ │ │ │ National Fund. Farm for
│ │ │ │ girls of the “Union of
│ │ │ │ Women.”
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Dagania │ 1910 │ 45 │ 3,072 │ Farm of the Jewish
(Um d’shuni) │ │ │ │ National Fund. Farm for
│ │ │ │ girls of the “Union of
│ │ │ │ Women.”
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Poriah │ 1911 │ 60 │ 3,703 │ Property of one of
│ │ │ │ the American Achuzah
│ │ │ │ Companies.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Mispah │ 1908 │ 50 │ 3,420 │ Agriculture.
(En Katab) │ │ │ │
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Hattin │ ―― │ ―― │ 2,000 │ Agriculture.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Lubic │ ―― │ ―― │ 7,082 │ ――
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Near Tiberus │ ―― │ ―― │ 830 │ ――
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Migdal │ 1910 │ ―― │ 5,000 │ Farms and Plantations
│ │ │ │ belonging to a
│ │ │ │ Plantation Company.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Jessod Ha-Maaleh │ 1883 │ 225 │ 12,228 │ Agriculture. School for
│ │ │ │ boys and girls.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Rosh Pinah │ 1882 │ 650 │ 20,102 │ Agriculture and
│ │ │ │ Plantations. School for
│ │ │ │ boys and girls. Centre of
│ │ │ │ the Baron’s (I.C.A.’s)
│ │ │ │ administration for the
│ │ │ │ Colonies of Upper Galilee
│ │ │ │ (M. Kalvaryjski).
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Machanaim │ ―― │ ―― │ 21,885 │ ――
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Ain Zeitun │ 1891 │ ―― │ 6,016 │ ――
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Mishmar │ 1884 │ 125 │ 7,596 │ Agriculture. School for
Ha-Yarden │ │ │ │ boys and girls.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Metulah │ 1896 │ 325 │ 16,907 │ School for boys and girls.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Bene Yehouda │ ―― │ 50 │ ―― │ ――
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
│ │ │ │
JAULAN. │ │ │ │
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Lands in the │ 1886 │ ―― │ 70,000 │ Belong to the Jewish
Jaulan │ │ │ │ Colonization Association
│ │ │ │ ――not inhabited.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
│ │ │ │
SAMARIA. │ │ │ │
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Kafr Saba │ 1892 │ ―― │ 7,321 │ Plantations, mostly
│ │ │ │ almonds. Occupied
│ │ │ │ by a little group of
│ │ │ │ labourers.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Chederah │ ―― │ ―― │ ―― │ Agriculture, Plantations.
│ │ │ │ School for boys
│ │ │ │ and girls. In the
│ │ │ │ neighbourhood of the
│ │ │ │ “Garden of Samaria”
│ │ │ │ (Mohilewer) ethrogim
│ │ │ │ (citrons) and oranges.
│ │ │ │ Baron Rothschild’s
│ │ │ │ eucalyptus wood, the
│ │ │ │ greatest in the country.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Nachliel │ ―― │ 500 │ 31,355 │ Settlement for Yemenites.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Chederan Ann │ ―― │ ―― │ 1,200 │ In the early stages of
│ │ │ │ colonization.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Chefzibah │ ―― │ ―― │ 7,000 │ Property of the Company
│ │ │ │ “Agudath Netaim.” Olives
│ │ │ │ and almonds.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Kerkur and Bedus │ 1912 │ ―― │ 11,400 │ In the early stages of
│ │ │ │ colonization.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Zichron Jacob │ 1882 │ ―― │ ―― │ Plantations, Agriculture.
(Samarin) │ │ │ │ School for boys and
│ │ │ │ girls. Mostly Roumanian
│ │ │ │ Jews. Centre of the
│ │ │ │ Baron’s (the I.C.A.’s)
│ │ │ │ administration with
│ │ │ │ beautiful buildings.
│ │ │ │ Library. Hospital with
│ │ │ │ 20 beds.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Shveia │ 1888 │ ―― │ ―― │ School for boys and girls.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Bath Shlomo │ 1888 │1,150 │ 30,668 │ ――
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Marah │ 1907 │ ―― │ ―― │ ――
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Herbet Menshie │ 1911 │ ―― │ ―― │ ――
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Tantura │ ―― │ ―― │ 300 │ ――
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Atlit │ 1897 │ 50 │ 6,800 │ Experimental Station.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
│ │ │ │
LOWER AND │ │ │ │
UPPER GALILEE. │ │ │ │
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Merchavia (Fule) │ 1911 │ 100 │ 9,415 │ Co-operative Labourers.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Sedjera Farm │ 1899 │ 100 │ ―― │ Farm. Co-operative
│ │ │ │ Labourers.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Sedjera Colony │ 1900 │ 200 │ 17,717 │ Agriculture.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Mesha │ 1902 │ ―― │ ―― │ Agriculture.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Melhamieh │ 1902 │ 200 │ 16,023 │ Agriculture.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Yemma │ 1902 │ 300 │ 24,422 │ Agriculture.
─────────────────┼──────┼──────┼────────┼───────────────────────────
Bet Jen │ 1904 │ 100 │ 4,549 │ Agriculture.
(Bet Gan) │ │ │ │
LXXIX.
THE MANIFESTO OF THE _BILU_ (1882)
IN 1882, in a little lodging-house in Galata, Constantinople, a meeting
of young Jews was held. Most of those present were students, artisans
or scholars. The assembly resulted in the formation of a Society called
_Bilu_, from the initials of the words: _Beth Iakob Lechu Venelcha_
(House of Jacob, come, let us go!). The Society had many branches, each
bearing some name well known in Jewish history, as _Kreti U’phleti_.
There was an artisans’ branch, called _He’charash Ve’hamasger_
(carpenters and locksmiths). From headquarters was issued the following
manifesto (in Hebrew):――
“To our Brethren and Sisters in the Exile, Peace be with you!
“‘If I help not myself, who will help me?’ (Hillel).
“Nearly two thousand years have elapsed since, in an evil hour, after
an heroic struggle, the glory of our Temple vanished in fire and our
Kings and chieftains changed their crowns and diadems for the chains
of exile. We lost our country, where dwelt our beloved sires. Into the
Exile we took with us, of all our glories, only a spark of the fire, by
which our Temple, the abode of our Great One, was engirdled, and this
little spark kept us alive while the towers of our enemies crumbled to
dust, and this spark leapt into celestial flame and shed light upon the
faces of the heroes of our race and inspired them to endure the horrors
of the Dance of Death and the tortures of the autos-da-fé. And this
spark is now again kindling and will shine for us, a true pillar of
fire going before us on the road to Zion, while behind us is a pillar
of cloud, the pillar of oppression threatening to destroy us. Sleepest
thou, O our nation? What hast thou been doing till 1882? Sleeping and
dreaming the false dream of Assimilation. Now, thank God, thou art
awakened from thy slothful slumber. The Pogroms have awakened thee
from thy charmed sleep. Thine eyes are open to recognize the cloudy
structure of delusive hopes. Canst thou listen silently to the flaunts
and the mockery of thine enemies? Wilt thou yield before the might
of...? Where is thine ancient pride, thine olden spirit? Remember that
thou wast a nation possessing a wise religion, a law, a constitution,
a celestial Temple, whose wall is still a silent witness to the glories
of the Past, that thy sons dwelt in Palaces and towers, and thy cities
flourished in the splendour of civilization, while these enemies of
thine dwelt like beasts in the muddy marshes of their dark woods. While
thy children were clad in purple and fine linen they wore the rough
skins of the wolf and the bear. Art thou not ashamed to submit to them?
“Hopeless is your state in the West; the star of your future is
gleaming in the East. Deeply conscious of all this, and inspired by the
true teaching of our great master Hillel: ‘If I help not myself, who
will help me?’ we propose to build the following society for national
ends:――
“1. The Society will be named _Bilu_, according to the motto: ‘House
of Jacob, come, let us go!’ It will be divided into local branches
according to the number of members.
“2. The seat of the Committee shall be Jerusalem.
“3. Donations and contributions shall be unfixed and unlimited.
“What we want:――
“1. A Home in our country. It was given to us by the mercy of God, it
is ours as registered in the archives of history.
“2. To beg it of the Sultan himself, and if it be impossible to obtain
this, to beg that at least we may be allowed to possess it as a state
within a larger state; the internal administration to be ours, to have
our civil and political rights, and to act with the Turkish Empire only
in foreign affairs, so as to help our brother Ishmael in his time of
need.
“We hope that the interests of our glorious nation will rouse the
national spirit in rich and powerful men, and that everyone, rich or
poor, will give his best labours to the holy cause.
“Greeting, dear brethren and sisters.
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, and our Land, Zion,
is our own hope.
“God be with us!”
_The Pioneers of Bilu._
The last survivors of the _Bilu_ still in Palestine are: Israel
Belkind, S. Belkind, Mrs. Feinberg (_née_ Belkind), Dr. Chissin,
Drubin, Swerdloff, Leibowitz, Hurwitz and Zaladichin.――Of the veterans
of the _Chovevé Zion_ Colonization we met in 1914――to mention only a
few――Gissin in Petach Tikvah, the Stamper family (Stamper was one of
the first, and the most energetic settlers, he came from Roumania);
Shalit, Meerowitz, Lubman, Freimann in Rishon; Idelowitz, now in
Alexandria, managing the “Carmel” Wine business; Eisenberg, Goldin,
Hirschensohn, Mme. Basia Makow in Rechoboth, and of the old “Menucha
Ve-Nachla” (the Warsaw Colony) settlers: Bucharski, Padua, Weinstein,
Bresner, Rafalkes, Appel.
LXXX.
ZIONISM AND JEWISH ART
IT is somewhat difficult to distinguish between Jewish art, that is to
say between art expressing the Jewish national spirit, and ordinary art
cultivated by the Jews.
Is Jewish art possible to-day? National art requires a soil out of
which to issue, and a sky towards which to unfold. We――present-day
Jews――have neither. We are inhabitants of many countries, and our
thoughts ascend to different skies. Within our innermost soul we know
of no earth and no sky. We have no country to bear our hopes in its
lap and lend firmness to the tread of our feet, and we have no national
sun to bless our sowings and irradiate our day. National art requires
a homogeneous community out of which it arises and for which it exists.
We have merely fragments of a community, and as yet there is hardly
any stirring of the part to assemble into a whole. But without these
premisses national art cannot come into existence; it cannot be made.
It is no hothouse growth, but healthy, sapful plant life in a free
native atmosphere. No artificial conditions may be created for it, it
must come and develop with the progressing renascence.¹
¹ Martin Buber, _Jüd. Künst., Lesser Ury_.
Another question presents itself. Are, at present, Jewish artists
possible, i.e. artists who respond inwardly and in their works to
Jewish individuality? If we may answer this question in the affirmative,
the inner possibility of Jewish art is affirmed too. Because, as a
rule, two elements have to co-operate so that a national artist may
be evolved: a strain of national heredity, and a national environment;
the former consecutive, not acquired by experience, but brought in
unconsciously, the latter rather atmospheric, and up to a certain point
consciously experienced. Since, in the most favourable conditions,
present-day Judaism contains only the material and the elements of
transformation of national environment, a Jewish artist would have
to derive his national individuality chiefly from qualities received
through heredity. But this would tend to prove that the artistic
aptitude of the Jewish race is still aglow like live coal under ashes,
and that it only needs personalities gifted with creative energy, and
in whom this aptitude concentrates, condenses and transmutes into works,
to bring forth Jewish artists. Are Jewish artists possible nowadays? By
way of reply it may suffice to show that there are Jewish artists, or
rather that with many Jewish artists we have the impression that their
art has a national character.
It is very doubtful indeed whether any clear definition can be given
of Jewish national art equally acceptable from the standpoint of
the nationalist and that of the artist. We shall, therefore, confine
ourselves to a brief outline of the evolution of Jewish artistic
activity in painting and sculpture in modern times, without entering
into the old and much-discussed question of ancient Palestinian
Jewish painting, sculpture, architecture, etc., medieval Jewish
miniature-painting of a religious or semi-religious character and more
or less Jewish origin, and the arts of poetry and music cultivated by
Jews since remotest antiquity and bearing undoubtedly in some cases the
national character.
The sphere of art, particularly painting and sculpture, became
accessible to the Jews at the same time as the realm of modern science
and European culture and education, at the beginning of the nineteenth
century. The fugitives from the Ghetto began to devote themselves to
the study of art with more or less zeal, according to the opportunities
afforded and conditions prevailing in the countries in which they
lived――in Western Europe at an earlier period and in Eastern Europe
somewhat later. Having received their training in different countries,
they were naturally influenced by various schools of art. Some attained
great distinction and merit, deserving to be placed in the foremost
rank of European art, but these repudiated their Judaism, _e.g._
Munkácsy; others gained locally a high reputation; the majority of them,
however, did not rise above mere mediocrity.
Benjamin Ulmann, an Alsatian, born in Strasburg, 1829, was a historical
and portrait painter of some merit; Jean Jules Worms, born in Paris,
1832, painted genre-pictures with a good deal of animation; Leopold
Pollack, born in Lodenitz, Bohemia, 1809, was a genre-painter of much
refinement. He was an artist possessed of various accomplishments, who
gained distinction in artistic circles as a “Slav”; Felix Schlesinger,
born in Frankfurt O/M., 1814, and educated at Paris, became a famous
French painter and was much appreciated as a genre-painter; Emil Lévy,
born in Paris, 1826, deserves mention as a painter of idyllic scenery
that showed considerable skill combined with simplicity; Louis
Neustaeter, born in Munich, 1829 (_d._ 1899), achieved a reputation
as a portrait painter; Felix Possart, born in Munich, 1837, was a most
versatile popular painter; Nathanael Sichel, born in Mainz, 1843, was
a historical painter of great talent; Eugene Benjamin Fischel, born in
Paris, 1821 (_d._ 1895), was a historical painter (“The Arrival at the
Inn” at the Luxembourg Museum since 1863), and devoted himself later on
to painting of miniatures; Eduard Bendemann, born in Berlin, 1811 (_d._
1889) was a painter of good taste and highly artistic accomplishments:
he painted for the most part historical pictures, some of which
are hung in German museums; Carl Jacoby, born in Berlin, 1853,
distinguished himself among German painters of his time for his
remarkable correctness in drawing; Friedrich Friedlaender, born in
Vienna, 1825 (_d._ 1895), displayed the peculiar style of “Viennois”
painting of his time; Toby Rosenthal, born in New Haven, U.S.A., 1848,
was a disciple of Pilloty, and endeavoured to emulate his master;
Herman Junker, Frankfurt (_b._ 1838); Karl Blosz, Munich; Edmund Edel,
Charlottenburg; Julius Ester, Munich; August Gross, Vienna; Tullo
Massarini, Rome; Albert Raudnitz, Munich; Ernest Raudnitz, Paris;
Emanuel Spitzer, Munich; Ernst Nelson, Berlin, and others are known
more or less as painters of various subjects.
The most notable of Jewish sculptors of the earliest period were:
Antoine Samuel Adam Salomon, born in La Grete, France, 1818; Max
Klein, born in Hungary, 1847; Josef Rona of Budapest; Adolf Huszar of
Budapest, among whose important works should be mentioned the famous
monument of the Hungarian national poet, Petöfi; Johann Silbernagel
of Vienna, famous for his charming little statuettes; Charles Samuel,
born in Brussels, 1862, who executed the monument of the great Belgian
statesman, Frère d’Orban; Moses Jacob Ezekiel, born in Richmond,
Virginia, U.S.A., 1844, who established a great reputation in America
and in Italy, and others.
It cannot definitely be said that this imposing host of artists
belonging to the Jewish people who have enriched Art, during a
comparatively short period――proving in that way the Jewish capacity for
art――have in their works revealed a pronounced Jewish spirit. Jewish
artists and their works are scattered all over the world, and there is
no possibility even of bringing copies of their works together in one
collection, so as to ascertain _ad oculos_ whether there is, in spite
of all the differences of schools and influences of environment, any
trace of a special character to distinguish them from other collections
of this kind, as the special character can only be distinguished when
a number of pictures can be reviewed together. Seeing that the racial
element is no doubt a potent factor in art, the work of the Huszars of
Budapest, the Massarinis of Rome and the Possarts of Munich must have
something in common because, after all, in the depths of their being,
they are neither Magyars, nor Italians, nor Germans, but Jews. On the
other hand, one may say that these Jews, having become an assimilated
unit of the peoples among whom they had lived, been educated and
worked, have no longer anything in common with and do not represent
any specific school of Jewish art.
Another question is, whether the aforementioned Jewish artists have
been engaged in presenting Jewish subjects (which is a question
altogether removed from the previous, more fundamental question). This
question can be easily answered: Jewish subjects were dealt with by
Eduard Bendemann (“Boaz and Ruth,” “The Mourning Jews,” “Jeremias”);
Emile Lévy “The Feast of Tabernacles” and other pictures); Moses Jacob
Ezekiel (various statues of great artistic value).
Apart from these artists who proved that Jews were capable of becoming
more or less important artists, there were even at an earlier period
some who not only displayed generally great artistic skill, but also
gave evidence of understanding something about Jewish art.
First and foremost among these pioneers was Henry Leopold Levy, born
in Paris, 1840, who painted “Joash saved from the Massacre of the
Grandsons of Athaliah” (1867), “Hebrew Captives weeping over the
Ruins of Jerusalem” (1869), and other pictures. Being, so to speak,
a divinely inspired artist, his works give proof of profound emotions
and transcendental beauty and force. His mastery of dramatic effect,
his extent and depth of passion remind one of an old Hebrew prophet.
Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, who was known as “Professor Oppenheim”
of Frankfurt (1801‒82), is not of much importance from an artistic
standpoint. In his time he was one of the most prominent illustrators
of Jewish patriarchy. His “Pictures of Jewish Life” give the impression
of great devotion and have gained considerable popularity through
thousands of reproductions.¹
¹ The Jews of the Continent offered a splendid album, bound in
marone velvet, inlaid with gilt bronze, in 1842 to Sir Moses
Montefiore after his return from the East, in commemoration
of his efforts on behalf of the persecuted Jews of Damascus.
On each cover is a painting by Jewish artists. About these
paintings the authors of the address――which was signed by
1490 subscribers――say:――
“The consecration of Joshua by the legislator Moses, as the
leader of the armies of Israel, was the first step towards
creating Israel a separate state. The pencil of Professor
Oppenheim’s genius has here worthily represented this
event. Israel’s mourning at the streams of Babel, painted
by the masterly hand of Bendemann, brings in the background
before our spirit, Jerusalem in flames, and the house of
God in ruins. Thus both representations combine whatever
constitutes Israel’s pride and grief; whatever in the pages
of history is capable of inspiring the champion of Israel
with courage and zeal” (_Allg. Zeit. d. Judenthums_, 10
September, 1842).
A tragic figure in the annals of art was Simeon Solomon, born in
Bristol, 1834 (d. in London, 1905). At an early age he showed signs of
artistic ability and――as his biographers say――“came under the influence
of D. G. Rossetti.” His drawings and paintings developed the mystical
and sensuous tendencies of the pre-Raphaelite school to the extreme. He
published a number of designs for the “Song of Songs” and reproductions
of the drawings illustrating Jewish ceremonies. Keen critics of art
ascribe to his genius a stimulating originality which influenced the
whole pre-Raphaelite artistic school.
The pinnacle of Art, speaking generally, was reached by three prominent
masters: Joseph Israels (1824‒1911), Max Liebermann, and Solomon J.
Solomon, R.A.
It was Joseph Israels who succeeded in representing the twilights of
the Dutch atmosphere in all their individuality and tender charm. To
understand how to portray Nature and Humanity, and more especially
suffering Humanity, with equal care and art, and to bring into relief
their organic interaction; to represent rural scenes, not as a stage
setting but as an atmosphere, not forcible but imbued with poetic
feeling; to invest human nature with a breath of such delicate lyricism
that the impression created is one of love rather than of mere beauty;
that is the chief characteristic of Israels’ art, which to us seems so
entirely Jewish. It is the enchanting melancholy, the gentle, delicate
longing, the half-uttered tones, the soft harmonies which are divined
rather than seen or heard that make Israels appear so extraordinarily
modern. It is not merely because Israels was a Jew, not merely because
his greatest works represent Jewish subjects, but because his art was
characterized by a rich poetic fancy, by kindliness and melancholy,
and at the same time by a priestly solemnity and a great simplicity
which harmonize so wonderfully with the deepest emotions of the Jewish
Psyche, that we are justified in regarding Israels as a national-Jewish
painter. We are acquainted with the Jewish Rabbi, the calm, discerning,
introspective thinker, seeking for the great _ethos_ of existence in
all the passing phenomena of life. Joseph Israels was a painter-rabbi.
He painted with the same fervour as a _midrash_ scholar would teach,
with which a Jehuda-ha-Levi would sing. A “Gaon” in the domain of Art,
a “Baal-Shem” who works spells, causing angels to appear not by means
of prayers and texts; not by means of cabbalistic incantations, but
by means of colours, light and shade effects. Where so visible as
in Israels, creations are the groups of Divine sparkle flying about
the world, the creative embodiment of the “naked souls” thirsting for
existence, peace and incarnation of which the Cabbala speaks with so
much enthusiasm and of which Chassidism dreams.
In all his paintings Israels succeeded in effecting a concentration in
composition which focussed all interest upon the soul, upon sensation.
Israels has not been content to fix by the masterly stroke of the brush
a moment of dramatic intensity surprised in his model [as for instance,
in the _Writer of the Law_ (_The Thora-Writer_)], or the influences
of the moment upon the emotions and expressions of the subject, but
the soul itself and the whole soul-state. This directness was attained
by Israels through the double study of man and his destiny in direct
relation to nature.
Encyclopædias give the names of his masters and types in Amsterdam and
Paris. But had Israels been a mere follower of his masters, then his
name would not be found in encyclopædias. For decades, for many decades,
he, the versatile painter, devoted himself to historical painting.
No catalogue has rescued the titles from oblivion. When questioned
concerning his early works, he answered the present writer with one of
his characteristic subtle smiles: “How should I know where they are?”
It was not until he had attained full maturity, or according to general
ideas, after he had well passed maturity, that Israels became what
he now is: he found himself after the sun of his life had passed the
meridian.
Max Liebermann regards himself as a disciple of Israels, but is
considered by others to be superior in the brilliancy and versatility
of his genius. He was practically the father of the German “Secession,”
and is the greatest living painter in Germany and one of the greatest
in the world. Solomon J. Solomon is one of the most celebrated English
painters. Dignified and serene, he has a wonderfully extensive and
many-sided grasp of his art. As to Jewish art, it is a disputable
point whether Liebermann’s pictures bear indications of a pronounced
Jewish character――some writers having maintained that such is the case.
Israels’ “Thora-Writer,” and particularly his “Son of an Old People”
――which is justly supposed to have been inspired by the new national
movement――appeal undoubtedly to the Jewish consciousness by their
exceptional impressiveness. The picture which established Solomon J.
Solomon’s reputation was his “Samson and Delilah,” while his “Allegory”
of 1904 is said to depict the triumph of Judaism as the last and only
religion of the world.
In closing the review of this epoch, mention must be made of Lesser Ury
of Berlin, an artist of great severity and sadness, whose “Jeremias”
and other pictures display some originality singularly independent of
influences from without――in which fact some critics thought they could
trace some visions of Jewish awakening.
A similar change was noticeable in Eastern Europe during the period
of transition which began there some decades later than in the West.
Here, too, some young Jews entered the academies of art just as others
went to the universities for scientific study, but, of course, with
that difference in the prospects of success which distinguish art from
science, that art depends more on natural gifts than on capacity to
study. Some Polish, Galician and Russian Jews pursued their studies
in Cracow or Petrograd, some others studied at Munich and Paris. Some
deliberately emphasizing their national origin and country, others
showing, through their new environment, a leaning towards a diversity
of practical and theoretical motives.
Joseph Redlich (1821‒81) was an engraver of world-wide fame during
the first half of the century. Alexander Lesser of Warsaw (1819‒91),
the son of a Jewish merchant, was described as “the father of Polish
historical painting.” Of no importance as a painter, the curious fact
remains that this typical Polish Jew was in his time appreciated as
a painter of Polish national history (the first and most important
publishers of illustrated books and periodicals in Warsaw were Merzbach,
Gliksberg, Lewenthal, the son of a Hebrew teacher, and Wolf, who was of
Jewish origin).
Leopold Horowitz, born in Hungary in 1831, who lived many years in
Warsaw, and since the expulsion of foreign Jews from Russia in Vienna,
has the twofold distinction of being an eminent portrait painter
of European fame, and a well-known and noble-minded Jew. His Jewish
picture “The Ninth of Ab” (the anniversary of the Destruction of the
Temple) is a work of grand style, exquisitely finished; his portraits,
too, gained highest praise. He is much interested in Jewish matters,
and was prominently associated with the foundation of the “Jewish
Museum” at Vienna.
One of the greatest painters of the last generation in Russia was
Isaac Levitan, born in 1860 (d. 1900), the master of Russian landscape.
This Jew of the Russian Ghetto taught Russian artists to abandon mere
topography for a poetical treatment of landscape scenery. He did not
only paint admirably the rich purple of the northern sunset, the thin
clouds, dawn and darkness, but also the very soul of the landscape.
A writer in the (anti-Jewish) _Novoye Vremia_ had to admit that “this
full-blooded Jew knew as no other man, how to make us realize and
love our plain and homely country-scene.” Levitan’s pictures adorn the
Tretjakov Museum at Moscow, and have the right of undisturbed shelter
in that city that was not unconditionally granted to their originator.
Leonid Pasternak, born in 1862, is an important Russian painter,
particularly known for his connections with Tolstoi.
The most wonderful romance of Jewish vitality and force of
self-regeneration is the story of Mark Antokolski (1842‒1900).
Whatever modern critics may think of the special value of his
master-works――classical or pseudo-classical――from an up-to-date point
of view, the fact remains that this Lithuanian Jew, who was a son of
poor parents at Vilna, brought up in the atmosphere of the _Cheder_
(religious school) and the Vilna _Schulhof_, which is the most typical
and best known centre of what is distinctly Jewish, is recognized, as
far as sculpture is concerned, in Paris the metropolis of art. He
introduced Russian sculpture into European art and his works have been
highly appreciated, seeing with what intense delight and admiration
they have been regarded by the highest in his native land, where he was
entrusted with the task of executing the greatest national monuments,
but his works have also received the highest praise throughout the
world. Bernstamm Aronson and ♦Ginzburg, distinguished by exceptional
maturity in study and powers of concentration, the former an eminent
master where powers of imagination and fascination were concerned, the
latter of an observant, subtle intelligence, which proved so useful to
him in the careful reproduction of details dealing with nature. They
are devoted to the art of sculpture in Paris and in Russia.
♦ “Guenzburg” replaced with “Ginzburg” for consistency
All these artists proved that Jews can be artists. Jewish art in
Jewish subjects was here and there to be observed. Isidore Kaufmann,
a Hungarian Jew, born in 1853, executed some appreciable work in
genre-painting of Polish-Jewish life. He displayed in his “Visit of the
Rabbi,” “Talmud Students” and other little pictures, a great simplicity
and freshness, and a delightful sense of humour, but these pictures,
humorous as they are, have merely anecdotes for the outlines of their
scheme. A real awakening of Jewish art in a higher sense was left to
the present period of the Jewish National Revival and Zionism.
This new period was inaugurated by two Polish-Galician Jewish artists,
who, while their respective artistic achievements were of different
value, were instrumental in opening new perspectives for Jewish art;
these were Moritz Gottlieb and Ephraim Moses Ha’Cohen Lilien.
Moritz Gottlieb, born in a small village in Galicia, about 1860, was
a disciple of the great Polish national painter Jan Matejko. Of great
imaginative power and intense feeling, a real artist, he succeeded
in mastering the intricacies of modern painting. He soon became a
favourite of his tutor, and was much admired in artistic circles at
Cracow, where his works were immensely appreciated on account of the
suave and well-balanced style of his pictures. His prospects of a great
future increased with his popularity. It is said――_se non é vero é ben
trovato_――that when he expressed his intention of devoting himself to
Polish historical painting, Matejko remarked: “My son, you are a Jew;
you cannot weep on the graves of Polish kings; leave it to others.”
So Gottlieb devoted himself to Jewish subjects, the most important
of which was his admirable “Jew Praying in the Synagogue.” This
masterpiece so full of inspiration was more than a picture; it was
a message to Jewish artists, one of the most simple and impressive:
“You shall go back to your own people; you shall find and see your own
greatness and glory; you shall be your own selves again!”
The hand of death removed him in early manhood――at the end of the
eighties of the last century――Moritz Gottlieb’s name was cherished by
the new generation of Jewish artists as that of a noble pioneer who had
ushered in the era of Jewish art.
About ten years later, Lilien, having terminated his studies at Munich,
settled in Berlin, and got in touch with the young Zionist intellectual
movement. By means of his illustrations in black and white, which
combined modernism with archaic forms, permeated by the Hebrew spirit,
he soon succeeded in introducing a new element in artistic skill, and
played a prominent part in shaping the modern tendencies of a somewhat
independent young Jewish art. As to the artistic value and originality
of his remarkable and exceedingly fruitful art, opinions may differ
considerably, yet there is no doubt, as a master of an unique style
of drawing, touch, finish and execution, and as a pioneer and advocate
of methods expressing Jewish aspirations, types and ideas, he is
unrivalled, and his works have had a far-reaching effect in encouraging
Jewish artists to devote themselves to the extension of Jewish art on
a self-dependent and self-inspiring basis. The message of Gottlieb and
the impulses of Lilien can be easily traced, even among the important
Jewish artists who have been their contemporaries or have lived at a
later period and have occupied honoured positions in general as well as
in Jewish art.
Samuel Hirschenberg, Leopold Pilichowski and Henry Glitzenstein form,
with all the distinction of their individualistic and high artistic
qualifications, a sort of triumvirate in the realm of art. All these
came from the same country――Poland――and from the same district of
that country; they were contemporaries in age as well as in their
outlook on life, seeing that all these represent the new, emancipated
intellectual type of the Polish Jew with a touch of Jewish nationalism
of the eighties, who differ so distinctly from the old type of the
“assimilation” Jews of a previous period.
Samuel Hirschenberg excelled in the painting of a variety of subjects.
His distinctness and fine blending of colours, his skill in creating
broad and accurate outlines of figures are indeed remarkable. He
was a modest, earnest and most industrious worker of really artistic
aspirations. He had a strong predisposition for big canvases and was
averse from anecdotal subjects. He was unable to paint anything of
a small type. The Jewish people, its suffering, and his persecuted
brethren formed the subjects of his brush. “Golus” (copies of which are
well known) is a specimen of his art and outlook. Of keen perception,
the life-blood of Jewry pulsing through his veins, he painted his
“Wandering Jew,” presenting with tragic force the synthesis and the
resentment caused by Jewish Martyrdom.
He was one of those who had penetrated most deeply and powerfully the
tragedy of the _Golus_, with all its great and desperate dreadfulness
and all its abysmal horror, who felt it within their innermost marrow
and blood, who went through life with its sad brand on their brows. The
brush with which he painted was the master’s heart, and the colour――his
blood, the warm life-blood. The blood which has been flowing for
thousands of years from the ever-open wound of the creative genius
and of the nation. He dreamt to base the future upon sacred ruins.
He deemed as nothing the laurels of the _Golus_ as compared with the
feeble light which began to glow more and more vividly far away in the
old country and in his bosom, which overflowed with sadness and longing.
He was a priest of art and a priest of the Jewish renaissance. During
the last years of his life he went to Jerusalem to take part in the art
work of Bezalel, and died there――as he had lived――upright and resigned
to his fate, hiding from the world the sufferings of a noble soul.
Leopold Pilichowski is quite different in artistic temperament.
Cheerful, thorough and pleasant, guided by a truly artistic instinct,
he possesses the natural gifts of an eminent artist, being a keen
observer of life, of charming personality, and an enthusiastic worker.
He achieved a high reputation by reason of his admirable blending of
colours, his excellent and attractive style, the life-like expression
of his portraits and the careful attention bestowed upon details. In
France he attained high distinction, and recently also in this country
where his works have found considerable appreciation. But the favourite
subject of his art is Polish Jews. His picture entitled “Wearied,” the
two figures of old wearied Polish Jewish pilgrims――is in conception
and execution a masterpiece; this picture has been so frequently
reproduced that it is now one of the most popular and most impressive
Jewish pictures of the time. He expresses more forcibly than any
other contemporary painter the intense fervour of Jewish prayer. He
endeavours to penetrate the secrets of Polish-Jewish pathos in his
charming picture “The Feast of our Rejoicing” and in another, entitled
“Sorrow” which, probably, no other painter would have been able to
understand. He describes and creates an historical record for the type
of the Polish Jew as he knew him――in the fervour of his prayers, in the
glory of his devotion, in the attractiveness of his misery.
Henry Glitzenstein, who now lives in Rome, is the son of a _Melamed_
(religious teacher) in the little village of Turek, Poland. In Italy
and throughout Europe, where his works have at several exhibitions
gained highest distinction, he is recognized as being one of the
greatest sculptors of the age. In ability, taste, gracefulness,
originality and invention, he is a sculptor-poet, who excels all
Jewish sculptors that ever lived, and even many non-Jewish artists of
standing. It is not presumptuous to assert that Glitzenstein is one of
the most modern sculptors, whose modernism does not merely amount to
the acceptance of a certain “fad” but means original and constructive
ability. He, too, is a dreamer of the Ghetto, but at the same time a
master of a living art. His “Messiah,” the incarnation of the mighty,
asleep yet about to awaken to any movement towards the Jewish future,
is a work of an enormous conception.
Hirschenberg’s “Wandering Jew,” Pilichowski’s “Wearied” and
Glitzenstein’s “Messiah,” though undoubtedly independent individual
works, have yet to a certain extent been influenced by the new national
spirit set aglow by Gottlieb and Lilien, and by the literature of the
Jewish Revival.
To this category of Jewish artists belongs Hermann Struck, who combines
artistic refinement with orthodox Jewish devotion and Zionist
aspirations, a master of the first water, who has executed etchings
of Israels’ works and those of other great artists, and has a fine
record for original portrait painting, Palestinian landscapes, and
other drawings of exceptional skill; Moses Maimon, a distinguished
Russian-Jewish painter, the author of the very popular “Marranos in
Spain,” and of other pictures of value; Jehuda Epstein, who has given
proof of possessing great power of imagination by his great sketch
“Maccabean,” a picture made for Herzl, who had it in his studio;
Minkowski (Warsaw), whose Pogrom pictures are of really artistic value;
Pffeffermann (Pan), a man of considerable artistic achievement, who has
been engaged on the teaching staff of the Bezalel; Weinles and Altmann
(Poland), who are responsible for various pictures and studies of
Jewish subjects; Wachtel (Galicia), who emulated Lilien; and Hochmann
(Cracow), who was guided by Glitzenstein’s works. In Russia there
are the painters: A. A. Maneritsch, M. L. Schafrom, A. B. Lachowski,
and the sculptors: F. Bloch, M. L. Dillon, J. A. Troupianski, of the
younger generation, and――of the older generation――Gabowitsch, J. J.
Brodski, who represent modern Jewish art. In the important colony of
artists and art students in Paris, including Leo Minsenberg, Leopold
Gottlieb, Cylkow, Markus, Kramstück, Elie Nadelman and others of Warsaw,
a real Jewish awakening has been observed, particularly among the
younger members of the colony.
Special mention should be made of the well-known landscape painter
Abraham Neumann of Sierpce, Poland, who has a fine long record of
artistic work. He participated most actively in stimulating Jewish
artistic activity in Poland and Galicia.
With regard to sculpture, Alfred Nossig has also to be mentioned.
Nossig can boast, among his various accomplishments, also that of
an able sculptor _con amore_. In some of his works he has dealt
impressively with national Jewish subjects.
Another Jewish sculptor of note should be mentioned, _viz._ F. Beer
of Paris (died in 1910). He was an ardent Zionist and a great personal
friend of Herzl, and contributed his share to Zionist artistic work
(the badges of the Congress).
In this country, Will Rothenstein has become very popular through
several of his pictures devoted to scenes of Jewish life; Isaac
Snowman and his brother Louis [Conrad] are artists of recognized
accomplishments, and have painted valuable pictures of this kind.
Wolmark is well known as an artist of exquisite taste and idealistic
aspirations. His inclination has led him to the rendering of subjects
dealing with Jewish life, so admirably dealt with in some of the
pictures. He is a strong individualist and truth-seeker, and has in
recent times manifested a decided inclination for futurism, of which
he is one of the champions. Jacob Epstein is the most representative
of sculptors and combines genius with technical skill.
The foregoing survey of Jewish activity forces us to the following
conclusions:――
I. The numerous Jewish works of art, especially in painting and
sculpture of such marked ability, with no previous history, patronage
or encouragement, and produced under most unfavourable circumstances
in a comparatively short time, showed that Jewish genius was as much
capable of development in the sphere of art as in music, poetry or the
drama, and has made its influence felt at every opportunity.
II. The great artistic value――with few exceptions――of the works
of these masters who either were acquainted with the older Jewish
traditions, like Israels, H. P. Levy, Ezekiel, or who had come direct
from the Ghetto, like Antokolski, compared with the Assimilationist
Jews who were either satellites or plagiarists, proves that, even
during the period previous to the present national Revival, Jewish
consciousness (like any other deep racial consciousness) has stimulated
the vigour and originality of artistic activity.
III. The beneficial effects of the National movement in Jewish artistic
craftsmanship can be observed in two directions:――
(a) in the artistic value of the productions, especially with
regard to Jewish subjects, and
(b) in the degree of influence of the artistic activity
on the Jewish people.
With regard to the first point, the progress made can be easily
gauged by comparing, for instance, Bendemann and Emil Levy with
Gottlieb, or Oppenheim with Lilien, and so on. Jewish life at the
period of Assimilation, like the literature of that period was
presented essentially in apologetic terms and addressed itself always,
consciously or unconsciously, to Gentiles, as if to say: “Think of us,
we are really not as detestable as you believe us to be, we are rather
attractive”; but, on the other hand, national artists say: “We are what
we are,” and more than that, seeing that to deal with Jewish subjects
from a national standpoint is self-centred, and therefore more of a
psychological question. We are what we are, neither better nor worse
than others: we endeavour to know ourselves, and we want to see our
images reflected in our own art. Oppenheim’s Jews are so idealistically
exaggerated that one would not recognize them if one were to meet them
in their shops on the “Zeil” in Frankfurt, while Gottlieb’s Jews are
so orientally peculiar, that meeting them in the market-place dealing
with tapestry one would have the impression that these dealers are
descendants of oriental princes, although the artist had no intention
of producing this impression.
The second point is still more important. The art of the period of
Assimilation, like the active character of Assimilation, is essentially
individualistic and aristocratic, while the art of the period is
decidedly of a collective and democratic character. Logically and
psychologically, there can be no movement of Assimilation in masses,
because Assimilation _must_ be opposed to cohesion or a movement for
the cohesion of Jews, except for ritual purposes. A Jew becomes a
doctor, a lawyer or a painter――the more he succeeds in his career among
Gentiles, the less he is brought in contact with the Jewish masses:
nobility of character or generosity may make him a philanthropist
to the masses whom he may endeavour to patronize; on the other hand,
the absence of these qualities will make him wholly indifferent, but
anyhow the chain of natural and simple intercourse is broken. This was
necessarily the course of Assimilation in every direction, and also
showed us the relationship of Jewish artists to the Jewish masses.
All those Huszars, Ronas, Schlesingers and Pollacks had no inclination
and no possibility whatever of acquiring the artistic education of
the people from whom they sprang. In this respect the situation has
considerably improved owing to the national movement, _Chovevé Zion_
and Zionism. Now, many Jewish artists live among the people, and are
influenced by them. Not only in Russia, where there is now a strong
movement for propaganda ♦and mutual help among Jewish artists (under
the tutorship of Ilja Ginzburg)――a movement which was unthinkable in
the time of the Assimilation tendencies――but even in Paris a tendency
has made itself felt in this direction in the Jewish colony of artists
in recent times. Among the masses in the East of London, too, there is
an Organization called _Ben Uri_, for the propaganda of art. Lectures
are arranged, instruction is given, and popular articles are published
on various subjects of art. That popularity is due to the activity of
the publishing firms _Phœnix_, _Libanon_, the monthly _Ost und West_,
and other publications.
♦ “amd” replaced with “and”
Summing up the effects of relationship between Jewish art and Zionism,
we see that Zionism has played its part in the revival of Jewish art.
On the other hand, Jewish art has contributed much to the propaganda of
Zionism. It cannot be too often repeated that the creative and active
forces of Zionism have always been literature, education and art:
they have stimulated the people’s hearts and minds, they have opened
the people’s eyes and enlisted their generosity. One of the greatest
agencies of Zionist propaganda has been the Bezalel, the work of
the enthusiastical Jewish artist Boris Schatz, who is in his own art
a disciple of Antokolski, but who stands himself, unrivalled, as a
pioneer in the propaganda of Jewish artistic activity in Palestine.
It is not hazarding too much to assert, that with an important
development of colonization and education in Palestine we are going
to see a really original Jewish art. But even in the Diaspora,
the awakening of Jewish consciousness will ennoble, popularize and
strengthen Jewish art. Jewish artists should not pursue any particular
tendency in addition to their own art; they should be only artists,
and true to themselves. Art must be free, and being free it will――as a
necessary and natural consequence――eventually offer ample scope for the
national genius.
LXXXI.
PROGRESS OF ZIONISM IN THE WEST SINCE 1897
1. _England_
IN England Zionist propaganda was very much hampered for want of an
influential and well-supported Hebrew press and literature――which,
after all, form the most powerful factor in the national propaganda,
and an intellectual weapon in the struggle, the more so because through
them can be maintained a direct closer touch and personal relations
with Palestine. These two factors have made Zionism in Eastern Europe
something more than a formal organization governed by certain statutes;
it has now become a living force. Zionist propaganda there has also
suffered from want of extensive university groups that have brought a
great educational force into the Movement in continental countries. In
England, where class divisions are so pronounced, in ideas, language
and customs, and where the pressure of the Jewish problem from outside
is not felt, the difficulties in the way of Zionist propaganda were
naturally much greater. Besides these difficulties, there was another
fact that did not fail to influence the position. The centralization
of the financial institutions and the greater facility for political
organization were no doubt of considerable advantage, as they afforded
English Zionism in this respect means of propaganda not accessible
to the Movement in other countries. But there was also an important
drawback, namely, the Movement has been concentrated on these two
appeals. The consequences of such a development manifested themselves
in two directions: in the influence upon the Organization, and in
the effect on non-members of the Organization. As for the internal
influences, although the general Zionist work might have appeared here
as elsewhere to be of the greatest importance, nevertheless it must
be admitted that the financial institutions necessarily absorbed more
energy, and carried more weight, while observers from outside were
faced more directly than in any other country with this particular
aspect of the Zionist Organization. In Eastern Europe, the public
outside of Zionism was also made aware of the existence of a political
scheme and financial matters; but what they realized most immediately
and forcibly was above all an intellectual activity, a new system
of education, a new attitude towards all questions of the day and a
new and close relationship with Palestine. In England, outsiders saw
little or nothing of what others saw elsewhere. All they realized was
a political scheme which they naturally endeavoured to magnify and to
exaggerate for the sake of controversy, clinging obstinately to their
own opposition to “Utopia,” and looking at the comparatively meagre
financial means as something that was unable to impress them to any
great extent.
Yet they were greatly mistaken. Zionism in England was in its
essentials not in the least different from what it is in Russia or
anywhere else. It must be admitted that it has not yet sufficiently
developed all the various branches of its activity, but this is
not due to a difference in its principle, but to the divergence in
local conditions for which the idea is not responsible. If all its
potentialities have not yet been developed, there is no reason why they
should not be so very soon. Notwithstanding all kinds of difficulties
and domestic controversies, Zionism in England was propagated and
furthered by a great number of able workers. Among those who took a
leading part in the work in England since the earliest period may be
found: the Haham Dr. Moses Gaster, Joseph Cowen, Herbert Bentwich, the
late S. B. Rubenstein, L. J. Greenberg, Jacob de Haas, Jacob Moser,
Charles Dreyfus, the late Rabbi A. Werner, the late A. Vecht, the late
A. Lozinsky, the late A. Ginzberg, L. Kessler, Percy Baker, the late J.
Massel, E. Ish-Kishor, M. Shire, J. Cohen-Lask, Rev. J. K. Goldbloom,
the late Rev. David Wasserzug, Dr. S. Fox, E. W. Rabbinowicz, Miss H.
Weisberg, Dr. Moses Umanski, H. M. Raskin, H. Comor, the late H. M.
Benoliel, Solomon Cohen, E. Guilaroff, and others.
Somewhat later――not exactly in the literal sense――the older leaders
were joined by new workers of influence and eminent ability. The
most notable are: Dr. Ch. Weizmann, Dr. Samuel Daiches, Rev. Isaiah
Raffalovich, Leon Simon, Harry Sacher, Norman Bentwich, Albert M.
Hyamson, Dr. S. Brodetsky, S. Landman, Leonard Stein, Rev. M. H. Segal,
Bertram Benas, Joseph Jacobs, Paul Goodman, Israel Cohen, Dr. Joseph
Hochman, Samuel Cohen, Israel Sieff, Simon Marks, Dr. Salis Daiches,
F. S. Spiers, and others. In University and intellectual circles also
important progress in Zionist thought could be perceived. One of the
most prominent of the intellectual Zionists is the Haham Dr. Gaster. He
was born at Bucharest in 1857. Having matriculated there, he proceeded
to the Jewish Seminary, Breslau, where in due course he received his
rabbinical diploma. He is also a Doctor of Philosophy of the University
of Leipsic. He published numerous important works on the Roumanian
language and literature, and on the subject of folklore, on which he
is one of the first authorities. He has written text-books for general
and Jewish schools in Roumania. His compendium of Scripture history has
been adopted as a standard work throughout the country. He produced the
first excellent translation of the Hebrew Prayer Book into Roumanian.
In 1885 he left Roumania and came to England, where he was appointed
Haham of the Spanish and Portuguese Congregations in succession to
the late Haham Dr. Artom (1887). This office he resigned in 1918.
He brought new life into those congregations and largely aided by
his valuable literary work in the promotion of oriental studies in
England. Gaster was an ardent Zionist long before the First Congress.
Profoundly touched by the unfortunate position of the Jews in Roumania,
he assisted in establishing the first Jewish colony in Palestine,
Samarin (Zichron Jacob)――and organized meetings in Roumania which were
addressed by Laurence Oliphant and others. Indeed it was the part he
took in these matters that, in some measure, led to his expulsion from
Roumania. In England he joined the Zionist Organization from its very
beginning. His learned speeches and writings gave a great impetus to
the propaganda.
Herbert Bentwich, a zealous and devoted supporter of the Jewish
colonization in Palestine, was as well known in the _Chovevé Zion_
movement as he is in the Zionist Organization. He was the organizer
and leader of the Maccabean Pilgrimage to Palestine of 1897. In several
articles in the English press he answered the attacks made upon Zionism.
Being a lawyer by profession his services were invaluable in the
foundation of the Zionist financial institutions. A well-known figure
at the Zionist Congresses, he is a most active worker in local affairs,
especially in the Order of Ancient Maccabeans, in connection with
which organization he recently helped to found a land company for the
purchase of land in Palestine. He is indefatigable in the propaganda
of Zionism, and one of the few English Zionists who succeeded in making
Zionism a tradition of his family by means of the closest personal
contact with Palestine.
Israel Zangwill may be described as one of the most distinguished
propagandists of the Zionist idea during the period 1899 until 1906,
when he founded the Territorialist Organization. To this brilliant
writer and orator belongs the credit of having contributed greatly
towards making Zionism popular in England. An English writer of
enchanting dexterity, possessed of a keen sense of humour and capacity
to appeal to the crowd, he discredited the old idea of Assimilation.
Though his views on the future of Palestine have undergone considerable
modification, his pamphlets and early speeches are still useful and
appreciated in Zionism.
Mr. Joseph Cowen, who takes a most active and responsible part in
Zionist work, particularly with regard to the financial institutions,
plays an important part in central as well as in local organization.
He was for some years a member of the Actions Committee and one of the
most prominent representatives at Zionist Congresses and Conferences.
Mr. L. J. Greenberg’s name is found in the Zionist records of the
first few years in connection with the movement in England, as well
as internationally, and in his work he has always associated himself
with Mr. Cowen. He was always deemed resourceful and an energetic
propagandist in England, and was for a certain period a member of the
central management of the Organization. He was Honorary Secretary of
the English Zionist Federation, and a member of the Actions Committee,
and in these capacities did admirable work. Both Mr. Cowen and Mr.
Greenberg were deeply attached to Herzl, and assisted him in his work
in England.
The late S. B. Rubenstein was one of the veterans of the old _Chovevé
Zion_, and as a representative Zionist was very active in the movement
since the First Congress. Mr. Jacob de Haas, a journalist of great
versatility, combined with great devotion and inexhaustible enthusiasm
for the cause, worked hard in England, and now continues his useful
work zealously in the United States. Mr. Leopold Kessler, a faithful
adherent to Zionism since its inception, has been active, partly in
South Africa and partly in England, more especially in connection with
the financial institutions and the Actions Committee. The Rev. Isaiah
Raffalovich, Rabbi of the New Hebrew Congregation, Liverpool, a native
of Jerusalem, an inspired _Chovev Zion_ and Zionist, is doing excellent
propaganda work. The late Joseph Massel, of Manchester, a man of great
Jewish learning, a Hebrew writer and translator, was a well-known and
popular figure at the Zionist Conferences in England, as well as at the
Zionist Congresses. He was one of the few Hebraists who introduced an
element of Hebrew literature into the Zionist propaganda in England.
The late Aron Vecht (1856‒1908), a man of striking individuality,
was an ardent Jewish nationalist. He founded the weekly paper, _The
Jewish Standard_, and was one of the founders of the _Chovevé Zion_
Association in London, and later, when Herzl launched the Zionist
movement, became one of his most devoted followers.
Mr. Jacob Moser, J.P. (Lord-Mayor of Bradford, 1910‒11), deserves an
honourable place among the Zionist leaders. A prominent philanthropist
in his city, and a devoted Zionist, he has been for a number of years
a leading representative of the Movement and was elected a member of
the Actions Committee, and attended most Zionist Congresses, where he
gained great popularity. He visited Palestine and became a generous and
zealous patron of Hebrew education there. The Hebrew Gymnasium at Jaffa,
which is the first and foremost Hebrew educational institution in the
Holy Land, was practically founded by him, and owes its existence and
maintenance to his exertions and generosity. Dr. Charles Dreyfus, J.P.,
of Manchester, has associated himself with the Zionist movement now for
some years. He has been a member of the Actions Committee and President
of the English Zionist Federation.
Some Zionists have worked, and are now working, with great enthusiasm
in the sphere of Hebrew education. The method of Hebrew teaching known
as “Ibrith B’Ibrith” (Hebrew in Hebrew), which was first introduced by
Zionists into Palestine and Russia, was first recommended in England
by Mr. David Yellin, of Jerusalem, at public meetings addressed by
him on his visits to this country, and was strongly supported by
Mr. Israel Abrahams. In the work of encouraging the diffusion of the
Hebrew language in England those most active were: in London――Rev.
J. K. Goldbloom――and before his removal to the United States Mr. E.
Ish-Kishor, and――in Liverpool――Dr. Samuel Fox, an able Hebraist and
educator, formerly editor of the _Ha-Magid_, assisted by a number
of efficient Hebrew teachers, Mr. Maximovski (now in America), Mr.
Rumianck, Mr. Wassilewsky, Mr. Port, Mr. A. Doniach, the young Hebrew
poet Pinski, Mr. Beilin, Mr. Hodes, and others. There are in London,
as well as in the provinces, some Hebrew-speaking societies and groups
that work for the maintenance of Hebrew as a living tongue. The late
J. Suwalski, an able Talmudist and Hebrew writer, edited and published
in London for some years a Hebrew weekly, _Ha-Yehoudi_, under most
difficult conditions. After his death the publication of this paper
was suspended, but in Hebraist circles a propaganda is again on foot
for the purpose of securing the reappearance of a Hebrew weekly.
In tracing the more recent development of Zionism in England, a number
of representatives and workers of a prominently intellectual and
literary character cannot escape our attention: Dr. Samuel Daiches,
Lecturer in Biblical Exegesis and Talmudics at Jews’ College, and
author of numerous works on Assyriologian, Biblical Babylonian and
Talmudical Babylonian subjects, a scholar of recognized merits, has
an excellent Zionist record as a delegate to the Congresses, a Zionist
writer, and as a most faithful propagandist of the national idea and
the Hebrew language. His brother, Dr. Salis Daiches, Minister of the
Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation and author of studies on philosophy,
is an active member of the Organization. Both are faithful to the
traditions of their old rabbinical family and particularly to that of
their father, the venerable Rabbi Israel Hayim Daiches of the Great
Bet Ha-Midrash Congregation, Leeds, who many years ago, when Rabbi at
Neustadt-Shirvint, Russia, was one of the first of the orthodox Rabbis
to identify themselves with the Zionist idea.
The beginning of a University movement and the literary activity
in connection with Zionism are, undoubtedly, remarkable features
of Zionist development in England in recent years and deserve due
consideration. Most prominent in this useful and promising movement are:
Leon Simon, Norman Bentwich, Harry Sacher, Albert M. Hyamson, Dr. Selig
Brodetsky, Samuel Landman, Dr. Joseph Hochman, Leonard Stein, the Rev.
M. H. Segal and others, who, as Hebrew scholars and English writers
of a highly cultivated literary taste, have founded University Zionist
Societies, and are frequently lecturing on Zionist and general Jewish
literary subjects. During the four years of the European War, despite
the pressure on their time and energies which their non-Zionist duties,
in most instances in the service of the State, involved, they produced
a Zionist literature remarkable not only in all the circumstances for
its quantity, but also for its quality. They established and produced
two periodicals, _The Zionist Review_, the monthly organ of the English
Zionist Federation (editors, Mr. A. M. Hyamson and Mr. Leon Simon),
in a sense the successor to _The Zionist_, which ceased publication on
the outbreak of war, and _Palestine_, the weekly organ of the British
Palestine Committee (editor, Mr. Harry Sacher). Of books all of a high
quality and a permanent character, _Zionism and the Jewish Future_
(editor, Mr. H. Sacher), which immediately became the standard work in
England on Zionism, and passed into a second edition which soon became
exhausted, _Zionism――Problems and Views_ (editors, Mr. Paul Goodman and
Mr. Arthur D. Lewis), _Palestine――The Rebirth of an Ancient People_ (Mr.
Albert M. Hyamson), _Palestine of the Jews_ (Mr. Norman Bentwich), and
_England and Palestine_ (Mr. H. Sidebotham), published by the British
Palestine Committee, have all appeared since 1914. At the same time
the same small band of writers have been active in the periodical
press, and by means of a number of pamphlets, which deal with different
aspects of Zionism and the Palestine question, have had considerable
influence on public opinion, Jewish and non-Jewish, throughout the
English-speaking world. Some members of this small band have also
written on Zionism and Palestine in some of the leading American
periodicals. Without being by any means exhaustive, one may mention
among recent pamphlets: _The Case of the Anti-Zionists_ (Leon Simon),
_Great Britain, Palestine and the Jews_――(1) _Jewry’s Celebration of
its National Charter_, (2) _A Survey of Christian Opinion, What is
Zionism?_ (Dr. Chaim Weizmann and Dr. Richard Gottheil), _The Jewish
Colonization in Palestine: Its History and its Prospects_ (S. Tolkowsky),
_A Jewish Palestine: The Jewish Case for a British Trusteeship_ (H.
Sacher), _Zionism and the Jewish Religion_ (F. S. Spiers), _Zionism and
the Jewish Problem_ (Leon Simon), _A Hebrew University for Jerusalem_
(H. Sacher), _Zionism and Socialism_ (Lewis Rifkind), _Jewish
Emancipation: The Contract Myth_ (H. Sacher), _History and Development
of Jewish Colonization in Palestine_ (L. Kessler), _Zionism, its
Organization and Institutions_ (S. Landman), _Jewish Colonization and
Enterprise in Palestine_ (I. M. Sieff), _Zionism and Jewish Culture_
(Norman Bentwich), _Zionism and the State_ (H. Sacher), _Zionism and
the Hebrew Revival_ (E. Miller), _Hebrew Education in Palestine_ (S.
Philipps), _British Projects for the Restoration of the Jews_ (A. M.
Hyamson), _Cosmopolitanism and Zionism_ (Arthur D. Lewis), _The Jewish
National Fund_ (Joseph D. Jacobs), _Zionism in the Bible_ (N. Sokolow),
_Achievements and Prospects in Palestine_ (S. Tolkowsky), _Hebrew
Education in Palestine_ (Leon Simon), and a number of the essays of
“Achad Ha’am,” translated into English by Mr. Leon Simon.
Of important articles in the principal English weeklies and reviews
may be mentioned “Palestine and Jewish Nationalism,” by Mr. Leon Simon,
in _The Round Table_, “The Development of Political Zionism,” by Mr.
Israel Cohen in _The Fortnightly Review_, by Mr. Albert M. Hyamson in
the _Quarterly Review_, and also several other articles by the same
writer in _The New Statesman_ and _The New Europe_. _The Times_ and
_The Manchester Guardian_, not to mention other daily periodicals, have
given valuable and frequent support, in their editorial columns and
elsewhere, to the Zionist cause.
It is chiefly due to the exertions of Mr. Leon Simon, who stands at
the head of the University Zionist Organization, that the revival of
interest in living Hebrew has spread among the young intellectuals. It
is worthy of notice that this young scholar, who was born and educated
in this country, was so strongly inspired by the Zionist idea that
he acquired so thorough a knowledge of the Hebrew language that he is
now a good Hebrew speaker, as well as a highly appreciated contributor
to the Hebrew monthly _Ha-Shiloach_. The Rev. M. H. Segal, formerly
Minister of the Newcastle-on-Tyne Congregation, author of _Mishnaic
Hebrew and its Relation to Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic_, who belongs to
the same group, is an excellent Hebrew writer. This movement has been
greatly influenced by Asher Ginzberg――Achad Ha’am――who lives in London,
and whose writings are very highly appreciated in intellectual quarters.
Mr. Simon has translated some of his books into English. A great
supporter of this movement is Dr. Ch. Weizmann, who is an old worker
in University circles.
Evidently Zionism is attracting more and more attention and
consideration, and has the moral support and sympathy of distinguished
scholars and spiritual leaders, among whom we may mention the Goldsmid
Professor of Hebrew at the University of London and Rabbi of the
Bayswater Synagogue, Hermann Gollancz, and Dr. S. A. Hirsch, a
well-known Talmudist and Emeritus Lecturer at Jews’ College. Dr. Hirsch
was one of the distinguished _Chovevé Zion_, and took great interest in
the Zionist movement. He was for a time Chairman of the Joint Committee
of the English Zionist Federation and the Maccabeans.
The foregoing sketch, incomplete as it is, gives some idea of
the amount of energy and labour expended on the work of Zionist
organization and propaganda in England. If it is not as large and
vigorous as it might be, and as it is undoubtedly going to be owing
to the new development, it cannot be denied that there is in England a
strong Zionist movement supported by an ever-increasing number of able,
determined and devoted workers.
2. _South Africa_
In South Africa Zionism is powerful and important. Among the first
representatives of the movement there must be mentioned as the most
notable: Dr. J. H. Hertz, Johannesburg (he was Delegate to the Fourth
Zionist Congress, 1900), who is now Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew
Congregations of the British Empire. Other staunch supporters were the
Rev. Dr. J. L. Landau, Mr. S. Goldreich, the late Rev. D. Wasserzug,
Mr. S. L. Heymann, Mr. S. Lennox-Loewe, Mr. R. Alexander, Mr. J.
Heymann, Dr. Abelheim, Mr. J. L. Cohen, Mr. H. Lyons, Mr. R. Feigenbaum,
Mr. H. B. Ellenbogen, Mr. S. S. Grossberg (Bulawayo), Mr. B. Aaron,
Mr. J. Blum, Mr. A. Beyer, Mr. N. Richardson, Mr. J. Kark, Mr. B. J.
Chaimowitz, Mr. A. Deremeik, Mr. A. M. Abrahams, Mr. J. Kaplan, Mr. J.
Schwartz, Mr. Groimann, Mr. Hersh, Mr. S. Bebor and others. They have
a well-organized Zionist Federation, of which the advocate, Mr. Maurice
Alexander, is the Chairman. They also have their own Zionist Press,
always send delegates to the Zionist Congresses and maintain a strong
and successful propaganda in their country. The enthusiasm manifested
by the masses is as great as the wonderful generosity with which they
support all Zionist institutions in and outside of Palestine. One
is simply struck with admiration at the wonderful results they have
achieved in the way of contributions.
3. _Canada_
In Canada the Zionist movement began in 1898 and immediately met with
great success. Zionists propagated their principles at mass meetings
and soon attracted enthusiastic workers for their cause, and by their
help they were enabled to form organizations in Montreal, Toronto,
Winnipeg, Hamilton, London, Kingston (Ontario), Ottawa, and on the
Pacific Coast. (The first Zionist Society in Canada was the _Agudath
Zion_ in Montreal.) First and foremost among the leaders is Mr.
Clarence I. de Sola, a brother of the late Rev. Meldola de Sola, the
minister of the Sephardi Community of Montreal. Both were the sons of
Dr. Abraham de Sola, LL.D., who was Professor of Semitic Literature
at the McGill University of Montreal, and the leading Jewish Rabbi and
writer in Canada. Mr. Clarence de Sola is President of the Federation
of the Zionist Societies of Canada. The Rev. A. M. Ashinski (now at
Pittsburg), Dr. David M. Hart, the Rev. B. M. Kaplin, Mr. J. S. Leo,
Mr. A. Levin, the Rev. D. H. Wittenberg, Mr. H. G. Levetus, Mr. Leon
Goldman, Mr. B. Levi, the late Mr. Falik and many others were the
principal, untiring workers from the first; and the distinguished
Hebraist Rabbi Menkin (Hamilton), the eminent preacher Rabbi Abramowitz
(Montreal), Mr. L. Lewinsky (Toronto), Mr. J. Friedmann (Ottawa),
Mr. S. Jacobs (Montreal), Mr. Leon Cohn, Dr. Shayne, Mr. David Levy,
Mr. Louis Fitch, Mr. A. A. Harris, Mr. S. Frankel, Mr. E. Geffen, Mr.
Joseph Finsberg, Mr. H. Nathansohn, Mr. Bernard Lasker and many other
enthusiastic speakers, workers and writers contributed to the efforts
that made the Federation of the Canadian Zionists a living force in the
great movement, and the most active and most respected section of Jewry
in that important part of the British Empire.
4. _Other Parts of the British Empire_
There are also some Zionist groups as well as individual supporters in
New Zealand, in Australia and in all other parts of the British Empire.
In Egypt Zionism has recently made considerable progress.
5. _The United States_
The United States of America, with its three million Jews, of whom by
far the greater number have migrated there from Russia during the past
two generations, has naturally become an important centre of Zionism.
It is impossible to give, in a brief outline, a proper conception of
the greatness and importance of Zionist activities in America.
America is a world in itself, and this can equally be said of American
Zionism. The majority of Zionists may already perhaps, or will very
soon, reside in the English-speaking countries. The extent of Zionism
in the United States cannot be gauged by the payment of the “Shekel”
(the annual obligatory Zionist contribution) , which is not by any
means a criterion as far as Zionist allegiance in America is concerned.
It is sufficient to mention such well-known names as: Justice Louis D.
Brandeis, Nathan Straus, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, Dr. Harry Friedenwald,
Professor Richard Gottheil, Miss Henrietta Szold, Dr. Solomon Solis
Cohen, Professor Israel Friedlaender, Rev. Dr. Pereira Mendes, E.
Lewin-Epstein, Zolotkow, Louis Lipsky, J. de Haas, Professor Felix
Frankfurter, Leon Sanders, Dr. C. S. Rubensohn, Nathan D. Kaplan,
Judge Aaron J. Levy, Judge Julian W. Mack, Dr. H. M. Kallen, Rabbi
H. H. Rubenowitz, Louis Robison, Dr. Benjamin L. Gordon, Julius Meyer,
S. Abel, A. E. Lubarski, Maurice L. Avner, Rabbi S. Margolis, Rev. Max
Heller, Joseph Barondess, Rev. H. Masliansky, Abraham Goldberg, Bernard
Richards, B. Rosenblatt and many others, representing all classes,
sections and shades of American Jewry――these names enable one to form a
slight idea of the greatness of the movement.
Mr. Louis D. Brandeis, Justice of the Supreme Court, stands at the head
of the Organization, and his influence in America equals almost that of
Herzl in this hemisphere. Dr. Shemaryah Levin, representing the Inner
Actions Committee, has done much to stimulate propaganda in America,
and is strongly supported by a number of distinguished Zionists who
have recently arrived there.
The movement has, however, a long and honourable record in America
(where, as in other countries, the Zionist movement was preceded by a
_Chovevé Zion_ movement). There have been not only the _Shove Zion_ in
New York and the _Chovevé Zion_ in Philadelphia in 1891; the beginning
was much earlier. Mention has already been made of the Rev. M. J.
Raphall’s activities; but he did not stand alone in his efforts. An
attempt to form a _Chovevé Zion_ organization was made at Cincinnati
in 1855. In the _Occident_ of Philadelphia, of March 8th, 1860, Mr.
Simon Berman, the author of the Hebrew book _Massot Shimon_ (published
in 1874), published the details of a _Chovevé Zion_ plan he had then
formulated. Still later, Adam Rosenberg worked most energetically in
connection with _Chovevé Zion_ in other countries, and with the first
colonists in Palestine. Rosenberg attended also the First Zionist
Congress.
The Federation of American Zionists was organized on July 4th, 1897,
with Professor Richard Gottheil as President, Dr. B. Felsenthal of
Chicago, Dr. M. Jastrow of Philadelphia, Dr. S. Schaffer of Baltimore,
Dr. J. L. Bluestone, Rev. H. Masliansky, as members; Mr. C. D. Birkhahn
acted as Hon. Treasurer, and Rabbi Stephen S. Wise as Honorary
Secretary.
The old and highly esteemed Dr. Gustav Gottheil, father of Professor
Richard Gottheil, who had formerly been Rabbi at Manchester (and a
friend of Professor Theodores), and had just then become Rabbi at
New York (where he died in 1903), identified himself with the Zionist
movement. Professor Richard Gottheil joined the movement from the
beginning. He was a friend of Herzl, a member of the Actions Committee
and a prominent figure at the Zionist Congresses. In order to spread
a knowledge of the Zionist movement, the first Committee of the
Federation resolved to issue a series of publications, and Professor
Gottheil wrote his first pamphlet, _The Aims of Zionism_, in 1897. Five
years ago he published an important work on Zionism. For a long time Dr.
J. L. Magnes was most actively engaged in Zionist work, and he is still
most active in the work of organizing Hebrew education in the United
States.
The late Dr. Marcus Jastrow, who served on the first Committee, was
an orientalist and a rabbi, pre-eminently known as a man of genius
and thoroughness, and as an author of a great dictionary of the
Aramaic-Talmudic language, and of other works of great value. It is
not generally known, and therefore worthy of notice here, that when he
was preacher at the Great Synagogue in Warsaw at the beginning of the
sixties at the time of the Polish Insurrection, he was an enthusiastic
friend of the Poles in their struggle for national liberty. Poles and
Polish-Jewish patriots still cherish his memory with deep reverence.
The present Zionist movement in America, as compared with the earlier
one, is of course much stronger and healthier, but it is interesting
to observe that the movement in America is not one that sprang up only
recently.
During the present war American Zionism has come providentially to the
succour of Palestine with an enthusiasm and a generosity unequalled
in history, and it is undoubtedly qualified and destined to play a
prominent part in the Zionist solution of the Palestinian problem.
6. _Germany_
The geographical position of Germany――its proximity to Russia and
Austria――the numerical strength of its Jewish population, and their
long tradition of Jewish learning and Jewish activity, have combined to
make that country favourable soil for the growth of Zionism. Nor must
the prevalent anti-Semitism be left out of account as a factor making
in the same direction. Whereas, for instance, the Jewish University
student in England is welcomed in the various students’ associations
and clubs, the Jewish students at a German University are practically
compelled to form an organization of their own. This is one of the
causes of the remarkable growth of the Zionist Students’ movement in
Germany――a movement which, while it is not free from the besetting sin
of over-organization, has undoubtedly done a great deal to transform
the spirit of German Jewry. But from the earliest years, even before
the growth of the Students’ movement, Zionism has always been in
Germany a serious intellectual movement, contending for supremacy with
the “Reform” theory of Judaism, and never failing to hold its own. The
first official paper of the movement was _Die Welt_, and the _Jüdischer
Verlag_ in Berlin was for long the most important Zionist publishing
concern; while in the extent of its Zionist literary and artistic
output Germany is probably second to no other country. Yet it is
characteristic that a Zionist Congress has only once (Hamburg, 1911)
been held in Germany, though the headquarters of the movement were
for a time at Cologne and afterwards at Berlin, and though Germany has
been the home of such distinguished Zionists as Dr. Max Bodenheimer,
for many years at the head of the Jewish National Fund, Dr. Franz
Oppenheimer, the expert in co-operative colonization, and Julius Simon,
to say nothing of members of the Inner Actions Committee like Wolffsohn,
Hantke and Warburg.
7. _Smaller European Countries_
Holland gave to the movement one of its earliest leaders, Heer
Jacobus Kann, who was associated with Wolffsohn in the administration
after Herzl’s death. It has now a well-organized and active Zionist
Organization, to which a great impetus was given by the Eighth Congress
at the Hague, 1909. Dutch Zionists take a very active part in the
general organization work and in that of the Jewish National Fund, the
headquarters of which are at present at the Hague. The Dutch Zionist
Federation has an excellent weekly paper, _De Joodsche Wachter_, which
has appeared regularly for several years. Zionism in Holland has had
for several years a University Movement. In connection with Holland, a
place of honour in Zionist history belongs to Belgium, and particularly
to Antwerp, which has been for several years an important Zionist
centre. M. Jean Fischer, most noteworthy of the Antwerp group from the
point of view of the organization, is a member of the Actions Committee
and of the great financial institutions of Zionism. He and his friends
have taken an important part in colonization undertakings in Palestine.
Switzerland, the land of Zionist Congresses, has a good organization
with many zealous and able workers. In Denmark and Sweden the Zionist
organization has lately developed great activity, owing to the Zionist
Office which has been established at Copenhagen. Rumania (which was
almost equal to Russia in the _Chovevé Zion_ movement) and Bulgaria are
still more important as centres of Zionist activity.
LXXXII.
THE INSTITUTIONS OF ZIONISM
The Zionist institutions――_A. General_: 1. The Congress――2. The
Actions Committee――3. The Annual Conference――4. The Federations
in various countries――5. The English Zionist Federation
――6. The Order of Ancient Maccabeans――7. The Palestine Society.
――8. The _Poale Zion_――9. The _Mizrachi_――10. Women Zionist
Societies――_B. Financial_: 1. The Jewish Colonial Trust
――2. The Anglo-Palestine Company――3. The Anglo-Levantine
Company――4. The Jewish National Fund――5. The Palestine Land
Development Company――6. The _Kedem_ Company――7. The First
London _Achuzah_ Company――8. The Maccabean Land Company
――_C. Institutions in Palestine_――_D. Miscellaneous
Institutions_.
A. GENERAL:
1. _The Congress_
THE Zionist Congress is the supreme authority in the Movement. Until
the fifth Congress, Congresses were held annually, but since the sixth
Congress they have been held biennially. The first Congress was held on
the 29th of August, 1897, at Basle, Switzerland. Most of the subsequent
Congresses were held at the same place: the second in August, 1898; the
third in August, 1899; the fifth in December, 1901; the sixth in August,
1903; the seventh in August, 1905, and the tenth in September, 1911.
The fourth Congress was held in London in August, 1900; the eighth took
place at the Hague in August, 1907; the ninth at Hamburg in December,
1909, and the eleventh at Vienna in August, 1913.
The Congress consists of delegates representing the shekel payers
throughout the world, who assemble for the purpose of international
discussion of the Jewish question and decisions concerning the
world-wide Zionist Organization. The Congress, as the controlling
body of the movement, interprets the programme of Zionism, settles
the details of organization, elects the executive and examines the
financial affairs of the movement. The officials and committee of
the movement are responsible to the Congress. The Zionist banking
institution, the Jewish Colonial Trust in London, is also controlled
by the Congress, as only members of the Actions Committee can become
members of the Council of the Trust. A deciding voice in the control
of the Jewish National Fund is secured to the Congress, as only members
of the Council of the Jewish Colonial Trust can become members of the
Jewish National Fund. (See below as to the Jewish Colonial Trust and
Jewish National Fund.)
Only shekel payers (paying a sum of one shilling or a corresponding
sum in foreign coinage) have the right to elect delegates to a Congress.
The payment of that sum by a person who accepts the principles of
Zionism as adopted by the first Congress entitles him or her to
membership of the International Zionist Organization.
The last Zionist Congress, which was the eleventh, was attended by
538 delegates, who represented the Zionists in the following countries:
Russia, France, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, United States of America,
Canada, Turkey, Belgium, Holland, Roumania, China, Bulgaria, Italy,
Hungary, Serbia, Australia, South Africa, Greece and England.
2. _The Actions Committee_
The Executive power of the movement is vested in the Greater Actions
Committee, consisting of twenty-five members, and in a Smaller Actions
Committee, consisting of six members. The members of the present
Greater Actions Committee are:
Dr. Max Bodenheimer, Jean Fischer, Dr. Frank, Dr. Friedemann,
B. A. Goldberg, Dr. H. G. Heymann,¹ A. Idelsohn, Jakobus Kann,
L. Kessler, Dr. Klee, J. Kremenezky, Dr. Alexander Marmorek,
Leo Motzkin, J. A. Naiditsch, A. Podlischewski, Dr. Leon Reich,
I. A. Rosoff, S. Rosenbaum, Heinrich Schein, Julius Simon,
Adolf Stand, Robert Stricker, M. Ussischkin, Dr. Chaim
Weizmann,² and David Wolffsohn³
¹ Died in 1918.
² Dr. Chaim Weizmann was recently elected a member of the
Smaller Actions Committee.
³ Wolffsohn died in 1914.
The members of the present Smaller Actions Committee are:
Professor Dr. Otto Warburg, Dr. Arthur Hantke, Dr. Victor
Jacobson, Dr. Shemaryah Levin, Nahum Sokolow, and the late
Dr. E. W. Tschlenow.¹
¹ Dr. Tschlenow died in London in 1918.
The Greater Actions Committee is the executive body of the Congress
according to its constitution, but it is only convened to decide on
important questions. It meets several times in the year, and must
meet not less than once a year. Only the Greater Actions Committee is
competent to consider and decide questions relating to the Zionist
organizations in the various countries. The Committee has also the
right to inquire into and examine the work of the Smaller Actions
Committee.
The Smaller Actions Committee is the superior Executive of the whole
Zionist Organization, and is entrusted with the management of all
branches of the Zionist movement and activities all over the world.
3. _The Annual Conference_
The name of this institution is somewhat misleading, as the conference
called Annual Conference is really a biennial conference held in those
years in which a Zionist Congress does not take place. The holding
of such conferences was decided upon by the fifth Congress. This
conference is in reality an extended meeting of the Greater Actions
Committee, and is attended not only by all members of that Committee,
but also by the president and vice-presidents of the last Congress,
the presidents of the permanent commissions, the presidents of the
federations and amalgamated organizations of the various countries,
the directors of the banking institutions, the members of the Congress
tribunal, the legal adviser of the Congress and the auditors. The
conference is somewhat limited in the scope of its activities,
as it may only examine the accounts of the organization, accept
resolutions, and draw up a programme of activity for the next period
of administration. The conference has no right to carry out elections
of committees or officials or to alter or modify the Zionist programme.
4. _The Federations in Various Countries_
The name “Federation,” as far as the Zionist movement is concerned,
is frequently synonymous with the amalgamated organizations in any
particular country. But, on the other hand, it sometimes designates an
organization consisting of a number of societies and groups which have
federated, for the purpose of propagating Zionism on certain defined
lines. The Smaller Actions Committee is authorized to grant recognition
to a federation in any country, providing such a body comprises not
less than 3000 shekel payers and satisfies them as to such other
requirements as the Smaller Actions Committee may impose upon it.
5. _The English Zionist Federation_
The English Zionist Federation was established in 1898, and according
to its constitution, amended and revised in 1907, its object and
constitution are:
“The English Zionist Federation as ‘Landes Comité’ of United
Kingdom shall carry on its operations in accordance with the
constitution adopted by and in sympathy with the decisions
arrived at from time to time by the Zionist Congress.
“The Federation shall consist of such Jewish Associations and
Bodies in the United Kingdom as desire, subject to the general
sanction and direction of the Executive Committee, to promote
the acquisition of a publicly recognized legally secured home
in Palestine for the Jewish people, or in addition thereto,
any of the following objects:
(a) The fostering of the National idea in Israel.
(b) The support of the regular International Congress of
duly accredited representatives of the Jewish people,
for the consideration of the position of Jews in the
different countries of their dispersion, and for taking
such measures as may be deemed conducive to their
general welfare.
(c) The support of existing colonies, and the founding of
new colonies by placing as many Jews as possible living
in Palestine as settlers on the land, and encouragement,
guidance and assistance of new settlers anxious to
establish colonies, or any handicrafts, industries or
arts in Palestine and neighbouring lands.
(d) The study of Hebrew literature and the use of Hebrew as
a living language.”
The functions of the Federation are: to be the medium of communication
between affiliated societies and the Executive Council (Actions
Committee) and with Zionist Associations in other countries; to advise
on the steps necessary for the furtherance of the general movement,
and adopt such means as may be approved for carrying into effect the
resolutions adopted by Congress held from time to time; and to initiate,
in connection with the various objects of the Federation, propaganda,
which shall partake of one common character throughout all the
federated bodies.
The Constituent Societies affiliated to the Federation now number
sixteen in London, twenty-seven in the Provinces, and four in the
Dominions and Colonies. Of these forty-seven ten are Women’s and Girls’
Societies and six Junior Societies.
The general government of the Federation is vested in a Central
Committee, consisting of delegates from all the federated societies.
The Executive Power of the organization is vested in a Council
consisting of a President, two Vice-Presidents, Honorary Secretary and
twenty other members of the Council.
For the purpose of carrying out the work of the Federation a number
of sub-committees deal with various special matters (Propaganda,
Literature, Palestine, Finance, etc.).
6. _The Order of Ancient Maccabeans_
This is a Friendly Society, established in 1894, and registered on the
8th of May, 1901, under the Friendly Societies’ Act, 1896. When Herzl
came to England before the first Zionist Congress the members of the
Society, who then belonged to the “Lovers of Zion” movement, pledged
their adherence to the Zionist cause. The Society is an avowedly
Zionist Order, and every member on admission has to declare his
willingness to be a Zionist, to pay the shekel and to assist generally
through the Order in the work of resettling the Jews in Palestine.
Since the Zionist Congress of 1909 the Society has been recognized as
a separate Federation, having a membership of over three thousand, as
required by the regulations of the Zionist Organization.
The Executive Power of the organization is vested in a Grand Council.
7. _The Palestine Society_
The Palestine Society is an association of Jews who desire the
establishment in Palestine of a centre of Jewish life, which shall
offer a full opportunity for the free development of the Jewish
religion, Jewish ideals and Jewish culture. It is not formally
associated with the Zionist Organization.
The activities of the Society include the following:
(a) Propaganda for the purpose of creating among Jews and Jewish
Institutions in England a public opinion favourable to the furtherance
of Jewish activities in Palestine.
(b) The collection and dissemination of information concerning the work
that is being carried on by existing Palestinian institutions.
(c) The support of Palestinian Institutions and activities.
(d) The organization of visits to Palestine.
In the spring of 1912 a Palestine Exhibition and Bazaar was held in
London, in aid of two Jerusalem institutions――the Bezalel and the
Evelina de Rothschild School. The Exhibition had the effect of exciting
interest in Palestine among all sections of English Jews. It was then
felt that a systematic effort should be made to press the claims of
Palestine upon the Anglo-Jewish middle-class. Accordingly a body known
as the Palestine Committee was founded for this purpose. This Committee
held a series of drawing-room meetings, which met with a fair measure
of success.
In order to undertake activities of a more extensive and more varied
kind, a properly constituted society――the Palestine Society――was formed
in the autumn of 1913. During its brief existence it performed useful
work, as, for instance, the arrangement of a series of drawing-room
meetings, at which lectures were delivered by eminent speakers. The
speakers and chairmen included: the Chief Rabbi, the Rev. M. Adler,
the Rev. A. A. Green, the Rev. Dr. J. Hochman, the Rev. Morris Joseph,
Dayan H. M. Lazarus, the Rev. W. Levin, the Rev. E. Levine, the Rev.
D. Wasserzug, Lady Swaythling, Dr. A. Eichholz, Mr. H. R. Lewis, Mr.
J. Prag, and Mr. Israel Zangwill.
Fifteen of the London Jewish ministers are members of the Society, and
have preached a number of sermons with sympathetic references to the
Society and its aims.
In the course of the year 1914 the Liverpool Bezalel Association became
affiliated to the Palestine Society. A branch of the Society was also
formed at Glasgow, and when the War broke out branches were in course
of formation at Leeds, Brighton and in several of the suburbs of London.
At the outbreak of the War the membership of the Society numbered
approximately 250, though no widespread propaganda was ever attempted
either for the enrolment of members or for the collection of funds,
as it was intended from the outset that the work of the Society should
be limited to those circles which other agencies had not succeeded in
reaching.
Among other activities of this Society were:
(1) An effort to induce literary and kindred societies to include a
discussion of the Palestine question in their programmes for the 1914
to 1915 session, the Society providing the speakers, of whom it had
compiled a list.
(2) An attempt was made to organize a tour to Palestine in the spring
of 1914. Owing to difficulties that arose in respect of the choice of
date and the time available, an organized tour on a large scale had
to be abandoned; three members of the Committee, however, visited
Palestine during that year. A tour was projected for the spring of
1915; that had, of course, to be abandoned owing to the War.
(3) The first two pamphlets of an intended series were prepared,
dealing with the agricultural colonies in Palestine and the work of
their educational institutions respectively. A summary account of
general Jewish activities in Palestine in 1913‒14, and of the measure
of support it had received from English Jews, was also in preparation
when the War broke out. It had been intended to publish all this matter
in a Palestine Annual, and to reprint most of it separately in due
course.
There is reason to believe that in the brief period of its active
life (it suspended activity on the outbreak of the War) the Society
succeeded in arousing an interest in Palestine as a centre of Jewish
aspiration among a large circle of Jews whom other agencies have left
untouched, and in creating in certain quarters an atmosphere more
favourable than had existed heretofore. It must be added that the
Society has merely suspended its activities and not abandoned them.
This was explained in a letter from its President, Dr. Eichholz, which
appeared in the _Jewish Chronicle_ of December 3rd, 1915.
The Officers and Committee for 1913‒14 were: President: Dr.
A. Eichholz; Vice-Presidents: the Very Rev. the Chief Rabbi,
the Very Rev. the Haham, the Rev. Morris Joseph, Sir Isidore
Spielmann, C.M.G., F.S.A.; Treasurer: Albert M. Hyamson;
Committee: Mrs. A. Eichholz, Miss H. M. Bentwich, the Rev. Dr.
J. Hochman, Dr. M. Epstein, Harry R. Lewis, Leon Simon, Robert
B. Solomon, F. S. Spiers; Hon. Secretaries: Miss A. Stein
and Leonard Stein; Hon. Corresponding Secretary in Palestine:
Michael E. Lange.
8. _Poale Zion_
The national idea forms the premiss of Zionism. To bring this idea to
life, to provide a durable foundation for the national unification of
the Jews upon their very own, old historical ground, that is the aim
of Zionism. In its tendency, therefore, it comprises the whole Jewish
people; its immediate object, however, apart from the self-evident
conservation of the ideal of national unity, bears upon fragments,
so to say, of the people; upon more or less considerable parts of
population, individuals, groups, and classes. Their specific attitude
towards Zionism hinges on two main points, of which one is more of
spiritual, and the other more of material nature. Both must be equally
considered, for both are effective, although in varying degree. However,
when a particular class is considered in its relation towards Zionism,
it behoves to examine first of all the point of view to which this
class itself attaches most importance. It may of course be open to
discussion whether when forming an estimate of national and social
questions the economic aspect ought always to be considered foremost,
but there is no doubt that it is so regarded by the working-class.
Let us also admit it for the Jewish workmen. If we take class interest
into account the workman may speak first, then the Jew within him. It
will appear that it is precisely from a closer examination of the class
interest of the Jewish workmen and the interrelations between them and
the general working-class, that their position towards Zionism results
most simply, as we already see this clearly indicated, and as it will
be evolved in the near future, given certain conditions.
Jewish workmen may be divided into two categories, apart from several
intermediate divisions. The one is nationally indifferent, class
interest alone carries weight with it. By entering into the general
working-class the workmen of this category are, so to say, engulfed by
it; they retain no trace of national needs and wishes. The numerically
by far larger category comprises the actual masses of Jewish workmen
in Russia, Galicia, and America. These Jewish workmen also join the
general working-class, but they occupy within it a very distinctly
noticeable separate position. Where the amelioration of the economic
condition of the working-class is concerned, the obtaining of higher
salaries, the reduction of working time, in short, in all questions
falling within the sphere of class interest they hold together with
the other workmen. Just as they suffer from unemployment like these,
so they make common cause with them on special occasions, for instance,
strikes. But beyond the material questions of existence there is much
which separates them. They are sociable enough to come together for a
short time with the other workmen where need and interest demand it,
but they are not sufficiently ♦homogeneous to unite socially with them.
They cannot shake off a certain feeling of alienage in the camp of the
general working-class. Critical points soon arise on the boundaries
of economical questions, deep contrasts become manifest which are not
brought about by ill-will, but are rather caused by historical forces
which even to-day are still at work. What will it profit if, in order
to proceed summarily, one ascribes this segregation of the Jewish
workmen to a thousand years of atavism? The disclosure of the cause,
whether acceptable or not, does not do away with the fact. And it is
a fact that these Jewish workmen wield a strong national and religious
influence, that religion is no “private concern” for them, as it is
designated by the workmen’s programme, or only private concern inasmuch
as religion is prudently left undiscussed by the labour party.
♦ “homogenous” replaced with “homogeneous”
Probably from such differences and sentimental contrasts it is to
be explained that voices became loud which demanded the independent
organization of the Jewish workmen. Such a demand might be considered
by the leading party as an anomaly, since the Jewish workmen are not
at all taken into account nationally but pass as appendages of the
various nations. And if it was not merely euphemism when the Jews were
accorded the same right to exist, when the name or the nation in whose
country they became settled was conferred upon them, wherefore an
independent organization? Now, the course of evolution of the Jews up
to the present, especially its last phase, has revealed that not only
the masses of Judaism which are not yet on a high plane of cultural
development feel nationally. It is just in the Zionism of the educated
Jews that the full justification of the national movement shows itself.
We may point out without fear the difference between the conscious
Zionistic action and that part of Judaism which is unconsciously
national through the power of historic conditions.
The Jewish workmen are the natural allies of Zionism, but they will
become the actual and co-operating allies only through independent
workmen organizations. The Jewish workmen, independently organized,
would go hand in hand with the labour party in all single claims
dictated by class interest, but otherwise they would be independent.
National as the Jewish workmen are distinctly enough in life, national
in consequence of their education, their peculiarities――why should
they not be so as a working-class? Do then the workmen of other nations
lay aside their nationality when they take their stand to the social
question? And do they give up their nationality when they have done
for the moment with debate and action? And the Jewish workmen alone
should renounce their nationality, they who are not even yet capable of
sharing properly in the culture of another nation? Although it is not
out of love for Zionism that the Jewish workmen, for the greater part,
feel nationally, they may yet in time become national even in a Zionist
sense. And that through the natural community of interests, passing
from the unconscious to the conscious, which will establish a more and
more intimate relation between them and Zionism. The whole political
development of recent times has made it clear to the Jewish workmen how
powerful the national thought is among workmen. Even in the event of
the victory of the collectivistic idea it could hardly become different
in regard to race contrasts. And when Eduard Bernstein in the epilogue
of the translation of Mr. Webb’s _History of the Trade Unions_ observes:
“Class struggles manifest themselves only seldom so acutely as national
ones,” we may add that race contrasts may still exist long after class
contrasts will have disappeared.
It is evident of what extraordinary importance for Zionism the Jewish
working-class would become. The workmen if they became Zionist would,
so to say, constitute the solid effective force which could be relied
upon at any moment. On the other hand, it can well be assumed that
the Jewish nation will meet as far as possible the claims of the
working-class. It is only with the attainment of the Zionist aim that
the condition for the prosperity and unfolding anew of national life
will be realized for the first time. Judaism, united as a nation, will
hereby be confronted by the question with the solution of which all
civilized nations are so anxiously preoccupied. The difficulties may
be ever so great, occasional crises and storms may break forth, but
the nations will not be permanently depressed thereby, nor paralyzed.
Like other nations the Jews hold the unshakable belief in a continually
progressing economical amelioration, in a prosperous development of
all. Even that party which has developed class contrasts into a theory
of society, is seen to be receding ever more from the revolutionary
principle and paying homage to the evolutionary. To the principle of
evolution Zionist Judaism also holds fast, and will, surely, as soon
as it is nationally consolidated, not be willing to lag behind other
nations as regards social legislation. And if one may conclude from
the historical past of a nation what its conformation will be in the
future, so, doubtless, a breath of that gentle spirit will be felt in
the modern Jewish community which pervades the Mosaic legislation. And
this not only as regards the future but also the present. The Jewish
National Fund is the model of a broad Mosaic-socialistic institution
which has for its object the nationalization of the soil.
The _Poale Zion_ was established in 1901. It originated in Russia, and
has now adherents in America, Palestine, Austria, Russia and the United
Kingdom. At the time of the Zionist Congress at the Hague in 1907 an
International Conference of the _Poale Zion_ was held, which led to
the establishment of the General Union of the _Poale Zion_ Societies in
America, Russia, Austria, Palestine, England, etc., on federal lines.
The programme of the organization represents a synthesis of Zionism and
Socialism on the basis of the Basle programme.
The principles of the _Poale Zion_ have been fully expounded in a book
written by Dr. Pasmanik, entitled _The Theory of the Poale Zion_. Among
its official publications may be mentioned _The Jewish Worker_, Cracow;
_The Jewish Fighter_, New York; _Forward_, Vilna.
It is not easy for the Gentile workman to understand and appreciate
to the full the position taken up by the Jewish workmen who support
the principle of the _Poale Zion_. The Gentile workmen have no national
problem to solve; they have only an economic question to deal with. The
Jewish workmen are face to face with two problems, the economic and the
national. The _Poale Zionists_ are convinced that although a nation may
love its traditions it must concern itself also with immediate economic
needs. It is for this reason that they are primarily Zionists, although
supporters of Socialism. Unlike other Socialists they deem it their
duty to devote themselves mainly to their own national cause. Apart
from this, they have a great love for Jewish tradition, and are in the
fullest sense of the term nationalists.
9. _The Mizrachi_
The _Mizrachi_ (a composite word derived from “_Merchaz Ruch’ni_,”
which means Intellectual Centre) is an organization of religiously
orthodox Zionists.
After the fifth Zionist Congress, where a lively debate took place
on the question of national Judaism on a religious basis, the desire
arose among those Zionists who maintained orthodox views on religious
questions to organize themselves for common purposes. The object of the
_Mizrachi_ is therefore of a cultured and not a political character. It
strives to champion, within Zionism, by means of a sound organization,
the standpoint of orthodox religious belief, and further, to show
clearly that a conservative tendency in religious matters can go side
by side with national aspirations. Politically the _Mizrachi_ has no
special aim, but desires to work in unison with all other Zionists.
Soon after the fifth Congress Russian Zionists of _Mizrachi_ conviction
assembled at a conference in Vilna and officially founded the
_Mizrachi_. Subsequently support was also forthcoming from _Mizrachi_
Zionists in other countries, and at the sixth Congress the organization
was represented by a group of over one hundred delegates. From the
19th to the 21st of August, 1904, a general _Mizrachi_ Conference took
place at Pressburg. This conference was called by Rabbi I. J. Reines of
Lida, Russia, and was attended by a large number of Rabbis from Russia,
Roumania, Galicia, Hungary, Germany, England and America. Rabbi Reines
was elected president of the entire organization. The regulations
of the organization maintain in general the Zionist principle, but
lay particular stress upon the necessity of the _Mizrachi_ cultural
tendency. Already at this conference three centres of propaganda were
created, an East European centre for Russia, Roumania and Galicia,
of which Rabbi J. Reines became the president; a West European centre
for the other European countries, with its seat in Frankfort, of which
Rabbi Dr. Nobel became president; and an American centre at New York,
of which Rabbi D. Klein became president.
In addition to the usual shekel and the local contributions, the
_Mizrachi_ members pay a further contribution to cover the expenses
of an office and propaganda. The _Mizrachi_ carries out its aim by
organizing mass meetings, issuing from time to time periodicals,
pamphlets and leaflets, and arranging lectures and debates for its
members.
The fear expressed on the beginning of the _Mizrachi_ movement, that
the _Mizrachi_ as a section might destroy the unity of Zionism, has
proved unfounded. From the past activity of the _Mizrachi_ it is now
certain that their propaganda is not detrimental to the interests
of Zionism――that on the contrary their principal aims, such as the
fostering of belief in the laws of our forefathers, the maintenance of
ancient rites and customs, and the revival of the Hebrew language, are
such as to obtain for them continually new supporters among strictly
orthodox Jews.
Among a number of books written to explain the standpoint of the
_Mizrachi_, there should be mentioned _Zionism from the Standpoint
of Orthodoxy_ (1904), by Rabbi Dr. Roth of Papa (Hungary); _The
Voice of Zion_ (1905), by Rabbi Reines, and _Mizrachi_ (1907), by
Dr. Feuchtwanger.
10. _Women Zionist Societies_
In the measure in which the Jewish national movement had begun to
expand the question was raised more and more frequently what the
attitude of the Jewish woman would be towards this movement. In the
Jewish nation woman occupies a pre-eminent position.
At the time of the existence of the Jewish state the whole inner life
rested upon family organization. Woman is the entirely coequal ruler of
the home, and truly regal is the description which the Bible traces of
her. She is prophetess and bard, the inspirer of all that is good and
strong, and the bestower of the prize of combat. She is the first to
display that wonderful enduring heroism which is the heritage of the
Jewish race. She initiates the great national works; it is significant
that tradition traces back the liberation out of Egypt to the merit
of noble women. At the time of the erection of a spiritual country
after the loss of the homeland, at the time of formation of the Talmud,
the high appreciation of woman rose still more. In the writings of
that time she appears as the naive leader whose untrammelled and
unsophisticated mind grasps the nature of things, and who, quick in
discernment, settles matters resolutely. But the highest importance
woman attains during the period of the “Ghetto.” Here all life
concentrates in the family. Free civic life is replaced by the narrower
but pleasurable family life. Here woman becomes the creator of a
self-contained family culture. She relieves man of a great part of his
business dealings and makes it possible for him to devote himself to
his intellectual pursuits. In the midst of the heaviest persecution she
inspires him with courage and confidence. She brings up her children
to be valiant and steadfast Jews. She carries into the home a wonderful
natural freshness which replaces as far as possible the tender verdure
of the lost country. The Jewish woman it is who, in this time of
suffering, encourages man to persistence in the faith. Spanish-Jewish
women urged their husbands to seek death together with them. In all the
massacres and persecutions of the Middle-Ages Jewish women gained the
highest crown of martyrdom.
But the disposition of the Jewish woman has radically changed since
complete or partial emancipation. The cause lies in the change of the
whole situation. At the time of the Ghetto the sufferings of the Jew
were as unspeakably heavy as his joys were profound and intimate. For
good and for evil he was under the shadow of a great fate, and therein
he developed. Suffering destroyed his strength, the passive heroism
peculiar to him, home happiness, his kindness of heart and joy of
sacrifice; both united made him true, true to the past and true to his
nation. This grew gradually different. With the advance of so-called
civilization persecution became more petty and perfidious; it no longer
threatened existence itself at any moment, but it crept into every
hour of life, into each everyday activity. The one stab of the dagger
had become a thousand pinpricks, out of the great fate which drew
heroism out of man, and an abundance of passions, virtues, resolutions,
renunciations, struggles and victories of all kinds, a painfully
dragging, tortured and harassed existence had come into being. And
with lesser sufferings the joys got lesser too. The beautiful unity of
home-life became loosened through the great gulf between old and young,
such as is not met with in any other nation of the world. The increased
struggle for daily life separated married couples and impeded the
education of the children, the apparently greater absence of danger
operated against the strong national resistance and the welding and
segregating special customs.
This state of dissolution was reinforced to a great degree by the
declaration of the legal equifranchise of the Jews. Their instinct of
self-preservation adapted itself to the new conditions of existence in
just as extreme a manner as their seclusion had formerly been extreme.
In the now arising fanaticism for assimilation the women, who adapt
themselves most easily to their surroundings and assume their nature,
shared most intensely. While all strove after non-Jewishness the inner
structure of Judaism was crippled, all innate power discarded, Jewish
solidarity dispensed with and independent culture destroyed.
The rigid family organization upon which the vitality of the Jewish
nation reposed, collapsed under the impact of the extraneous; with
Jewish customs the Jewish home began to break up, with the evanescence
of fidelity love too faded. An attempt was made to stupefy through
an outward life of luxury, as bustling as possible, the feeling of
forlornness brought about by the want of inner contentment. Thus it
frequently happened that the assimilated Jewish woman became ever
more estranged from her sphere of activity. She who had formerly been
mistress in her own house was often the slave of her servants; she gave
herself up to a dull, nervous idleness; with her the old charitableness
of the Jews became snobbishness. The desire for beauty which formerly
animated Jewish woman, was distorted by her into a tasteless and
unhealthy love of finery, as if someone transformed a beautiful
national costume into the gaudy robe of a carnival pierrot. Sincere,
devoted faith has gone without making room for a new and strong
conception of life; the more burdensome religious practices have been
given up, a few easier ones have been outwardly retained, without
apprehension of their meaning and without the feeling of their sanctity.
The synagogue and the sermon, the only religiously stimulating momenta,
which one attended ever more seldom, were not sufficient to counteract
a thousand other influences of life and surroundings.
Therefore Jewish woman, more so than man, needed a great, inspiring
Jewish ideal. And on the other hand, the realization of this ideal
needed the collaboration of woman no less than the collaboration of man.
For national rejuvenation in its innermost core can emanate from Jewish
woman to a considerable extent. For a nation without a land and for a
nation in dispersion, home is the pillar of life. In the Diaspora the
Jewish home is the Jewish nation. In the first instance it was found
desirable that Jewish woman should become active for Zionism, that is
contribute in speech and writing to the diffusion of the national idea,
and exhort to self-help. Through her warmth of feeling and freshness
of will she is to help to reunite the divergent members of the nation,
and from her love of the nation a community of souls is to resuscitate.
She must recognize that she can only then become a whole personality
if she values highly the peculiarity of her race, and if she tends
and develops the Jewishness in her. She will then again make home and
family life what they once were: the hub of life and the spring of ever
new energy. One will see there Jewish works of art on the walls, Jewish
books upon the table, and Jewish customs being practised with deep,
gladsome understanding. Then the quiet force which overcomes laughingly
everything inimical will again gather in the family. True, living
love for the great destiny of the Jewish nation, strong, helpful love
for its present, hopeful and cheery readiness to work for the future
of this nation, and preparation of this future through energetic
collaboration in the Zionistic organization, which acknowledges no
difference of duties and rights between man and woman――with this
message the modern Jewish national idea appealed to the Jewish woman.
To be sure, Jewish woman did not enter the national movement in numbers,
nor at once: nevertheless she joined the first pioneers of the _Chovevé
Zion_ as well as the first Zionists. At all Zionist congresses Jewish
women took part as delegates, and in Palestine they have unfolded a
particularly beneficial activity in the domain of home industry for
women.
B. FINANCIAL
1. _The Jewish Colonial Trust_
The Jewish Colonial Trust is the financial instrument of the Zionist
movement, and its main object is the industrial and commercial
development of Palestine and the neighbouring countries.
Among the prominent Jews who supported the formation of the
Company from its inception were the following: S. Barbasch,
_Odessa_; Herbert Bentwich, _London_; M. T. Eliasberg, _Pinsk_;
T. H. Ellman, _Braila_; M. Farbstein, _Warsaw_; Leopold
Kahn, _Vienna_; Samuel L. Heymann, _London_; Theodor Herzl,
_Vienna_; Isidor Jasinowski, _Warsaw_; J. H. Kann, _The Hague_;
Stanislaus Landau, _Lodz_; Gregorie Lurie, _Pinsk_; Max
Mandelstamm, _Kieff_; Alex. Marmorek, _Paris_; Oscar Marmorek,
_Vienna_; Moritz Moses, _Kattowitz_; Max Nordau, _Paris_;
Samuel Pineles, _Galatz_; Heinrich Rosenbaum, _Jassy_;
S. T. Sachs, _Dwinsk_; Leib Schalit, _Riga_; Moritz
Schnirer, _Vienna_; Heinrich Steiner, _Vienna_; W. Temkin,
_Elizabethgrad_; E. W. Tschlenow, _Moscow_; David Wolffsohn,
_Cologne_; and Oser Kokesch, _Vienna_.
According to the Company’s Articles of Association it was permitted
to commence business as soon as an eighth part of its capital, viz.
£250,000, had actually been paid up. This stage was reached at the
beginning of 1902.
The subscribers to the Memorandum and Articles of Association
were: David Wolffsohn, Jacobus Henricus Kann, Samuel Leopold
Heymann, Samuel Barbasch, Gregorie Lurie, Salomon F. Sachs,
Heinrich Rosenbaum. For the last four the Haham, Dr. Moses
Gaster, acted as Attorney. The first Council of the Company
consisted of Dr. Theodor Herzl, Dr. Moritz Schnirer, Dr. Oser
Kokesch, Dr. Leopold Kahn, Oscar Marmorek, Dr. Max Mandelstamm,
Dr. Richard Gottheil, Dr. Israel Jelsky, Isidor Jasinowski, Dr.
Max Bodenheimer, D. J. Bernstein-Kohan, Samuel Pineles, J. H.
Ellman, Dr. Alexander Marmorek, Wladimir Temkin, Dr. Samuel
Schur, Carl Herbst, Dr. E. W. Tschlenow, Dr. Salomon Rosenheck,
and M. Ussischkin.
The first directors were the aforementioned subscribers to the
Memorandum, and the first Governors were: Dr. Rudolf Schauer,
Leib Schalit, Abraham Hornstein.
The first Secretary of the Company was Mr. James H. Loewe, who
resigned his post in May, 1903, on his appointment as Manager
of the East End Branch of the International Bank of London, Ltd.
For the first business year (1902) Mr. David Levontin was
Manager.
The Company carries on ordinary banking business at its Head Office
in the City of London (10‒12 Walbrook) and its East End Branch (41
Whitechapel Road, E.), and is registered at Somerset House as bankers,
in accordance with the requirements of the law.
The nominal capital of £2,000,000 is divided into £1,999,900 ordinary
shares of £1 each and 100 founders’ shares of £1 each. These latter
shares are jointly held by those persons who for the time being are
the members of the Council of the Company. The members of this Council
are appointed by the Actions Committee of the Zionist Congress from
the members, and are entitled at any General Meeting of the Company on
all questions, with the exception of that relating to the declaration
of a dividend, to as many votes as all the holders of ordinary shares
present and voting at such General Meeting. The capital issued,
including the aforementioned 100 founders’ shares, amounted, on the
15th May, 1916, to £261,658. The Company is controlled by a Council
consisting at present of twenty members, who are at the same time the
joint holders of the founders’ shares referred to above, and by a Board
of Directors consisting at present of thirteen members, of whom four
are Governors ( Representatives of the Council). Until his death in
September, 1914, David Wolffsohn was President of the Council and a
Governor. He succeeded the late Dr. Herzl in these positions on his
death in 1904. Previous to that Wolffsohn was Chairman of the Board
of Directors, which position he had held since the formation of the
Company in 1899.
The members of the present Council are Professor Dr. O.
Warburg (Vice-President), Dr. M. J. Bodenheimer (Reporter), M.
M. Ussischkin, I. A. Rosoff, A. Podlischewsky, Simon Rosenbaum,
I. Naiditsch, J. H. Kann, L. Kessler, Jean Fischer, Dr. V.
Jacobsohn, M. Hornstein, Dr. A. Marmorek, Julius Simon, L.
Motzkin, Dr. A. Hantke, J. Kremenetzky, Dr. A. Friedemann, Dr.
A. Klee. The members of the present Board of Directors are:
Dr. V. Katzenelsohn (Chairman), J. H. Kann (Vice-Chairman),
S. Barbasch, H. Urysohn, Joseph Cowen, I. A. Rosoff, M. M.
Ussischkin, Jean Fischer, Julius Simon, L. Kessler, M.
Feldstein, Dr. V. Jacobsohn, J. Kremenetzky. The last four
members are the Governors.
2. _The Anglo-Palestine Company, Ltd._
This Company was registered on the 27th January, 1902, and began
its business operations in the spring of 1903. Its Head Office is
at _Jaffa_, and it has Branches at _Jerusalem_ (Manager: Dr. Isaac
Levy; Sub-Manager: S. Gordon), _Hebron_ (Manager: S. Slonim), _Haifa_
(Manager: V. Kaisermann), _Beirut_ (I. Lipawsky, who died in October,
1915, was Manager before the outbreak of war), _Safed_ (Manager: J.
Karniol), _Tiberias_ (Manager: Mr. Bentovim).
The Managing Director of the Company is Mr. David Levontin,
who is assisted at the Head Office by S. Hoofien, Assistant
General Manager, and J. Grasowsky and M. Arwas, Sub-Managers.
The Company is the mainstay of Jewish colonization in Palestine.
It advances money to Land Societies for buying land, which is then
sold to new immigrants, also to building societies for establishing
modern hygienic quarters in the vicinity of towns (Jaffa, Jerusalem,
Haifa, etc.). It also makes advances for the installation of water
supplies in the Jewish Colonies, and grants loans on long terms for the
development of plantations. It has further organized with its own means
Co-operative and Loan Societies for the purpose of buying agricultural
implements and selling the products of the soil, especially oranges,
lemons and wine. The Company has also elaborated various projects
for public enterprises, such as tramways, irrigation works, electric
lighting, etc. The Company also carries on every kind of banking
business, dealing with all elements of the population regardless of
race or creed. Thus the Company has become an important factor in the
economic life of the country.
The nominal capital of the Company is £120,000, divided into 120,000
ordinary shares of £1 each. The paid-up capital on the 15th May, 1916,
was £99,727.
The Board of Directors of the Company consists of the
following members: J. H. Kann (Vice-Chairman), Dr. N.
Katzenelsohn, S. Barbasch, H. Urysohn, Joseph Cowen, M. M.
Ussischkin, L. Kessler, M. Feldstein, J. Kremenetzky, I. L.
Goldberg, D. Levontin (Managing Director). The last Chairman
of the Company before the war was the late David Wolffsohn.
3. _The Anglo-Levantine Banking Company, Ltd._
This Company was registered on the 8th May, 1908, and has since then
carried on banking business in Turkey.
The nominal capital of the Company is £100,000, and the paid-up capital
on the 15th May, 1916, was £25,038.
The Board of Directors consists of the following members: Dr.
N. Katzenelsohn (Chairman), J. H. Kann (Vice-Chairman), S.
Barbasch, Joseph Cowen, M. Feldstein, Dr. V. Jacobsohn, L.
Kessler, J. Kremenetzky, D. Levontin, S. Mitrani, H. Urysohn.
The Constantinople Managers are: S. Mitrani (Director) and Dr.
V. Jacobsohn (Director).
4. _The Jewish National Fund_
The Jewish National Fund was established in accordance with a decision
of the second Congress, its object being to acquire land for the Jewish
people in Palestine, such land to remain for ever the property of the
whole Jewish nation. The management of the Fund has deemed it its duty
to promote all undertakings of public utility in Palestine, assisting
thereby to the utmost the general progress of the work of colonization.
The Jewish National Fund is the most popular of Zionist institutions.
The Jewish National Fund was legalized in this country on the 8th of
April, 1907, as an “Association Limited by Guarantee, and not having
a Capital Divided into Shares.” By the constitution of the Association
the permanent right of control is vested in the representatives
elected by the Zionist Congress, who are identical with the holders
of founders’ shares and members of the Council of the Jewish Colonial
Trust, Ltd. (referred to above).
According to the Articles of Association, only 75 per cent of the
assets of the Fund may be invested in Palestine; the remaining 25 per
cent must always be left in the shape of money on deposit or investment
of an easily realizable nature. The Bankers of the Association are the
Jewish Colonial Trust, Ltd. The Fund amounted at the end of the year
1914 to £209,243 18s. 6d.
The means of collecting contributions to the Fund are numerous and
varied. They include: General Donations, Collecting Sheets, Collecting
Boxes, the Golden Book, National Fund Stamps and Telegrams, Olive Tree
Donations, Contributions to the Workers’ Dwelling Fund, etc. The Golden
Book has been instituted for the purpose of entering the names of
Zionist workers and supporters, on payment of the sum of £10 or more.
The first Golden Book, containing 5000 names, has already been filled.
It is an elaborately executed work of art, and is generally exhibited
at Zionist Congresses. The second Golden Book, now in use, was produced
by the Palestinian Art School “Bezalel” at Jerusalem. On the entry of a
name in this book, an artistically executed certificate is issued.
A few years ago another book, called “Memorial Book,” was instituted
for the purpose of perpetuating the memory of Jews who have defended
the honour or property of the Jewish people in Palestine, or have been
permanently and successfully occupied in the interest of the Jewish
National Fund, or have left by will, according to their means, a
considerable legacy for the benefit of the Fund.
The Fund has also received from time to time considerable sums for the
purpose of foundations, principally to build homesteads for the workers.
The principal contributions under this heading have been: The David and
Fanny Wolffsohn Foundation, about £3000, and the Halperin Foundation
(Vienna), about £4000. Besides the foregoing sums other contributions
towards the Workers’ Homestead Fund, amounting to about £17,000 in all,
have been received.
The total income from every kind of contribution to the Fund was about
£25,000 for the year 1915, contributions having come from about thirty
different countries in all parts of the world.
By the end of the year 1914 the Jewish National Fund had invested in
Palestine close upon £150,000――70 per cent of its entire assets.
The members of the Company are the holders of founders’ shares of the
Jewish Colonial Trust, Ltd. (see above).
The administration of the Fund is in the hands of a Board of Directors,
consisting of five Directors elected by the members, and two Governors
appointed by the Controlling Committee. This Committee consists of the
persons who for the time being form the Smaller Actions Committee of
the Zionist Congress, and its functions are merely those of vetoing or
prohibiting any act of the Directors that the Committee may deem to be
detrimental to the interests of the Association.
The present Directors are: Dr. Max Bodenheimer, L. Kessler, J.
Kremenetzky, and Dr. A. Hantke.
The only Governor is Professor Dr. O. Warburg (the second
Governor, D. Wolffsohn, having died in September, 1914).
The Secretary of the Association was H. Neumann, and its
registered office is at 10‒12 Walbrook, London, E.C.
The Administrative Office of the Association is situate at
the Hague, and the principal officials at that office are:
Engineer J. Kaplansky, N. Gross and S. Hallenstein.
Central offices exist in many countries for the collecting
of contributions and donations to the Fund. The addresses of
these officers are:――
Argentine: Federacion Sionista en Argentine, Buenos-Aires,
Sarmiento 2086.
Australia: The Brisbane Zionist Society, c/o J. A. Blumberg,
Hon. Sec., Brisbane-East, Wellington Road.
The Victoria Zionist Association, “_Hatchiah_,” Melbourne,
313 Drummont Street, Carlton.
The Sydney Zionist Society, c/o M. B. Michelson, Hon. Sec.,
Sydney, Pett Street 64.
Belgium: Oscar Fischer, now at Scheveningen, Cornelius Jolstr.
105 Sam. Schmeidler, Scheveningen, Stevinstr. 142.
Brazil: Associacio Zionistat _Tiferes Zion_, c/o Jaime
Horowitz, Rio de Janeiro, Rua Visconte Itanna.
Bulgaria: Comité Central Sioniste, aux bons soins de Mr. le
Dr. Benroya, Philippopoli.
Canada: Bureau Committee of the Federation of Zionist
Societies of Canada, Montreal, P.O. Box 912.
China: E. B. Ezra, Esq., c/o the Bank of Territorial
Development of China, Shanghai, Nanking Rd. 33.
Denmark: S. Skorochod, Kopenhagen, Bordergade 30.
Egypt: Jacob Caleff, Heliopolis-Le Cairo, Rue Zagazig.
Germany: Jüdischer Nationalfonds, Zentrale für Deutschland,
Berlin, W., 15 Sachsische Str. 8.
England: Jewish National Fund Commission for England, 15 New
Broad Street, London, E.C. 2.
France: J. Salzmann, Paris, 41 Rue de la Tour d’Auvergne.
Greece: Syllogue Sioniste “_Poale-Sion_,” Volo.
La Commission Mixte de Fonds National des Sociétés
“_Bené Sion_” and “Nordau” aux bons soins de Mr. J. Usiel,
Salonique.
Holland: Alfred Polak, Tilburg, Telegraafenstr. 1.
Italy: Mademoiselle Emma Coen, Verona, 14 Via Gran Czara.
Croatia, Bosnia, Slavonia: Frau Clara Barmaper-Jacobi, Agram,
Boskovicg 23.
New Zealand: The Auckland Zionist Society, Auckland Park Rd. 42.
United States of America: Jewish National Fund Bureau for
America, New York City, 44 E. 23rd Street.
Norway: Norske Zionist Forening, p. Adr. Aron Grusd,
Christiania, Karl Johan Str. 7.
Austria: Jüdischer Nationalfonds, Sammelstelle für Österreich,
Wein ii Zirkusgasse 33.
Eastern Asia: Josef Levy, Singapore, 10 Robinson Road.
Portugal: W. Terlo, Lissabon, Rua St. Nicolau 59.
Roumania: M. Heinrich Schein, Galatz.
Switzerland: W. Simon, Zürich, Neugasse 11.
Serbia: Dr. D. Alcalay, Belgrad.
Sweden: J. Abel, Stockholm, Storkyrkobrinken 8.
South Africa: South African Zionist Federation, Mr. B. J.
Chaimowitz, Johannesburg, P.O. Box 18.
Tunis: Association Sioniste Tunisienne, Tunis, 52 Rue des
Glacières.
Hungary: Zsido Nomzoti Alap magyarorszagi irodaja, Budapest
Kiraly utca 36.
* * * * *
In England the collection of funds is entrusted to the
National Fund Commission for England. This commission consists
of two representatives of the English Zionist Federation
and two representatives of the Order of Ancient Maccabeans.
The office of the Commission is at 15 New Broad Street, London,
E.C. 2, which has a number of sub-commissions in London and
the principal provincial towns. It organizes frequently
house-to-house collections, flower days, collections at public
meetings, places of worship and entertainment, etc.
The English National Fund Commission has recently published a small
pamphlet, giving full particulars of its activities. A larger pamphlet,
entitled _The Jewish National Fund_, is now being issued in the English
language by the Head Office of the Fund, and by the time that this book
reaches the public will no doubt be obtainable at the Office of the
National Fund Commission in London.
5. _The Palestine Land Development Company, Ltd._
This Company was registered on the 20th of January, 1909. Its main
object is to encourage the settlement of Jews in Palestine by the
purchase and parcelling out of the land and by preparing the soil for
the successful settlement of a larger number of small holders.
The nominal capital of the Company is £50,000, divided into 40,000
ordinary shares of £1 each and 200 founders’ shares of £50 each.
The Secretary of the Company is W. Wolf, and the Office at 10‒12
Walbrook, London, E.C.
6. _Jüdischer Kulturfonds Kedem
(Kedem Keren Hatarbuth Hoiwrith), Ltd._
This Company was established for the purpose of developing and
promoting and assisting in the development and promotion of Jewish
knowledge and learning, the cultivation of Hebrew literature and
Jewish history, and the revival and use of the Hebrew language in
the prescribed region (which expression means Palestine, Syria and
the Peninsula of Sinai). In order to carry out these objects the
Company aims at establishing an Academy (_Sinhedrijah_) as a central
institution of Hebrew and Jewish learning. It further intends to
publish all kinds of books, useful for its purpose, and distribute them
among individuals, academies, colleges, universities, schools and other
institutions. It also proposes to establish and maintain all kinds
of schools and teaching establishments, to promote the main object
of the Company. Among its many ancillary objects are the granting of
scholarships, and the subsidizing of funds, pension schemes, etc., for
maintaining Jewish authors, teachers and artists.
The foundation of the Company is due to the initiative of Mr. Moses
Feldstein of Warsaw, who contributed the sum of about £1500. In
commemoration of this fact a Fund was created under the name of
“Feldstein Foundation,” which is to comprise the aforementioned sum
and all other capital donations given to the Company from time to time
towards this Fund. Since the establishment of the Company several other
similar contributions have been made to the Fund, but the outbreak of
the war has prevented the founder of the Company, Mr. Feldstein, and
his co-directors from carrying out the vigorous propaganda which they
intended to set on foot in all parts of the world. The members of the
Company consist of the joint holders of the founders’ shares of the
Jewish Colonial Trust, the Directors of the Jewish National Fund, and
the President of the Odessa Committee (the Committee of the Company
for assisting Jewish Agriculturists and Handicraftsmen in Syria and
Palestine).
The Directors of the Company are M. Feldstein (Chairman),
Dr. A. Hantke, Dr. S. Levin, A. Podlischewsky, N. Sokolow,
M. Ussischkin, Dr. Ch. Weizmann.
The Secretary of the Company is W. Wolf, and the office is at
10‒12 Walbrook, London, E.C.
7. _The First London Achuzah Company, Ltd._
The First London _Achuzah_ Company, Ltd., was founded by Dr. J. M.
Salkind, with the assistance of Mr. M. Rosenblum and Mr. T. Z. Teacher,
in April, 1913, when fifteen members joined the Company. Towards
the end of 1913 the number of members amounted to fifty. It has now
increased to eighty, about fifty of whom live in London, fifteen in
Edinburgh, one in Russia and the rest in provincial towns in England.
The Company was incorporated as a limited liability company in England
at the beginning of 1914. The members decided to pay 25 per cent of the
amount subscribed by them (a full member’s share amounting to £300).
At the same time the Company sent two delegates to Palestine to make
investigations with a view to the purchase of suitable land. This
was in February, 1914, after fifty members had paid up an aggregate
sum of £4000. The two delegates who proceeded to Palestine were Dr.
J. M. Salkind and Mr. H. Sterling. The nominal capital of the Company
amounted on registration to £15, 000, but was increased in August, 1914,
to £25,000, and it is now intended to increase it again to £50,000.
Most of the members have already paid the Company more than one-third
of the amount of their shares (£120 on each £300 share). Some of the
members have taken more than one share――one and a half, two, two and
a half, and in one case three shares. About half of the members belong
to the artisan class, while the other half consist mostly of merchants.
The Company intends to establish also an industrial _Achuzah_, for
the purpose of encouraging and establishing industrial undertakings in
Palestine.
When the delegates came back from Palestine, they proposed the purchase
of the second half of Kerkur, the first half of which belongs to Mr.
Schlesinger (a Zionist of Chita, Siberia), and covers an area of 5134
dunam (about 1280 acres). The proposal was accepted in May, 1914, and
the Company paid half of the purchase price, which amounted to £8850.
The purchase was made through the Palestine Land Development Co., Ltd.,
London.
From that time onwards the membership in London, Cairo, and the two
small branch companies in Paris and Antwerp, increased considerably.
The progress thus achieved induced the Company to increase the extent
of its holding in Palestine, and it purchased in 1914 a large area
of land called Rabia, in the neighbourhood of Kerkur, measuring about
4000 dunam (1000 acres), the purchase price being £6030. The first
instalment of £2000 has already been paid to the Palestine Land
Development Co., Ltd., in connection with this transaction.
Owing to the outbreak of the War, the work of the _Achuzah_ Company
had to be suspended, and, consequently, the branch companies in Paris,
Antwerp and Cairo collapsed. In the United Kingdom, however, and
particularly in Edinburgh, the activities of the Company have recently
been revived, and a number of new members have joined, in spite of the
unfavourable general conditions. In view of this unexpected success,
the Directors of the Company intend in the near future to remove the
restriction which prevents the Company from having more than fifty
members (it having originally been registered as a private company).
The present Directors are: L. Eisen, W. Kirsch, Ch. Inwald, Ch.
Kaufman, H. Teacher, Abraham Bendas, Ch. Warschawsky, Dr. J. M.
Salkind (Managing Director).
The land purchased by the _Achuzah_ in Palestine is most favourably
situated from the point of view of communication. From the Arabah
(Dothan) station it is only one hour’s journey by car to Toul Kerem,
a station on the new railway line from Merchawia to Lud and Beersheba.
Thus the _Achuzah_ settlement will be in a position to keep in touch
with Haifa, Jaffa, Jerusalem, and other places, by means of railway
communication.
8. _The Maccabean Land Company, Ltd._
The Maccabean Land Company is registered as a limited liability
company, with a capital of £52,000, divided into forty founders’ shares
(reserved for subscription by the Order of Ancient Maccabeans, its
Beacons and Allied Societies) of the value of £50 each and 1000 land
shares, offered for general subscription, of £50 each, each entitling
to an allotment of land in the proposed Maccabean Settlement. The
object of the Company is to enable its members, by the accumulation
of small periodical payments, to acquire landholdings in Palestine,
either for personal occupation or for profitable development. For
this purpose it is proposed to acquire forthwith a large area of land
(preferentially in the south of Palestine, in the district of Modin,
the ancient home of the Maccabees), capable of being parcelled out
in allotments and profitably cultivated. The minimum subscription of
£10,000 has already been assured, and the Company proposes to enter
into negotiations with one of the existing public bodies engaged in
the acquisition of land in Palestine for the purchase of an area of
land sufficient to provide allotments for all the subscribing members.
Unfortunately, the War has compelled the Company to suspend its
activities for the present.
C. HEBREW SCHOOLS IN PALESTINE,
AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS OF THE NEW COLONIZATION
The new Jewish colonization movement in Palestine has led to the
establishment of more than fifty primary schools, two high schools, two
agricultural schools, one handicraft school and one school of arts and
crafts. A polytechnic institute on a large scale, for the training of
engineers and chemists, was about to be opened when the War broke out.
Particulars concerning the Agricultural Experiment Station are given
elsewhere in this volume.
The principal schools under the care and supervision of the Zionist
Organization are the following:――
_The Hebrew Teachers’ Seminary and School of Commerce at Jerusalem_,
attended by ninety pupils. This school is situated in the centre of the
Jewish Settlement, with sufficient space for classrooms, the teachers’
room, collections of specimens and instruments for instruction in
natural science. The garden is used for drill and instruction in botany.
All graduates of the Teachers’ Seminary are teachers in Palestine,
and some of the graduates of the School of Commerce have also found
employment as teachers. The students have organized evening classes for
mothers, where they teach them to speak Hebrew, while their children
attend the Kindergarten. (The Director is M. David Yellin.)
_The Hebrew School for Boys_ at Jerusalem, attended by 205 pupils,
including a great number of Sephardim (55 per cent). This number is
continually increasing. Instruction is given in all Jewish subjects, as
well as in Mathematics, History, Geography, Botany, Singing, Drawing,
Gardening, in the Arabic language and some European languages.
(Director: M. Sutta.)
_The Girls’ School_ at Jerusalem is attended by 280 pupils, 55 per cent
of whom are Ashkenazim, and 33 per cent Sephardim, the rest belonging
to Georgian, Yemenite and Persian Jewish families. The subjects of
instruction are: Hebrew, Bible, History, Arithmetic, Geography, Zoology,
Botany, Drawing, Singing, Gardening, and Modern Languages. More than
half of the regular pupils are boarded at the School.
_The School for Kindergarten Teachers_ at Jerusalem is attended by
thirty-three pupils. Here the girls are trained to become Kindergarten
teachers. The instruction is practical as well as theoretical.
_The Hebrew Boys’ School_ at Jaffa has eight classes and is attended
by about 150 children. Pupils who have passed through this School enter
the Teachers’ Seminary at Jerusalem, the Hebrew Gymnasium (High School)
at Jaffa, or the Agricultural School at Petach-Tikvah, or take up their
parents’ trade. (Director: Dr. Marschak.)
_The Hebrew Kindergarten_ at Haifa is attended by seventy children, and
is developing satisfactorily.
_The Hebrew School_ at Haifa has 104 scholars (ninety-seven Ashkenazim,
seven Sephardim), and consists of three elementary and four other
classes. A preparatory course has also been established, which is
attended by twenty-six children. As in all other Zionist schools, the
instruction is given in Hebrew. The syllabus is that of a Continental
secondary school.
_The Agricultural School_ at Petach-Tikvah has about fifty pupils,
children of the local colonists. Besides instruction in Jewish subjects,
modern European languages and Arabic, practical instruction is given
in agriculture and horticulture. Some of the pupils work with the
colonists, and in that way not only acquire a good practical knowledge,
but are able to earn their own living. This School has endeavoured to
establish a special department for every branch of agriculture, each
with its own plot of land for experimental purposes.
_The Jewish Music Schools_ at Jaffa and Jerusalem, called “_Shulamit_,”
and founded by the late Mrs. Ruppin in 1912, are attended by several
pupils of other schools, and have gained great popularity in the
country.
_The Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts_ is an important element in
the Palestinian Hebrew revival, and has already influenced the Jewish
communities of Europe and America. Many Jewish homes possess specimens
of the new Palestinian handicrafts, which remind them that in the home
of the Jewish people deft handicraftsmen, inspired by the Jewish spirit,
are giving a new expression to the genius of their race in metal-work
and wood-carving, in carpet-weaving and embroidery. Hebrew characters
and emblems enter into the woof and the warp of a Bezalel carpet and
give character to the design.¹ The School and Workshops, founded by
an enthusiastic Zionist artist, Boris Schatz, are supported by several
Committees on the Continent, in this country, and in America, and
form a means of most successful Zionist propaganda among all classes
of the Jewish and Gentile population. Many Bezalel exhibitions and
bazaars have been held, one as recently as 1912, in London. The Bezalel
includes also a beautiful little museum of Palestinian antiquities and
specimens of Palestinian flora and fauna, as well as of modern Jewish
art (including Glitzenstein’s masterpiece, _Messiah_, Joseph Israels’
portrait――one of the last works of his life, painted for the Bezalel,
of which this great master, a sincere friend of the Zionist movement,
was a patron). This museum has also the largest existing collection
of old Jewish coins, described in M. S. Raffael’s (Raffalowitsch)
_Matbeoth Ha’ibrim Ha’kadmonim Jerusalem_, 1913.
¹ _Palestine and the Hebrew Revival_, by E. Miller. _p._ 15.
_The Jaffa Hebrew High School_ (for boys and girls), the so-called
_Gymnasiah Ibrith_ (Herzliah, founded in 1906), is first and foremost
among the institutions of the Hebrew revival in Palestine. No
institution has proved so triumphantly the vitality and significance
of the modern revival of the Hebrew language and of Jewish national
education as the _Gymnasiah Ibrith_ has done with its staff of
pioneer-teachers, graduates of various European universities, and
its eight hundred pupils from all parts of the world-wide Jewish
Diaspora. The great merit of establishing this institution belongs to
Dr. Methman-Cohn, who was assisted by the late Dr. Leo Kahn of Kishinew.
The most vigilant and generous friend and patron of the _Gymnasiah
Ibrith_, Mr. Jacob Moser, M.P., of Bradford, provided the institution
with the means to erect the impressive building which forms the centre
of the little Jewish town Tel Aviv, near Jaffa. This institution,
equipped with everything that is necessary for the teaching of all
branches of science, has attracted the best of the younger Zionist
intellectuals, who have made it their life-work to inaugurate a
system of national education in a modernized living Hebrew. (The most
important workers in this institution are mentioned elsewhere in this
volume.)
_The Jaffa Hebrew School for Girls_ (_Beth Sefer Le’banoth_) was
founded by the Odessa “Lovers of Zion” Association in 1894, and is
attended by a few hundred girls. The principal is that most able
pioneer and Hebrew educationist, Dr. Tourov. It is the best school of
its kind in the country.
_The Seminary for Women Teachers_ at Jaffa, also maintained by the
Odessa “Lovers of Zion,” was founded in 1913 in a house built for the
purpose, the means having been supplied by the Russian Zionist M. Isaac
Feinberg, in the shape of a donation.
_The Tachkemoni Secondary School_ at Jaffa, founded in 1905, and
attended by a few hundred pupils, is chiefly supported by the strictly
orthodox section of Zionists, the _Mizrachi_, and is doing important
educational work on traditional lines, but with a modernized syllabus.
Instruction is given in science, Arabic and modern languages. (The
school was under the control of Rabbi Kuk and a _Mizrachi_ Committee.)
_The Jerusalem Gymnasium_ (High School), attended by about 150
pupils, boys and girls, was established in 1911 by a group of teachers
interested in national education. Although it has not so far achieved
its full development, it bids fair to produce good results.
The Odessa “Lovers of Zion” Association maintains Kindergartens
in Safed, Tiberias and Jaffa; schools for children in the colonies
of Chederah, Bir Jacob, Wadi el Chanin, Artuf, Moza and Kastinie;
and schools at Tiberias, Haifa and Gaza. It contributes also to the
support of the Tachkemoni and the Handicrafts School attached to the
_Talmud-Torah_ (religious school) at Jaffa, and of the Bezalel at
Jerusalem.
The “Free Association for the Defence of the Interests of Orthodox
Judaism” at Frankfort supports a number of schools in the colonies,
which have also accepted Hebrew as the language of instruction. To this
category belong the Talmud-Torah schools at Petach-Tikvah, Rishon
Le’Zion, Ekron, Rechoboth and Haifa.
The Jewish Colonization Association maintains almost all the schools
in the colonies, but the management of the schools is left to the
colonists themselves. As we are confining ourselves mostly to “Lovers
of Zion” and Zionist work, we refrain from giving full statistics
of these schools, which are important from the standpoint of numbers
as well as from that of efficiency. To mention just a few of them,
the schools in Upper Galilee (at Rosh Pinah and other colonies) are
excellent, both from the pedagogical point of view and in the teaching
of living Hebrew, which is the language of instruction.
The _Alliance Israélite Universelle_ of Paris has a long and important
record of school work in Palestine, and the _Hilfsverein der deutsche
Juden_ has also established a large number of schools, etc. In 1913 the
_Alliance_ requested its schools in Palestine to give more attention to
Hebrew. The Evelina de Rothschild School for Girls of the Anglo-Jewish
Association, under the headship of Miss Landau, is doing very useful
work.
Mention should be made also of the numerous religious old-fashioned
schools and colleges (Talmud-Torah schools and _Yeshiboth_) for
boys and young scholars at Jerusalem and in the provinces, in which
thousands of Jewish children are educated in knowledge of the Bible
and the Talmud. In spite of its defects, the old Jewish settlement in
Palestine was instrumental in paving the way for the new colonization,
and in this respect the old schools, notwithstanding their out-of-date
methods, deserve the highest appreciation for having preserved in
the children the knowledge of religion and ancient Hebrew literature.
Gradually the new spirit is penetrating into some of these schools,
as, for instance, into the _Cheder Torah_ (founded in 1906), where the
Hebrew language has been adopted as the language of instruction.
In connection with the ever-increasing and extensive work of national
education in Palestine the “Union of Teachers” (_Merchaz Ha’morim_)
calls for mention as one of the most important organizations. It was
established some years ago for the purpose of fostering educational
development in the new Jewish settlement, of providing means for the
further training of teachers, and for completing the education of those
engaged in school work, by such means as holiday courses, lectures,
excursions, research work, discussions and debates dealing with the
curriculum and methods of instruction, and so on.
The _Merchaz_ has also established the nucleus of an Education Museum,
with sections for history, pedagogy and hygiene.
The “Language Board” (_Vaad Ha’lashon_) at Jerusalem (including D.
Yellin, E. Ben Jehuda, Dr. Maze, Sutta and others) plays an important
part in the national awakening. The rebirth of the Jewish nation being
impossible without the rebirth of the national language, the work of
modernizing and enriching the national language is as essential and
as indispensable for the realization of Zionism as the purchase and
cultivation of land or the financial arrangements for that purpose. To
unearth the treasures of our ancient language, to reveal to our people
the wealth of our national intellect, to broaden national thought
and to guide it towards clear expression in its own way――this is
fundamental Zionist work. Prosperous and happy nations have established
academies for this purpose, which are maintained out of public funds;
our more unassuming task is still in a preliminary stage, although much
useful work has already been done. The “Language Board” is publishing a
series of pamphlets containing suggestions for new idioms, etc.
The good work of the two last-named institutions has earned the
appreciation of the Zionist Actions Committee, which has decided to
provide them with the necessary means.
The Public Hebrew Library “_Bait Neeman_,” “_Midrash ♦Abrabanel_” and
“_Ginze Joseph_” at Jerusalem, founded by Dr. Joseph Chazanovitsch
of Bialystok, is also worthy of record. It is the only big library
in Palestine which is of use to scholars, and it is therefore of
immeasurable value for the revival of Palestine. (There are also
collections of rare Hebrew books and MSS. in some Sephardi _Yeshiboth_,
and a Hebrew Library, “_Shaar Zion_,” founded in 1891 by the new
Jewish settlers at Jaffa.) It is far from being adequate――it requires
extending and systematizing――but this beginning must win the admiration
of all those who fully conceive the immensity of the Zionist task.
♦ “Abarbanel” replaced with “Abrabanel” for consistency
The Gymnastic Societies (_Maccabee_) at Jaffa and Jerusalem, with
branch societies in Rishon Le’Zion, Zichron Jacob, and other colonies,
are doing useful work for the physical development of the new
generation. All these Societies have been founded during recent years
by Zionists, and are supported by the Zionist Organization.
Mr. Nathan Straus, the well-known philanthropist of New York, who has
identified himself with the Zionist Organization, has established a
number of useful institutions in Palestine, partly of a philanthropic
and hygienic, partly of a pedagogical character. His “Health
Department,” which is assisted by some other Jewish Societies on the
Continent, has become a real blessing to Jerusalem, likewise his “Soup
Kitchen,” his classes for instructing girls in handicrafts, and his
workshop for manufacturing articles of mother-of-pearl.
To the hygienic institutions belongs also the Pasteur Institute at
Jerusalem, which is controlled by the well-known Russian Zionist, Dr.
Arji Behm, for vaccino-therapeutical work.
The People’s Hall (_Bet-Am_) at Jerusalem is a sort of Toynbee Hall
for popular lectures in Hebrew, and for concerts and amusements.
Institutions of this kind exist also in Rishon Le’Zion, and other
colonies.
The best known of the Hebrew Publication Societies, and of the
periodicals, newspapers and magazines founded by Zionists in Palestine
and devoted to the revival are the following:――
_Kohelet_, founded by the Association of Teachers for the publication
of Hebrew text-books;
_Le’am_, for popular pamphlets and pamphlets on scientific subjects;
_Yefet_, for the translation of classical works of European literature;
_Moledet_, a literary periodical for young people;
_Ha’chinuch_, a periodical for teachers, dealing with pedagogical
questions;
_Ha’chaklai_, a Hebrew monthly devoted to agriculture, gardening, etc.;
_Yerushalaim_, a year-book containing useful information regarding
Palestine, by A. M. Luncz;
_Luach Erez Israel_, a Palestinian calendar with a literary section,
by the same author.
Hebrew journalism was represented during many years by the old weekly
_Chabazelet_ (editor: M. Frumkin) and by the modern _Hashkafa_ (editor:
Elieser Ben-Jehuda). During recent years Ben-Jehuda has edited a
daily paper, _Ha’or_. Until recently Palestine had two daily papers:
_Ha’cheruth_ and _Moriah_, and two weekly papers: _Ha’poêl Ha’zair_ and
_Ha’achduth_.
D. MISCELLANEOUS INSTITUTIONS
The most important institutions for the conduct, support and control of
colonization work and companies for practical undertakings are:――
_The Zionist Office._ Chief Administrators: Dr. Ruppin, Dr. Thon;
Agricultural Engineers: Oettinger, Zagorodzki, Vilkansky, and others.
_The Chovevé Zion Office_ (Dr. Chissin).
_The Jewish Colonization Association Office_ (M. Frank, M. Brill, and
others).
_The Palestine Wine Company_ “_Carmel_,” and _The Syndicate of
Vine-Growers_. (The “_Carmel_” Company has branches in Warsaw (1896) ,
in America (1898), the “_Carmel Oriental_” in Alexandria (1902), with
sister companies――The Palestine Wine Company (“_Carmel Oriental_”) in
London (Manager: A. Günzburg)――and branches in several countries. The
centre is at Rishon Le’Zion, under the management of M. Gluskin).
The _Geoulah_, for the purchase of land (founded in Warsaw, 1902, in
the names of Goldberg, Gluskin and Oettinger, with a branch in Odessa).
The _Pardess_, a syndicate of orange-growers; the _Ha-shaked_ for
almond growing, and some other companies of the same kind.
The _Ahuzat Bait_, for house-building at Jaffa (this Company
founded Tel-Aviv), and other Companies for the purchase of land for
house-building, etc.
The _Agudath Netaim_ (Association for Plantations), established in 1905
in Palestine, is a Company incorporated at Constantinople for promoting
Jewish plantation work in the Holy Land. (The principal manager of the
Company is Mr. Eisenberg of Rechoboth, who has achieved a reputation as
a writer and organizer of great practical experience.)
The _Histadrut Ha’moshavot_, a union of the landed proprietors in the
colonies.
The _Lishkat Modiyim_, an office for information established by the
Odessa _Chovevé Zion_, managed by M. Schenkin.
The Bureau of Information, managed by the _Poalim_ (the labourers), and
_Ha’poêl Ha’zair_ (the Young Worker)――an organization of nationalist
workers and intellectuals who have given an impetus to the enthusiasm
and determination of the young Zionists in Palestine, as well as
far beyond the boundaries of that country. The programme of the
organization is a synthesis of Jewish Nationalism and Socialism, in
which the Nationalist idea is more accentuated than in the programme
of the _Poalei Zion_. They started their work during the first years of
this century, and their organ was the Hebrew weekly _Ha’poêl Ha’zair_,
of which Mr. Aronovitch was editor.
THE JEWISH AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION AT HAIFA
The Sixth Zionist Congress held at Basle in 1906 accepted a scheme
presented by Professor Warburg to found an agricultural experiment
station in Palestine, and the Zionist Organization started collecting
money for that purpose. M. Aaron Aaronsohn,¹ the son of a pioneer
colonist of Zichron Jacob, a distinguished agronomist who had been
some years engaged in colonization work, and particularly in connection
with the inquiries and preparations undertaken on the initiative of
Professor Warburg, who was at that time busy with all the schemes
concerning Palestine, was commissioned by the Professor to study the
question of the hybridization of wild wheat. In 1906, M. Aaronsohn
had found, after painstaking investigation, a few ears of wild wheat
growing on the declivities of Mount Hermon. The scientific world was
very much interested in this discovery, because of its relation to the
possibilities of dry farming in arid regions. M. Aaronsohn travelled
on that scientific mission as a delegate of the Zionist Organization,
in Northern Africa and Southern Europe, and came to America in 1910.
While there, he established relations with the United States Department
of Agriculture, which took an interest in his ideas, and published
a Bulletin by him entitled _Agricultural and Botanical Explorations
in Palestine_. Through the United States Department of Agriculture,
M. Aaronsohn and his work were brought to the notice of a number of
prominent American Jews, who at his initiative established, February
18, 1910, the Jewish Agricultural Experiment Station, a New York
corporation with Julius Rosenwald, of Chicago, president; Morris
Loeb, of New York, vice-president; Paul M. Warburg, of New York,
treasurer; and Henrietta Szold, of New York, secretary. The objects
of the corporation are “the establishment, maintenance and support
of Agricultural Experiment Stations in Palestine and other countries;
the development and improvement of cereals, fruit, and vegetables
indigenous to Palestine and neighbouring lands, the production of new
species therefrom and their distribution elsewhere; the advancement
throughout the world, and the giving of instruction in new and improved
methods of farming.” Funds were raised by the Corporation for the
installation and the running expenses for a period of five years. The
demonstration fields are situated at Atlit, at the foot of Mount Carmel,
on land belonging to Baron Rothschild. Sub-stations are situated at
Chedera, in the neighbourhood of Petach-Tikvah and elsewhere. The
Station occupies itself since its establishment with the hybridization
of wild cereals and with plantations of fruit frees, vines, mulberry
trees, various sorts of fodder and ornamental plants. The Jewish
colonists resort to this Station for advice and information.
¹ He was killed in an aeroplane accident while on his way to
Paris in May, 1919.
LXXXIII.
DAVID WOLFFSOHN’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
“MY biography offers nothing of special interest to the general public.
It may be divided into two parts: Zionist and personal. The Zionist
portion is closely bound up with the history of our movement during the
last ten years, and the facts concerning my modest work can hardly be
distinguished from the general history of the movement. The personal
portion of my career, on the other hand, contains nothing that
transcends the ordinary. It is the simple story of a man of the Jewish
people, of the Jewish Ghetto.
“I was born in the year 1856, in the village of Dorbiany, in the
Government of Kovno, in the Province of Lithuania in Russia, close to
the German frontier. My parents were poor, pious Jews. My late father,
Isaac, was a talmudic scholar, and devoted his whole life to study
and teaching. He earned a precarious livelihood from his lessons. My
late mother, the type of a pious, good, clever Jewess, had to bear
the burden of the household and the education of her children. Life in
my parents’ house was thoroughly Jewish. Zionism at that time was, of
course, not known under that name, but, so far as the ideal of Zionism
is concerned, I can say that in our home our lives were thoroughly
inspired by the Zionist ideal. Till my fourteenth year I studied,
according to the old Jewish custom, in the _Cheder_ and _Beth
Hamedrash_ of my native town. In the early seventies I went to Memel,
where my oldest brother was then residing. Here I made the acquaintance
of Rabbi Dr. I. J. Rülf, who had great influence on my future career
and way of thinking. Shortly afterwards I went to West Prussia, where I
served several years as apprentice in a pious Jewish business-house. I
also spent six months in Lyck, where I frequently met in his own house
David Gordon, the editor of _Ha’magid_, who was one of the earliest
Zionist pioneers. In 1877 I returned to Memel, where I set up in
business for myself, and married. After some time I removed to East
Friesland, and in 1887 to my present home in Cologne.
“I can hardly give any data concerning my Zionist work. Zionism for me
is hardly a thing that can be put into chronological, historical order.
Zionism has been, rather, my life. Ever since I learned to think and
feel I was a Zionist. I took a lively interest in the _Chovevé Zion_
movement and was in active correspondence with all the leaders of this
movement in Germany. In 1894 I delivered in Cologne my first address
on Zionism and helped to found the local society for the promotion
and support of Jewish agriculture in Syria and Palestine, which was
established in the same year. The appearance of Herzl’s _Judenstaat_
(in 1896) was epoch-making for me. This pamphlet made such a deep
impression on me that I at once went to Vienna to introduce myself to
Herzl. I placed myself entirely at his disposal. From that moment till
the last days of his fruitful life, unhappily so prematurely ended,
I remained in uninterrupted intercourse with our never-to-be-forgotten
leader. To devote my strength to the continuance of this work I
regarded as the task of my life. When, in the sad time after Herzl’s
death, the Presidency was offered to me, I was surprised and
embarrassed. It was only out of a sense of duty that I accepted this
high dignity.”
LXXXIV.
SOME ENGLISH PRESS COMMENTS ON THE LONDON ZIONIST CONGRESS (1900)
_Spectator_: “As to the Jews being able to live on the land in
Palestine there can be no doubt. Those who have seen a Jewish colony in
Syria will testify to the excellent physical and moral and agricultural
results achieved. Merely to see the children there is ample warrant of
what is done for the Jew by release from the Ghetto.”
_Saturday Review_: “Restoration to Palestine symbolizes the recovery of
self-respect, the reattainment of nationhood.”
_Globe_: “Zionism answers the aspirations of the majority of persecuted
Jews, but it is important to those Jews who have become completely
assimilated to their Christian surroundings, and who ought to have an
interest in the raising of the economic, moral and intellectual status
of the mass of their unhappy brethren, which raising of status will
necessarily be the first outcome of their gathering in the land of
their fathers.”
_Daily News_: “Whatever difference of opinion may prevail as to the
policy of the Zionist movement, there can be no doubt as to the intense
and fervid interest of those who, at no small self-sacrifice, are doing
this work of revival.”
_Daily Graphic_: “Zionism appeals to many sides of human thought,
but perhaps the final impression it leaves upon the public mind is
something akin to Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones which lived again.
Is it possible that the dispersed nation, whose career is one of the
standing marvels of history, is about to gather itself again and open a
new chapter of its romantic annals? It looks very like it. The movement
is in the hands of practical and courageous men; it has behind it a
stimulus, not only of subjective enthusiasm, but also of objective
strife, and it entirely responds to a practical need.”
_Yorkshire Post_: “The striking feature of the meetings was the unity
of purpose and enthusiasm which seem to characterize all the delegates.
Persons who speak quite different tongues nevertheless fraternize and
grow enthusiastic over the prospect of returning as a nation to the
land of their fathers.”
_Leeds Mercury_: “This is not wholly a dream.... Several colonies have
settled down within their historic territorial limits. A few of them
are already self-supporting. The movement is essentially democratic.”
_Nottingham Guardian_: “The movement the Zionist Congress represents is
an important one and it may possibly produce momentous results.”
_Newcastle Courier_: “This movement in Jewry is one which readily
commands the sympathy of the outsider. It is the voicing of that
inarticulate feeling which has for ages silently swayed and sustained
forlorn and seemingly forsaken Jews. The inextinguishable hope and the
unshaken faith of these stricken people as to their future constitutes
a striking object-lesson in these days of scepticism.”
_Liverpool Echo_: “From every point of view, political, social,
and religious, Zionism has much to recommend it, and the enthusiasm
with which it has been taken up by many of the most prominent
thinkers of the Hebrew race affords the best augury for its ultimate
accomplishment.”
_Glasgow Evening News_: “Such a scheme as the re-peopling of Palestine,
while demanding careful handling at every stage, must be gradually
evolved.... If the Zionist movement creates a Jew with the tastes and
aspirations of his forefathers it will not have been started in vain.”
_Glasgow Evening Citizen_: “It is a matter of considerable importance,
looked at from what side we may. Should any effective system be found
of dealing with it, then the present Congress will probably have
operated to the advantage of this country quite as much as to the Jews
in whose interests it is being held.”
_North British Daily Mail_: “There is no reason why Christians should
not wish them well. The movement should provide a refuge for the Jewish
race from the Anti-Semitic hate which pursues them in so many countries,
and it should help somewhat to restore to its former prosperity the
land of Palestine, towards which the Jewish heart ever turns with love
and devotion.”
_Review of the Week_: “Why should not this homogeneous, intelligent
and powerful race (the Jews) form a State of their own, and thus free
themselves from persecution in other States, and enforce respect for
their nationality? Millions of Jews have probably asked themselves this
question. Trustworthy leaders having been found, a movement has been
set on foot for the establishment of a Jewish centre in Palestine. The
idea is glorious enough to take possession even of the minds of such a
practical, prudent and commercial race as the Jews.”
LXXXV.
COLONEL CONDER ON THE VALUE OF THE JEWISH NATIONAL MOVEMENT (1903)
“ENTHUSIASM is the power of feeling a strong interest in something that
is not of personal material advantage. It is not a very common feeling
anywhere, and is perhaps as rare among Jews as among others. It is
generally regarded with suspicion: for it often upsets repose, and
leads to unexpected and disturbing events. Ignorant enthusiasm has
been the cause of many great troubles: but enthusiasm founded on real
knowledge of events and of national movements has produced, in our own
times, some of the greatest changes in history. It was the enthusiasm
of the few which created a United Italy, or again which has made Japan
the leading power in the Far East. It is the unexpected that comes to
pass, because men’s attention is fixed on large and conspicuous objects,
and because they find it so difficult to judge whether the new cause,
advocated by the few, is based on reality, or whether it is merely a
craze. Thus, while endless diplomacy and observation are directed to
the management of affairs on the supposition that the facts are evident,
there constantly comes a surprise which renders futile all the schemes
of anxious Politicians, due to the silent action of some unsuspected
element. The blind desires of the people find at length a definite
expression, and the direction given by a few enthusiasts leads to new
and startling events.... Enthusiasm for one’s own race and country,
when genuine, is regarded with general favour: but when George Eliot
raised her protest against the everlasting ‘Hep!’ which hounds the
wandering Jew from land to land, people asked what she had to do with
Judaism. Like Cain, we ask: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ and especially
when it is the poor brother whom we so much dislike. We can, however,
understand that the great mass of poor and persecuted Jews feel for
those who devote their time, money and thought to the raising up
of their own people an amount of real affection and gratitude which
renders them willing to be led to their realization of hopes that
are not commonly regarded by the great mass of the prosperous and
contented.... Among the higher class of those broad-minded Jews who
sincerely believe in their ancient traditions, very noble efforts are
made not only to help the poor and stem the tide of persecution, but
also to raise the tone of the nation by appeal to its ancient memories
and ideals. These men are the natural leaders to whom the destitute and
oppressed turn for counsel and guidance, and it is among them that it
has now become a fixed belief that the nation can only be raised from
its misery by the creation of a national centre――a home to which all
those who are scattered over the earth may turn their eyes: which must
be one bound up with all that is best in the historic memories of the
race, and which therefore must be the old home in Palestine itself.
The Jew, they say, is tired of wandering and tired of being an alien.
Emigration has not settled the eternal question, and a nation without
a country must be content with toleration as all that it can expect.
“As regards ourselves, we should be only too glad to see Palestine
increasing in civilization and prosperity as an outpost in the
neighbourhood of Egypt.... It is clear that if the question of the
Near East should again be raised, the Jews will have to be considered
by statesmen in any settlement of the Syrian question: and that the
solution of the question ... may be ... a ‘legally assured home for the
Jewish People.’”
LXXXVI.
LORD GWYDYR ON ZIONISM AND THE ARABS
ONE of the most important factors the Zionists will have to reckon
with in their further activity in Palestine is that of the Arabian
population of the country. This population might consider the
development of the Zionist movement undesirable: if the immigration
of Jews into Palestine were to bring additional poverty into the
land――if the Jewish element were restless, adventurous and inclined to
disorder――if the country had or might have a homogeneous Arabic culture,
and this new element were to disturb its uniformity through the
introduction of its own cultural aspirations――or if that same element
were threatening to oust the Arabs from their own position. But these
and similar suppositions which might have led to the adoption of strong
measures, or at least to a sentimental antipathy against immigration,
are non-existent. The Jews bring no poverty into the land; nor is the
immigrating population adventurous; Arabic culture does not already
prevail in the country; and the Jews will not drive the Arab population
from an established position.
The Jews who have been or are coming to Palestine have created
considerable new economic values which are not only sufficient for
their own maintenance but also contribute essentially towards the
economic strengthening of the Arab element. Not only has the Government
derived profit from the greater taxation returns of the Jewish colonies,
but also from the enhanced taxability of the country, in consequence
of the better methods of cultivation introduced by the Jews. The Arab
population has also been considerably enriched, partly because the
same masses which were formerly unemployed in large numbers found
occupations and earnings with the Jews; partly through favourable sales
of land, and also because they have learnt from the Jews how to obtain
a greater yield from the soil.
Of course there can be no lack of competition in isolated cases,
especially between Arab and Jewish traders, or Arab and Jewish artisans.
But on the whole this competition can only bear upon individual cases.
In general the new immigration can only maintain and support itself
in the country if it creates new values, for the very simple reason
that industrial conditions in Palestine are in a very low state of
development, and that consequently the supplanting of those who hold
established positions is practically impossible.
Therefore, from a comprehensive economic point of view, it is not only
unnecessary to protect the native population against the immigration,
but the latter should be encouraged in the interest of the country
and its present inhabitants. The immigration brings about an increase
of production as well as of consumption, and the greater part of the
native population is thereby relieved from economic distress.
It is also possible that the native population, on having risen from
its present state of depression to a higher level, may endeavour,
in a measure, to better its economic position by settling down in
neighbouring provinces. Colonization of the lands to the east of
Palestine by Arabs would considerably reduce the Arab population
of Palestine. Already, since the centre of gravity of the Arab
race is not situated in Palestine, the area of friction arising
from national-political motives is considerably reduced. The
national-political relations of the Jews and their Arab fellow-citizens
must be directed into the right channel from the very beginning. In
this respect the Zionist programme is quite clear, simple and natural.
The Jews wish to collaborate with the Arabs towards the elevation and
strengthening of the country; but, in all they do, they want to appear
as the Jewish nation, and always to show openly and freely their Jewish
nationality. If it be a question of assimilation, Palestine is the only
country in the world where the Jews, instead of being assimilated, are
themselves the assimilating factor. It has, however, to be added that
there can be no question of compulsory assimilation enforced by the
Jews; they themselves have suffered too much from assimilation to wish
to enforce it in any direction. But the Jewish culture will have an
instructive and ennobling influence over others, through the force of
example.
Lord Gwydyr wrote as follows on the question of the Turks and the Arabs
in connection with the Jews:――
“The difference between the Turkish and Arabic race is a curious
subject of study and reflection. The Arabs, taken individually,
are superior to the Turks. But in the struggle between nations the
superiority of individuals is nothing: what gives ascendancy is the
quality not of the individual but of the man: it is the spirit of
_ensemble_, the aptitude to command or obey, which, after all, is the
same thing. In this point of view the Arab is inferior to the Turk.
Enthusiastic, witty, delicate, made for poesy and adventure, sober,
inured to fatigue, as gay and as variable as the Turk is serious and
grave, the Arabic race is still what we see it in history. But when,
forgetting for a moment the brightness of their conquest, we closely
examine, even in history, the character of the Arab race, what do we
see? A race whose religious enthusiasm created an army rather than a
nation, and incapable of founding an empire, as the Romans had done, it
gave rise to I do not know how many empires and how short lived. What a
chaos, and in this chaos what a rapid and tumultuous nation! Unity and
duration were ever wanting in the governments created by the Arab race.
These governments enjoyed the life of tropical plants, brilliant and
brief, whilst the Turkish race has founded an empire, now expiring
indeed, but which has lasted five hundred years or more. For an empire
like the Turkish one, and in those countries, five hundred years’
duration is eternity. What is Palestine worth to the Arabs? Nothing.
They did not appreciate its value, until the Jewish enterprise that
forms a striking contrast with the dulness of the natives began to
utilize this old garden of the human race, left desert and barren by
the misfortunes of time. The Arabs will be useful when guided by an
active and intelligent Jewish settlement.
“Racial rivalry is natural in every country, and is not to be
disapproved so long as the aims are good, as, e.g. emulation in
acquiring of knowledge in its multiple domains, such as agriculture,
industry, etc.: but as soon as rivalry exceeds these bounds, it is
to be deprecated. The legal power must resist with all its power this
nefarious kind of rivalry, as nobody wishes to differentiate between
the inhabitants in their liberties. All must be equal before the law,
without the least distinction. But misunderstandings may always occur,
and people with interested motives will try to make capital out of
these misunderstandings. Everything depends on the goodwill and tact on
both sides. Even the Bedawi may be won over to friendship more easily
than he may be driven into subjection. And he is worth the winning over.
Besides being a fighting man in his own style, he is, as history proves,
quite capable of making valuable contributions to the welfare of the
country, if he is properly treated. Experience shows that he responds
more readily to appeal than to command, and is more easily led than
driven. They must be given the blessings of a good administration and
trained to take a gradually increasing share in the government of the
country. Friendliness will replace inveterate mistrust: the inhabitants
of the country will be bound together in close harmony by the ties of
common interest. From a strictly Christian standpoint such a course is
clearly the highest and wisest: while from that of the Moslems the old
fears that closer intercourse with Christians might sap the religious
earnestness of the followers of the Prophet are now generally seen to
be groundless in the light of a longer and more intimate acquaintance.
But there are reasons of a more practical nature than these ethical
considerations. The position of Islam in the world’s political and
religious geography supplies the followers of both faiths with a motive
for common action that is yearly becoming better understood.... If it
is true that a new spirit is stirring in the East of Asia, that the
scientific knowledge by which in the past Europeans have held their
own can no longer remain their monopoly and that the increase of the
population in the Far East remains steady while that of Europe declines,
then it is time for the Near East, when the inevitable struggle
must take place, to put her house in order: and the first and most
obvious requirement is that the tradition of misunderstandings between
Christians and Moslems shall be replaced by a sympathy based upon
community of interest.”
LXXXVII.
CONSULAR REPORTS
THE movement of progress and hope which has awakened to consciousness
in Palestine was born in the colonies, where the land began to yield
a ready harvest in return for the husbandman’s toil, where the vine
and the fruit tree began to surround with natural beauty a land that
had all too long lain desolate, and the old joys of country life
have brought anew to the toilful workers a spirit of independence
and dignity which have penetrated from the country into the towns.
Again the Jewish race has developed some of the fine physique that
generations of the Ghetto life had threatened to destroy for ever.
The British Consular Reports show signs of a steady development of
Palestinian trade:――
Year.│ Exports. │ Imports.
─────┼───────────┼─────────
1885 │ £132,579 │ £287,740
1886 │ 119,555 │ 240,880
1887 │ 186,371 │ 232,045
─────┼───────────┼─────────
1888 │ 204,315 │ 253,065
1889 │ 244,561 │ 275,622
1890 │ 447,010 │ 259,811
─────┼───────────┼─────────
1891 │ 410,530 │ 288,290
1892 │ 258,466 │ 342,597
1893 │ 332,628 │ 349,540
─────┼───────────┼─────────
1894 │ 285,604 │ 273,233
1895 │ 282,907 │ 275,990
1896 │ 373,447 │ 256,090
─────┼───────────┼─────────
1897 │ 309,389 │ 306,630
1898 │ 306,780 │ 322,430
The increase of trade in 1890 and 1891 was due to the good harvest in
oranges and sesame. In 1892, 1893, 1894, and 1897, all the wheat and
the barley were exported _via_ Gaza, and are therefore not included in
the above table. The value of some of the goods exported and the growth
of new industries is indicated in the following table, which shows the
exports of wheat, maize, soap and oranges from 1885 to 1898:――
│ Wheat. │ Maize. │ Soap. │ Oranges.
Year.│ £ │ £ │ £ │ £
─────┼────────┼────────┼─────────┼────────
1885 │ 3,600 │ 7,875 │ 13,722 │ 26,500
1886 │ 3,325 │ 9,000 │ 8,960 │ 29,400
1887 │ 15,000 │ 21,000 │ 38,000 │ 36,000
─────┼────────┼────────┼─────────┼────────
1888 │ 7,800 │ 16,960 │ 45,000 │ 55,000
1889 │ 16,950 │ 18,200 │ 33,600 │ 51,200
1890 │ 19,920 │ 11,240 │ 44,700 │ 83,120
─────┼────────┼────────┼─────────┼────────
1891 │ 3,300 │ 17,300 │ 124,000 │ 108,400
1892 │ ―― │ 420 │ 46,800 │ 62,000
1893 │ ―― │ 2,580 │ 112,000 │ 96,500
─────┼────────┼────────┼─────────┼────────
1894 │ ―― │ 2,000 │ 114,000 │ 51,000
1895 │ 3,560 │ 3,200 │ 93,240 │ 65,000
1896 │ 1,920 │ 14,178 │ 113,114 │ 72,600
─────┼────────┼────────┼─────────┼────────
1897 │ ―― │ 8,450 │ 81,900 │ 75,800
1898 │ 14,000 │ 3,000 │ 62,000 │ 82,500
In the earlier reports some reference is made to the export of wine,
but it is not worth special mention until 1894, from which date the
following figures may be given:――
Wine and Cognac.
1894 │ £3,000
1895 │ 2,600
1896 │ 4,032
─────┼───────
1897 │ 4,340
1898 │ 20,500
Comparative tables of imports and exports at Jaffa according
to countries during the four years 1909‒1912.
IMPORTS
│ 1909. │ 1910. │ 1911. │ 1912.
Country. │ £ │ £ │ £ │ £
─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼──────────
United Kingdom │ 321,348 │ 128,730 │ 146,000 │ 155,000
British Colonies │ 4,629 │ 3,105 │ 49,000 │ 54,000
Turkey │ 107,842 │ 328,965 │ 340,000 │ 305,000
─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼──────────
Austria-Hungary │ 92,244 │ 83,840 │ 114,000 │ 126,000
Russia │ 96,038 │ 97,000 │ 108,000 │ 110,000
Germany │ 87,308 │ 68,615 │ 74,000 │ 80,000
─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼──────────
France │ 64,773 │ 103,000 │ 112,000 │ 84,000
Egypt │ 69,445 │ 58,095 │ 70,000 │ 61,000
Belgium │ 39,635 │ 49,185 │ 60,000 │ 54,000
─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼──────────
Italy │ 25,232 │ 24,940 │ 16,000 │ 5,000
United States │ 13,483 │ 10,400 │ 25,000 │ 12,000
Roumania │ 10,565 │ ―― │ 22,000 │ 17,000
─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼──────────
Netherlands │ 10,555 │ 10,141 │ 8,000 │ 7,000
Bulgaria │ ―― │ 11,950 │ 15,000 │ 8,000
Other Countries │ 9,848 │ 24,485 │ 10,910 │ 12,000
─────────────────┼─────────┼───────────┼───────────┼──────────
│ 973,143 │ 1,002,450 │ 1,169,910 │ 1,090,000
EXPORTS
│ 1909. │ 1910. │ 1911. │ 1912.
Country. │ £ │ £ │ £ │ £
─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
United Kingdom │ 158,090 │ 173,085 │ 185,000 │ 190,000
British Colonies │ 77 │ 698 │ 9,000 │ 10,500
Turkey │ 56,850 │ 83,015 │ 78,000 │ 95,000
─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
Austria-Hungary │ 19,630 │ 12,103 │ 21,000 │ 24,500
Russia │ 18,370 │ 29,589 │ 33,000 │ 45,000
Germany │ 7,325 │ 8,384 │ 17,000 │ 21,000
─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
France │ 15,080 │ 22,255 │ 46,000 │ 50,000
Egypt │ 255,215 │ 277,328 │ 270,000 │ 290,000
Belgium │ 1,863 │ 1,101 │ 15,000 │ 12,000
─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
Italy │ 10,337 │ 15,332 │ 12,000 │ 6,000
United States │ 3,765 │ 4,272 │ 10,000 │ 1,000
Roumania │ 1,375 │ ―― │ 2,000 │ 2,500
─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
Netherlands │ 418 │ 1,192 │ 1,000 │ 2,000
Bulgaria │ ―― │ 5,221 │ 6,000 │ 4,500
Other Countries │ 12,630 │ 2,575 │ 5,660 │ 10,162
─────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼────────
│ 506,935 │ 636,145 │ 710,660 │ 774,162
_Hindrances to the Prosperity of Palestine_
(From the British Diplomatic and Consular Reports, No. 4850. Annual
Series: Turkey. Report for the Year 1911. London, 1912):――
“The principal causes which impede a rapid increase in the prosperity
of Palestine are three, viz.:――
“1. _The lack of a harbour in Jaffa._――This is greatly needed. Owing
to the fact that Jaffa is an open roadstead subject to sudden and
dangerous storms――it should be noted that a British steamer was wrecked
in February, 1911――much delay is experienced in loading and unloading
steamers with consequent loss and inconvenience. Many tourists and
pilgrims are also deterred from visiting the country owing to the
uncertainty as to whether disembarkation will be possible.
“2. _The tithe._――The levying of a tax of 12½ per cent. _ad valorem_
on products of the soil has greatly impeded the extension of the orange
plantations. Recently a petition has been submitted to the authorities
by agriculturists asking that this tax may be replaced by a fixed tax
of 30 pias. (5s.) per dunum (about ¼ acre) on land planted with orange
and other fruit trees. If this change were made, there would be an
immediate increase in the number of orange plantations, with consequent
benefit both to the Government and to the population. There are
thousands of acres of light soil in the vicinity of Jaffa, which,
although not suited for cereals or sesame, are well fitted for the
cultivation of oranges.
“3. _The existence of large plots of undivided (musho’a) land belonging
to several owners jointly who are, however, unable to determine
their respective shares._――The natural result is that, there being
no inducements to carry out improvements, the land is neglected. If
measures were taken to effect the division of the land, the results
would be beneficial both to the Government and to the owners.”
In addition to this statement, Mr. Vice-Consul P. Abela of Haifa
reported (1911):――
“There is a possibility of great agricultural enterprise in the fertile
and extensive plains near Haifa, and arrangements have been made with
some big proprietors to let the property for development. Were it not
for the Turkish laws prohibiting foreign companies to hold land in
Turkey, great progress might have been made in this direction.”
(From the Jaffa Report for 1912, No. 5107. Annual Series. June,
1913):――
“_Public works._――The roads have not been touched, except for a few
patchings in the town, and are in the worst state of repair imaginable.
“The harbour concession, owing to the difficulties arising from the
confused political state of the capital, has not yet been obtained....
It is now nearly fifteen years that negotiations have been going on
with regard to the project, and considering the enormous benefits that
would accrue from its realization to every branch of the local trade,
its perpetual postponement is deplorable. The present open roadstead is
dangerous both for passengers and goods trade, and frequently prevents
vessels from communicating at all. The resulting losses to the district
are too obvious to be mentioned.
“_The lack of public security._――The inhabitants of the Jewish colonies
have to pay from £6 10s. annually per family in organising their own
means of defence, and even then suffer from insecurity.
“_The tithe._――This tax is levied on a system which has the
disadvantages both of discouraging cultivation and being wasteful and
comparatively unproductive. Its incidence on individuals is also in
many cases unfair and crippling. The whole system is in need of radical
revision.
“_The backward state of public works._――The present roads are fit for
nothing but camel traffic, and agriculturists have no satisfactory
means of embarking their goods at Jaffa without great expense and loss
through deterioration.”
LXXXVIII.
THE following is an example of Moore’s Zionist songs:――
ADVENT OF THE MILLENNIUM
But who shall see the glorious day,
When throned on Zion’s brow,
The Lord shall rend that veil away
Which blinds the nations now?
When earth no more beneath the fear
Of his rebuke shall lie;
When pain shall cease, and every tear
Be wiped from every eye?
Then, Judah, thou no more shalt mourn
Beneath the heathen’s chain;
Thy days of splendour shall return,
And all be new again.
The fount of life shall then be quaff’d,
In peace by all who come;
And every wind that blows shall waft
Some long-lost exile home.
MOORE.
(_See_ Volume I, page 12.)
LXXXIX.
CREMIEUX’S CIRCULAR TO THE JEWS IN WESTERN EUROPE¹
“_Aux Juifs de l’Occident._
“... PENDANT mon séjour en Egypte, dans le cours de cette belle mission
qui portait vers nos frères de l’Orient les sympathies si ardentes
de leurs frères de l’Occident, j’étais vivement ému de l’aspect de la
malheureux population qui s’offrait à mes yeux. Foules aux pieds depuis
tant de siècles, les débris _de la nation juive_, autrefois nation
puissante dans ces contrées même, ont perdu l’energie qui seule donné
à l’homme quelque ressort en lui rappelant qu’il est l’œuvre de Dieu.
La source qui vivifie toutes les facultés de notre intelligence,
_l’instruction_ n’est pas même connue du nom dans cette Alexandria, si
brillante, il y a quelques siècles, par les lumières des juges et des
docteurs israelites....
“De l’Orient est sortie la religion qui nous unit tous d’une chaîne
à la fois si étroite et si noble.... Du Caire et d’Alexandria le feu
sacre se répandra bientôt vers Dames et Jérusalem. L’Orient va se
ranimer....”
¹ _Archives Israelites de France_, vol. ii., 1841, p. 185.
(_See_ Volume I, p. 180.)
XC.
THE BANNER OF THE JEWS
(BY EMMA LAZARUS)
WAKE, Israel, Wake! Recall to-day
The Glorious Maccabean rage,
The sire heroic, hoary-gray,
His five-fold lion-lineage,
The wise, the elect, the Help-of-God,
The burst of Spring, the Avenging Rod.
From Murpeh’s mountain ridge they saw
Jerusalem’s empty streets: her shrine
Laid waste where Greeks profaned the law
With idol and with pagan sign.
Mourners in tattered black were there
With ashes sprinkled on their hair.
Then from the stony peak there rang
A blast to ope the graves: down poured
The Maccabean clan, who sang
Their battle anthem to the Lord.
Five heroes lead, and following, see
Ten thousand rush to victory!
Oh for Jerusalem’s trumpet now,
To blow a blast of shattering power,
To wake the sleepers high and low,
And rouse them to the urgent hour!
No hand for vengeance, but to save,
A million naked swords should wave.
Oh, deem not dead that martial fire,
Say not the mystic flame is spent!
With Moses’ law and David’s lyre,
Your ancient strength remains unbent.
Let such an era rise anew,
To lift the “Banner of the Jew!”
(_See_ Volume I, p. 243.)
XCI.
“THE ADVANCED GUARD”
Programme of the Committee appointed to found a colony
to be called Rishon Le’Zion (1882).
“A. The acquisition of land.――The Committee will select according
to its judgment, a suitable site for the colony, will purchase the
same from the owners of the ground and execute a deed of purchase, in
the name of the President and two members of the Committee. If some
charitable association make a grant of money towards the purchase of
the land, in that case the Committee will be in a position to buy it
in the name of such association. If it be bestowed as a gift the deed
of purchase will be in accordance with its regulation and that of this
Committee.
“B. The acquisition of houses.――The Committee have prepared plans
respecting houses and stalls for herds and flocks, the purchase of
bricks, wood and all the requisites of a dwelling-house. It will
appoint inspectors over the work-people and a surveillance will be
exercised by the officers of the colony or those of the Committee.
“C. The obtaining of cattle and implements.――The Committee will choose
experienced men either from the members of the Committee or from the
colony to hand over to them money for the purchase of cattle and proper
implements of ploughing adapted to each family. These will be bestowed
on them according to priority.
“D. The wants of the congregation.――The Committee will provide money
for the erection of a synagogue, a Talmud Torah school, a hospital,
bath and washhouses, also for the erection of a small trading mart to
be managed in accordance with the regulations laid down by the officers
of the colony for the necessary transactions.”
ADDENDA
I. (vol. i., p. xxviii.)
IT is a thorough confusion of ideas to identify Zionists with the
Nationalists, Chauvinists and Jingoes of other nations. Judaism in
its ethics is more cosmopolitan than any other doctrine in the world.
In teaching that all men are brethren it lays the foundation of the
equality of men and races, and excludes in principle every impulse of
race egotism as immoral. In Judaism is therefore contained from the
beginning the suppression of national limitation and animosity. And
what is founded upon Judaism must necessarily prevail in Zionism, which
represents the quintessence of Judaism, with all the power of logic and
tradition. But it is just upon this point that those Jews who combat
Zionism make a surprising mistake. They attempt to make use of this
truth in order to prove that the Jewish nationality has to disappear
from this world. Here lies the fallacy. It is true that Judaism
rejects the ill-natured aloofness of one nation towards another, but
it is not true that Judaism strives after the suppression of national
distinctions, and it even borders on the ridiculous to suppose that
Judaism requires the suppression of Jewish nationality. Judaism, which
recognizes all natural formations, cannot wish to annihilate or to
suppress the manifoldness of the national articulation of humanity.
Apart from this all that is alive and modern has a tendency towards
the creation of a national culture. All valuable literature and art
bears a national character. Everything international is bare of colour
and expression. What the Jews do can generally also be done by others,
in a worse or better manner. What is of importance to humanity, are
the special values which the Jews as such create. The downfall of a
nationality which represents a state of culture would be equivalent
to a lessening of the spiritual possession of humanity. Besides,
the abrasion of the national leads throughout to a loosening of the
self-containing of the personality. It comes from the national instinct
of the individuality, and the imprint cannot be effaced without
internal injury. That is why Zionism means the return to the natural
character of the Jewish personality.
II. (vol. i., p. 5)
Anglo-Israelism, the theory which identifies the ancient Britons
with the Israelites, was originated by Richard Brothers (1757‒1829).
The chief exponents of this doctrine, which became the teaching of a
particular sect in England and America, were: J. Wilson, W. Carpenter,
F. R. A. Glover, Edward Hine, S. W. Greenwood, the Rev. W. H. Poole, S.
Bernatto and T. R. Howlett. The Anglo-Israelites have their literature
and periodical publications, in which they propagate their idea with
great zeal, and in the United States and in Britain to-day amount to
a very large number of believers. Without entering into a scientific
analysis of this doctrine, we must admit that the fact that a certain
number of English people are endeavouring to prove their Israelite
origin, is possible only in a country so strongly attached to the Bible,
including the Old Testament, as England. Other people would shrink
from the mere idea of being mixed up, even in the remotest degree, with
Israelites. Even Jewish assimilationists are inclined to accept any
extravagant hypothesis tending to prove that the present Jews are not
of pure Jewish or Semitic origin.
III. (vol. i., p. 100
The anonymous author of _A Treatise of the Future Restoration of the
Jews and Israelites to their Own Land_, etc. Addressed to the Jews.
(London, 1746), defended the idea without any allusion to conversion,
in a Jewish spirit, though he was evidently a non-Jew. He gave many
interesting descriptions of Palestine.
President Edwards, in his _History of Redemption_, says: “In future
glorious times, both Judah and Ephraim, or Judah and the Ten Tribes,
shall be brought in together, and shall be united as one people.” Mr.
Locke, giving the substance of the eleventh chapter of the Romans,
says: “When the fulness of the Gentiles is come in, the whole Jewish
nation shall again be restored to be the people of God.” Dr. W. Harris
observes that, as this Epistle (the Romans) was written about the year
57 ... and as the prophecies were not accomplished then, they have to
be accomplished.”
William Cunningham of Lainshaw, in his _Letters and Essays_ (London,
1822), has a series of letters on “The Literal Restoration of Israel to
their Own Land,” which are excellent both in style and learning.
IV. (vol. i., p. 106)
FROM THE ARCHIVES AT THE FOREIGN OFFICE
CARLOW,
_2nd March, 1841_.
MY LORD,
A Memorial has this day been transmitted to your lordship, praying
that Her Majesty’s Government may now exert its commanding influence
to secure the protection of the Jews in Palestine, and to afford them
facilities for returning to their own land. Though signed by only 320
persons, it contains, I believe, almost the unanimous expression of
Protestant feeling in this neighbourhood; almost every one to whom it
was presented cheerfully appended his name. It contains the signatures
of men of all ranks, of all political parties, and of different
religious denominations. The names of many Roman Catholics, both clergy
and laity, will be found attached to it.
The deep interest manifested by all classes in the subject of the
Memorial, as well as its transcendent importance, will, I sincerely
hope, secure for it an attentive consideration.
While the minds of a people, who have for many ages been crushed and
trodden under foot by all nations, are fixed with intense anxiety on
the measures which Her Majesty’s Government may now adopt for their
relief, multitudes of Christians, both at home and abroad, are watching
with intense interest the issue of our recent victories in Syria. The
tide of popular feeling also throughout the civilized world is now
turned in favour of the Jews, and nothing perhaps would tend more
strongly to secure our national tranquillity, heal divisions at home,
and unite men of all parties, than the adoption of vigorous measures
for the benefit of ancient Israel.
I pray your lordship to forgive these remarks, and to bear with me
while I add, that perhaps the very existence of our country depends
upon the manner in which the people of God are now treated by us. The
supreme Governor of Heaven and Earth has, by the prophet Isaiah (chap.
xxix. 7 and 8), passed a sweeping and universal sentence which must
operate with as unerring certainty as any of the ordinary laws of
nature. The total disappearance from the map of the world of many of
the most famous nations of antiquity――of Assyria, Babylon, Idumea,
etc., form the most impressive commentary on these awful words. It
is unnecessary to remind your lordship that England is implicated
in this capital offence of plundering, banishing, and massacring the
unresisting and often unoffending Jews, as it is indelibly engraven
on the page of her history. By what means we are to escape the
irreversible decree of Jehovah I know not, if not by manifesting
repentance for the cruel deeds of our ancestors, and by employing every
means now within our reach to render them kindness in return for the
miseries formerly visited upon them.
We hope that God has raised your lordship to your present exalted
station for such a time as this, and pray that He may honour you,
by making you an instrument of breaking the chains which have long
bound the land of His people, and that He may incline the heart of our
Sovereign and of Her Government to extend the wings of their protection
over that people from whom all our highest blessings and privileges
have come.
“Blessed shall those be who bless Israel, and cursed shall those be who
curse her.”
I am,
My Lord,
With much respect,
Your lordship’s obedient and humble servant,
(_Signed_) WARRAIN CARLILE,
Minister of the Scots’ Church, Carlow.
* * * * *
To LORD PALMERSTON,
Her Majesty’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
_Foreign Office_,
_March 8th, 1841_.
SIR,
I am directed by Viscount Palmerston to request that you will acquaint
the Parties resident at Carlow and in its vicinity who signed the
Memorial transmitted to His Lordship from Carlow on the 2nd of this
month, praying for the intervention of Her Majesty’s Government in
favour of the Jews who may be settled in Palestine or who may desire
to return there, that His Lordship has duly received their Memorial,
and desires to assure them that the interesting subject to which it
relates has not escaped the attention of Her Majesty’s Government, who
have made and are still making endeavours which they trust will not
be altogether without success, to obtain for such Jews as may wish to
settle in Palestine, full security for their persons and property.
THE DEAN OF LEIGHTON
and the Petitioners from Carlow.
* * * * *
CARLOW,
_March 2, 1841_.
To the Right Honourable
LORD PALMERSTON,
Her Majesty’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs
The Humble Memorial of the Undersigned Inhabitants
of Carlow and its Vicinity.
Your Memorialists take the liberty of presenting the following
statement to your Lordship in consequence of the success which the
Almighty has lately been pleased to grant to Her Majesty’s Arms in
Syria, and the peculiar position in which he has placed the British
Government with respect to the Jews: and they feel the more encouraged
to do it from the deep interest which your Lordship has already shown
in the Welfare of that people.
Your Lordship must be fully aware of the unparalleled sufferings which
the Jews have for Ages endured in the Land of their Fathers; and as
that Land has recently in the providence of God, been thrown in some
degree under British Power, Your Memorialists earnestly entreat that
Her Majesty’s Government may employ their present Commanding influence
to shield the unresisting Jews from further persecution, and to ensure
for them complete protection.
Your Memorialists feel much confidence in pressing upon Your Lordship’s
attention the claims of this much neglected people; for from whom could
they better expect a prompt and vigorous attention to these claims,
than from a Government which has already exerted itself so nobly in
the cause of Humanity and has set an example worthy the imitation of
the World in abolishing Slavery and in extending protection to the
oppressed.
Your Memorialists beg leave further to remind Your Lordship that the
Land of Palestine was bestowed by the Sovereign of the Universe upon
the descendants of Abraham as a permanent and inalienable possession
nearly 4000 Years ago, and that neither conquests nor treaties among
men can possibly affect their Title to it. He has also decreed that
they shall again return to their Country and that the Gentiles shall
be employed as the means of their restoration. “For thus saith the
Lord God, Behold I will lift up mine Hand to the Gentiles and set
up my Standard to the people, and they shall bring thy sons in their
Arms, and thy Daughters shall be carried upon their Shoulders, and
Kings shall be thy Nursing Fathers and their Queens thy Nursing
Mothers” (Isah. xlix.). Happy shall those be who shall be employed in
accomplishing God’s purposes of Mercy to His Ancient People, for “They
shall prosper who love Zion.” The honour and Happiness to be thus
attained appear now to be within our reach, and indeed to be offered
for our acceptance. It is foretold also that the Ships of Tarshish
shall be first employed in conducting the dispersed Tribes of Israel
to their Home; and who are more likely to be employed in this Service,
or could more easily accomplish it, than the Nation whose Fleets have
been long engaged in protecting and succouring the Wretched, and which
have access to most of the Countries where Jews are to be found!
That the promises of Jehovah shall be accomplished by some Gentile
Nation, is absolutely certain; and everything appears to indicate their
speedy fulfilment; and it remains now to be seen whether Her Majesty’s
Government is to be the chosen instrument in accomplishing this blessed
Work (as Cyrus the Great King of Persia was in ancient times) or
whether the Honour and Consequent prosperity are to be Conferred on
some other Maritime power.
Your Memorialists cannot conclude without reminding Your Lordship that
our own fate as a nation depends upon the manner in which we treat the
Jews, for the irreversible decree of Heaven is “The Nation or Kingdom
that will not serve Israel shall perish, Yea those Nations shall be
utterly consumed.”
Your Memorialists therefore pray Your Lordship to adopt such measures
as may appear to You best to secure full protection to the Jews in
their own Country, also to afford them assistance in gaining possession
of their Land, either by purchase or otherwise, and to afford
facilities to all who may be disposed to return to their inheritance.
And Your Memorialists will ever pray, etc.
V. (vol. i., p. 119)
“... Sir Moses called on Colonel Campbell, but he had to wait some
time before seeing him, as the Colonel was with the Pasha.¹ The Colonel
willingly consented to introduce Sir Moses to Boghoz Bey,² and fixed
four o’clock for the purpose. Colonel Campbell said he would call for
Sir Moses, and bring one of his horses for him.
¹ Mehemet Ali.
² Father of Boghoz Pasha, President of the Armenian National
Council in Paris, 1919. See _p._ 116.
“The Colonel was punctual, and we rode together to the residence
of Boghoz Bey. Sir Moses gave him three requests in writing, and he
promised to lay them before Mohammad Ali and explain them to him. The
Bey appeared well inclined to forward his requests, and offered to
present him to the Pasha either the same evening or the next morning....
“Boghoz Bey, the Pasha’s Minister of Commerce, had read over and
explained my requests to him on the previous evening, that he might
be fully aware of the object of my visit to him. Being anxious to have
Mohammad Ali’s answers in writing, which he said Boghoz Bey should give
me, as he had been present at our interview, I called on the Bey, but
he had not returned from the Palace.
“Between four and five I walked there with Dr. Loewe. Boghoz Bey
received me most politely, and said as I had not put my signature to
the written requests, he could not give me an answer in writing, but he
hoped I was perfectly satisfied with what Mohammad Ali had promised me
this morning. He added that as soon as I had made my several requests
in writing, and signed them, he would write me the answer, agreeably
with the Pasha’s words, as he had accorded me all I required.
“I thanked him, and immediately after the conclusion of Sabbuth I wrote,
and sent the several requests to Boghoz Bey, properly signed in the
form of letters....”¹
¹ Diaries of Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore.... Edited by Dr.
L. Loewe, ... vol. i. London ... 1890. _pp._ 198‒200.
VI. (vol. i., p. 138)
In 1849 Colonel George Gawler accepted an invitation from Sir Moses
Montefiore to accompany him――together with Lady Montefiore――on a tour
through the Holy Land. It was arranged that they should leave England
about the 20th of April. They were, however, delayed three weeks by the
illness of Lady Montefiore. Gawler himself was not disappointed at the
delay, as he was hard at work studying Hebrew and Arabic, preparatory
for the tour. Eventually they started on May the 15th, and arrived at
Jerusalem on July 28th.¹
¹ _George Gawler, K.H._, by C. W. N. London, 1900, p. 56.
An enthusiastic Christian Zionist, Gawler was at the same time a
strong advocate of Jewish emancipation which was to him a duty of
justice, because: “First, it would be part payment of a heavy debt of
retribution that England owes to the Hebrew race for bygone centuries
of cruelty and oppression. Westminster Abbey itself was rebuilt by
money extorted from the Jews (Maddox’s _History of the Exchequer_, and
Hunter’s _History of London_). And, secondly, it would _be taking a
part_, which is to the honour and interest of the British Nation to
perform, in assisting the great movement of deliverance from oppression
and bondage that for many years past has been in operation throughout
the whole civilized world, in behalf of the Ancient People of God.”¹
¹ _The Emancipation of the Jews_, by Col. G. Gawler. London,
1847, Preface.
VII. (vol. i., p. 139)
The Rev. Alex. B. C. Dallas (1791‒1869), author of several works, said
in a lecture in 1845: ... “The first object is the time when Jerusalem
is to be safely inhabited by the people of Judah, as of old. This we
learn from Zechariah (XII. 6 and XIV. 11), and from all the prophets.
If then the western Jews of Europe were to be placed under some
political arrangement, with an independent jurisdiction over the city
and suburbs alone, that prophecy would be fulfilled” (_Present Times
and Future Prospects_, Rev. W. R. Fremantle. London, 1845, p. 116).
The Rev. W. R. Fremantle (1781‒1859), the editor of this volume and a
priest of great learning, dealing with the same subject, remarked: “It
has been thought that if cabinets of Europe only agree upon some terms,
and draw up a treaty for the restoration of the Jews to Palestine, the
whole matter would be speedily arranged. But if the position which our
subject holds in the coming future be correctly stated, then are there
many steps in this work of restoration. The first is evidently partial
and preparatory” (_Ibid._, pp. 253‒4).
The Rev. Williams Cadman said in the same series of lectures: “When the
storm is passed, Israel shall be found in peaceful and quiet possession.
The desolate land shall be tilled; the ruined places shall be built,
and the waste cities become fenced, and be inhabited, and filled with
flocks of men” (_Ibid._, pp. 303‒4).
In a Paper¹ read before the British Association of Science at Aberdeen,
September 16th, 1859, by Major Scott Philipps, on the Resettlement
of the Seed of Abraham in Syria and Arabia, it was shown that the
small portion they have hitherto possessed, by no means comprises the
whole grant of country given to Abraham, but that the whole of Arabia
Felix is included in that grant. Their full inheritance is given in
Deuteronomy xi. 24: ‘Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall
tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river,
the River Euphrates even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.’
¹ This paper has recently been reprinted.
“Now rule a line from the northern roots of Lebanon to the southern
roots of Sinai, and will not a perpendicular thereto point out the
uttermost sea to be the East Sea, or Sea of Oman? And the uttermost
sea opposite the River Euphrates, is it not the Red Sea?
“Thus the Euphrates, the Mediterranean, the Nile, and the Red Sea are
proved to be the boundaries of the Promised Land.”
The Rev. Jacob H. Brooke Mountain wrote in a letter published by Miss
Rosa Rame (_The Restoration of the Jews_, etc., dedicated to the Earl
of Shaftesbury. London, 1860):――
“There was a time, when the Duke of Wellington was at the head of
affairs, when the Navy of England was absolute on the ocean, and her
military glory at its height, and when the Jews would thankfully have
paid the whole expense of the expedition, that they might have been
put in possession of their own country. And England would have become
the first of the nations in Europe――our influence over Turkey, Greece
and Egypt rendered paramount――and a devoted ally attached to us. The
opportunity was lost; if it is ever vouchsafed to us again, I fervently
pray that we may embrace it with zeal and alacrity. The time may yet
come, if England has grace to use it.”
VIII. (vol. i., p. 152)
The clause as it is to be found in the General Treaty between Great
Britain, Austria, France, Prussia, Russia, Sardinia and Turkey, signed
at Paris, March 30th, 1856, runs as follows:――
“M.T.Maj. the Sultan having in his constant solicitude for the welfare
of his subjects, issued a Firman which, while ameliorating their
condition without distinction of religion or of race, records his
generous intentions towards the Christian population of his Empire,”
etc. It is quite clear that the principle was “without distinction of
religion or race,” and that the grant of rights to the Christians is
only an application of a general principle in a special case.
In the second Protocol of the Conference of the 30th of August, 1860,
at Paris, signed by Metternich, Thouvenel, Cowley, Reuss, Kisseleff and
Ahmed Vefik, where the autonomy of the Lebanon was decided, reference
is made again to this paragraph:――
“Neanmoins ils ne peuvent s’empêcher, en rappelant ici les actes emanes
de Sa Majesté la Sultan dont l’article 9 du traité du 30 mars, 1856,
a constate la haute valeur,” etc. (_Recueil des Traités de la Porte
Ottoman_, 1884, T. 6, p. 45).
IX. (vol. i., p. 160)
It is noteworthy that Palestinian rabbis recognized the activity of
the English Consul. James Finn was, indeed, an English pioneer of the
idea of the colonization of Palestine and of England’s protection of
Palestinian Jews. He was appointed Consul before the death of Bishop
Alexander (who was a converted Jew and the first Bishop appointed by
the English Government in Jerusalem), in 1848, and the chief reason
for his appointment was his known love of the Jewish cause. He was at
the time a member of the London Society’s Committee, had published an
interesting and learned work on the History of the Spanish Jews, as
well as a book upon the Chinese Jews, had devoted himself with great
zeal and rare success to the study of Hebrew, which he spoke and wrote
with fluency, and was considered on this account to be particularly
well qualified for the post of Consul at Jerusalem (another proof of
the great appreciation of the National Jewish character of Palestine
on the part of the British Government at that time). Finn went out as
a devoted friend to the Jewish cause, and as such he proved himself.
Though an ardent Christian, he won the sympathy of the most orthodox
Jerusalem rabbis, and their moral support for the colonization of
Palestine. He was the son-in-law of Alexander McCaul, a distinguished
Christian Hebraist who devoted the greater part of his active life to
missionary work among the Jews. When the Bishopric of Jerusalem was
established in 1842, under the joint protection of the Queen of England
and the King of Prussia, McCaul was the first to be offered the See.
“By desire of the King of Prussia, and with the hearty concurrence
of the heads of the Church, the bishopric in Jerusalem was tendered
to Dr. McCaul, the worthiest, perhaps, of all the Gentiles for that
high honour. He demanded, however, but short time for deliberation and
refusal, declaring his firm belief that the Episcopate of St. James
was reserved, in the providence of God, for the brethren of the apostle
according to the flesh.”¹ Bishop Alexander was thereupon offered and
accepted the trust.
¹ _Jewish Intelligence_, June, 1842, p. 207.
X. (vol. i., p. 194)
Zionism is not merely an economic, but also, and perhaps primarily,
a spiritual movement. The Jewish people must be able to live in
accordance with the requirements of its soul in Palestine. Economically
it could perhaps live equally well elsewhere, but spiritually only
in its own historical and actual home. No people on earth have so
highly valued the spiritual as the Jews. The ever-recurring _motif_
of the _Thora_ (the Law) is the most striking proof of this conception.
The spiritual capacity of a people is not its all, but certainly
its highest possession. For this constituent complements all other
possessions and ennobles every other interest. Traditions are of high
standing, but ignorance and superstition cause otherwise good and great
traditions to become forces which, instead of working for good, only
interfere as disturbing, thwarting and perplexing elements in the
activities of life.
“The ignorant cannot be pious” was a good old saying of the ancients,
but of the impious learned ones, on the contrary, the saying was:
“May they but cherish the Law, for the light of the Law will turn them
towards the good.” Man must not, of course, regard learning as the
goal, but without knowledge his life and existence are blind; only in
the light of cognition can the traditions of a people assume the best
possible form. Historical reminiscences are of the greatest importance
for the consciousness of the people, but even they shrink into pitiful
narrowness if the breadth of outlook upon life be wanting. In any case
the fundamentally good is only sanctified when the pursuit of learning
has widened the horizon of everything human, and has taught the art of
building up with the best materials out of the past in harmony with the
present. This is the universal function of learning, and in comparison
with this sphere of action all other superficial functions sink into
mere activities which only acquire value through learning.
This fundamental idea, upon which the whole of Judaism is based, may be
illustrated from another aspect. When the Seventy Elders had translated
the Pentateuch into Greek, which was the most cultured language of
Antiquity, the learned ones complained and even went so far as to
assert in a paradoxical sentence: “The day on which this happened is
like unto the days of woe at the time of the destruction of the Temple.”
We have only succeeded by degrees in grasping the deep truth of this
sentence. Translation, generalization, localization may be necessary
in the Dispersion. But one must not be deceived: only that which is
written in the original tongue of the people is genuinely national. The
Law of the Jewish nation can only be preserved in all its originality
in the language of that nation.
That the _Shechinah_ (the glory of God) should languish in exile,
that the _Thora_ should have to share the hard fate of its bearers,
condemned to wander from place to place in foreign lands, seemed to
many a mystical idea. But, in reality, this idea is but an expression
of the conscious need or longing for the old home. There is not the
slightest trace of mysticism in this: it is a clear and illuminating
thought. Learning must, in order to be disseminated and perpetuated
among the successive generations, have some kind of institution
available for the purpose of an adequate interchange of ideas. For the
purposes of the formation of scientific, professional classes, for the
development of an organized system of education, for the vitalization
of the language, for the purpose of entering into relation with natural
surroundings, it is necessary to presume a whole series of cultural
precedents, which would probably be for the greater part of a practical
nature. Not until these conditions have been created will national
Jewish culture, ancient but ever young, appear in all its glory. In the
Dispersion there are, unfortunately, but a few who are able, through
the power of intuition, to realize the sublimity and depth of a chapter
from the Hebrew prophetic scriptures. They have preserved the Jewish
spirit, partly through atavism, and partly through tradition and long
study. But no outsider can experience the same feeling towards the
Hebrew bible as a Palestinian Jew. No one else either can rightly
understand a “Mishna” of the “Seder Z’raïm,” the part which treats of
the Palestinian flora, in spite of the most ingenious commentaries.
In the Ghetto, they only extract from the _Thora_ that for which the
Ghetto possesses understanding――the disputations concerning business
(_Dine momonoth_) or the Dietary Laws, and the laws concerning the
sabbath and the festivals. The _Thora_ in its entirety can only be
revived in Palestine. The Dispersion only possesses fragments of an
ancient national culture, which are, in every country, differently
valued, and vague remembrances and surmises of the nature of a national
feeling.
It stands to reason that a real national feeling can only develop in
Palestine. There this feeling would become what it is among all other
sound, healthy and civilized peoples: the joyful consciousness of
belonging to a nation that in life, customs and language bears the
impress of an ancient and yet new culture. It is in this and not in
the superficialities of a state that the centre of gravity of Zionist
efforts consists. What Zionists want is to find in the historical
fatherland the conditions requisite for the untrammelled development
of a Jewish nation. Zionism is in its deepest sense a product of Jewish
national consciousness.
What actually is national consciousness? National consciousness, a
product of a national common consciousness and of an historically
conditioned feeling of unity, is not based upon a single undertaking
by a single group of men, or of a single impulse in the history
of this group, but upon a certain inborn cultural value of a given
people. National consciousness thus expresses this value as a peculiar
embodiment of the human soul, which, during the course of special
lives enriches humanity so that the right is claimed for the nation
in question to safeguard its existence and to develop according to
its own individuality within the world of nations. This consciousness
is capable of a very varied development in strength, formation and
tendency. It manifests itself in the joy felt in the preservation of
its own national characteristics, in the promotion of its fitness, in
the relation of the efficiency of the individual to the welfare of the
whole, and in the willingness to sacrifice for the good of the whole
people. This consciousness possesses, besides, certain specific aspects
which are peculiar to the one nation more than to any other. It must
possess these specific aspects or else it would be nothing more than
an imitation or a continuation of its antithesis: assimilation.
Consequently a Jewish national consciousness must likewise lay emphasis
upon the specific aspects which are of a spiritual nature. The Jewish
people is essentially neither ambitious of domination, nor bent on
proselytizing, neither adventurous nor aggressive; it is a people
eminently endowed intellectually that wishes to enjoy the blessings of
peace. Some of the immoral backwaters of the national consciousness are
national pride, presumption, blindness to the qualities and efficiency
of foreigners, malicious envy, lust of domination, ill-will. The
Jewish people is sufficiently safeguarded against such failings by its
spiritual endowment.
XI. (vol. i., p. 205)
Dr. Chas. F. Zimpel published in 1865 an _Appel à la société Chrétienne
toute entière ainsi qu’aux Israelites, pour la déliverance de
Jerusalem_ (Frankfort-on-the-Main) in which he gave a description of
the deplorable conditions in Palestine, and appealed to Christians and
Jews to establish a new order of things in that country. He referred to
the ideas of Napoleon I., and mentioned a statement that Napoleon III.
made some definite promises in this matter: “Que S.M. Napoleon III.
en ait le pressentiment ou la conviction, il est certain que, d’après
ce qui m’a été communiqué, il a donné, il y a environ trois ans ... sa
parole de travailler dans ce but” (p. 12). This statement is evidently
related to the propaganda of M. Dunant, which was much stimulated
by the beginning of the work on the Suez Canal. Earlier, in 1852,
Zimpel had published a pamphlet, _Die Israeliten in Jerusalem_
(Stuttgart, 1852), in which he appealed to his readers for support
of the agricultural Jewish settlement established by the Americans in
the neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Zimpel, who declared himself to be a
Christian, contributed five hundred florins. He mentioned among the
promoters of the idea the American Dr. J. T. Barclay, and a prominent
Jerusalemite, John Meshullam. About Meshullam, who was a baptized Jew,
born in London, who had had an adventurous career, a part of which was
spent in the service of Lord Byron, some interesting particulars are
given, under date 20th March, 1852, in _The Sabbath Recorder_ of New
York, No. 413, of the 20th of May, 1852. This paper quotes an extract
from a journal of Mr. C. S. Minor, an American (Christian) gentleman,
who was associated with Meshullam in his agricultural settlement at
Bethlehem:
“Through a recent petition of the Turkish Effendis of Jerusalem, the
Sultan has lately sent him (Meshullam) an offer of the site of the
ancient Cæsarea and its fertile vicinity, if he will undertake and
superintend its rebuilding and cultivation. This is greatly surprising
and important, as Cæsarea has the most lovely and easily rebuilt
ruins in Palestine, and is a point of great commercial importance and
entrance to the whole land, and was formerly the chosen port of the
Romans. This he declines from his love to Jerusalem and his suffering
brethren within its walls.”
Meshullam is again mentioned in Colonel George Gawler’s book, _Syria_,
etc. (London, 1853, p. 78): “Some have supposed that the Hebrew people
are at present unfitted for field or garden work. Such as think this
cannot have witnessed Hebrew labourers, aye, and Hebrew Rabbis, at work
in Mr. Meshullam’s farm at Urtan.”
XII. (vol. i., p. 216)
In the year 1884 the delegates of the _Chovevé Zion_ Unions, mostly
from Russia, met in conference at Kattowitz in Silesia, close to
the Russo-Polish frontier. A _Bne-Brith_ Union had formerly been
founded there which had for its object: “To afford moral and material
support for the foundation of colonies, to Jews undergoing religious
persecution.” The words “In Palestine” were only introduced later.
But in the appeal which this Union had circulated in 1882, Palestine
was expressly mentioned as the future home of the Jewish nation, and
the national future of the Jewish community was exalted with every
conceivable distinctness. In this appeal Palestine was opposed to
America, towards which the main stream of emigration was flowing, and
was represented as a suitable land of immigration on account of all the
reasons which it is usual to adduce: the low cost of the journey, the
value of the concentration of Jewish masses upon common territory; the
country’s fertility, among others. The president of this _Bne-Brith_
Lodge, M. Moses, was known as a zealous _Chovev Zion_. This
circumstance, and the proximity of the town to the Russo-Polish
frontier, were the reasons for its selection for the Conference.
The Conference had elected a central committee, whose seat should
originally have been in Berlin, but it turned out differently. Odessa
remained the centre of the Friends of Zion. It also determined that
henceforward a better administration of the funds was to be carried
through. An attempt was to be made to obtain the recognition of the
Society by the Russian Government; the position of the colonization
was to be tested on the spot, and it was only then to be determined
which colonies were to be supported. New foundations were not to be
considered in the meantime. Finally, a delegation was to be sent to the
Turkish Government to effect the removal of the difficulties standing
in the way of Jewish colonization in Palestine. Although, as had been
foreseen, it was not yet possible to gather all the threads into one
hand, the organizing thought and a Zionistic programme were proclaimed
here for the first time. The newly founded institution was given
the name “Maskereth Moshe,” or “Montefiore Foundation for Supporting
Colonies of the Holy Land,” so named in remembrance of Montefiore,
whose hundreth birthday had been celebrated with widespread enthusiasm,
especially in Russia. Through the sale of Montefiore pictures, the
first common fund, 40,000 roubles, had been raised.
The Conference had no great real success. In spite of the propaganda
undertaken by the central committee the movement came to a standstill.
Already, in 1887, a Conference was arranged at Drusgenik, Russia,
whose practical result differed but little from that of Kattowitz.
It was decided to support certain colonies, and an office was set up
in Palestine from which the negotiations with the Turkish Government
were to be conducted and the land purchases controlled. Though this
Conference was followed by a certain increase of the propaganda, the
undertaking on the whole was in such a bad way, partly on account
of the distressing condition of the Palestine colonies, that Pinsker
finally resigned. Not till the Conference at Wilna was a change brought
about, and when, in 1890, in consequence of the endeavours of the
tenacious and energetic friend of Zion――M. Zederbaum――the authorization
of the Russian Government had been obtained, the first general
meeting of the Odessa Committee, “The Society for Supporting Jewish
Agriculturists in Syria and Palestine” (as it called itself), was
held, and Pinsker assumed again the leadership of the movement. At this
point begins the really extensive activity of _Chovevé Zion_, chiefly
in Russia, although there were _Chovevé Zion_ Unions in nearly every
country, even in America. At the beginning of the last decade of the
nineteenth century the organization had reached its culminating point
of activity. But the formal foundation of this committee had taken
place at Kattowitz.
The Kattowitz Conference was, as Pinsker said, only a small beginning.
But still it was a beginning. It created a principle and a method
which only prevailed later. The insignificant real importance of the
Conference is not inconsistent with its great historic significance.
Result did not follow immediately upon this event, but the historian
must trace back all the recent development of the Zionist idea to that
date, because for the first time in a Jewish assembly the new spirit
assumed shape and expression. Thus in the end history must consider
the Kattowitz Conference as the seed out of which first of all a tender
plant grew, but which, after wearisome development, spread out into a
tree beneath whose shade Israel will some day find repose.
XIII. (vol. i., p. 276)
In the year 1840, Luzzatto wrote to Jost: “... and when at last, oh,
Jewish scholars of Germany will the Lord open your eyes? How long
will you refuse to see how wrongly you act by following the crowd,
extinguishing national pride, allowing the language of our forefathers
to fall into oblivion and letting Hellenism (Atticism) grow up in
our midst? As long as you allow your brethren to persevere in the
delusion that the ideal of perfection is nothing else than imitation of
neighbours and the consideration gained therefrom; as long as you will
not have attained enough self-consciousness to instruct the people out
of full zeal for God, truth and Jewish confraternity to uphold that
the greatest good is not anything visible but that which is felt deep
within the heart, that the happiness of our nation is not dependent on
emancipation but on our love to one another, on our holding together
in brotherly union, and that this feeling of correlation is gradually
dwindling as a result of emancipation; as long as you maintain that
emancipation countries are paradisaic countries for the Jews, the
saying of the prophet Malachi will necessarily apply to you:
“‘Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the
people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in
the law.’”
In a letter of the year 1855, Luzzatto writes to one of his disciples:
“Your Hebrew letter gave me real pleasure.... Honour be to you for
wishing to accustom yourself to write and speak Hebrew. For the
language of our ancestors is the bond which links together the sons of
the Jewish nation who are scattered all over the world, and it is that
which conjoins all generations, and brings us nearer our ancestors as
well as the generations which will come after us.”
On another occasion Luzzatto expressed himself on the idea of a Jewish
mission in the Diaspora: “These are indeed words which charm the ear
flatteringly, but in fact they are just empty phrases. The Bible has
already been propagated among peoples for many generations, and gains
in diffusion from day to day without Jewish assistance. Now, if the
propagation of the Bible within a space of time of eighteen hundred
years has not brought humanity perceptibly nearer perfection, what
can the Jews contribute thereto, especially those who do not believe
in the divinity of the _Thora_? But apart from the fact that, as I
have expounded, it is a delusion to believe that the only purpose
of existence of Judaism is to lead humanity towards perfection, as
the author (Philipsohn) and his adherents believe, it is also a vain
delusion to think that humanity will ever reach the state of perfection
which the author describes in his writings.”
When Luzzatto heard, in the year 1854, that Albert Cohn, of Paris, was
going to Palestine, he wrote to him:――
“Only unthinking people can suggest that Jewish children should be
sent from Asia to large European cities to be brought up there, and
thus diffuse our culture among our brethren in Asia; that is heartless
egoism and unbelief, fine outer forms and inward corruption.”
“Judaism must be relieved of foreign pressure. The Jews of the Holy
Land must be provided with soil to till and means of exploitation. Care
must also be taken that their crops are not robbed by the Pashas and
Beduins. Then they will cultivate the soil as in the times of the Bible,
Mishna and Talmud. This cannot succeed in Jerusalem, since, as a place
of pilgrimage, it has become the abode of people who divest themselves
of all worldly cares and true social duties. Judaism has never built
cloisters for recluses and has never countenanced idleness. But is
it to be wondered at that whilst all nations from far and wide went
on pilgrimage to the Sepulchre, Jehuda Halevy, Nachmanides and other
devout men, after a life of strenuous toil, should have wished to
pay honour to the seat of holiness and to end their lives in saintly
seclusion? Jerusalem will necessarily remain a sacred city for all
peoples. Therefore, for the present, it cannot be regarded as a
possible capital of the country. Otherwise all Palestine should
be tilled and cultivated by the Jews, that it may flourish from an
agricultural and industrial point of view and arise again in its
old splendour. The main consideration is that no impediments should
be placed by the Government in the way of the free development of
Jewish industry. The Jews are known all over the world as particularly
industrious and capable. Why, then, should they be loungers in
Palestine? That they are so at present has two local reasons; the
one, the pressure of neighbouring nations and the negligence of the
administration, and the other the Indian as well as Mohammedan, but
not at all Jewish, conception of the holiness of inactive life. The
local pressure must be removed as far as possible. But we must rouse
our brethren to useful activity, urge them onwards in every way, and
breathe into them the spirit of a new life.”¹
¹ Prof. D. Kauffmann, _Correspondence of Samuel David Luzzatto_,
Dr. J. Klausner. Haschiloach, April, 1901.
XIV. (vol. i., p. 280)
The eloquent passion with which Bialik expresses the woe of the Jewish
people runs like a red thread through all his national poems; but it
reaches its climax in _The Poems of Wrath_――a series of these poems
written on the occasion of the Kishineff massacre in 1903. This series
above all other poems of his is the most terrible expression of the
national grief, despair and rage accumulated during the centuries of
persecution, and is a masterpiece of vigour and impetuosity.
XV. (vol. i., p. 280)
Achad Ha’am’s writings offer an abundance of instructive historiosophic
thoughts, mostly propounded in fragmentary, aphoristic form, which
point in their entirety to a common root and a uniform outlook and
system of ideas on the part of this thinker, and show the way thereto
to many a reader. The stimulus of his theories lies in the fact that
they have nearly always had a background of actuality. Achad Ha’am
is no historiosopher within the narrow meaning of the word; his aim
is primarily directed towards present-day problems of Judaism, but he
often seeks their solution in the past. Thence he traces the primordial
causes of what occupies us at present. This trait alone makes him
not only national, like nearly all authors of our present Hebraic
Renaissance period, but even more, it invests him with the sanction
of a learned Hebrew thinker and an inspired intellectual leader.
His methodology is philosophic and somewhat attuned to the Hegelian
dialectic of thought, and in this connection too, apart from the
community of national fundamental conception, it brings him close to
Nachman Krochmal. Evolution is the idea which chiefly directs him, and
psychology――particularly of human groups, parties and nations――appeals
most to his refined mind. In all his endeavours he affirms the fluidity
of the national character, and its adaptability under the pressure of
historio-cultural factors. But it is just on this account that he is so
firmly convinced of the necessity of Jewish individuality and its free
development. He perceives the essence of this individuality in Jewish
intellectual life, and he longs for a centre for it in Palestine.
Achad Ha’am expounded the essential Zionist idea long before the
Zionist Organization was established, but opposed some political
methods proposed by the Zionist Organization. He rejected the kind
of Zionism which had its adherents mostly in Western Europe, and is
inspired merely by anti-Semitism and its outrages, and he advocated
Zionism as an expression of Judaism, of Jewish feeling, of a revival of
the people by virtue of a great Jewish national idea――with a spiritual
centre in Palestine.
XVI. (vol. i., p. 313)
Jews may have native countries, the Jewish nation has none, and this
is its misfortune. The Jewish nation must again feel its own stretch of
earth under its feet, and draw new material and moral forces from the
native soil. But this must not be understood as if it were demanded
that all Jews should leave their present homesteads in order to
populate their chosen land. This is not what is meant. The Jewish idea
of nationality does not aim at uniting the Jews in one country or at
giving them a national status in their Dispersion, but at creating a
national centre for Judaism. A considerable part of the nation, which
will naturally be recruited first of all in the countries where Jewish
oppression is heaviest, is to settle upon the soil which is intended to
be the home of the Hebrew race. There it will win through agriculture
that attachment to the soil which preserves a country to a nation, and
it will find that bodily and moral welfare which must be the proper
aim of all Jewish aspirations. The advantages of such an eventuality,
also for those Jews remaining outside the national area and status,
are self-evident. The foremost attainment would be that the Jewish
population in the countries of European civilization would be
constantly maintained as to numbers, through periodic eliminations,
below that point of saturation, above which experience shows that the
Jews are no longer welcome. Naturally this would also bring about a
considerable relief to anti-Jewish tension, a decrease of the intensity
of the struggle for life of the Jewish masses, and also, possibly,
render easier the juridical equalization of the Jews in the countries
of greatest pressure.
In addition to these will come the effect of the development of the
Jewish land upon the Jews of other countries. The consciousness of the
existence of a living Jewish people possessing a country of its own,
a field of cheerful activity for sons at home, a refuge for sons from
afar, will also ennoble and elevate, fortify and temper the Jews of
the Diaspora. The curse of exciting ridicule, which makes misfortune
doubly hard to bear, will recede from them: their whole status among
the nations will become normal and healthy. The relations between
Jews and Gentiles which, for all assimilations and emancipations, and
notwithstanding all goodwill on both sides――why not admit it?――still
retain so much of what is forced and painful, will only then become
unconstrained and unaffected. Dislike of the Jews may possibly not
cease; but, at any rate, it will lose all justification for existing
in its peculiar shape and acuity. Should this dislike nevertheless
prevail, the importance of a centre will become all the more apparent.
The smallest national autonomous community has a seat and voice in
the concert of nations. A nation without national worth is a nation
outlawed. However pessimistic one may be with regard to the possibility
of a small national centre to exert any material political influence in
other countries, its moral authority is certain.
XVII. (vol. ii., p. 47)
The interest of Mr. C. P. Scott, Mr. H. Sidebotham, also of _The
Manchester Guardian_ but now of _The Times_, and other non-Jewish
friends in Manchester in the Zionist Movement led to the establishment
in that city, in the autumn of 1916, of the British Palestine Committee,
formed to further the establishment of a Jewish commonwealth in
Palestine, under British protection. In the words placed in the
forefront of its programme: “The British Palestine Committee seeks
to reset the ancient glories of the Jewish nation in the freedom of a
new British dominion in Palestine.” The activities of this Committee
have displayed themselves for the most part through its press organ,
_Palestine_, which, appearing weekly, supplies the influential public
among which it circulates with valuable information on all matters
relating to Palestine, and at the same time discusses all the phases of
international politics which touch upon the Palestine question in any
of its facets. In addition to _Palestine_ the Committee is responsible
for two publications, _England and Palestine_, by Mr. H. Sidebotham, in
which the author puts the case for a British mandateship, and _British
Projects for the Restoration of the Jews_, a pamphlet by Mr. Albert
M. Hyamson, wherein he sketches the attitude of British statesmen and
publicists towards the projected restoration of the Jews to Palestine
during the century and more that preceded the outbreak of the European
War of 1914.
XVIII. (vol. ii., p. 54)
In the earlier part of the year 1917, about the date of the opening
of the London Bureau of the Zionist Organization, the present writer,
being the only member of the Inner Actions Committee in England, felt
it desirable to give some definite status to those trusted supporters
of the Zionist cause to whose advice Dr. Weizmann and he were
continually informally having recourse. The constitution of the
Organization did not permit of any definite responsibility being
assigned to them. It was therefore possible to form only an Advisory
Committee, without any executive authority. The Political Committee
that came into existence at that time, and continued its existence
until the arrival in England of a number of the members of the Greater
Actions Committee enabled that constitutional Organization to resume
its functions, was composed originally of Ahad Ha’am, Mr. Leopold
Kessler, Mr. Joseph Cowen, Mr. Herbert Bentwich, Mr. Albert M. Hyamson,
Mr. Simon Marks (who acted as Honorary Secretary), Mr. Harry Sacher,
Mr. Israel Sieff, Mr. Leon Simon, two foreign Zionists――M. J. Ettinger,
of the Jewish National Fund, and M. S. Tolkowsky, of Rechoboth,
Palestine――who were temporarily resident in London, together with Dr.
Weizmann and the present writer as chairman.
♦CORRIGENDA
VOLUME I.
Page xxvii. Six lines from the bottom. _For_ “See the Chapter on
Zionism and the War” _substitute_ “See Volume II.,
pp. 1 ff.”
Page xl. Line 9. _Delete_ “Arthur,” _substitute_ “Albert.”
Line 22. _Delete_ “Moro,” _substitute_ “Morot.”
Line 23. _Delete_ “Andre,” _substitute_ “André.”
Five lines from the bottom. _For_ “Frederick”
_substitute_ “Frederic.”
Page 8. The last three lines of the note contain the title of
the Yiddish translation of “The Merchant of Venice.”
Page 12. Insert quotation marks (“) before “It” at opening of
last paragraph.
Page 23. Line 12. _For_ מרה _substitute_ מרא.
Page 26. Three lines from the end. _For_ “Gebirol” _substitute_
“Gabirol.”
Last line. _For_ “Kalonymus” _substitute_ “Kalonymos.”
Page 27. Line 1. _For_ “Kalonymus” _substitute_ Kalonymos.”
Page 35. Line 2. _Insert_ “shall” _at end of line_.
Page 59. Line 9. _After_ “Manuel” _insert_ “Noah.”
Page 82. Five lines from the end. _Omit_ “_de la Gironde_.”
Page 95. Note 2. _Transfer_ date “(1835‒1906)” _to end of
first line_.
Page 126. Line 5. _For_ “Reschid” _substitute_ “Reshid.”
Page 144. First note. _Delete second sentence. Substitute_ “He
appeared as a pseudo-messiah about the year 1160.”
Line 24, and second note. _Delete_ “1918.” Lord Morley
is fortunately still alive.
Page 182. The three lines from the end. _For_ “1826‒1887”
_substitute_ “1826‒1882.”
Page 193. Last line but one. _For_ שחטה _substitute_ שחטא.
Page 213. Line 18. _After_ “poet” _insert_ “and novelist.”
Page 222. Line 11. _For_ אמתי _substitute_ אימתי.
Page 235. Line 4. _For_ “hoards” _substitute_ “hordes.”
Page 254. Line 2. _For_ “Frederick” _substitute_ “Frederic.”
Page 257. Line 1. _After_ “Jockey Club” _insert_ “of Paris.”
Page 258. Line 13. _For_ “Petrograd” _substitute_ “St. Petersburg.”
Page 266. Line 3. _For_ “Uganda” _substitute_ “East African.”
Page 269. Line 22. _For_ “Bahar” _substitute_ “Behar.”
Page 275. Line 2 of note. _For_ “Hakalah” _substitute_
“Haskalah.”
Page 278. Line 22. _For_ “Petrograd” _substitute_ “St.
Petersburg.”
Page 280. Line 3. _For_ “Noach” _substitute_ “Nachman.”
Line 27. _For_ “Scernichowsky” _substitute_
“Tschernichowsky.”
Page 284. Line 22. _For_ “Shmarya” _substitute_ “Shemaryah.”
Line 24. _For_ “Viktor Jakobsohn” _substitute_
“Victor Jacobsohn.”
Page 292. Line 38. _For_ “Slouchz” _substitute_ “Slousch.”
Page 296. Line 15. _For_ “Jewish Territorial Association”
_substitute_ “Jewish Territorial Organization.”
Line 6 from the end. _For_ “Uganda in East Africa”
_substitute_ “British East Africa.”
Page 297. Last line. _For_ “Uganda” _substitute_ “British East
Africa.”
Page 302. First line of note. _For_ “Araber” _substitute_
“Arab et.”
Page 304. Paragraph 3, line 1. _For_ “the first” _substitute_
“an early.”
Paragraph 3, line 11. _For_ “invasion” _substitute_
“revolt.”
VOLUME II.
Page 44. Line 4. _For_ “Uganda” _substitute_ “a territory in
East Africa.”
Page 62. Line 4. _After_ “harmful” _insert_ “but he afterwards
withdrew his resignation.”
Mr. Gilbert did not resign from the Conjoint Committee,
of which he was not a member. He resigned his membership
of the Board of Deputies in order that the prospective
president, Sir Stuart Samuel, might be elected in his
place.
Line 24. _Omit_ “late.”
Page 80. Line 9. _For_ “judge” _substitute_ “justice.”
Line 24. _For_ “Shmaria” _substitute_ “Shemaryah.”
Page 82. Line 1. _For_ “Levin” _substitute_ “Lewin.”
Page 87. Line 4. _After_ “by any means” _insert_ “a desert.
But a little Jewish state in Palestine would serve as.”
Page 134. Line 18. _For_ “Levin” _substitute_ “Lewin.”
Page 140. Line 8 from the end. _For_ “Jewish Territorial
Association” _substitute_ “Jewish Territorial
Organization.”
Page 152. Line 3 from the end. _For_ “_Essalt_” _substitute_
“Es-Salt.”
Page 161. Line 4 from the end. _For_ “generations” _substitute_
“centuries.”
Page 215. Note 1. _After_ “Breslau” _insert_ “Jewish Theological.”
By a misunderstanding, words have in many instances in the first volume
and in the earlier half of the second volume of this work been printed
in italics quite unnecessarily. Chronological dates have also in some
instances been supplied where they have not been called for.
♦ All noted corrections have been made in the text. None of
the italicized words have been changed because a detailed
list was not given and some words may have been italicized
correctly.
CATALOGUE
OF THE
ENGRAVINGS, LITHOGRAPHS, PAINTINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, Etc.
From which the illustrations in this book have been taken.
=(Prepared by Mr. ISRAEL SOLOMONS).=
* * * * *
=★ Israel Solomons’ Collection. B.M. British Museum.=
_Sizes are in inches and refer exclusively to the
engraved surface._
* * * * *
=★ABOAB, Isaac [da Fonseca] de David.= (1605‒1693.)
=Doctissimo y Clarissimo Señor H. H. Yshack Aboab=
=Rabino del K. K. de Amsterdam.
Ydade sua 81 Anno 5446.=
חרות בְעט ברזל וְעופרת
.צורת תְמונת איש בעודו חי
יצחק לְיום אחרון בְכותרת
.לפני יְאָל י――עֳמד וחי
Aernout Naghtegael. Deling et fesit (_sic_).
(_Mezzotint Engraving_ 11 × 7.)¹ _p._ 44.
¹ This portrait, done seven years before his death, frequently
forms the frontispiece to “Parafrasis Comentado Sobre el
pentateucho por el illustrissimo Sʳ Ishac aboab. H. del K. K.
de amsterdam estampado en caza de Iaacob de cordova, 5441.”
(Folio. 3 _ll._ + 634 _pp._★)
A posthumous portrait executed in 1697 is to be found in
the Seminary _Ets Haim_ of the Portuguese Israelites at
Amsterdam (David de Raphael Montezinos Collection). It is
apparently unique, and was engraved in mezzotint by Jacob
ben Abraham, a convert to Judaism.
=ABRAHAM VITA de Cologna.=
=_See_ Cologna, Abraham Vita de.=
=ADAMS, John.= (1735‒1826.)
=His Excellency John Adams,
President of the United States of America.=
Respectfully dedicated to the Lovers of their Country and
Firm Supporters of its Constitution.
Drawn & Engrav’d by H. Houston.
Published by D. Kennedy, 288 Market St., Philadᵃ.
(_Line Engraving_ 11⅛ × 8¾. B.M.) _p._ 92.
=★ADLER, Nathan Marcus [Nathan ben Mordecai Hacohen].=
(1803‒1890.)
=Dr. Nathan Markus Adler Chief Rabbi.=
My flesh and my heart may fail
the rock of my heart my portion――God
will remain for ever.
_N. Adler._
(_Facsimile autograph._)
St. Blatt zum Album Jsraels herausgegeben v. A. B. Perlmann.
(_Lithograph_ 7 × 6½.) _p._ 268.
=ALLENBY, Edmund Henry Hynman.=
[=General Sir Edmund Henry Hynman=, G.C.B., G.C.M.G.,
=Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, Knight of Grace
of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem=.]
(_Photograph by H. Walter Barnett and Co., Ltd.,
12 Knightsbridge, S. W._) _p._ 84, ii.
=AVIGDOR, Elim Henry d’ [Adam de Solomon].= (1841‒1895.)
[=Elim Henry d’ Avigdor=, B.A., C.E.]
E. _d’_ A. [18]90.
(_Lithograph_ 7 × 6½.)¹ _p._ 234.
¹ Published in _Palestina_, The Chovevi Zion Quarterly,
No. 11 ... March, 1895.
=BALFOUR, Arthur James.=
[=The Right Honourable Arthur James Balfour=,
M.P., P.C., F.R.S., O.M., M.A., LL.D., D.C.L., F.R.S.]
(_Photograph by Olive Edis, F.R.P.S._) _p._ 82, ii.
=★BEN-ISRAEL, Manasseh de Joseph.= (1604‒1657.)
=Menasseh Ben Israel,
Theologvs Et Philosophvs Hebrævs
Peregrinando Qværimvs.=
Doctrina hic voluit, voluitque Modestia pingi.
An poterit vultus charta referre duos?
Hos oculos, hæc ora vide. Conuenit utrinque:
Ilia suos vultus dixit, & ilia suos.
D. I.
Ætatis Svæ Anno
Anno XXXVIII. Salom Italia. Sculpsit. MDCXLII.
(_Line Engraving_ 7⅜ × 5.)¹ _p._ 44.
¹ Manasseh’s portrait had been etched by his friend Rembrandt ★
in 1636, the copper plate being-subsequently converted
into a mezzotint ★; but this engraving by Salom de Mordecai
Italia, taken at the age of thirty-eight, was his favourite
portrait. It was this likeness he sent to Abraham von
Franckenberg, the Silesian mystic, as a token of his
friendship. (Bonum Nuncium Israeli [P. FELGENHAWER] ...
Amsterodami ... 1655. _p._ 92.)
At the upper left corner of the engraving is a small
vignette of a pilgrim with staff and water wallet, and at
the corner opposite is a lighted candle in a metal holder on
a shelf, alongside an open volume inscribed ♦נר דברך לרגלי (Psalm
cxix., 105). A similar design to the vignette was used as
the printer’s mark of several volumes from Manasseh’s press
with the motto “Apercebido Como Hv Romeiro.”
In the Hermitage at St. Petersburg a painting of an old
Rabbi by Rembrandt (1645) is suggested to be a portrait of
Manasseh, but this is extremely doubtful.
Of Salom Italia very little indeed is known. The only other
portrait he engraved was that of Haham Jacob Judah Aryeh de
Leon, who in 1641 completed a model of Solomon’s Temple. In
1885 J. L. Joachimsthal sold by auction at Amsterdam a מגילה
dated 1665, written and embellished with forty pen-and-ink
drawings, signed
יצרתיו אף עשיתיו שלום בכמר מרדכי מאיטאליאה זל פה אמשטירדם ט׳ לחדש אדר התך לפק
♦ The actual verse says: נר לרגלי דברך
=★BICHENO, James.= (1751‒1831.)
=Revd. J. Bicheno, Newbury.=
Theological Magazine.
Published by C. Taylor, 108, Hatton Garden, Octr. 1, 1809.
(_Stipple Engraving_ 3¾ × 3.) _p._ 92.
=BOSELLI, Paolo.=
[=His Excellency Paolo Boselli=,
=Order of Annunziata, President of the Order of
S. Maurizio and Lazzaro, Premier 1916‒1917.=]
(_Phototype._) _p._ 128, ii.
=BRIGHTMAN, Thomas.= (1562‒1607.)
=Mr. Brightman Etat: suæ: 45:=
Loe here A Brightman, Or A man of bright
Who that from darkeness brought this heauenly light
Thus shaddowed here turne ore and you shall see
Hee was A man was bright in prophecy.
Printed and are to be sould by Peter Stent at the Crowne in
guilt spur street.
(_Line Engraving_ 6⅜ × 4¾. B.M.)¹ _p._ 52.
¹ Frontispiece of “A Revelation of Mr. Brightman’s Revelation,
... 1641.”
=★BUENO (BONUS), Ephraim Hezekiah de Joseph.= (_ob._ 1665.)
=Dor. Ephraim Bonvs, Medicvs Hebrævs.=
Alter Avenzooar grandi sub judice magnus
in medicis, magni discipulus que patris.
Ioannes Lyvyus fecit. Iohannis de Ram Excud.
(_Etching_ 12 × 10½. _Seventh State._)¹ _p._ 44.
¹ The original from which this portrait is taken is unknown.
Dr. M. Kayserling in the Jewish Encyclopedia, 1902, vol.
iii., _p._ 422, erroneously attributes it to Rembrandt.
It was etched by a fellow pupil of his, Jan Lievens, who
probably was also the delineator. Rembrandt’s portraits of
Bueno at about the age of thirty-five are the celebrated
etching known as the “Jew Doctor,” 1647, and an oil-painting,
somewhat similar in style, head and bust only, but reversed,
probably done at the same time and now in the collection of
Baron de Six at Amsterdam. It has recently been etched by
William Steelink (signed artist’s proof on Japanese paper,
with the armorial bearings of the Baron de Six on the margin,
7½ × 6¼ ★ ), and also illustrates Kayserling’s biography
of Bueno in the Jewish Encyclopedia, _ibid._ It has been
suggested that a daughter of Bueno was the model for
Rembrandt’s etching “The Jewish Bride.” Bueno became a
Burgher of Amsterdam in 1651, and died on the 30 _Hesvan_
5426 = 8 Nov., 1665; and his wife Jeudit Buena i _Sivan_
5430 = 20 May, 1670.
=CAMBON, Jules-Martin.=
[=M. Jules-Martin Cambon,
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, Ambassador of France.=]
(_Photograph by Henri Manuel, Paris._) _p._ 128, ii.
=CHAMBERLAIN, Joseph.= (1836‒1913.)
[=The Right Honourable Joseph Chamberlain=,
P.C., LL.D., D.C.L., F.R.S., J.P., M.P.]
_(Photograph by the Stereoscopic Company, London_,
_3 Hanover Square, Regent Street, W._)
=CLEMENCEAU, Georges-Eugène-Benjamin.=
[=M. Georges-Eugène-Benjamin Clemenceau,
President of the Council.=]
(_Photograph by Henri Manuel, Paris._) _p._ 128, ii.
=★COHN, Albert [Abraham].= (1814‒1877.)
_Albert Cohn._
(_Facsimile autograph._)
“... Und mir dem Sohne Ahrons ist ein Vorrecht noch geblieben
das――zu segnen....”
(_Lithograph_ 6 × 6.)¹ _p._ 180.
¹ From “Beth-El.” Ehrentempel verdienter ungarischer
Israeliten. Von Ignaz Reich, Lehrer des hebr. Faches an
der isr. Normalhauptschule zu Pest. Zweites Heft (Mit zwei
Portraits), Pesth 1859. Druck von Alois Bucsánszky.
=★COLOGNA, Abraham Vita de= (1755‒1832.)
=Abraham de Cologna, né à Mantoue.
Chevalier de l’Ordre Royal de la Couronne de Fer.
Membre du Collège Electoral des Dotti du Royaume d’Italie.
Grand-Rabbin du Consistoire Central des Israélites
et du Consistoire de Turin.
Dedie Au Consistoire Central des Israélites.=
Dessiné d’apres nature par Marchand. Mariage Sculpt.
Déposé à la Bibliothèque Imperiale.
Se vend à Paris, chez l’Auteur, rue des Vieilles-Audriettes,
No. 6, au Marais.
(_Line and Stipple Engraving_ 7½ × 6¼.) _p._ 84.
=CONDER, Claude Reignier.= (1848‒1910.)
[=Colonel Claude Reignier Conder=,
D.C.L., LL.D., M.R.A.S., R.E.]
(_Photograph, copyright._)¹ _p._ 62.
¹ No portrait of Col. Conder has hitherto been published.
=★CRÉMIEUX, Isaac Moses Adolphe.= (1796‒1880.)
=Ad. Crémieux,
Advocat am königlichen Gerichtshofe zu Paris,
Vice Präsident des israelitischen Central Consistoriums
in Frankreich.
Avocat à la Cour royale de Paris,
vice president du Consistoire central des Israélitès français.=
Druck u. Verlag den Steindruckerei des H. Engel in Wien.
(_Lithograph_ 9¾ × 8¼.) _p._ 180.
=★DEUTZ, Emmanuel [Menachem].= (1763‒1842.)
=Mr. Emmanuel Deutz,
Grand Rabbin du Consistoire Central des Israélites de France.=
(_Lithograph_ 8¼ × 6⅝.) _p._ 84.
=★DISRAELI, Benjamin de Isaac.= (1804‒1881.)
=Benjamin Disraeli, Esquire=, M.P.
Painted by A. E. Chalon, R.A. Engraved by H. Robinson.
London, George Virtue.
(_Stipple Engraving_ 8¾ × 6¾. _Octagonal._)¹ _p._ 176.
¹ This engraving is the thirteenth in “Portraits of Eminent
Conservatives and Statesmen, with Genealogical and
Historical Memoirs. Second Series. London: George Virtue,
26 Ivy Lane.” [1841.] The original water-colour drawing
by Alfred Edward Chalon, R.A., was executed in 1840, when
Disraeli was thirty-six years of age. It is now at Hughenden
Manor, in the possession of his nephew, Major Coningsby
Ralph Disraeli.
=DUNANT, Jean Henri.= (1828‒1904.)
=[Johannes Heinrich Dunant.]=¹ _p._ 234.
¹ Die Welt, 29 Oct., 1897, No. 22, p. 7.
=★ELIASBERG, Mordecai ben Joseph.= (1850‒1898.)
הרב הגאון ה״ג ר׳ מרדכי עליאסבערג זצ״ל אב״ד דבייסק
(_Lithograph_ 4⅛ × 3½.)¹ _p._ 202.
¹ One of the portraits from:――
גאיני ישראל מזמנינו הידועים והמפורסמים בכל קצוי תבל
Published by A. Lipschitz, 41, Cheetham Hill Road,
Manchester, September, 1898. Copyright registered. Nachdruck
verboten.
=ELIOT, George [Mary Ann Cross, _née_ Evans].= (1819‒1880.)
=[George Eliot.]=
(_Photograph by the Stereoscopic Company, London_,
_3 Hanover Square, Regent Street, W._) _p._ 208.
=FINN, James.= (1806‒1872.)
[=James Finn,
Her Britannic Majesty’s Consul for Jerusalem and Palestine=,
M.R.A.S.]
(_Photograph by Macandrew, 44 Regent Circus, W._)¹ _p._ 208.
¹ No portrait of James Finn has hitherto been published.
=FUENN, Samuel Joseph.= (1819‒1891.)
=Samuel Joseph Fuenn.=¹
_p._ 217.
¹ Jewish Encyclopedia, 1903, vol. v., _p._ 526.
=★FURTADO, Abraham.= (1756‒1816.)
=Mr. Furtado de la Gironde,
President de l’Assemblée des Députés Français &
du Royaume d’Italie, Professant le Culte Mosaique 1806.=
Dessiné d’après nature par Mr. Lheman. Gravé par L. C. Ruotte.
A Paris chez l’Auteur Quai de l’Horloge du Paris près le Pont
Neuf No. 75.
Déposé à la Bibliothèque Imperiale.
(_Stipple Engraving_ 7¾ × 6.) _p._ 84.
=GEORGE, David Lloyd.=
=_See_ Lloyd George, David.=
=GOLDSMID, Albert Edward Williamson [Michael ben Aaron Halevi].=
(1846‒1904.)
[=Colonel Albert Edward Williamson Goldsmid=, M.V.O.]¹
_p._ 234.
¹ Die Welt, 16 Oct., 1903, No. 42, _p._ 10.
In Arab costume, when one of the members of the commission
of enquiry into the adaptability of El Arish in the Sinai
peninsula as a territory for Jewish colonization in 1898.
=GORDON, David ben Dob Baer.= (1826‒1886.)
ר׳ דוד גארדאן נולד בשנת תקצ״ב¹
_p._ 217.
Columns 1111 & 1112. ¹כנסת ישראל שנת תרמ״ו לפ״ק ווארשא
=★GOUGE, William.= (1578‒1653.)
=Dr. William Gouge,
Effigies Guil. Gouge S.S. Theologiæ Professor Qui Obiit Ano.=
{ Dui 1653. { Ministerij in } 46.
{ Ætatis. 79 { Black-fr. Lon. }
John Dunstall fe.
(_Etching_ 5¾ × 4⅜.) _p._ 52.
=★GOUGUENHEIM, Baruch.= (1752‒1842.)
=Baruch Gouguenheim,
Grand Rabbin de Nancy, Membre du Consistoire
du Grand Sanhédrin.=
צורת הרב מהו׳ ברוך גוגענהיים אבד דקונסיסטאריום דק״ק נאנסי׃
C. Pannetier fecit. Lith de C. Labouré à Nancy.
(_Lithograph_ 4¼ × 4⅛.)¹ _p._ 84.
¹ Rabbi at Phalsbourg, and a member of the _Sanhedrin_ convoked
by Napoleon. On the 14th of April, 1812, he was elected
Grand Rabbin de Nancy. His portrait after a lithograph by
Drouin appears in “Histoire de Nancy” par Chr. Pfister ...
Tome iii. ... Paris ... Nancy 1908, _p._ 336. He died on
the 7th October, 1842, aged 90; and on the 31st his funeral
oration was delivered at the Temple in Paris by his pupil
Grand Rabbin Marchand d’Ennery (1792‒1852). Another portrait
is a “Lith. de Simon fils à Strasbg. (7 × 6). ”★ Grand
Rabbin (adjoint) Israel Lévi of Paris is a distant relative.
=★GROTIUS, Hugo [Huig van Groot].= (1583‒1645.)
=Hugo Grotius.=
Engraved by I. Tookey, from a Copy by P. van Gunst.
(_Line Engraving_ 4⅝ × 4¾. _Oval._) _p._ 52.
=HERZL, Theodor.= (1860‒1904.)
[=Theodor Herzl.=]¹
(_Facsimile autograph._)
_Frontispiece_, vol. i.
¹ Die Welt, 28 July, 1904, No. 28 Supplement.
=HERZL, Theodor.= (1860‒1904.)
[בנימן זאב בן יעקב]
Leopold Pilichowski.
(_Oil Painting_ 100 × 50, _copyright_.) _p._ 263.
=HESS, Moses [Moritz].= (1812‒1875.)
=Moses Hess.=¹
Geb. 21, Jan. 1812. gest. 6 April, 1875.
_p._ 268.
¹ Ost und West ... 1904, column 584.
=HILDESHEIMER, Israel [Ezriel ben Löb].= (1820‒1899.)
=The late Dr. Israel Hildesheimer.=¹ _p._ 202.
¹ Jewish World, 30 June, 1899, _p._ 210.
=HIRSCH, Maurice (Moritz) de [Moses ben Joseph].= (1831‒1896.)
=The late Baron Hirsch.=
(_Photograph by Mayall and Co._)¹ _p._ 268.
¹ Illustrated London News, 25 April, 1896, _p._ 518.
=IGNATIUS, Father [Joseph Leycester Lyne].= (1837‒1908.)
[=Father Ignatius, O.S.B.=]
(_Photograph by W. and D. Downey, 61 Ebury Street,
London, S. W._) _p._ 234.
=★JESSEY (JACIE), Henry.= (1601‒1663.)
=The Revd. Henry Jessey.=
I. Caldwall sculp.
(_Line Engraving_ 4⅝ × 3½.) _p._ 52.
=KAHN, Zadok.= (1839‒1905.)
=[Zadok Kahn, Grand Rabbin de France.]=
J. F. Aktuaryus [18]95.
(_Pastel_ [_copyright_] 21 × 16¼.) _p._ 180.
=KALISCHER, Zebi Hirsch.= (1795‒1874.)
=Zebi Hirsch Kalischer.=¹
_p._ 202.
¹ Jewish Encyclopedia, 1904, vol. ii., _p._ 241.
=KITCHENER, Horatio Herbert.= (1850‒1916.)
[=Field Marshal Horatio Herbert,
1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum=,
K.G., K.P., G.C.B., O.M., G.C.S.I., G.C.M. G., G.C.I.E.,
D.C.L., LL.D.]
(_Photograph by the Stereoscopic Company, London,
3 Hanover Square, Regent Street, W._) _p._ 62.
=LAZARE, Bernard [Lazare Bernard]= (1865‒1903.)
=Bernard Lazare.=
Drawn from life by Paul Renouard.¹ _p._ 176.
¹ Graphic, 3 Dec., 1898.
=LAZARUS, Emma.= (1849‒1887.)
=_Emma Lazarus._=
(_Facsimile autograph._)
Engraved by T. Johnson. Photographed by W. Kurtz.
(_Wood Engraving_ 6¾ × 4⅞.)¹ _p._ 241.
¹ Century, October, 1888.
=★LEON (LEÃO) [TEMPLO], Jacob Judah Aryeh de Abraham de.=
1603‒1675 ?)
=Iaacob Ievda Leon Hebreo Ætat Svæ XXXVIIII.=
(_Line Engraving_ 7 × 5⅜.)¹ _p._ 44.
¹ This portrait is a brilliant specimen of the graver’s art,
but as it is a proof before the inscription to the lower
part, neither the name of the delineator nor the engraver
is known. The lettering round the portrait tells us that
“Iaacob Ievda Leon” was then thirty-nine years of age,
which would fix 1642 as the year it was done. Albert Wolf
(1841‒1907), in his article on “Die Portraits des Jakob
Jehuda Leone” (Monatschrift für Geschichte und Wissenchaft
des Judenthums ... Januar 1900 ... Berlin ... _pp._ 41‒43)
does not mention it. It is tentatively suggested that it is
the work of Salom Italia, whose well-known signed portrait★
(7 × 5³⁄₁₀) has the following legend encompassing it:――
_Effigies uiri doctissimi et clarissima Jacobi Yehudæ Leonis
Hebræi autoris Structuræ templi Salomonici facti anno 1641._
It is similar to the anonymous engraving, but here the ear
is almost entirely hidden by a lock of hair, and the large
lace-edged collar is replaced by a plain narrow one. In
addition the blank scroll below the portrait contains
illustrations inscribed “_Templo de Selomoh_” and
“_Tabernaculo de Moseh_.” It was re-engraved (6⁹⁄₁₀ × 4⁹⁄₁₀)
by Conrad Buno★ for John Saubert’s Latin version of Leon’s
“Temple of Solomon,” published at Helmstadt in 1665 and
at Altdorf in 1674. A very small engraving (4³⁄₁₀ × 3),
attributed to Jacob van Meurs, * was published in 1653:
“Effigies _viri Clarissimi Doctissimique_ Iacobi Iehudæ
Leonis Hebræi _structuræ tabernaculi Mosaici et templi
Salomonis auctoris Ætatis Anno 50_.” It is rarely met with.
=★LEVI, David ben Mordecai.= (1742‒1801.)
=David Levi.=
Painted by Drummond. Engraved by Bromley.
European Magazine.
Published by J. Sewell, Cornhill, June 1st, 1799.
(_Line Engraving_ 3⅞ × 2⅞.) _p._ 92.
=LILIENBLUM, Moses Löb.= (1843‒1910.)
.אנו צריכים לִחתִקיים־מפני שאנו קימים
.מ. ל. ליליניבלום
(_Collotype postcard._) _p._ 217.
=LLOYD GEORGE, David.=
[=The Right Honourable David Lloyd George=,
M.P., P.C., D.C.L.]
(_Photograph by Vandyke, London._) _p._ 132, ii.
=LOEWE, Louis [Eliezer ben Mordecai Halevi].= (1809‒1888.)
=Dr. L. Loewe=,
Mitglied der Königlichen asiatischen Gesellschaft von
Grossbritanien und Irland der asiatischen Gesellschaft zu Paris
so wie der heiligen Mission nach Damascus und Constantinopel;
Orientalist Seiner Königlichen Hoheit des Herzogs von Sussex
Verfasser des “The origin of the Egyptian language,” “Briefe aus
dem Orient,” and Uebersetzer des Efes Dammim.
אשרי ילדתו
משה הסיר חרפת עמו, אשריהו!
נלהם מלחמת אֵל, ואתה משנהו
הוא עשה חיל. ולו היית עזר
הכי נקרא שמך דמשק אליעזר¹
Nach der Natur gemalt v. d. Gebr. Henschel.
Lith. Jnst. v. L. Sachse & Co., Berlin.
(_Lithograph_ 8¾ × 8.) _p._ 268.
¹ Composed by Michael Josephs [Myer Königsberg] (1763‒1849),
Adar, 5601.
=LUZZATTO, Samuel David de Hezekiah.= (1800‒1865.)
=Samuel David Luzzatto.=¹
_p._ 176.
¹ Jewish Encyclopedia, 1904, vol. viii., _p._ 224.
=MANASSEH BEN-ISRAEL.=
=_See_ Ben-Israel.=
=MANDELSTAMM, Max [Emanuel] ben Ezekiel.= (1838‒1912.)
ד״ר מ. מאַנדעלשטאַם¹
(_Collotype postcard._) _p._ 234.
Verlag “Central¹ פערלאג־געזעל׳ש, צענטראל ווארשא ”.
=★MEYER, Jacob (Jaekel) ben Isaac Seckel [Mutzig].= (1740?‒1830.)
=Jacob Meyer=,
Grand Rabbin et President du Consistoire Israélite
du dept. du Bas-Rhin.¹
תמונת החכם הכולל כל בינה ומדע
הגאון הגדול כבוד שמו מהורר יעקב מאיר נר״ו
.א״ב״ד וראשון דקאנסיסטאריום דגליל התחתון רהין
Beyer ft. Litho: de G: Engelmann.
(_Lithograph_ 6½ × 5. _Oval._) _p._ 84.
¹ Son of Isaac Seckel Mutzig, a banker (Mutzig in Alsace,
Kreis Molsheim), and Guelche, daughter of Rabbi Samuel
Zanvil Weyl. He was a pupil of Rabbi Shlomoh Zalman Berlin,
and in his early days was Dayan at Rixheim, near Mülhausen.
For sixty years he was Grand Rabbin de Strasburg, twenty of
which he was President of the Consistory of Israelites for
the Department of the Lower Rhine. He was a member of the
_Sanhedrin_ convened by Napoleon, and the first Jew to be
decorated with the Legion of Honour.
Among the manuscripts mentioned in “Katalog der Hebräischen,
.... Handschriften der ... Bibliothek zu Strassburg ... von
Dr. S. Landauer ... Strassburg ... 1881,” p. 2, No. 4, is
one on the Calendar entitled יודעי העתים signed:――
[RAPPOLTSWEILER] יעקב המכונה יעקל בן הרר יצחק זעקל מוציק מרפשויר לע״ע דירתי פה
נידרהאגיטאהל
_p._ 7, No. 17, in the same catalogue, is an introduction to
“Dalâlat al-hâîrin” (מורה נבוכים) of Maimonides, entitled רוח חן ...
finished by Jaekel ben Saekel Mutzig, of Rappoltsweiler, in
the year 1761.
_p._ 4, No. 8, is a collection of miscellaneous notes, etc.
(1769‒1785) of Joseph Josel Judah Mörchingen, Dayan at Metz.
The transcription is signed ?אני הכותב הק׳ יצחק זעקיל עקימרייט the father
of Grand Rabbin Jacob Meyer.
On the occasion of the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor
he wrote: “Cantique pour célébrer le jour du sacre et du
couronnement de S. M. Napoléon, empereur des Français,
inséré à la suite de l’hymne de Krageau.”
“Ode pour célébrer le jour immortel de l’élévation de S. M.
Napoléon à la dignité impèriale, à Paris, de l’imprimerie
impériale, 1804,” in 8º.
Two years later, in celebration of Napoleon’s thirty-seventh
birthday, he published:――
“Ode pour célébrer le jour de l’anniversaire de la naissance
de Napoléon, Empereur des François et Roi d’Italie; Composée
en hébreu par J. Mayer, et Traduite en François par Michel
Berr, ... A Paris, ... M.DCCC.VJ.” (8º. 13 _pp._ [B.M.])
“Odes Hebraïques pour la célébration de l’anniversaire de la
naissance de S. M. L’Empereur des François et Roi d’Italie,
par J. Mayer et Abraham Cologna; Traduites en François _Par_
Michel Berr, ... A Paris, ... 1806” (8º. 37 _pp._ [B.M.])
In the Hebrew title page he is referred to as Mayer of
Bergheim (Alsace).
The wife of Grand Rabbin Zadok Kahn (mother-in-law of Grand
Rabbin [adjoint] Israel Lèvi) was his granddaughter. He died
on the 7th October, 1842, at the age of ninety.
=MOHILEWER, Samuel ben Judah Löb.= (1824‒1898.)
=[Rabbi Samuel Mohilewer.]=¹
M.W. _ph._ _p._ 202.
¹ Die Welt, 18 June, 1897, No. 3, _p._ 6.
=★MONTEFIORE, Moses Haim (Vita) de Joseph Eliahu.= (1784‒1885.)
=Sir Moses Montefiore, Bart., F.R.S.=
Painted by G. Richmond, R.A., D.C.L.
Engraved by T. L. Atkinson.
Proof.
London: Published 1st May, 1876, by P. and D. Colnaghi and Co.,
13 and 14 Pall Mall East.¹
(_Mezzotint Engraving_ 17 × 13¾.) _p._ 115.
=Armorial bearings on margin, Montefiore impaling Cohen.=
¹ This letterpress is transcribed from an ordinary print, but
the illustration at _p._ 115 of Vol. I. is taken from a
proof impression before letters on India paper.
=★MUNK, Salomon.= (1803‒1867.)
=[Salomon Munk.]=
(_Lithograph_ 2½ × 2.) _p._ 180.
=NETTER, Charles.= (1828‒1882.)
=[Charles Netter.]=
L. Kuppenheim.
(_Lithograph_ 8 x 6.) _p._ 180.
=NOAH, Mordecai Manuel.= (1785‒1851.)
=Mordecai Manuel Noah.=
(_Oil Painting_¹ [_in the possession of L. Napoleon Levy_].)
_p._ 241.
¹ Jewish Encyclopedia, 1905, vol. ix., _p._ 324.
=NORDAU, Max Simon [Mayer Simchah ben Gabriel.]=
[=Max Simon Nordau=,
M.D. Paris, Budapesth; LL.D. _hon. causa_. Athens; Officier
d’Académie France; Commander Royal Hellenic Order of St. Saviour;
Hon. Mem. of Greek Acad. of the Parnassos and Corresponding
Member of the Academy of Medicine at Madrid, 1918.]
(_Photograph by Elliott and Fry, Ltd., London, W._) _p._ 264.
=OLIPHANT, Laurence.= (1829‒1888.)
=[Laurence Oliphant.]=¹
(_Photograph, copyright_.) _p._ 208.
¹ This portrait has not been published hitherto.
=PICHON, Stéphen-Jean-Marie.=
[=M. Stéphen-Jean-Marie=,
Commander of the Legion of Honour,
Minister for Foreign Affairs.]
(_Photograph by Henri Manuel, Paris._) _p._ 128, ii.
=PINSKER, Leon [Löb ben Simchah].= (1821‒1891.)
=Dr. L. Pinsker.=¹
Geb. 24 Dezbr., 1821. Gest. 9 Dezbr., 1891
_p._ 217.
¹ Ost und West ... 1904, column 583.
=★PRIESTLEY, Joseph.= (1733‒1804.)
=J. Priestley=, LL.D., F.R.S.
Angus sculpt.
Literary Magazine.
Published as the Act directs, 1 Feb., 1792, by C. Foster,
No. 41 Poultry.
(_Line Engraving_ 3⅞ × 3¼. _Oval._) _p._ 92.
=RAPHALL, Morris Jacob.= (1798‒1868.)
[=Rabbi Morris Jacob Raphall=, M.A., Ph.D.]
(_Photograph [copyright] from an oil painting_ 8 × 6.) _p._ 241.
=★REINES, Isaac Jacob ben Solomon Naphtali.= (1839‒1916.)
הרב ריינעם¹
(_Collotype postcard._) _p._ 202.
Verlag “Central¹ פערלאג־געזעל׳ש, צענטראל ווארשא ”.
=RIBOT, Alexandre-Félix-Joseph.=
[=M. Alexandre-Félix-Joseph Ribot=,
Member of the Academy of France,
late President of the Council.]
(_Photograph_.) _p._ 128, ii.
=ROBINSON, Edward.= (1794‒1863.)
=Edward Robinson= [D.D., LL.D.]¹
(_Facsimile autograph._)
Roberts _sc._
(_Wood Engraving_ 2 × 1¾.) _p._ 62.
¹ Cyclopedia of American Literature, by E. A. Duyckinck and
G. Long, (1855, vol. ii., _p._ 167.)
=ROTHSCHILD, Edmond de=
[=Baron Edmond de Rothschild.=]
(_Photograph by A. Dupont, 8 Rue Dupuytren, Paris,_
_from an oil painting by M. Aime Moro._)¹
_Frontispiece_, ii.
¹ Inscribed on the margin:――
“_A Monsieur Sokolow souvenir de son Voyage a Paris, 1917.
Ed. d’Rothschild._”
=RÜLF, Isaac ben Judah.= (1834‒1902.)
=[Rabbi Dr.] J. J. Rülf.=¹
_p._ 202.
¹ Berühmte israelitische Männer und Frauen ... Von Dr. Adolph
Kohut, Zweiter Band, _p._ 350.
=★ST. JOHN, Oliver.= (1528?‒1673.)
=Sr. Oliver St. John=,
Lord Chief Justice during the Commonwealth.
From an original picture by Jansen in the possession of
Lady Olivia Sparrow.
(_Line Engraving_ 6¾ × 4⅞.) _p._ 52.
=SALVADOR, Joseph.= (1796‒1873.)
[=Joseph Salvador.=]
(_Photograph_ [_copyright_] 5¾ × 4.)¹ _p._ 176.
¹ No portrait of Joseph Salvador has hitherto been published.
=★SASPORTAS, Jacob de Aaron.= (1610‒1698.)
=Doctissimo ÿ Clarissimo Señor H. H. Rebij Yahacob ♦Sasportas,
Rabino del K. K. de Amsterdam.=
Faleció en 4 Hiyar Año 5458.
♦ “Saportas” replaced with “Sasportas”
הרב הכולל ♦יעקב ששפורטש זל
נפטר יום ג׳ ארבעה לחודש אייר שנת נ׳ח׳ת׳ רוח לׄפׄקׄ
♦ “יעסב” replaced with “יעקב”
_Retrato es de Jahacob, honor del Mundo del Mauro a España
embaxador facundo en Sale ÿ Londrez fue de Leÿ secundo Eclipsose
a Amsterdam con tanto Zelo de ochenta ÿocho años en la Gloria.
tuvo en Tremezen Catreda notoria Loa Hamburgo ÿ Liorne su
memoria. que no cupo en la tierra ÿ passò al çilio._
P. van Gunst sculp.
(_Line Engraving_ 10⅛ × 9.)¹ _p._ 42.
¹ This letterpress is transcribed from an ordinary print,
but the illustration at _p._ 42 of Vol. I. is taken from a
unique impression before any letters.
=SCHAPIRA, Hermann.= (1840‒1898.)
[=Prof. Dr. Hermann Schapira.=]¹
¹ Die Welt, 20 May, 1898, No. 20. _p._ 8.
=★SHAFTESBURY [Antony Ashley Cooper (7th)] Earl of.= (1801‒1885.)
=The Earl of Shaftesbury.=
Engraved by D. J. Pound from a photograph by Mayall.
(_Line Engraving_ 8½ × 6¾.) _p._ 208.
=★SINZHEIM, Joseph David ben Isaac.= (1745‒1812.)
=M. David Sinzheim=,
Chef du Grand Sanhedrin, Premier Gd. Rabbin
du Consistoire central.
Damame pinxit. Prudhon sculpt.
Déposé à la Bibliothèque Impériale.
(_Stipple Engraving_ 12⅜ × 8⅞.) _p._ 84.
=SMOLENSKIN, Peter [Perez ben Moses].= (1842‒1885.)
פ. סמאלענסקין
(_Collotype postcard._) _p._ 217.
=SONNINO, Sidney.=
[=His Excellency Baron Sidney Sonnino=, LL.D. _Pisa_,
Premier 1906 and 1909‒1910; Minister for Foreign Affairs 1914.]
(_Photograph._) _p._ 128, ii.
=SYKES, Tatton Benvenuto Mark.= (1879‒1919)
[=Lieut.-Colonel Sir Tatton Benvenuto Mark Sykes, Bt.=, M.P.]
Painted by Leopold Pilichowski, 1918. _p._ xvii., ii.
=TOURO, Judah de Isaac.= (1775‒1854.)
=Judah Touro.=¹
_p._ 241.
¹ Fifty years’ work of the Hebrew Education Society,
Philadelphia ... 1899, _p._ 87.
=TSCHLENOW, Ephim Wladimirovitch [Jechiel].= (1865‒1918.)
ד״ר י. צלינוב
(_Collotype postcard._) _p._ 234.
=WARREN, Charles.=
[=General Sir Charles Warren=,
Knight of Justice of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem,
G.C.M.G., K.C.B., R.E., F.R.S.]
(_Photograph by Elliott and Fry, Ltd., London, W._) _p._ 62.
=★WHISTON, William.= (1667‒1752.)
=The Revd. Mr. William Whiston.=
Born 9 Decemr., 1667. Died Augt. 22d., 1752.
B. Wilson Fecit 1753.
(_Etching_ 7 × 4⅜.) _p._ 92.
=WILSON, Charles William.= (1836‒1905.)
[=Major-General Sir Charles William Wilson=,
R.E., K.C.B., K.C.M.G., D.C.L., LL.D., M.E., F.R.S.]
(_Photograph by Maull and Fox, 187a Piccadilly, London._)¹
_p._ 62.
¹ This portrait has not been published hitherto.
=WILSON, Thomas Woodrow.=
[=Dr. Thomas Woodrow Wilson,
28th President of the United States of America.=]
(_Photograph._) _p._ 130, ii.
=WOLFFSOHN, David ben Isaac.= (1856‒1914.)
=David Woolffsohn.=¹ _p._ 288.
¹ Erez Israel Das Jüdische Land von J. H. Kann, Köln und
Leipzig, Jüdischer Verlag, 1909, _p._ 174.
=★ZACUT [ZACUTUS LUSITANUS], Abraham.= (1575‒1642.)
=Doctor Zacutus Lusitanus Medicus. Ætatis Suæ. LIIII.
Anno 1634.=
Zacuti faciem proclive est sculpere, mentem
Quod memoret Cœlum? quod vel Agalma ferat?
Quod nequeunt oculi, monstret doctrina Zacuti,
Et memorandi acies prœdicet ingenium.
Nicolaus Fontanus MED.
S. Saveri fe.
(_Line Engraving_ 6½ × 4½.)¹ _p._ 44.
¹ Zacut, according to recognised authorities, was born in the
year 1575, and would in 1634 be fifty-nine years of age. Six
years later his portrait was again engraved:――
Zacvtvs Lvsitanvs Doctor Medicvs. Ætatis LXVI Anno 1642.
En Zacvtvm, lusitanæ fulgidum sidus plagæ,
Principem chori medentûm, sæculi miraculum.
Car. Sponivs D. M:
Claude Audran feci.
(_Line engraving_ 11 × 7.★)
Zacutus Lusitanus Medicus Doctor Ætatis Suæ LXVI Aº 1642
En! Lusitanæ Zacutum præfulgidum iubarplagæ
En! Principem chori medentum, seculi miraculum.
(_Line engraving_ 4¾ × 3¾.★) h h h. 2.
=THE CONFERENCE BETWEEN MANASSEH BEN-ISRAEL
AND OLIVER CROMWELL.=
Solomon Alexander Hart, R.A.
_Oil painting_ [_copyright_] 60½ × 91.)¹ _p._ 15.
¹ On Wednesday, the 12th of December, 1655, a conference was
held in the Long Gallery at Whitehall, to which were invited
the Lord Chief Justice, the Lord Chief Baron, the most
eminent divines and lawyers, the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs
and citizens of London, to consider, after many previous
parliaments had in vain been petitioned, the proposal of
Manasseh of admitting Jews to settle in England, from whence
they had been banished in the reign of Edward the First.
The scene represents Dr. Thos. Goodwin debating on the
proposal. On Goodwin’s left is Dr. John Owen together with
other divines; among these Dr. Samuel Cradock meditates on
Manasseh’s appeal. At Cromwell’s left hand is the Lord Chief
Justice, Sir John Glynn; on his right is seen part of the
head of the Chief Baron. At the feet of the Protector, Mr.
Secretary Thurloe takes notes of the proceedings.
The Lord Mayor Draper, or rather Dethick, is present,
together with the Sheriffs, sword and mace bearer.
Second on the right of Manasseh, among other sympathisers
with his appeal, is Hugh Peters: on the right of this
picture some Puritan divines and Roundhead troopers listen;
a musketeer completes the group. An attendant is searching
for information among objects, the authorities for which are
preserved in the Rolls Court. Two merchants’ wives, one with
her son, and some citizens, form the group on the left.
Although the result of the conference was unfavourable, a
few Jews came back on sufferance, but ultimately were
allowed to return at the restoration of the Monarchy.
The Exhibition of Royal Academy of Arts, MDCCCLXXIII. The
one hundred and fifth ... London ... _p._ 17, Gallery No.
111, 322.
=★NAPOLEON LE GRAND.=
rétablit le culte des Israélites, le 30 Mai, 1806.
Couche fils Sculp.
A Paris, au Bureau de l’Auteur des Fastes de la Nation Française,
M. Ternisien d’Haudricourt, Rue de Seine, No. 27, F. S. Germain.
(_Etching_ 4 × 5½.) _p._ 88.
=★GRAND SANHÉDRIN des ISRAÉLITES=
de l’Empire français & du Royaume d’Italie.
Convoqué à Paris par ordre de
NAPOLEON-LE-GRAND,
assemblé pour la première fois le 9 fev. 1807.
Ce Corps tombé avec le Temple va reparaître.
(Discours de M.M. les Commissaires Impériaux,
du 18. 7 bre., 1806.)
Damame Dé Martrait del. et Sculpt. Beaublé Script.
Déposé à la Bibliothèque Impériale.
A Paris chez l’Auteur, rue Neuve des Petits-Champs, No. 58.
(_Aquatint printed in colours_ 17¼ × 25¾.) _p._ 80.
=DIE TEILNEHMER DER KATTOWITZER KONFERENZ.=
[Members of the Kattowitz Conference, Nov. 6, 1884.]¹
_p._ 288, ii.
¹ Die Welt, 5 Nov., 1909, ♦No. 45, _p._ 982.
♦ “Nov.” replaced with “No.”
=MEMBERS
OF THE
5657 MACCABEAN PILGRIMAGE¹ 1897=
(_Photograph_ [_copyright_] 5⅞ × 7¾.) _p._ 246.
¹ Taken in camp at Damascus.
=LAYING FOUNDATION STONE
OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS ON
MOUNT SCOPUS, JERUSALEM.=
_24 July, 1918._ _15 Ab, 5678._
(_Photograph by_ י. בן־דוב בצלאל ירושלם) _p._ 144, ii.
BOOKS CONSULTED
♦Abrabanel, Isaac │ _Mashmia Yeshuah_ │ Salonica, 1526
ben Judah │ │
Abrabanel, Isaac │ _Yeschuoth Meschico_ │ Carlsruhe, 1828
ben Judah │ │
Achad Ha’am (see │ │
Ginzberg, Usher) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Acher, Mathias │ │
(see Birnbaum, │ │
Nathan) │ │
Alexandre, Charles │ │
(see Sibyls) │ │
Alkalay, Rabbi Juda│ _The Harbinger of Glad │ London, 1852
│ Tidings. An Address to │
│ the Jewish Nation on the │
│ propriety of organizing │
│ an Association to Promote │
│ their Regaining of their │
│ Fatherland_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Alkalay, Judah ben │ _Gorol l’Adonai_ │ Vienna, 1857
Solomon │ │
Anglo-Palestine │ _An Account, etc._ │ London, 1913
Company, Limited │ │
Ankel, Otto │ _Grundzüge der Landesnatur │ Frankfurt a M.,
│ des Westjordanlandes_ │ 1887
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Argyll, Duke of │ │
(see Douglas, │ │
George) │ │
Arnal, Z. │ _De la Race comme Explication│ Strasbourg,
│ da Monothéisme Sémitique_ │ 1864
Arnaud, Eugène │ _La Palestine, etc._ │ Paris, 1868
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Ashley, Hon. │ │
Anthony Evelyn │ │
Melbourne (see │ │
Bulwer, H. L. E.)│ │
Atzberger, Leonhard│ _Die christliche │ Freiburg im
│ Eschatologie, etc._ │ Breisgau,
│ │ 1890
Aveling, Frederick │ _Cromwell and Puritans_ │ London, 1899
Wilkins │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Avigdor, Sylvie d’ │ │
(see Herzl, │ │
Theodor) │ │
Azoury, Nedjib │ _Le Réveil de la nation │ Paris, 1905
(Bey) │ arabe_ │
Bachrach, Jacob │ _Sepher Hamasa L’ Erez │ Warsaw, 1883
│ Hakdoshah_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Baedeker, Carl │ _Palestine and Syria. Fifth │ London, 1912
│ Edition_ │
Balkans, The (see │ _pp. 319‒386, A History of │ Oxford, 1915
Hogarth, D. G.) │ Turkey. By ... D. G. │
│ Hogarth_ │
Basterot, Vicomte │ _Le Liban, la Galilée et │ Paris, 1869
de │ Rome_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Beck, L. C. (see │ │
Hellwald, │ │
Friedrich, │ │
Baron von) │ │
Beeton, Samuel │ _Biblic Speaker_ │ London, 1875
Orchart │ │
Belloc, J. T. de │ _Toujours Jérusalem_ │ Paris, 1884
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Belloc, J. T. de │ _Jérusalem Souvenirs, etc._ │ Paris, 1887
Bentwich, Norman │ _The Jewish Review, etc._ │ London, 1910
Bertie, Hon. Henry │ _The Temple of Jerusalem_ │ London, 1838
William │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Bicheno, James (see│ _The Restoration of the Jews,│ London, 1800
Witherby, Thomas;│ the crisis of all Nations_ │
Levi, David) │ │
Birnbaum, Dr. │ _Die nationale Wiedergeburt, │ Wien, 1893
Nathan (Mathias │ etc._ │
Acher) │ │
Birnbaum, Dr. │ _Die Jüdische Moderne_ │ Wien, 1896
Nathan (Mathias │ │
Acher) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Blech, Edward │ _Annual Report on the Trade │ London, 1907
Charles │ of Palestine_ │
Brainin, Reuben │ _Chamesheth Ha-Kongressim │ Warsaw, 1903
│ Ha-Zionim_ │
Brodrick, Mary │ _Handbook for ... Syria and │ London, 1903
│ Palestine (Edited by)_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Brown, James, of │ _Bible Truths with │ London, 1862
Selkirk │ Shakespearean parallels_ │
Buber, Martin │ (1) _Drei Reden, 1911._ │ Berlin, 1911‒14
│ (2) _Daniel, 1914._ │
Bulwer, Henry │ _The Life of Henry John │ London, 1874
Lytton Earle │ Temple (Lord Palmerston), │
(Lord Dalling │ and Bulwer) vols. i. and │
│ ii. London, 1870; vol. │
│ iii. edited by Ashley, │
│ A. E. M._ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Bunny, Edmund │ _The Scepter of Judah_ │ London, 1584
Bunny, Edmund │ _The Coronation of David_ │ London, 1588
Byron, George │ _Lord Byron’s Pilgrimage To │ London, 1817
Gordon Noel │ The Holy Land. A Poem. In │
(Lord Byron) │ Two Cantos_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Byron, George │ _The Poetical Works_ │ London, 1897
Gordon Noel (see │ │
Nathan, Isaac) │ │
Caignart de Saulcy,│ _Voyage autour de la Mer │ Paris, 1853
Louis Félicien │ morte_ │
Joseph │ │
[Calamy ? Edmund ?]│ _Cromwell’s Soldier’s Bible_ │ London, 1895
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Cameron, Verney │ _Our Future Highway_ [i.e. │ London, 1880
Lovett │ The Euphrates Valley_] │
Canton, William │ _The Bible and the │ London, 1914
│ Anglo-Saxon People_ │ │
Carnarvon, (4th) │ │
Earl of (see │ │
Herbert, │ │
H. H. M.) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Carpzov, Johann │ _Critica sacra Veteris │ London, 1729
Gottlob │ Testamenti ... iii. circa │
│ pseudo-criticam G. Whiston,│
│ Solicita. Lipsiæ, 1728. │
│ Translated from the Latin, │
│ with additional Notes, By │
│ Moses Marcus, A Converted │
│ Jew_ │
Channebot, A. │ _L’Empire Ottoman, l’Italie │ Paris, 1891
│ et la France_ │
Charmes, Gabriel │ _Voyage en Syrie_ │ Paris, 1891
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Charmes, Gabriel │ _L’Avenir de la Turquie_ │ Paris, 1883
Chesshire, Reginald│ _Some Incidents of the Last │ London, 1909
Stanley Pargeter │ Journey to Jerusalem_ │
Christmas, Henry │ _The Sultan of Turkey, Abdul │ London, 1854
│ Medjid Khan, chap. iii. │
│ pp. 38‒56, “The present │
│ state and prospects of the │
│ Ottoman Empire”_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Churchill, Charles │ _The Druzes and the │ London, 1862
Henry │ Maronites │ │
Clarke, Thomas │ _India and Palestine, etc._ │ Manchester,
│ │ 1861
Claudel, Paul │ _The East I Know_ │ London, 1914
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Cohen, Israel │ _Zionist Work in Palestine_ │ London and
(Editor) │ │ Leipzig, 1911
Coles, Abraham │ _Hebrew Psalms in English │ New York, 1888
│ Verse_ │
Conder, Claude │ _Eastern Palestine_ │ London, 1892
Reignier │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Cook, Albert │ -The Bible and English Prose │ Boston (U.S.A.),
Stanburrough │ Style_ │ 1892
Coster, Jean │ _Relation de ce que Napoléon,│ Brussels?, 1816
Baptiste de │ etc._ │
Crémieux, Adolphe │ _Discours et Lettres_ │ Paris, 1883
Isaac Moise │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Cresson, Warder │ _Jerusalem the Centre, etc._ │ London, 1844
Cresson, Warder │ _The Key of David_ │ Philadelphia,
│ │ 5612 [1851]
Crisis │ _The Crisis and Way of │ London, 1856
│ Escape. An Appeal for the │
│ Oldest of the Oppressed_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Cromwell, Oliver │ │
(see Calamy, │ │
Edmund) │ │
Cuinet, Vital │ _La Turquie d’Asie: etc._ │ Paris, 1890,
│ │ etc.
Cyprus (Laws) │ _The Statute Laws of Cyprus_ │ London, 1906‒13
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Daiches, Dr. Samuel│ _Lord Kitchener and his Work │ London, 1915
│ in Palestine_ │
Dalling and Bulwer │ │
(Lord). (See │ │
Bulwer, H. L. E.)│ │
Dambmann, George │ │
(see Verney, N.) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Davey, Richard │ _The Sultan and his Subjects_│ London, 1897
Patrick Boyle │ │ and 1907
Davidson, Thomas │ _The Glory of God Displayed │ Edinburgh, 1802
│ in the building up of Zion_│
Davitt, Michael │ _Within the Pale_ │ London, 1903
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Dawson, Sir John │ _Egypt and Syria, etc._ │ London, 1883
William │ │
Delpuget, David │ _Les Juifs d’Alexandrie, │ Bordeaux, 1866
│ de Jaffa et de Jérusalem_ │
Disraeli, Benjamin │ _Works_ │ London,
(see Froude, J. │ │ 1826‒1900
A.; Kebbel, T. │ │
E.; Sichel, W.) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Donnay, Maurice │ _Le Retour de Jérusalem_ │ Paris, 1904
Douglas, George │ _Our Responsibilities for │ London, 1896
(8th Duke of │ Turkey_ │
Argyll) │ │
Duff, Dr. Alexander│ │
(see Porteous, │ │
J. M.) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Dunning, H. W. │ _To-day in Palestine_ │ London, 1908
Dunoyer, A. │ _Coup d’œil sur l’état des │ Paris, 1854
│ chrétiens en Palestine_ │
Dutemple, Edmond │ _En Turquie d’Asie_ │ Paris, 1883
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Ebers, Georg, and │ _Palästina in Bild und Wort_ │ Berlin, 1883‒84
Guthe, Hermann │ │
Ehrenpreis, Dr. │ _Die Hebräische Sprache und │ Berlin, 1900
Marcus │ Literatur Referat │
│ Zionistenkongress, 1900_ │
Enault, Louis │ _La Terre Sainte_ │ Paris, 1854
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Engelhardt, Eduard │ _La Turquie et le Tanzimat_ │ Paris, 1882‒84
English Consular │ _Various Dates_ │ London
Reports │ │
Esthori ben Moses │ _Kaphtor Vapharach_ │ Berlin, 1852
Parchi │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Ewing, William │ _Arab and Druze at Home_ │ London and
│ │ Edinb’gh,
│ │ 1907
Finn, James │ _Stirring Times_ │ London, 1878
Finn, James │ _Bishop Gobat, etc._ │ London, 1858
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Finn, James │ _Opening Address_ │ London, 1851
Finn, James │ _Byeways in Palestine_ │ Edinburgh, 1868
Forder, Archibald │ _With the Arabs in Tent and │ London, 1902
│ Town_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Franco, M. (of │ _Essai sur l’histoire des │ Paris, 1897
Constantinople) │ Israélites, etc._ │
Franklin, George │ _Palestine depicted and │ London and New
Edward │ described_ │ York, 1911
Fremantle, William │ _Israel Restored, or the │ London, 1841
Robert │ Scriptural claims of the │
│ Jews_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Fremantle, William │ _Present Times and Future │ London, 1854
Robert │ Prospects_ │
Friedemann, Adolf │ _Das Leben, Theodor Herzls_ │ Berlin, 1914
Friedland, Nathan │ _Sepher Kos Jeshuah │ Breslau and
ben Joseph │ ve-Nehamah_ │ Amsterdam,
│ │ 1859
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Froude, James │ _The Life of the Earl of │ London [1914]
Anthony │ Beaconsfield_ │
Garnier, E. │ _Jérusalem et la Judée, etc._│ Tours, 1879
Gautier, L. C. │ _Au delà du Jourdain_ │ Paris, 1894
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Gawler, Lieut.-Col.│ _Observations and Practical │ London, 1845
George │ Suggestions in Furtherance │
│ of the Establishment of │
│ Jewish Colonies in │
│ Palestine, the most Sober │
│ and Sensible Remedy for │
│ the Miseries of Asiatic │
│ Turkey_ │
Georgiades, │ _La Turquie actuelle_ │ Paris, 1892
Demetrios │ │
Georgiades, │ _Is the Regeneration of │ London, 1909
Demetrios │ Turkey possible?_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Ginzberg, Usher │ _“Al Parashat Derachim,” and │ Odessa,
(Achad Ha’am) │ various other works, mostly│ 1884‒1916
(see also Simon, │ in Hashiloach_ │
Leon) │ │
G. J. (see Young, │ _Christ the Messiah. A reply │ London (N.D.)
James) │ to ... J. Y._ │
Goodrich-Freer, Ada│ _In a Syrian Saddle_ │ London, 1905
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Gortschakoff- │ _Juifs et Chretiens_ │ Paris, 1888
Ouvaroff, │ │
Nathalie │ │
Gottheil, Richard │ (1) _The Aims of Zionism_ │ London,
James Horace │ (2) _Zionism_ │ 1899‒1914
│ │ (two items)
Graetz, Heinrich │ _Geschichte der Juden_ │ Leipzig,
Hirsch │ │ 1865‒90
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Guérin, Victor │ _Description de la Palestine_│ Paris, 1868‒80
Guthe, Hermann (see│ │
Ebers, Georg) │ │
Handcock, Percy │ _The Latest Light on Bible │ London, 1913
Stuart Peache │ Lands_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
[Hawker, Robert] │ _Zion’s Warrior_ │ London, 1802
Hellwald, Friedrich│ _Die heutige Turkei_ │ Berlin, 1878‒79
von (Baron) and │ │
Beck, L. C. │ │
Heman │ _Die Religiose Weltstellung │ Leipzig, 1882
│ des judischen Volkes_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Henderson, │ _Palestine, etc. (Handbooks │ London, 1893
Archibald, M.A. │ for Bible Classes)_ │
Herbert, Henry │ _Recollections of the Druses │ London, 1860
Howard Molyneux │ of the Lebanon_ │
(Earl of Carnarvon)│ │
Herzl, Theodor │ _Der Judenstaat_ │ Leipzig and
│ │ Vienna, 1896
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Herzl, Theodor │ _A Jewish State_ │ London, 1896
Herzl, Theodor │ _Schriften_ │ Wien, 1897‒1904
(see Friedemann, │ │
Adolf) │ │
Hess, Moritz │ _Rom und Jerusalem_ │ Leipzig, 1862
(Moses) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Hess, Moritz │ _Translated into English │ London, 1899
(Moses) │ (Rome and Jerusalem)_ │
Hichens, Robert │ _The Holy Land_ │ London, 1910
Smythe │ │ and 1913
Hill, S. S. │ _Travels in Egypt and Syria_ │ London, 1866
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Hillesum, J. M. │ _Menasseh Ben Israel; pp. │ Amsterdam, 1899
│ 28‒56, Amsterdamsch Jaar │
│ Boekje_ │
Hogarth, David │ _The Ancient East_ │ London, 1914
George (see │ │
Balkans, The) │ │
Holland, Thomas │ _The European Concert in the │ Oxford, 1885
Erskine │ Eastern Question_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Hollingsworth, │ _Remarks on the present │ London, 1852
Arthur George │ condition, etc._ │ (2nd ed.,
Harper │ │ 1853)
Hollingsworth, │ _The Holy Land Restored_ │ London, 1849
Arthur George │ │
Harper │ │
Homes, Nathanael │ _The Resurrection Revealed, │ London, 1661
│ etc._ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Horsley, Heneage │ _Tracts in controversy with │ London, 1812
│ Dr. Priestley, etc._ │
Huntington, │ _Palestine and its │ Boston and New
Ellsworth │ Transformation_ │ York, 1911
Hurd, Richard │ _Sermons, etc._ │ London, 1776‒80
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Hyamson, Albert │ _Palestine; The Rebirth of │ London, 1917
Montefiore │ an Ancient People_ │
Irby, Adeline │ │
Paulina (see │ │
Mackenzie, │ │
G. M. M., │ │
afterwards Lady │ │
Sebright) │ │
Israel │ _Israel and the Holy Land_ │ Exeter, 1846
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Israel │ _The Future Destiny of │ London, 1830
│ Israel_ │
Israel │ _A Short Inquiry into the │ London, 1820
│ import of the Prophecies, │
│ etc._ │
Jaffé, Max │ _Die nationale Wiedergeburt │ Berlin, 1897
│ der Juden_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Jellinek, Dr. Adolf│ _Der jüdische Stamm_ │ Berlin, 1881‒85
Jewish Colonization│ _Recent de Matériaux sur la │ New York, 1906
Association │ Situation Economique_ │
Jewish │ │ New York,
Encyclopedia, │ │ 1901‒6
New York │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Jews │ _The gathering together of │ London, 1647
│ the Jews for the Conquering│
│ of the Holy Land_ │
Johnstone, │ _Israel in the World_ │ London, 1854
William Henry │ │
Jortin, John │ _Remarks on Ecclesiastical │ London, 1751‒73
│ History_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Judt, J. M. │ _Źydowska rasa, etc._ │ Warsaw, 1902
Judt, J. M. │ _Translated by the Author │ Berlin [1904]
│ into German. Die Juden als │
│ Rasse_ │
Jurieu, Pierre │ _L’acomplissement des │ [Paris] 1686
│ prophéties_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Kahn, Léon │ _Les Juifs de Paris, etc._ │ Paris, 1898
Kahn, Léon │ _Un Régard Rétrospectif, │ Paris, 1876
│ etc._ │
Kalischer, Hirsch │ _Derishat Zion_ │ Thorn, 1862
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Kebbel, Thomas │ _Life of Lord Beaconsfield_ │ London, 1888
Edward │ │ and 1890
Kelman, John │ _The Holy Land_ │ London, 1909
Kerry, Earl of │ │
(see Petty, │ │
W. T.) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
King, Edward, │ _Remarks on the Signs of the │ London, 1798‒99
F.R.S. (see │ Times_ │
Moseley, William)│ │
Kirwan, F. D. (see │ │
Tama, Diogéne) │ │
Klausner, Joseph │ _Olam Mithhaveh_ │ Odessa, 1915
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Knell, Paul │ _Israel and England │ London, 1648
│ Paralelled_ │
Kronberger, Emil │ _Zionisten und Christen_ │ Berlin, 1900
Laharanne, Ernest │ _La Nouvelle Question │ Paris, 1860
│ d’Orient_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Langston, Rev. │ _The Jew and the Promised │ London, 1913
Earle Legh │ Land_ │
La Peyrère, Isaac │ _Dv Rappel des Juifs_ │ [Paris] 1643
de │ │
Layard, Sir Austen │ _The Turkish Question_ │ London, 1854
Henry │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Lazare, Bernard │ _L’Antisémitisme, etc._ │ Paris, 1894
Lazare, Bernard │ _Le Nationalisme Juif_ │ Paris, 1898
Lazarus, Emma │ _The Poems of, etc._ │ Boston (U.S.A.),
│ │ 1889
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Lémann, Abbé │ _L’Avenir de Jérusalem_ │ Paris, 1901
Augustin │ │
Leslie, Charles │ │
(see Wrangham, │ │
Francis) │ │
Le Strange, Guy │ _Palestine under the Moslems_│ London, 1890
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Le Strange, Guy │ _Le devoir des Nations de │ Genève, 1864
│ rendre au Peuple sa │
│ Nationalité_ │
Levi, David │ _Letters to Dr. Priestley │ London, 1787,
│ answer to those he in │ 1789, 1793
│ addressed to the Jews_ │
Levi, David │ _Letters to ... Dr. │ London, 1789
│ Priestley, ... 2. To Mr. │
│ Bicheno, ... 4. To Mr. │
│ Swain, ... │
Lévy-Bing, Lazare │ (1) _La Fille de Sion ou le │ Paris, 1864
│ Rétablissement d’Israel │
Lévy-Bing, Lazare │ (2) _Le devoir des Nations │ Genève, 1864
│ de rendre au Peuple sa │
│ Nationalité_ │
Lévy-Bing, Lazare │ _Méditations religieuses_ │ Paris, 1868
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Liesching, Louis F.│ _Personal Reminiscences of │ Paris, [1891]
│ Laurence Oliphant_ │
Ligne, Charles │ Juif Œuvres choisies, etc._ │ Genève, 1809
Joseph, Prince de│ │
Locke, William John│ _At the Gate of Samaria_ │ London, 1895
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Lodge, Richard │ _The European Powers and the │ London, 1904
│ Eastern Question, Vol. 8 │
│ of “The Cambridge Modern │
│ History”_ │
Loewe, Louis (see │ │
Montefiore, Sir │ │
Moses and Lady) │ │
Lortet, Louis (see │ _La Syrie d’aujourd’hui_ │ Paris, 1884
Verney, N., and │ │
Dambmann, G.) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Lunz, Abraham Moses│ _Jerusalem_ │ Vienna, 1882
Lunz, Abraham Moses│ _Luach Erez Israel_ │ Jerusalem,
│ │ 1900‒16
Mackenzie, Georgina│ _The Turks, the Greeks, etc._│ London, 1867
Mary Muir │ │
(afterwards Lady │ │
Sebright) and │ │
Irby, A. P. │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
MacNeile, Hugh │ _Lectures on the Prophecies │ Liverpool, 1866
│ relative to the Jewish │
│ Nation_ │
Manasseh ben Joseph│ _Works (various years)_ │
Ben-Israel (see │ │
Hillesum, J. M., │ │
and Wall, M.) │ │
Mangin, Edward │ _A Voice from the Holy Land_ │ London [1843]
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Marcus, Moses (see │ │
Carpzov, J. G.) │ │
Margoliouth, Moses │ _The Destinies of Israel, │ London, 1878
│ and the Claims of Hebrew │
│ Christians upon the sitting│
│ Congress_ │
Margoliouth, George│ _The Story of the English │ London, 1911
│ Bible_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Masterman, Ernest │ _Studies in Galilee_ │ Chicago, 1909
William Gurney │ │
Meen, Joseph Austin│ _Historical and descriptive │ London [1860]
│ geography of Palestine_ │
Menzies, Sutherland│ _Turkey, historical, │ London, 1880
│ geographical, etc._ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Michelsen, Edward │ _The Ottoman Empire, etc._ │ London, 1853
Henry │ │
Miller, Ellen Clare│ _Eastern Sketches ... │ Edinburgh, 1871
(afterwards │ Palestine_ │
Pearson) │ │
Milton, John │ _The Works of J. M. in verse │ London, 1851
│ and prose_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Mitchell, Elizabeth│ _Forty Days in the Holy Land_│ London, 1890
Harcourt │ │
Monk, Henry │ _A Simple Interpretation of_ │ London, [1859]
Wentworth │ the Revelation_ │
Montefiore, Sir │ _Diaries of, edited by Dr. │ London, 1890
Moses and Lady │ Louis Loewe_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Moseley, William │
(see King, │ _The Fall of Babylon ... The │ London, 1799
Edward) │ Opinion of ... E. King, │
│ Esq._ │
Munk, Salomon │ _Palestine, Description │ [Paris] 1835
│ géographique, historique, │
│ etc._ │
Nathan, Isaac │ _Fugitive pieces and │ London, 1829
│ reminiscences of Lord Byron│
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Nawratzki, Curt │ _Die jüdische Kolonisation │ München, 1914
│ Palästinas_ │
Neil, James │ _Palestine re-peopled_ │ London, 1877
│ │ (3rd ed.)
Newcome, John │ _The Sure Word of Prophecy_ │ Cambridge, 1724
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Newton, John │ _The Works of the Rev. John │ London, 1808
│ Newton (Six Volumes)_ │
Noah, Mordecai │ _Discourse on │ New York, 1845
Manuel │ the Restoration of the │
│ Jews_ │
Noah, Mordecai │ _The Jews, Judea, and │ London, 1849
Manuel │ Christianity ... │
│ restoration of the Jews_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Nordau, Max │ _Schriften (various about │ Wien, 1897‒1916
│ Zionism)_ │
Nossig, Alfred, and│ _Palestine_ │ Berlin, 1902
Trietsch, Davis │ │
(see Trietsch, │ │
Davis) │ │
Oliphant, Laurence │ _The Land of Gilead_ │ Edinburgh and
│ │ London, 1880
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Oliphant, Laurence │ _Haifa, or life in Modern │ Edinburgh, 1887
│ Palestine_ │
Palestine │ _Various Publications_ │ London,
Exploration Fund │ │ 1886‒1916
Palmerston, Lord │ │
(see Bulwer, │ │
H. L. E.) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Pavet de │ │
Courteille, Abel │ │
Jean Baptist │ │
(see Ubicini, │ │
J. H. A.) │ │
Pétavel, Abram │ _Israél, peuple de l’avenir:_│ Paris, 1861
François │ │
Pétavel, Abram │ _L’Epoque de rapprochement, │ Paris, 1863
François │ etc._ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Petrie, afterwards │ _The Debt of the Home to the │ London [1911]
Carus-Wilson, │ Book ... etc._ │
Mary Louisa │ │
Georgina │ │
Petty, afterwards │ _An Essay upon the Influence │ Cambridge, 1830
Fitz-Maurice, │ of the Translation of the │
William Thomas, │ Bible upon English │
Earl of Kerry │ literature, etc._ │
Pinsker, Dr. Leo │ _Auto-emanzipation_ │ Berlin, 1882
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Porteous, James │ _The Eastern Question. │ London, 1876
Moir] │ Turkey: its mission and │
│ doom. With Preface by Dr. │
│ Alexander Duff_ │
Priestley, Joseph │ _Letters to the Jews, etc._ │ Birmingham,
│ │ 1786, 1787
Priestley, Joseph │ _The Evidence of the │ Birmingham,
(see Levi, David)│ Resurrection ... to which │ 1791
│ is added an address to the │
│ Jews_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Priestley, Joseph │ _A Comparison of the │ Northumberl’d
(see Horsley, │ Institutions of Moses, │ [Penn.], 1799
Heneage; and │ etc._ │
Levi, David) │ │
Reifmann, Jacob │ _Maamar Teudath Israel_ │ Berlin, 1864
Rix, Herbert │ _Tent and Testament_ │ London, 1907
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Robinson, Edward, │ _Biblical Researches in │ London, 1841,
D.D. │ Palestine, etc._ │ 1856 (2nd
│ │ ed.), 1867
│ │ (3rd ed.)
Roulliet, Antony │ _La Palestine au point │ Paris, 1869
│ de vue international_ │
Rowntree, John │ _Palestine Notes, etc._ │ London, 1906
Wilhelm │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Sacher, Harry │ _Zionism and the Jewish │ London, 1916‒17
(Editor) │ Future_ │
Salmoné, Habib │ _The Fall and Resurrection │ London, 1896
Anthony │ of Turkey_ │
Saulcy, F. de (see │ │
Caignart de │ │
Saulcy, L. F. J.)│ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Saunders, Trelawney│ _An Introduction to the │ London, 1881
│ survey of Western │
│ Palestine, etc._ │
Schaff, Philipp │ _Through Bible Lands_ │ London, 1878
Schumacher, │ (1) _Across the Jordan._ │ London,
Gottlieb │ (2) _The Land of Moab_ │ ♠1885‒74
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Schwarz, Joseph │ _Sepher Tebuoth Ha’arez_ │ Jerusalem, 1845
ben Menahem │ │
Sibyls │ _Oracula Sibyllina ... │ Paris, 1841‒56
│ curante C. Alexandre_ │
Sichel, Walter │ _Disraeli. A study, etc._ │ London, 1904
Sydney │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Siegfried, J. │ _Jüdisches Leben um heutigen │ Basel, 1902
│ Jerusalem_ │
Sievier, Robert │ _East is East, etc._ │ London [1909]
Standish │ │
Simon, Leon │ _Aspects of the Hebrew │ London, 1910
│ Genius_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Simon, Leon (see │ _Selected Essays by Ahad │ Philadelphia,
Ginzberg, Usher) │ Ha’-Am_ │ 1912
Smith, George │ _Eminent Christian Workers_ │ London, 1893
Barnett │ │
Smith, Sir George │ _The Historical Geography │ London, 1894
Adam │ of the Holy Land_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Smith, Haskett │ _Patrollers of Palestine_ │ London, 1906
Sokolow, Nahum │ _Erez Hemdah_ │ Warsaw, 1885
Sokolow, Nahum │ _Ha-Assif_ │ Warsaw, 1884‒92
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Sokolow, Nahum │ _Sefer Ha-Shanah_ │ Warsaw, 1892‒95
Sokolow, Nahum │ _Report IV. Zion. Congress_ │ London, 1900
Sokolow, Nahum │ _Le-Maranan ve-Rabanan_ │ Warsaw, 1902
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Sokolow, Nahum │ _Report IX. Zion. Congress_ │ Hamburg, 1909
Sokolow, Nahum │ _Report X. Zion. Congress_ │ Basle, 1911
Sokolow, Nahum │ _Taknith Ha-Zionouth_ │ Warsaw, 1912
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Sokolow, Nahum │ _Report XI. Zion. Congress_ │ Wien, 1913
Spurgeon, Charles │ │
Haddon (see │ │
Young, James) │ │
Stanley, Arthur │ _Sinai and Palestine_ │ London, 1856
Penrhyn (Dean) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Strange, Guy Le │ │
(see Le Strange) │ │
Straus, Oscar │ _Roger Williams, the pioneer │ New York, 1894
Solomon │ of English Liberty_ │
Streator, Martin │ _The Anglo-American Alliance │ London, 1900
Lyman │ in Prophecy, etc._ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Swain, John Hadley │ _The Objections of Mr. David │ London, 1787
(see Levi, David)│ Levi ... examined_ │
Syria │ _La Syrie à la France_ │ Paris, 1861
Talmage, Thomas de │ _Dr. Talmage’s visit to the │ London, 1891
Witt │ Holy Land_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Tama, Diogéne │ _... Actes de l’Assemblée │ London, 1807
│ des Israélites de France │
│ ... convoquée à Paris ... │
│ 1806._ │
Tarring, Sir │ _British Consular │ London, 1887
Charles James │ Jurisdiction in the East_ │
Thomson, William │ _The Land and the Book_ │ London, 1859
McClure │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Tovey, D’Blossiers │ _Anglia Judaica_ │ London, 1738
Treves, Sir │ _The Land that is Desolate_ │ London, 1912
Frederick │ │
Trietsch, Davis │ _Palaestina Handbuch. Dritte │
(see Nossig, │ Auflage_ │ Berlin, 1912
Alfred, and │ │
Trietsch, D.) │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Tschlenow, Jechiel │ _Sion and Africa_ │ Warsaw, 1907
Tschlenow, Jechiel │ _10 Jahre Palestina-arbeit │ Berlin, 1913
│ (originally in Russia)_ │
Turkey │ _The Policy of the Turkish │ London, 1597
│ Empire_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Turkey │ _The Turk and the Hebrew; or │ London, 1853
│ the Rule of the Crescent_ │
Turkey │ _The Fall of Turkey_ │ London, 1875
Turkey │ _The Partition of Turkey_ │ London, 1876
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Turkey │ _The Future of England, │ London [1878]
│ Turkey, and Russia_ │
Turkey │ _Asiatic Turkey: past, │ London, 1878
│ present, and future_ │
Turkey │ _What has God said │ London [1878]
│ concerning Turkey and │
│ Russia? With a glance at │
│ Palestine past and present_│
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Ubicini, Jean │ _État présent de l’Empire │ 1876
Henri Abdolonyme │ Ottoman_ │
and Panet de │ │
Courteille, │ │
A. J. B. │ │
Verney, Noël and │ _Les Puissances étrangères │ Paris, 1900
Dambmann, G. │ dans le Levant, en Syrie │
(see Lortet, │ et en Palestine. (Preface │
Louis) │ by Louis Lortet)_ │
Walker, B. │ _The Future of Palestine_ │ London, 1881
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Wall, Moses │ _Some Discourses upon ... │ London, 1651
│ the Jewes in Manasseh Ben │ and 1652
│ Israel’s “Hope of Israel”_ │
Warburg, Otto │ _Palestina Altneuland_ │ Berlin, 1900‒9
Warren, Sir Charles│ _The Holy Land_ │ London, 1905
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Welch, Frances E. │ _Under Eastern Skies_ │ Torquay, 1904
Whiston, William │ _An Essay Towards Restoring │ London, 1722
(see Carpzov, │ the True Text of the Old │
J. G.) │ Testament_ │
Whiston, William │ _The Accomplishment of │ London, 1739
│ Scripture Prophecies, │ [1800]
│ pp. 259‒348 in “A Defence │
│ of Natural and Revealed │
│ Religion.” Vol. ii._ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Williams, Roger │ _The ♣Bloody Tenent of │ London, 1644
│ Persecution_ │
Wingate, Sir │ _Mesopotamia, the Gateway to │ London, 1911
Andrew │ Palestine_ │
[Witherby, Thomas] │ _Observations on Mr. │ London [1800]
(see Bicheno, │ Bicheno’s Book “The │
James) │ Restoration of the Jews”_ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Wolf, Lucien │ _Sir Moses Montefiore_ │ London, 1884
Wolf, Lucien │ _Cromwell’s Jewish │ London, 1891
│ Intelligencers_ │
Wolff, Sir Henry │ _Some Notes of the Past_ │ London, 1893
Drummond │ │
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Wolff, Sir Henry │ _Rambling Recollections_ │ London, 1908
Drummond │ │
Wolff, Joseph │ _Journal of J. W., in a │ London, 1839
│ series of Letters to Sir │
│ T. Baring, Bart._ │
Worthington, John │ _Select Discourses, etc._ │ London, 1826
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Worthington, │ _A Discourse, etc._ │ London, 1830
Richard │ │
Wrangham, Francis │ _The Truth of the Scripture │
│ History, abridged from Mr. │
│ (Charles) Leslie’s ... │
│ Easy method with the │
│ Deists_ │ [London?] 1820
Wrangham, Francis │ _The Holy Land_ │ Cambridge, 1800
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Wrangham, Francis │ _The Restoration of the Jews_│ Cambridge, 1795
Young, James (see │ _The Rev. C. H. Spurgeon in │ London (N.D.)
G. J.) │ a fix, and completely │
│ confounded_ │
Zangwill, Israel │ _A Land of Refuge_ │ London, 1907
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Zion │ _Zion’s Bank, or, Bible │
│ Promises, etc._ │ London [1854?]
Zion │ _A Song of Syon, etc._ │ London, 1642
Zionist Congresses │ _Wien――Berlin_ │ Berlin
Protocols │ │ 1897‒1914
───────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────────────
Zwemer, Samuel │ _The Mohammedan World of │
Marinus │ To-Day_ │ New York, 1906
♦ “Abravanel” replaced with “Abrabanel for consistency”
♠ Dates inconsistent in original
♣ “Blovdy” replaced with “Bloody”
PERIODICALS
_The Jewish Chronicle_ │ London
_The Jewish World_ │ London
_The Times_ │ London
──────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────
_Die Welt_ │ Berlin
_Young Israel (continued as Israel)_ │ London, 1897‒1901
_La terre Sainte_ │ Paris, 1905
──────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────
_Palästina_ │ London, 1892‒98
_The Hebrew National_ │ London, 1861
_Revue Orientale. Vols. 1‒3_ │ Paris, 1841‒44
──────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────
_Hebraism. A Monthly Journal. Vol. 1_ │ London, 1884
_Archives Israélites_ │ Paris, 1864‒70
_L’Univers Israélite_ │ Paris, 1855‒60
INDEX
[The Volumes are indicated by I and II respectively.]
Aaronsohn, Aaron, Palestinian agriculturist, I, 287; II, 141
Abdallah, Pasha of Acre, I, 73‒4
Abdul Aziz, Sultan, I, 171, 186
Abdul Hamid, Sultan, I, 259, 303;
a petition to, I, 231; II, xxxviii, 279‒81
Abdul Medjid, Sultan, I, 104, 107, 108, 150, 153, 180
Abela, Mr. P., British Vice-Consul, on trade of Haifa, II, 398
Aberdeen, Lord, and Sir Moses Montefiore, I, 117‒18
Aboab, Rabbi Isaac, I, 44, 45; II, 183‒4
Aboo, Samuel, on Palestinian agriculture, I, 115
Abrabanel (Dormido), David, I, 16‒17; II, 170 note 1
Abrabanel, Don Isaac, I, 18, 24‒6, 45 note; II, 170 note 1
Abrabanel, Jona, I, 44 note 5
Abrahams, Dr. Israel, II, 67;
on the British and Foreign Bible Society, II, 218
Abrahams, Sir Lionel, II, 67
♦Abramowitsch, S. J. _See_ Mendele Mocher Sepharim
♦ “Abramowitch” replaced with “Abramowitsch”
“Achad Ha’am” (U. Ginzberg), Hebrew thinker and essayist, I, 279,
280, 281, 285; II, 51, 293, 422, 425;
on Pinsker, I, 224‒5
Acher, Matthias. _See_ Birnbaum, Nathan
Achmet Pasha, of Damascus, I, 170
_Achuzah_ Company, the first London, II, 378‒9
Actions Committee, the Zionist, II, 359‒60
Adams, President John, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 59, 136
Addison, Joseph, on the influence of the Bible on English
Literature, I, 11
Adler, Dr. Cyrus, and the British Declaration, II, 136
Adler, Mr. Elkan N., I, xi‒xii, ♦22 note 1, 46; II, 62, 237‒8
♦ These 2 references are in Volume 1, not Volume 2
Adler, Hermann, II, xxxvii;
on the Jewish colonies in Palestine, I, 246‒7; II, 319, 321
Adler, Marcus N., II, 321
Adler, Nathan M., and Palestine Colonization, I, xii, 135;
II, xxxviii f., 237 ff., 306
Adrichomus, Christianus, I, 61
Ahmad Jazzâr, Pasha of Acre, I, 67 ff.
Ahroni, Dr., Palestinian zoologist, II, 316, 328
Akenside, Mark, I, 11
Akiba, Rabbi, I, 223
Aktuaryus, J. F., I, xxxix
Aleinikoff, M., Russian Zionist leader, II, 98, 283, 293
Alexander, Mr. David L., and Zionism, II, 61, 62, 69
Alexander, J. A., on the Restoration of Israel, I, 165
Alexander the Great, I, xxiii, 173
Alexander II., Tsar, I, 150, 217
Alexeieff, General, and Russian Zionist soldiers, II, 40
Algazi, Rabbi, of Jerusalem, I, 73, 77‒79
Algerian Jews, Emancipation of, I, 180‒1
Alkalai, Rabbi Jehouda, II, 297 note 1
Allenby, General, II, 85, 152‒3
_Alliance Israélite Universelle_, the, I, 112, 181 ff., 191 note 1,
202, 205, 249, 250, 262, 291; II, 262, 318‒24, 383
Alperin, II, 284
Alroy, David, I, 143‒4
Altmann, Jewish painter, II, 344
Ambrose, on Pythagoras and Jewish learning, I, 29
America, admission of Jews to, I, 49‒51;
the “Lovers of Zion” in, I, 241 ff.;
Zionism in, II, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 49, 79‒82, 133‒4, 355‒7
American Jewish Committee, the, on the British Declaration, II,
136‒7
American Jewry and Palestine, II, 39;
and War Relief Work, II, 37
American Zionist Medical Unit for Palestine, the, II, 131, 133 ff.
Amos, the prophet, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 163‒4
Amzulak, M. Haymen, British Consular Agent at Jaffa, II, 307‒8
Anaxagoras, quoted, I, 30
Anglo-Israelism, the theory of, II, 404
Anglo-Jewish Association, the, and Zionism, II, xxxix, 58 ff.,
318‒24
Anglo-Jewish Zionism, I, 115 ff.
Anglo-Levantine Banking Company, the, II, 374
Anglo-Palestine Company, the, I, 287, 288, 296; II, 373‒4
Annual Conference, the Zionist, II, xli, 360
Anspach, the Margravine of, I, 58
Anti-Semitism, I, 225‒6, 245, 290; II, xli;
and philo-Semitism, II, xxi
Anti-Socinus. _See_ Bayly, Rev. A.
Anti-Zionists, the, I, xx ff., 244‒6;
manifesto by, II, 58 ff.
Antokolski, Mark, II, 340, 346
Arab Question, the, I, 300‒2; II, 52, 107‒8, 109‒10, 121, 141,
392 ff.
Arama, Rabbi Isaac, I, 26
Argentine, Jewish Colonies in the, I, 258 ff.
Argyll, the Duke of, on the Earl of Shaftesbury, I, 121 note 1
el-Arish Expedition, the, II, xlv, 44
Aristotle, I, 27;
reputed to have been influenced by Jewish learning, I, 29
Armenian Question, the, I, 271; II, 19
Armenians and Jews, II, 107, 112, 116, 121
Arnold, Sir B., on Palestine, II, xlv‒xlvi
Arnold, Matthew, on the Old Testament, I, 3; II, 169
Arnold, Dr. Thomas, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 165
Aronovitz, M., Palestinian editor, II, 317, 387
Art, Jewish, and Zionism, I, 287; II, 333‒46
Artom, Benjamin, II, 140
Asch, Shalom, Hebrew and Yiddish writer, II, 316
Asher, Asher, I, 250
Asser, M. S., I, 81
Assimilation, Jewish school of, I, 128, 178, 254;
and English Jewry, I, 194‒5;
versus Zionism, I, 188 ff.;
Luzzatto on, II, 420
Athanasius, quoted, I, 28
Atlas, Eleasar, II, 315
Auberlen, Carl August, Swiss divine, on the Restoration of Israel,
I, 164
Auerbach, the brothers Elias and Israel, II, 302
Augustine on Miracles, I, 28
Australia, Zionism in, II, 23, 27
d’Avigdor, Elim, leader of the “Lovers of Zion,” I, 234‒6;
on Palestine Colonization, I, 239‒40
Azoury, M., anti-Zionist Arab, I, 301
Babkow, S. S., II, 293
Bacon, Lord, influenced by Scripture, I, 7‒8
Bahar, Jacques, I, 269
Bahia ibn Pakuda, I, 222
Balfour, Mr. A. J., on Zionism, I, xxix‒xxxiv; II, viii, xxvi,
xxxi, 82, 83 ff., 131, 143, 147;
and American Zionist Medical Unit, II, 136;
and Hebrew University, II, 151‒2
Balfour of Burleigh, Lord, on the British Declaration, II, 115
Balkan War, the, II, lv‒lvi
Bambus, Willy, II, 302
Barbasch, S. N., II, 293
Barlaeus, C., I, 42
Barnes, Mr. G. N., on the British Declaration, II, 131;
speech at Zionist Demonstration, II, 134‒5
Barrow, Isaac, and the Bible, I, 10, 13;
Basle Programme, the Zionist, I, xxiv, 134, 153, 311‒2
Bayly, the Rev. Anselm, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 93
Beaconsfield, Lord. _See_ Disraeli, Benjamin
Beaufort d’Hautpoul, General, I, 170
Bechir, Sheehab, Emir, I, 167
Beck, Mr., II, xxxiii
Becker, J., II, 304‒5
Bedersi, Rabbi Jedaiah, I, 26
Beer, F., Jewish artist, II, 344
Begley, the Rev. Walter, I, 52 note 1; II, 176‒9
Behar, Nissim, II, 216, 218, 321
Behm, Dr. A., Russian Zionist, II, 385
Beilis, the trial of, II, xix‒xx
Belgian Zionists, the, II, xlix, 25, 27, 358
Belkind, Deborah, II, 307
Belkind, Israel, I, 287; II, 80, 81, 306‒8, 316, 333
Belkovsky, Prof. Gregor, I, 269; II, 285‒6, 293
Benas, Baron Louis, account of journey to Palestine, II, 319 ff.
Ben-Avigdor, Hebrew writer and editor, II, 309
Bendemann, Edward, II, 335, 336
Bendetsohn, Hebrew writer, II, 315
Benisch, Abraham, and Palestine, I, 152 f., 174, 185 note 1;
II, xxxix‒xl, 319
Ben-Jehuda, Elieser, I, 287; II, 81, 284, 384
Bentwich, Mr. Herbert, I, 246, 296; II, xxxvii, xlii, xliii, liv,
lvi, lvii, 50, 51, 52, 349, 425
Bentwich, Major Norman, II, liv, 51
Benzion (Gutmann), S., II, 293, 309
Berditchewski, Dr., Hebrew writer, II, 309
Berkman, P., Hebrew educationist, II, 318
Berkowitsch, J. D., Hebrew writer, II, 318
Berkowitz, Hebrew novelist, II, 315
Berkowitz, Dr., Hebrew writer, II, 318
Berman, S., Hebrew educationist, II, 318
Bermann, Vassyli, II, 284‒5
Bernfeld, Dr. Simon, II, 309
Bernstamm, Leopold, Jewish sculptor, II, 340
Berr, M. Michael, I, 82‒83
Berr, M., I, 292
Berschadski, Hebrew novelist, II, 315
Bertinoro, Rabbi Obadiah, I, 224
Beshir Shehaab, prince of the Lebanon, I, 167
Beverwijck, Jan van, I, 24
Bezalel, the, Hebrew art school in Jerusalem, I, 287; II, 346,
381‒2
Bialik, Hebrew poet, I, 280, 293; II, 422
Bianchini, Commandante, II, 140
Bible, the, I, 91, 165;
its influence on English history, literature and character,
I, 2‒3;
its translation into English, I, 4;
and Lord Byron, I, 95 note 1;
and modern Hebrew writers, I, 273‒4
Bible Societies, British, I, 61; II, 218
Bicheno, the Rev. James, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 65,
88‒89, 92; II, 223‒4
Bierer, Ruben, II, 305
“Bilu,” the, agricultural pioneers in Palestine, I, 286‒7; II,
10, 147, 306‒8;
manifesto of, II, 332‒3;
“The Advanced Guard,” II, 401
Birnbaum, Bernard, II, xxxvii
Birnbaum, Nathan (Matthias Acher), I, 283; II, 296
Black, W. H., I, 185 note 1
Bloch, F., II, 344
Blondel, David, I, 42
Blood Libel, the, in Damascus, I, 110 ff., 119, 158, 159, 180
Blosz, K., II, 335
Board of Deputies of British Jews, the, and Zionism, II, 58 ff.
Bodenheimer, Dr. Max, I, 269; II, 302, 303, 357, 359
Boghos Nubar Pasha, on the British Declaration, II, 116, 409
note 1
Boghoz Bey, and Sir Moses Montefiore, I, 118; II, 409
Bogratschow, Dr., II, 304
Bohemia, Zionism in, II, 25
Bomesch, Ch., II, 293
Bonar Law, Mr. A. _See_ Law
Bornstein, Ch. J., Hebrew writer, I, 8 note; II, 315
Boruchow, A. U., II, 304
Boselli, Signor Paolo, and Zionism, II, 53
Bourgeois, M. Léon, on Zionism, I, 289‒91
Bowring, Sir John, on the Farhis of Damascus, I, 75
Braham, John, I, 97; II, 228
Brainin, Reuben, II, 309‒10
Brandeis, Justice L. D., II, 80, 355
Braude, Jacob, II, 294
Braude, Dr. M., II, 295, 305
Braun, M. Hirsch, II, 308
Braunstein, M., II, 317‒18
Brenner, Hebrew novelist, II, 315
Bright, John, and the Bible, I, 14 note 1
Brightman, Thomas, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 42‒3
Brill, Jechiel M., Hebrew editor in Palestine, I, 286; II, 286,
306
Britain, mission and policy in the East, I, viii, 155, 207;
and Palestine, II, 56;
and Turkey, I, 303‒4
British Declaration, the, II, xxxi, 83 ff.;
and the Entente Governments, II, 127‒31
British Palestine Committee (in Manchester), II, 54, 424‒5
British Protection of the Palestinian and the Eastern Jews, I,
112, 116 ff., 132, 134, 158 ff., 161 ff.
Brodetzky, Dr. Selig, II, 116
Brodski, J. J., II, 344
Brody, Dr. H., II, 286
Broides, R. A., II, 310
Brothers, Richard, and Anglo-Israelism, II, 404
Brown, Dr. David, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 164
Browne, Prof. E. G., II, xxii, xxiii
Browne, Sir Thomas, and the Bible, I, 12
Browning, and the Hebrew language, I, 14 note 1
Brutzkus, Julius, II, 281, 283
Bryce, Lord, on Zionism, I, xxxv‒xxxvii;
on the British Declaration, II, 114
Buber, Martin, I, 284; II, 286
Bueno, Dr. Ephraim H., I, 44‒45
Bulgaria, Zionism in, II, 1, 358
Bunny, Edmund, on ancient Israel, I, 41
Burghas Bey. _See_ Boghoz Bey
Burnet, Thomas, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 43
Busher, Leonard, on religious liberty, I, 19
Bychowski, Dr., II, 294
Byron, Lord, and the Bible, I, 12;
his “Hebrew Melodies,” I, 95‒99, 108; II, 228
Cabbala, the, I, 23, 28
Cadman, the Rev. Williams, on the Restoration of Israel, II, 411
Cahen, Isidore, on Dumas’s “La Femme du Claude,” II, 264
Calmet, Augustin, I, 61
Cambon, M. Jules, and Zionism, II, 53
Canada, General Conference of Jews in, II, lxii f.
Canada, Zionism in, II, xliv, lvii, 22, 29, 354
Canton, Mr. Wm., II, 218
Capitulations, the Turkish, I, 149‒50
Carcassone, Rabbi David, I, 31, 32, 33
Carlile, the Rev. W., and the Restoration of Israel to Palestine,
II, 405 ff.
Carlow, the inhabitants of, petition to Lord Palmerston for
Restoration of Israel to Palestine, II, 405 ff.
Carlyle, Thos., I, 3
Carnarvon, the Earl of, on the Eastern Question, I, 172‒3
Cartwright, Johanna and Ebenezer, petition for readmission of Jews
to England, I, 51; II, 210
Cassel, Sir Ernest, I, 254
Cattaui Pasha, II, 146
Catzius, Josias, II, 181‒2
Cazalet, Edward, on the Eastern Question, I, 207; II, 267‒9
Cecil, Lord Hugh, on the British Declaration, II, 115
Cecil, Lord Robert, and Zionism, I, 299; II, 62, 101‒3, 116
Cellarius, Christophorus, I, 61
Cerf-Berr, Lipman, I, 83
Challemel-Lacour, M., on Disraeli and Heine, II, 248‒9
Chamberlain, Joseph, I, xxix; II, xlv
Chaneles, Rabbi, II, 296
Charles I., I, 40
Charles II., I, 45
Chauvinism and Zionism, II, 403
Chazanovitch, Dr. Joseph, II, 293‒4, 344
Chissin, Dr., Palestinian educationist, II, 304, 333
Christadelphians, the, II, lxiii
Christian propaganda for the Restoration of Israel, I, 163 ff.;
II, lxiii
“Christian Observer,” the (1838), on the Restoration of Israel,
I, 99‒100
Christian, Prince and Princess, and Palestine Colonization, I, 208
Christina, Queen, of Sweden, I, 44
Church of Scotland, memorial for the Restoration of Israel (1840),
I, 131‒2
Churchill, Colonel Charles H., on England and the East, I, 155‒7
Citizenship and Jewish Nationalism, I, 92;
and the Torah, I, 194
Claff, Mr. S., II, xlii
Clarke, Dr. Thos., on the Restoration of Israel, I, 138‒9
Clearchus, quoted, I, 29
Clement, of Alexandria, I, 29
Cohen, Sir Benjamin Louis, I, 254
Cohen, the Rev. F. L., on Isaac Nathan, II, 227
Cohen, Mr. Israel, II, 116
Cohen, Mr. Leonard L., II, 67
Cohen, Mordecai, in “Daniel Deronda,” I, 210‒11
Cohen, Mr. S. J., II, 133
Cohn, Albert, I, 182
Colonization of Palestine: _see_ Palestine Colonization
Columbus, and Abraham Zacuto, II, 185
Conder, Colonel Claude R., I, 62;
on Palestine Colonization, I, 230; II, 274‒6;
on Zionism, I, 299‒300; II, lii‒liii, 391‒2
Conjoint Committee, the, and Zionism, II, 58 ff.;
protests against, II, 67 ff.
Conversionist tendencies, in the Christian propaganda for the
Restoration of Israel, I, 93
Cooper, the Rt. Rev. James, on the British Declaration, II, 115‒16
Cossacks, massacres of Jews by, I, 31, 32, 33
Cowen, Mr. Joseph, I, 296; II, xliii, liv, lvi, lvii, 50, 51, 52,
116, 140, 349, 425
Cowley, Abraham, and the Bible, I, 9‒10
Cowper, and the Bible, I, 11‒12
Crémieux, Isaac Moses Adolphe, I, 173, 180‒2; II, 262, 319;
Circular Letter to the Jews in Western Europe, II, 400
Cresson, Warder, American consul in Jerusalem, I, 136‒7
Crewe, the Marquess of, on the British Declaration, II, 114
Crimean War, the, I, 176 ff.
Cromer, Lord, I, 304;
and Zionism, II, 73
Cromwell, Oliver, I, 4‒5, 14, 40, 44, 52; II, 87
Cromwell, Richard, I, 44
Cunningham, Wm., and the Restoration of Israel, II, 404
Cylkow, Jewish artist, II, 344
Cyprus, I, 142, 303‒4;
and Palestine, II, 247‒8
Dagutzky, Rabbi, II, xliii
Daher, Sheikh, Pasha of Acre, I, 67
Dahl, Basil, I, 8 note 1
Daiches, Rabbi Israel H., II, 286‒7, 351
Daiches, Dr. Salis, II, lvi, 351
Daiches, Dr. Samuel, II, liv, lvi, 351;
on Lord Kitchener and the Palestine Exploration Fund, II, 219
Dallas, the Rev. Alex. B. C., on the Restoration of Israel,
II, 410
Damascus, the Jews of (1860), I, 173‒4;
massacres of Jews of, I, 110‒11;
massacres of Christians, I, 168
Damoiseau, French renegade, I, 74
Daniel, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 167
“Daniel Deronda,” I, 209‒12; II, 43
“David Alroy,” I, 143‒4
David Pasha, I, 170
Davidsohn, Elie, II, 300
Dawson, Sir John Wm., on the future of Palestine, II, 276‒9
Declaration of the British Government, the, I, xxvii; II, xxxi,
83 ff.;
and American Zionists, II, 99;
and Russian Zionists, II, 98‒99
Denmark, Zionism in, II, 358
De Quincey, on the Hebrew language, I, 7
“Der Orient” (1840), on Palestine as the Jewish homeland, I, 114
Dibdin, Sir L. T., on England and the Bible, I, 4
_Die Welt_, Zionist press organ, II, 21, 357
Dight, Mr. M. S., II, xliii
Dillon, M. L., II, 344
D’Israeli, Isaac, I, 140
Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield, I, 140‒5, 208 note 3;
II, xvii, 3, 246‒50;
and Heine contrasted, II, 248‒9;
and the Suez Canal, II, 246‒7
Doddridge, Dr. Philip, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 94
Dolitzky, M. M., II, 310
“Doomes-Day,” II, 181‒2
Draxe, the Rev. T., on Palestine under the Jews, I, 42
Dreyfus Affair, the, I, 112, 293
Dreyfus, Dr. Charles, II, 350
Drujanow, Hebrew publicist, II, 310
Drumont, Edouard, I, 293
Druses, the, I, 167 ff.
Dryden, John, and Scripture, I, 10
Dubnow, Shimon, II, 293
Dulberg, Captain, II, 133
Dumas’s “La Femme de Claude,” I, 204; II, 263‒5
Dunant, Jean Henri, I, xxvii, 198‒9;
appeals for Restoration of Israel to Palestine, I, 199‒201,
203‒4, 270; II, 259‒61, 265‒7, 417
Dunlop, Mr., II, xxxiii
Durham, the Rev. James, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 43
Dury, John, and the Readmission of Jews to England, I, 19, 51‒52;
II, 211, 212
Dutch West India Company, the, I, 57
East African Project, _see_ Uganda Offer
Eastern Europe, the Jews of, and the War, II, 2‒3
Eastern Question, the, I, 102 ff.
Ebner, Dr. Meyer, I, 269
Edel, Edmund, II, 335
Eder, Dr. M. D., II, 140
Edersheim, Dr., II, xlix
Edward, King, and Palestine Colonization, I, 208
Edwards, President, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 404
Egmont, Earl of. _See_ Perceval, John
Egypt and Turkey, I, 101 ff.;
British policy in, I, 304‒5
Egypt, Zionism in, II, 355
Ehrenpreis, Dr. Mordecai, II, 310
Eisenberg, Mr., II, 386
Eisenstadt, Rabbi Eleasar, II, 310
Eisenstadt (Barzilai), Joshua, II, 287
Eldad Ha-Dani, I, 25
Eliasberg, Rabbi Mordecai, II, 287
Eliaschew, Isidor, Hebrew and Yiddish writer, II, 300
Eliot, George, and Zionism, I, xxvii, 209‒12
Elizabeth, Queen, I, 4
Eljaschew, J., II, 283
Elyashar, Chief Rabbi Nissim, of Jerusalem, II, 147
Emancipation and Zionism, I, xx‒xxi, 130
Emden, Rabbi Jacob, I, 35 note 1
Emigration, the problem of, in 1906, II, li‒lii
Emmott, Lord, on the British Declaration, II, 115
England and Palestine, II, 43;
and the Restoration of Israel, I, 91 ff.;
and the study of Hebrew, I, 13‒14;
and Syria, I, 104‒6;
and Zionism, I, xxvi‒xxvii, 93, 295 ff.; II, xlii ff., liv,
42 ff., 58 ff.
English art of speaking, the, influenced by Scripture, I, 13
English Clergy, the (in the 17th century), and the Jewish people,
I, 2
English Jewry and Assimilation, I, 194‒5
English Press, the, and Zionism, II, 46‒47
English Reformation, the, I, 4
English Zionist Federation, the, I, 299; II, xl‒xli, 23, 27, 30,
48, 54 ff., 69, 99, 347 ff., 360‒2
Episcopius, Simon, I, 42
Epstein, Isaac, II, 316‒7
Epstein, Jacob, II, 344
Epstein, Jehuda, II, 344
Epstein, Rabbi Zerach, II, 147
Epstein, S. E., Hebrew writer, II, 315
Epstein, Zalman, II, 311
Erlanger, M. Michel, I, 291‒2; II, 290, 308
Erter, Isaac, I, 276
Ester, Julius, II, 335
l’Estrange, Hamon, II, 211
Ettinger, Mr. Jacob, II, 51, 425
Eugenie, ex-Empress, and Palestine Colonization, I, 203
European War, the, and Zionism, II, 1 ff.
Eyre, Joseph, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 99
Ezekiel, the prophet, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 166
Ezekiel, Moses Jacob, Jewish sculptor, II, 336, 345
Fairbairn, the Rev. Patrick, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 165
Fairfax, Lord, I, 51
Farbstein, Dr. David, II, 305
Farbstein, H., II, 295
Farhi, Haim, I, 63, 67‒75
Farhi, Moses, I, 68
Farhi, Mourad, I, 75
Farhi, Raphael, I, 68, 75, 76
Farhi, Saul, I, 67, 68, 69
Farhi, Solomon, I, 68, 75
Faud Pasha, I, 168, 173, 174
Federations, the Zionist, II, 360
Feinberg, David, I, 259
Feinberg, Mr. Is., II, 383
Feinberg, Joseph, II, 306‒8
Feisal, Prince, and Zionism, II, 142
Feiwel, M. Berthold, I, 284; II, 287
Feldstein, Mr. M., II, 294, 378
Felgenhauer, P., I, 42
Fels, Mrs. Mary, II, 134
Ferdinandus, Philip, II, 209
Fersht, Mr. B. A., II, 62
Feuchtwanger, Dr., II, 368
Feuerstein, Hebrew novelist, II, 315
Financial Institutions of Zionism, the, II, 371 ff.
Finburgh, Mr. S., II, 133
Finch, Sir Henry, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 48‒49; II,
207‒9
Finkel, E. D., II, 318
Finn, James, British Consul, in Jerusalem, I, 159, 161 ff.; II,
412‒13
Finn, S. J., II, 296
Finzi, Mr., British Consular agent at Acre, I, 161
Fischel, E. B., II, 335
Fischer, M. Jean, Belgian Zionist leader, II, xlix, 358
Fischer, M. Oscar, II, xlix
♦Fischmann, Hebrew writer, II, 315, 317
♦ The reference to “Frischmann” was corrected to “Fischmann”
and added to this reference.
Fox, Dr. Samuel, II, 351
France, Zionism in, I, 176 ff., 200, 289 ff.
Frank, Dr., II, 303, 359
Frankel, Zacharias, II, 288
Frankfurter, Professor Felix, II, 82
Franklin, Mr. Ernest L., II, 67
Franklin, Mr. Jacob, II, xl
Fremantle, the Rev. W. R., on the Restoration of Israel, II,
410‒11
French Government, the, and the British Declaration, I, xxvii;
II, 127‒8;
and the Hebrew University, II, 152;
and Zionism, II, 52, 53
French Jewry, the, I, 84‒85;
and the Restoration of Israel (in 1798), I, 65‒66; II, 220‒2;
and Zionism, I, 291 ff.
French Revolution, the, I, 178, 290
French Society of the Promised Land, the, I, 182
French West India Company, the, I, 57
Frenk, N. J., II, 317
Friedberg, A. S., II, 311
Friedemann, Dr. Arthur, II, 302, 359
Friedenwald, Dr. Harry, II, 82
Friedlaender, W., II, 335
Friedlaender, Prof. Israel, II, 82
Friedmann, N. M., II, 293
Friedson, Mr. L., II, 133
Frug, Simon, II, 318
Frumkin, M., II, 386
Fuchs, Dr., II, xliv
Fuchs, S. I., II, 311
Fuller, Thomas, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 42 note 4,
52‒53, 61
Furtado, Abraham, I, 82, 87
Gabirol, Solomon ibn, I, 26
Galicia, Zionism in, II, 22‒23;
the Jews of, and Baron de Hirsch, I, 261‒2
Galilee, Josephus on the population of, I, 309
Gasparri, Cardinal, and Zionism, II, 53
Gaster, Haham Moses, I, 272, 296; II, xxxvii, xlii, liv, lvi,
lvii, 45, 48, 50, 51, 52, 106, 108‒9, 307, 348;
letter to “The Times” (1897), II, xli‒xlii
Gawler, Colonel George, on the Restoration of Israel to Palestine,
I, 137‒8, 162, 174‒5; II, 410, 417
George, Mr. D. Lloyd, and Zionism, II, xxxi, 131‒3
Germany, Zionism in, II, 357
Gerondi, Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, I, 223
Gerondi, Rabbi Zerahiah, I, 27
Ghetto, the, I, 191‒2, 215
Gilbert, Mr. S., II, 62, 68, 427
Gill, Dr. John, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 99
Ginsberg, Usher. _See_ Achad Ha’am.
♦Ginzburg, Ilja, II, 340, 346
♦ “Guenzburg” replaced with “Ginzburg”
Gladstone, I, 133, 144;
and Zionism, I, 237‒8;
on the Jewish people, I, 238‒9;
on Palestine and Greece contrasted, I, 239
Glitzenstein, H., II, 342, 343
“Globe,” the, (in 1846), on the Restoration of Israel to Palestine,
I, 129 ff.
Gluskin, M. W., II, 294, 386
Goethe’s “Hermann and Dorothea,” translated into Hebrew, I, 275
Goldberg, Boris and Isaac, I, 282; II, 51, 98, 141, 146, 287,
296, 329, 359
Goldbloom, the Rev. J. K., II, liv, 351
Goldin, E., Hebrew writer, II, 318
Goldschmidt, Salomon H., I, 254
Goldsmid, Lt.-Col. Albert, I, 217 note 1, 233‒4, 258; II,
xxxvii, 43
Goldstein, A., II, 283, 293
Gollancz, Professor (Sir) Israel, II, 67
Gollancz, Rev. Prof. H., II, xxxvii, 353
Goodman, Mr. Paul, II, 51
Gordon, David, I, 227, 277; II, xxxviii, 9, 306, 388
Gordon, General C. G., I, 3
Gordon, Judah Löb, I, 276
Gordon, S. L., I, 8; II, 295
Gorst, Sir John, II, xxii
Gott, Samuel, author of “Nova Solyma,” II, 176 note 2
Gottheil, Prof. Richard, II, 82, 356
Gottlieb, Dr., II, 295
Gottlieb, Leopold and Moritz, II, 341‒2, 344
Gottlober, A. B., Hebrew poet, II, 315
Gouge, the Rev. Dr. Wm., on the Restoration of Israel, I, 47‒49
Graetz, Heinrich, and Jewish Nationalism, II, 320;
influenced by Moses Hess, I, 179 note 1, 277
Gray, Thos., I, 11
Grazowski, J., II, 287
Greece’s influence on mankind, I, 1;
Zionism in Greece, II, 27, 29
Green, John Richard, on the English Reformation, I, 4
Green, Mr. Michael, II, 67
Greenberg, Mr. L. J., I, 296; II, xlii, xliii, liv, 349‒50
Greenwood, Frederick, on Disraeli and the Suez Canal, II, 246‒7
Grégoire, Abbé, I, 41 note 2
Grey of ♦Falloden, Viscount, on the Declaration, II, 113
♦ “Fallodon” replaced with “Falloden” for consistency
Grinberg, Ch., II, 283, 293
Gronemann, Dr., II, 302
Gross, August, II, 335
Grossmann, W., II, 293
Grotius, Hugo, I, 42
Grunbaum, Isaac, II, 283, 294, 295
♦Guedalla, Haim, II, xxxvii, 302
♦ “Guedella” replaced with “Guedalla” for consistency
Günzburg, Baron Horace, I, 258‒9
Günzburg, M. A., I, 275‒6
Gurevitsch, Ch. D., II, 301
Gurevitsch, E. R., II, 293
Gutmacher, Rabbi Elias, appeals to English Jews for Palestine
Colonization, I, 202; II, 262‒3
Gwydyr, Lord, on Arabs and Zionists, I, 300; II, 392 ff.
_Ha’am_, Hebrew-Russian paper, II, 21
de Haas, Mr. Jacob, II, xlii, xliii, 82
Hadassah, American Women Zionists’ Union, II, 133 ff.
Haffkine, Dr. W. M. W., I, 292
Halévy, Joseph, I, 292
Hall, Alfred, I, ♦185 note 1
♦ “note 6” replaced with “note 1”
Hallevi, Jehudah. _See_ Jehudah Hallevi
Halpern, G., II, 301
Hamelsveld, Ijsbrand van, I, 61
Hantke, Dr. Arthur, I, 284; II, 302, 359
Harkavy, Dr. Abraham, Hebraist, II, 315
Harris, Dr. W., and the Restoration of Israel, II, 404
Harrison, John, on Jewish Emancipation, I, 51; II, 210‒11
“Haskalah” writers, the, I, 274‒6
Havelock, Sir H., and the Bible, I, 3
Hebrew Culture, I, 279;
fund for, II, 377‒8
Hebrew Language, the, I, 6 ff., 274;
not a dead language, I, 6;
Luzzatto and, II, 420;
Board at Jerusalem, II, 317, 384;
Revival Societies, II, lvi, 350‒1
Hebrew Library, the, in Jerusalem, II, 293‒4, 384‒5
Hebrew literature (in Holland), I, 23‒24;
modern, I, 273‒80; II, 309 ff.
“Hebrew Melodies,” Byron’s, I, 95 ff.; II, 228
Hebrew music, I, 97, 99
Hebrew printing (in Amsterdam), I, 22
Hebrew Revival in Palestine, the, I, 285 ff.
Hebrew Schools in Palestine, the, II, 380 ff.
Hebrew teachers in Palestine, Union of, II, 384
Hebrew translation of Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” I, 9 note 2;
of Pope’s “Messiah,” I, 10 note 4;
of some of Shakespeare’s plays, I, 8 note 1
Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the, II, xxxiv‒xxxv, 48;
laying of foundation stones of, II, 145 ff.;
President Wilson on, II, 130;
Sir John Gray Hill on, II, lx‒lxi
Hebron, II, 323
Hechler, Rev. Dr. W. H., Christian Zionist, I, 270
Hedjaz, the King of, and Zionism, II, 142
Heine, Heinrich, I, 241;
and Disraeli contrasted, II, 248‒9
Hellenistic theories of life, Hess on the, I, 290
Hellenists, the, I, 223
Heman, Professor C. F., and Zionism, I, 271
Henderson, Mr. Arthur, on the British Declaration, II, 113‒14
Henderson, Dr. Ebenezer, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 165
Henriques, Mr. H. S. Q., II, 67, 68, 69
Henry, Sir Charles S., II, 67
Hermoni, Hebrew writer, II, 318
Herschell, Chief Rabbi Solomon, I, 113 note 2
Hertz, Chief Rabbi J. H., and Zionism, II, 45, 62, 65, 66, 104‒6,
116, 354
Herzberg, Dr. William, II, 288
Herzl, Theodor, I, xxv, 112, 259, 263 ff., 281, 282, 283, 288‒9,
292, 297, 298; II, xxxviii, xlviii, lxii, 5‒6, 10, 13, 84,
98, 122, 146;
and Baron de Hirsch, I, 259;
and England, I, 295, 296; II, xliv, 43‒44;
and Wolffsohn, II, 389
Hess, Moses, I, 277, 290;
on the Mission of Israel, I, 179;
his “Rome and Jerusalem,” I, 179 note 1
Heymann, Dr. H. G., II, 303, 359
Hildesheimer, Dr. Hirsch, II, 302
Hildesheimer, Dr. Israel, II, 302
Hill, Sir J. G., II, 145;
on Palestine Colonization, II, lviii‒lix;
on the Hebrew University, II, lx‒lxi
Hillel, the elder, I, 222
Hillesum, M. J. M., I, 22
Hindes, Dr. T., II, 294
Hirsch, Baron de, I, 248 ff.;
Baroness Clara de, I, 248, 256, 262;
Lucien de, I, 256
Hirsch, Dr. S. A., II, xxxvii, 353
Hirschenberg, Samuel, II, 342
Hirschensohn, Isaac M., II, 288
Hochman, Dr. Joseph, II, lvi
Hochmann, II, 344
Hodge, Mr. John, on the British Declaration, II, 115
Hoga, Stanislaus, I, 10 note 4
Holland, Zionism in, II, xlix, 22, 23, 25‒6, 30, 357‒8
Hollingsworth, the Rev. A. G. H., on the Restoration of Israel,
I, 36 note 3;
on the Jews of Palestine, I, 137
Holy Places, the, in Palestine, I, 157; II, 53, 57;
the Russian guardianship of, I, 146 ff.
Homer, quoted, I, 30
Homes, Dr. Nathanael, I, 44
Horowitz, Leopold, II, 339‒40
Horowitz, Mr. P., II, 116
Horsley, Bishop Samuel, on the Restoration of, I, 56‒7
Horwitz, Rabbi Isaiah, I, 23, 24
Hosea, the prophet, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 164
Hugo, Victor, and the Russian massacres in 1881‒2, I, 213
Hunt, Holman, in Palestine, I, 163;
on the Restoration of Israel to Palestine, I, 298‒9
Hunter, Rev. Dr. Henry, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 99
Hurwitz, J. B., I, 275
Hurwitz, S. J., II, 311
Huszar, Adolf, II, 336
Huxley, Thomas, on the Bible, I, 4
Hyamson, Mr. Albert M., I, 286 note 1; II, vi, 51, 87, 348, 425
Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, and the Bible, I, 12
Ibrahim Pasha, I, 122
Idelsohn, M. A., II, 281, 283, 293, 359
Ignatius, Father, on the Jewish race and Palestine, I, 237‒8
Imperiali, the Marquis, II, 129, 139
India, Zionism in, II, 24
Inquisition, the Spanish, I, 30, 32, 33, 45
Isaiah, the prophet, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 164‒5
Ismail Abdul-al-Akki, Shaikh, on Zionism, II, 109‒10
Israel, the name, “spiritually” explained, I, 165;
use of name, in the 17th century, I, 2
Israel’s national future, I, xv
Israels, Joseph, II, 337‒8, 345
Italian Government, the, and Zionism, II, 53;
and the British Declaration, I, xxvii; II, 129
Jabotinski, Vladimir, Hebrew and Russian journalist, II, 316
Jacobs, Joseph, on “Daniel Deronda,” I, 211 note 1
Jacobs, the Rev. S., II, 319
Jacobsohn, Dr. Victor, I, 284, 292; II, 299, 359
Jacoby, C., II, 335
Jaffa in 1885, II, 320;
the Hebrew High School in, II, 381
Jaffe, L., II, 283, 301
James I., I, 4, 48, 49
Jannaway, Mr. Frank, II, lxiii
Janowski, S. J., II, 283, 293
Jasinowski, M. Isidore, I, 269; II, 294
Jastrow, Dr. Marcus, II, 356
Jatzkan, S., II, 317
Jawitz, M. Wolf, II, 311
Jehoash, II, 318
Jehudah Hallevi, I, 95, 223;
on the Jewish soul, I, 31
Jellicoe, Lord, II, xxxi
Jellinek, Dr. Adolf, and Baron de Hirsch, I, 261‒2
Jelski, Dr., II, 298
Jeremiah, the prophet, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 165‒6
Jerusalem, the consulates in, I, 157;
the Jews of, during Napoleon’s Campaign, I, 72‒73;
statistics of, in 1885, II, 320 ff.
Jessel, Albert H., II, xxxvii
Jessey (Jacie), Henry, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 52; II,
212‒15
Jewish Colonial Trust, the, I, 288, 296; II, 371‒3
Jewish colonies, in America, I, 57‒8;
in Palestine: _see_ Palestine, the colonies in
Jewish Colonization Association, the, I, 249, 253‒4, 262; II,
49, 383
Jewish Colonization in Palestine, and the French Government, II,
53
“Jewish Culture,” I, 264, 310
Jewish emigration, I, 214‒15;
immigration to England, I, 228
Jewish National Fund, the, I, 270, 296; II, 11, 31‒32, 374‒7
Jewish nationalism, the term of, I, xi;
the idea of, I, 188, 190, 193;
and Manasseh Ben-Israel, I, 29
Jewish problem, the, I, 111, 215‒16, 226, 256 (in Russia), 265
ff.; II, 37;
at the conclusion of the War, II, 155 ff.;
Emma Lazarus on, I, 242;
an English publicist on, II, 255‒6;
George Eliot on, I, 211
Jewish race, the, I, 140‒1, 245;
Disraeli on, I, 143;
Laharanne on, I, 189;
Manasseh Ben-Israel on, I, 36 ff.;
Shaftesbury on, I, 123
Jewish soul, the, Jehudah Halevi on, I, 31;
Manasseh Ben-Israel on, I, 29
Jewish sufferings during the War, I, xxii‒xxiii; II, 33 ff.
Jewish Territorial Organization, the, I, 296; II, 140, 349
Jewish tragedy, the, I, 66, 69
Jewish University in Jerusalem, proposed in 1864, I, 182 note 1
Jochelmann, Dr. D., II, 116, 304, 305
Joel, the prophet, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 163
Johnstone, the Rev. W. H., on the Restoration of Israel to
Palestine, I, 153‒4
Jortin, Dr. John, on the Jewish people, I, 56
Josephus, on the population of Galilee, I, 309
Judaism, the spiritual character of, I, xvi‒xvii;
a national tie, I, 188 ff.
_Jüdischer Verlag, der_, II, 357
Junker, Hermann, II, 335
Justin Martyr, I, 28, 29
Justinian, the laws of, I, 1
“Kadima” formed in East London for Palestine Colonization, I, 228
“Kadima,” Jewish-national students’ association, I, 283‒4; II,
296‒8;
appeals for Palestine Colonization, II, 325‒6
Kahn, Grand Rabbin Zadoc, and Zionism, I, 271‒2, 291; II, 290, 308
Kahn, Dr. Leo, II, 382
Kalischer, Rabbi Hirsch, appeals for Palestine Colonization, I,
202; II, 262‒3
Kaliski, Julian, II, 295
Kalonymos ben Kalonymos, quoted, I, 26‒7
Kalwaryjski, M., II, 305
Kaminer, Isaac, II, 311‒12
Kaminka, Aaron, II, 312
Kann, M. Jacobus, II, xlviii‒xlix, 357, 359
Kantor, J. L., Hebrew writer, II, 315
Kantowitz, P., Hebrew educationist, II, 318
Kaplan, Eleasar, II, 294
Karan, Joseph, I, 170
Kassab Farid, on Jewish Colonization in Palestine, I, 301‒2
Katib, the office of, I, 68
Kattowitz Conference, the, of the “Lovers of Zion,” II, 418‒9
Katz, Benzion, Hebrew writer, II, 315
Katzenelsohn, Isaac, Hebrew poet, II, 316
Katzenelsohn, Dr. J. C., II, 312
Katzenelsohn, Dr. N., II, 288‒9
Kauffmann, Isidor, II, 340‒1
Kaufmann, Professor David, and Zionism, I, 277
“Kedem,” Hebrew Literary and Educational Fund, II, 377‒8
Keith, Dr. Alexander, I, 137
Kerry, Lord (Marq. of Lansdowne), on the influence of Scripture
translation on English literature, I, 13
Kerschberg, A. S., Hebrew writer, II, 312
Kesrawani, M. Wadia, on the British Declaration, II, 110
Kessler, Mr. Leopold, II, 350, 425
King Edward, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 56
Kingsborough, Viscount, and proposed Jewish Colonization in
Mexico, I, 58
Kinnaird, the Hon. D. J. W., and Byron’s “Hebrew Melodies,” I, 97
Kirszrot, Jan, II, 294‒5
Kirwan, F. D., on the French “Sanhedrim,” I, 86 ff.; II, 222
Kitchener, Lord, II, xxvi;
and the Palestine Exploration Fund, I, 62; II, ♦liii, 219
♦ moved to Volume II from I
Klausner, Dr. Joseph, II, 293, 312
Klazkin, Dr., II, 304
Klebanow, J., II, 283
Klee, Dr., II, 302, 359
Klein, Max, Jewish sculptor, II, 336
Klein, Rabbi D., and Mizrachi Zionism, II, 368
Kleinmann, Moses, II, 317
Knell, the Rev. Paul, on Israel and England, I, 2; II, 168
Kohan-Bernstein, Dr. J., I, 269; II, 289
Kokesh, Dr. Oser, I, 269
Korkis, Dr., I, 269
Kornfeld, Dr. Sigmund, I, 269
Kramstück, II, 344
Kremenetzky, Julius M., I, 269; II, 308, 359
Krochmal, Nachman, I, 276‒7; II, 422
Lachmann, S., II, 302
Lachower, P., Hebrew writer, II, 318
Lachowski, A. B., II, 344
Laharanne, Ernest, appeals for Restoration of Israel to Palestine,
I, 179‒80;
on Jewish genius, I, 189
Lamartine, M. de, I, 128
Lamb, Lady Caroline, I, 98
Lamington, Lord, on the British Declaration, II, 116‒17
Landau, Miss Annie, II, 383
Landau, Mr. Herman, II, xxxvii
Landau, the Rev. Dr. J. L., II, 354
Landau, Dr. S. R., II, 296
Langdon, Mr. E. H., II, 133
Lansdowne, Lord, and the East African offer, I, 297
La Peyrère, Isaac de, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 41‒42;
II, 180
Laski, Mr. Nathan, II, 133
Laud, Archbishop, I, 42 note 3, 48
Law, Mr. A. Bonar, and Zionist representatives, II, 123‒4
Layard, Sir A. H., on England and Syria, I, 157
Lazar, II, 318
Lazare, Bernard, and Zionism, I, xxvii, 269, 292‒4
Lazarus, Emma, I, 241 ff.;
“The Banner of the Jews,” II, 400‒1
League of Nations, the, II, 160
Lebanon, the, the constitution of, I, 171 ff.;
the, the problem of, I, 167 ff.
Lebensohn, Abraham Dob Bär, I, 275
Lebensohn, Micah Joseph, I, 275
Leibnitz, on the conquest of Egypt, I, 42 note 1
Leibowitz, M., II, 318
Leman, Moses, I, 81
Leon (Templo), Rabbi J. J. A. de, I, 45; II, 185‒6
Lepsius, Dr. Johannes, and Zionism, I, 270‒1
Lesser, Alexander, Jewish painter, II, 339
Leverson, Montague, I, 185 note 1
Levi, Aaron, on the Lost Ten Tribes, I, 18, 19, 25, 29, 40
Levi, David, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 93‒94;
against Dr. Priestley, II, 226
Lévi, Professor Sylvain, II, 140
Levin, Dr. Shemaryah, I, 284; II, 80, 298‒9, 355, 359
Levinski, L., II, 293, 312‒13
Levitan, Isaac, II, 340
Levontin, Mr. David, I, 287; II, 51, 147, 306‒7
Levy, Benoit, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 179
Levy, Dr. Camille, II, 1
Lévy, Emil, II, 335, 336
Levy, H. Leopold, II, 336‒7
Levy, Mr. Joshua M., II, 67, 69
Lévy-Bing, Lazar, on Jewish nationalism, I, 178‒9, 204
Lewin-Epstein, Mr. Elisha, II, 82, 134
Lewis-Barned, Captain H., II, xxxvii
Lewite, J., II, 294
Lewite, Leon, II, 295
Libowitz, M., II, 147, 333
Libuschitzki, A., Hebrew educationist, II, 318
Lichtheim, Richard, II, 303
Liebermann, Professor Max, II, 338‒9
Lightfoot, John, I, 61
Ligne, Prince de, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 90
Lilien, Ephraim M., I, 284; II, 341‒2
Lilienblum, Moses L., I, 278, 281; II, 293
Lima, Mr. de, II, xlix
Lindsay, Lord, and his travels in the Holy Land, I, 122, 124
Lippe, Dr. Karl, I, 269; II, 307
Lipsky, Mr. Louis, II, 82
Litvak, Juda, I, 81
Livingstone, and the Bible, I, 3
Locke, Mr., and the Restoration of Israel, II, 404
Löwe, Dr. H., II, 302
Loewe, Dr. Louis, II, xxxviii, 252‒3, 409
London Opera House, the great Zionist demonstration at the, II,
xxx, 47, 99 ff.
Long, Mr. Walter, on the British Declaration, II, 113
“L’Orient,” appeals for Restoration of Israel to Palestine in 1866,
I, 200‒1
Loudvipol, Abraham, II, 317
“Lovers of Zion” (_Chovevé Zion_), the, I, viii, xxiv, 112, 216,
227, 231 ff., 280 ff., 288; II, 43, 124;
the Kattowitz Conference, II, 418‒19;
in England and America, I, 245‒6; II, xxxvii;
send petition to Sultan, I, 231; II, 279‒81;
in France, I, 232‒3; II, xxxvii;
in Russia, I, 278;
in Odessa, I, 227, 281; II, 293, 383;
in Bialystok, II, 293‒4;
in Warsaw, II, 294‒5;
in Lodz, II, 295;
in Minsk, II, 295‒6;
in Pinsk, II, 296;
in Wilna, II, 296;
in Charkow, II, 306 ff.;
and Baron de Hirsch, I, 259‒60;
and Zionism, II, xxxvii, xl, xlviii
Löwenthal, Dr. G. and Baron de Hirsch, I, 258
Lowth, Bishop, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 94
Löwy, Dr. Albert, II, xxxix, 319
Lubarski, A. E., II, 293
Lucy, Sir Henry, II, 246
Luncz, Abraham Moses, I, 286; II, 289, 385
Luria, Rabbi Isaac, I, 23, 28, 29
Luria, Samuel, II, 294
Lurie, Joseph, II, 289
Luzzatto, S. D., I, 276‒7;
on Assimilation, II, 420;
on the Hebrew language, II, 420;
on the Jewish Mission, II, 420‒1;
on Palestine Colonization, II, 421
“Maccabean” tour in Palestine, I, 246‒7
Maccabean Land Company, the, II, 380
Maccabeans, Order of Ancient, the, I, 285; II, xl, 349
Maccabœans, the, I, 223
M’Caul, Alexander, I, 10 note 4, 126; II, 413
MacInnes, Bishop, of Jerusalem, II, 146, 147
Mack, Judge Julian W., American Zionist leader, II, 82, 136
Magnes, Dr. J. L., II, 356
Magnus, Mr. Laurie, II, 67
Magnus, Sir Philip, II, 68
Mahmud II., Sultan, I, 102, 107, 147
Maighen, Mr., on Palestine and England, II, lxii‒lxiii
Maimon, Moses, II, 343‒4
Maimonides, I, 28, 276
Malachi, the prophet, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 167
Manasseh ben Israel, I, 15 ff., 42, 44, 52, 54, 183; II, 169 ff.,
176, 181, 183, 188‒9, 211, 214, 215;
as Zionist, I, 16;
his Jewish national self-consciousness, I, 26
“Manchester Guardian,” the, and Zionism, II, 46
Mandelkern, Solomon, Hebrew poet and scholar, II, 315
Mandelstamm, Professor Max, I, 269; II, 306
Mane, M. Z., II, 313
Maneritsch, A. A., II, 344
Manifesto to the Jewish people, a Zionist, II, 124‒7
Mann, Mr. Jacob, II, vi
Mapu, Abraham, I, 276
Marks, Mr. Simon, II, 133, 425
Markus, II, 344
Marmorek, Dr. Alexander, I, 292; II, 359
Marmorek, Isidore, I, 292
Marmorek, Oscar, I, 292; II, xliv
Maronites, the, I, 167 ff.
Marranos, the, I, 15, 23, 25, 31, 32‒3
Marschak, Dr., II, 304, 381
Marsh, the Rev. William F., on the Restoration of Israel to
Palestine, I, 113 note 2
Marshall, Mr. Louis, and the British Declaration, II, 136
Massarini, Tullo, II, 335‒6
Massel, J., I, 40 note 1; II, xlii, xliii, 350, 384
Maze, Rabbi Jacob, II, 281
Mazzini, I, xvii
Mead (Mede), the Rev. Joseph, on Sir Henry Finch, II, 208;
on the literal interpretation of the Bible, I, 166
Mehemet Ali, I, 101 ff., 116, 118, 119, 125, 126, 147, 167, 180,
186; II, xxxviii, 409
Melamed, Dr., II, 304
Menasse, Baron Felix, II, 146
“Mendele Mocher Sepharim,” I, 276
Mendelssohn, Jechiel, I, 278‒9
Mendelssohn, Moses, I, 46, 278; II, 189
Menschikoff, Prince A. S., I, 150
Merriman, Rt. Hon. J. X., on Zionism, II, lxi‒lxii
Messianic Hopes, the, I, 18, 24, 40, 45, 51, 94
Methmann-Cohen, Dr., II, 304, 382
Meursius, Johann., I, 42
Meyer, Mr. Walter, II, 141
Meyersohn, Dr. Emil, I, 292
Mexico, proposed Jewish colonies in, I, 58
Meyuchas, Rabbi, of Jerusalem, I, 64, 73, 77‒79
Meyuchas, Palestinian writer, II, 316
Micah, the prophet, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 165
Michaelis, J. H., I, 61
Mikveh Israel, agricultural school in Palestine, I, 182‒3; II,
319‒20, 326 note 1
Milner, Lord, and Dr. Herzl, I, 295
Mills, the Rev. John, I, 185 note 1
Milton, John, influenced by the Hebrew spirit, I, 9, 40, 95;
II, 176;
and the Restoration of Israel, II, 179
Minkowski, II, 344
Mintz, the brothers B. and S., II, 281, 283‒4
Misenberg, Leo, II, 344
Mission of the Jews, the, and Zionism, I, xvii‒xviii, 178;
Luzzatto on, II, 420‒1
Mitzkun, David Moses, I, 275
Mizrachi, Orthodox Zionist party, II, 23, 26, 30, 80, 291, 367‒8
Mocatta, F. D., I, 254
Modern Civilization and Zionism, I, xviii‒xix
Mohilewer, Rabbi Samuel, II, xlii, 186 note 3, 289‒90, 293‒4,
305
Molé, le Comte de, I, 82
Molyneux, the Rev. Capel, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 164
Monk, Henry W., on Jewish nationality, I, 197‒8
Montefiore, Lady, I, 115, 135
Montefiore, Sir Moses, I, xii, xxvii, 112;
pioneer of Anglo-Jewish Zionism, ♦I, 115 ff., 125 ff., 162,
173, 180, 181, 186, 200, 202, 277; II, xxxviii, xxxix, 43,
237 ff., 252‒3, 262, 306, 337 note 1, 409‒10, 419‒20;
aids the Christians of Syria, I, 173
♦ Volume number omitted from original
Montefiore, Mr. C. G., II, 61, 62
Montezinos, Antonio, on the Ten Lost Tribes, I, 18‒19, 29, 40;
II, 211
Moore, Mr., British Consul at Jerusalem, II, 307
Moore, Thomas, and the Bible, I, 12;
“Advent of the Millennium,” II, 399
Mordecai ben Hillel Hacohen, Hebrew publicist, II, 287‒8
Morgenthau, Mr. Henry, II, 40
_Morning Herald_, the, on Zionist propaganda in France (in 1866),
I, 200
Moro, Arthur R., II, 67
Mortara Case, the, I, 112
Mosaic Constitution, the, Manasseh ben Israel on, I, 35‒36
Moscow “Sons of Zion,” the, I, 281; II, 281 ff.
Moser, Mr. Jacob, II, lvi, lvii, 350
Moses and the Restoration of Israel, II, 161‒2
Moses ben Nachman, Rabbi, I, 223 f.
Mosseri, Mr. Victor, II, 146
Mossinsohn, Dr. Ben-Zion, I, 287; II, 80, 304
Mostditschian, M. H. N., Armenian Delegate, on Zionism, II, 112
Motzkin, Dr. Leo, II, 290, 359
Mountain, the Rev. Jacob H. Brooke, on the Restoration of Israel,
II, 411‒12
Müntz, Dr., I, 269
Myersohn, J. M., II, 294
Nacht, Dr., II, 1
Nadelmann, II, 344
Naiditsch, M. I. A., II, 296, 359
Napoleon the First, I, xxiii, 42 note 1, 69, 70;
his call to the Jews of Asia and Africa, I, 63, 66; II, 222;
his campaign in the East, I, 63 ff.;
in Palestine, ♦I, 72 ff., 76;
his “Sanhedrin,” I, 80 ff.
♦ Volume number omitted from original
Napoleon III, I, 198, 200
Narboni, Rabbi Moses, I, 28
Nasi, David, I, 57
Nasi, Don Joseph, I, 224
Nathan, Isaac, II, 227;
and Byron’s “Hebrew Melodies,” I, 97‒99; II, 228
Nathan, Mr. Joseph, II, xxxvii
Nathan, M. D., on Jewish nationalism, I, 179
Nathan, Sir Matthew, II, 67
Nathansohn, B., I, 275
Neil, Rev. James, on Palestine Colonization, II, 272‒4
Neimanowitsch, H., Hebrew Journalist, II, 318
Nelson, Ernst, II, 336
Nemirower, Dr., II, 1
Netter, M. Charles, and Palestine Colonization, I, 182‒3; II, 319
Neumann, Abraham, Jewish artist, II, 344
Neumark, Dr. David, II, 313
Neuschul, II, 296
Neustaeter, L., II, 335
Newdegate, Ch., I, 144
“Newes from Rome,” I, 47; II, 191‒206
Newton, Bishop Thomas, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 56, 108;
II, 216‒17
Nicholas, Edward, I, 44; II, 182‒3
Nicholas I, Tsar, I, 150, 217
Nissenbaum, Isaac, II, 290
Noah, Major M. M., I, 59, 135‒6
Nobel, Rabbi Dr., II, 368
Nordau, Dr. Max, I, 264‒5, 269, 292; II, liv, 6
Nossig, Dr. Alfred, II, 290, 306, 344
_Nova Solyma_, I, 41; II, 176‒8
Numberg, Ch. D., Hebrew and Yiddish writer, II, 316
Nunez da Fonseca, Joseph, I, 57
Odessa group of the “Lovers of Zion,” the, I, 227, 281; II, 293,
383
Oliphant, Laurence, I, 207 ff., 250, 278; II, 289, 306‒7
d’Oliveyra, Rabbi Solomon, I, 23‒24
Oppenheim, M. D., II, 337, 345
Oppenheimer, Professor Franz, II, 303, 357
Oppenheimer, Henry, II, 246
d’Ordel, Major George, II, xxiii
Orenstein, Prof., II, xlix
Oriental Jews, the, and Baron de Hirsch, I, 249‒50;
during the War, II, xxxiii
Origen, on Demons, I, 28
Ormsby-Gore, Major the Hon. W., on the British Declaration,
II, xxxii, 111;
and the Palestine Commission, II, 141;
speech at the Conference of Palestinian Jews, II, 142‒5
Owen, Hugh, I, 185 note 1
Owen, Sir Isambard, I, 240 note 2
Pacifico, Don David, I, 133‒4
“Palestine,” II, 352
Palestine Colonization, the problem of, I, 112, 115 ff., 202,
203, 208, 228, 229‒31, 289; II, xxxix, xl, xlii;
opinions of English Christian authorities on, II, 269‒79;
English Societies for, I, 185; II, 273;
London Hebrew Society for, II, 256‒8;
Berlin Society for, II, 302;
Rumanian Society for, II, 307
Palestine Exploration Fund, the, I, 62, 299‒30; II, lii;
and Lord Kitchener, II, 219
Palestine Land Development Company, the, I, 284; II, 377
Palestine Societies, I, 61‒62; II, 362‒4
Palestine, the Holiness of, I, 31
Palestine, the Jewish Colonies in, I, 112, 161‒2, 246‒7, 262,
279; II, 37, 88, 326‒31 (in 1910 and 1913);
“The Times” (1899) on, I, 299
Palestine, Zionist institutions in, II, 10, 387 ff.
Palestine and England, II, 43;
and Dr. Herzl, I, 266‒7;
and Manasseh ben Israel, I, 22‒24
Palestine as the Jewish homeland, I, xxiii‒xxiv, 195‒6, 307‒10;
meetings in favour of, II, 69 ff.;
Press comments on the meetings, II, 73 ff.
Palestinian Jews helped by Christians, I, 52; II, 212‒13
Palestinian trade with Britain, I, 306;
consular reports, II, 395 ff.
Palmerston, Lord, I, 75, 101 ff., 116 ff., 122, 123‒4, 127, 128,
131, 133, 158, 167; II, 229 ff., 405 ff.
Paperna, A. J., Hebrew writer, II, 315
Parker, Admiral Sir Wm., I, 133
Parliamentary Elections, the, in 1900, and Zionism, I, 299
Parnell, Thomas, and the Bible, I, 10
Pasmanik, Dr. Daniel, II, 283, 290, 305
Pasquier, Baron, I, 82
Pasternak, L., II, 340
Patriotism and Zionism, I, xix‒xx
Peace Conference, the, II, xxxi, xxxvi, 23, 28, 160
Peel, Sir Robert, I, 134
Perceval, John, Earl of Egmont, I, 58
Peretz, J. L., Hebrew and Yiddish writer, II, 316
Pétavel, Dr. A. F., on the Restoration of Israel, I, 179
Peters, Hugh, on the Readmission of Jews to England, I, 44;
II, 183
Pffeffermann, II, 344
Philipps, Major Scott, on the Restoration of Israel, II, 411
Philo, I, 27
Pichon, M. Stéphen, I, xxvii;
on Zionism, II, Introduction, vii‒ix;
on the British Declaration, II, 128
Picot, M. Georges, II, xxvi, xxix, xxxi, 52
Pilgrim Fathers, the, and the Bible, I, 4, 195
Pilichowski, M. Leopold, II, 342‒3
Pineles, M. Samuel, I, 269; II, 1, 307
Pines, Jechiel M., I, 286; II, 290, 306
Pinkus, Dr. Felix, II, 1, 304, 305
Pinsker, Dr. Leo, I, 217 ff., 265, 281; II, 9, 285, 293, 326,
328, 419
Pinsker, Simchah, I, 217
Pitt influenced by Bible, I, 13
Plato, I, 27, 29, 30
_Poale Zion_, II, 24, 25, 29, 30, 80, 81, 364‒7;
and the “Young Worker” in Palestine, II, 387
Podlischewski, M. A., II, 295, 359
Pogroms, the Russian, in 1906, II, li‒liv
Poland, massacres in, I, 31, 32
Zionism in, II, 24‒25, 26, 27, 30
Political Zionism. _See_ Zionism, political
Pollack, Leopold, II, 335
Ponsonby, Lord, I, 126
Pope, the, and Zionism, II, 53
Pope, Alexander, and the Bible, I, 10
Portalis, le Comte J. M., I, 82
Possart, Felix, II, 335
Powel, Senator, on Zionism, II, lxii
Powel, V., on the Restoration of Israel, I, 43
Poznanski, Dr. Samuel, II, 291, 295
Prag, Mr. Joseph, II, xxxvii
Press, the English, comments on the British Declaration, II,
84 ff.;
on the meetings in favour of Palestine as the Jewish homeland,
II, 73 ff.;
and Zionism, II, 21
Priestley, Dr. Joseph, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 93;
II, 225‒6
Prilutzki, Z., II, 318
Prophets, the, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 160 ff.
Pross, M. M., II, 294, 318
Puritan Saints, the, I, 15, 18
Puritans, the, I, 4, 14, 25;
their interpretation of the Bible, I, 55;
their ministers study Hebrew, I, 40
Pym, John, influenced by the Bible, I, 13
Pythagoras, I, 29, 30
Rabbinowicz, Mr. E. W., II, xxxvii
Rabbinowitch, Rabbi, S. J., II, 291
Rabinovitch, Michael, II, 281, 284
Rabinowitsch, Leon, II, 318
Rabinowitsch, Saul Pinchas, II, 294, 313
Rabinowitzsch, Ben-Ami, II, 316
Rabinsohn, II, 318
Raffalovich, the Rev. I., II, 350
Raffalovich, Samuel, I, 9 note 2
Rapaport, A. J., II, 293
Rapaport, Rabbi Salomon Löb, I, 276‒7
Raphall, the Rev. M. J., II, xl
Raudnitz, Albert, II, 336
Raudnitz, Ernest, II, 336
Ravanellus, Petrus, I, 61
Rawnitzki, J. Ch., II, 293, 313‒14
_Razswiet_, the, Russian Zionist paper, II, 21
Readmission of the Jews to England, the, I, 14, 15, 17, 20, 25,
55;
readmission and restoration, I, 53‒4
“Red Cross,” the founding of the, I, 198‒9
Redlich, Joseph, II, 339
Redmond, John, on the British Declaration, II, 114
Reform Movement, the Jewish, I, 291
Reformation, the, I, 19, 40;
and the Bible, I, 14
Reich, Dr. Leon, II, 359
Reichersohn, Moses, Hebrew writer, II, 315
Reifman, Jacob, I, 277
Reinach, M. Solomon, I, 254
Reines, Rabbi I. J., II, 291, 368
Reisin, Abraham, Yiddish writer, II, 316
Religion and Nationalism, II, 163
Rembrandt and Manasseh ben Israel, I, 44; II, 181
Renaissance, the, I, 40
Reshid Pasha, I, 126
Restoration of Israel, the, I, 25, 31, 40, 65, 66, 85;
meaning given to it in the early 19th century, I, 91 ff.;
in the Palmerston period, I, 101 ff., 134‒5;
English appeal for, I, 163, 221; II, 255‒6;
restoration and dispersion, Manasseh ben Israel on, I, 17‒18,
33‒35;
and emancipation, I, 92‒93;
and the prophets, II, 161 ff.;
and the problem of Syria, I, 108‒9
Reuchlin and the Cabbalah, I, 29
Rhodes, the Jews of, in 1840, I, 110
Ribot, M., and Zionism, II, 53
Rigg, Mr. J. M., I, 48
Ritter, Mr. B., II, xlii
Robinson, Dr. Edward, on Palestine, I, 118
Roebuck, J. A., I, 133
Rogers, Edward Thomas, British Vice-Consul at Haifa, I, 161
Rogers, Samuel, and Isaac d’Israeli, I, 140
Rosebery, Lord, I, 231; II, 279, 280
Rosenack, M., II, 141
Rosenbaum, M. S., II, 296, 359
Rosenberg, Mr. Murray, II, xliii
Rosenfeld, S., Hebrew journalist, II, 318
Rosenthal, Toby, II, 335
Rosoff, M. Israel, II, 141, 293, 323
Rosowski, Rabbi Pinchas, II, 291
Roth, Rabbi Dr., II, 368
Rothenstein, Will, II, 344
Rothschild, Baron Edmond de, and Palestine Colonization, I, 232‒3,
240, 262, 286, 291‒2; II, 47‒48, 49, 146, 290, 306, 319;
visits Palestine, II, lviii
Rothschild, Baron James de, II, 48
Rothschild Schools in Jerusalem, the Lionel de, II, 322‒3;
the Evelina de, II, 323
Rothschild, Lord (the 1st), I, 142, 253; II, 247;
and Zionism, II, 48
Rothschild, Lord, and Zionism, II, 48, 52, 62‒3, 65, 83 ff., 99,
122‒3
Rothschild, M. James de, and Zionism, II, xxxi, 52, 99, 112, 123
Rothstein, F., translates “Hermann und Dorothea” into Hebrew,
I, 275
Roumania, the rights of the Jews of, I, 293; II, 131, 137‒9;
Zionism in, II, 1, 22, 358
Rubenstein, S. B., II, xxxvii, lvi, 350
Rülf, Rabbi Dr. Isaac, I, 269; II, 302, 388
Rundstein, Shimon, II, 295
Ruppin, Dr. Arthur, II, 303, 386
Ruskin, John, and the Bible, I, 3
Russell, Lord John, protects Jews of Damascus (in 1869), I, 174
Russia and the guardianship of the Holy Places, I, 146 ff.
Russia, Zionism in, II, 25, 26, 27‒28, 29;
after the Revolution, II, 38 ff.
Russian Jews, the, and Baron de Hirsch, I, 250‒1, 254‒5, 260‒1
Russian massacres, the, in 1881‒2, I, 112, 213 ff.
Russian Revolution, the, I, 193; II, 38 ff., 54 ff., 87
Russo-Japanese War, the, II, 34
Russo-Turkish War (1878), the, I, 303‒4; II, 34
Sabbathai Zebi, the Pseudo-Messiah, I, 45
Sacher, Mr. Harry, I, 285; II, lvi, lvii, 51, 52, 425
Sachs, M., II, 293
Sacrifices, the Mosaic, the Rev. Capel Molyneux on, I, 164
Sadler, John, I, 40, 44; II, 176
Safed, I, 24, 29, 73
St. John, Oliver, I, 20
St. Petersburg, Zionism in, II, 293
Salisbury, Lord, I, 208, 304
Salkind, Solomon, I, 275
Salkinson, I. A., I, 8 note 1
Salomon, A. S. A., II, 336
Salomon, Rabbi Dr. B., II, 133
Salvador, Joseph, I, xxvii;
on Palestine as the Jewish homeland, I, 176‒8
Salz, Dr., I, 269
Samuel, Charles, II, 336
Samuel, Mr. Herbert, and Zionism, II, 47, 52, 103‒4
Samuely, Nathan, Hebrew writer, II, 315
Sandler, Dr., II, 302
Sanhedrin, Napoleon’s, I, 41 note 2, 80 ff.; II, 20, 222;
and Jewish Nationalism, I, 83;
English opinion on, I, 86 ff.
Saphir, Elie, II, 291‒2
Saphir, Jacob, I, 22 note 3; II, 291
Sasportas, Rabbi Jacob, I, 45;
on the Marranos, I, 33 note 1
de Saulcy on Palestine, I, 247
de Saxe, Marshal, proposes a Jewish Commonwealth in South America,
I, 57‒8
Scandinavia, Zionism in, II, 1, 24
Schach, Mdlle. Marie, I, 292
Schachtel, H., II, 303
Schafrom, M. L., II, 344
Schapira, Professor Hermann, I, 269‒70; II, 301, 308
Schatz, Professor Boris, I, 287; II, 346, 382, 386
Schatzkes, M. A., Hebrew writer, II, 315
Schechter, Professor Solomon, on Zionism, II, xli
Schein, M., II, 1, 307
Scheinkin, M. M. M., II, 80, 293, 317
Schereschewski, Hebrew writer, II, 315
Schiff, Mr. Jacob, on the British Declaration, II, 136
Schlesinger, Felix, II, 335
Schloss, Louis, II, xxxvii
Schnirer, Dr. N. T., I, 269; II, 296, 308
Schofman, Hebrew novelist, II, 315
“Scholom Aleichem” (S. Rabinowitsch), Hebrew and Yiddish novelist,
II, 316
Scholz, Professor, M. A., on Haim Farhi’s death, I, 74
Schulman, Kalman J. M. A., I, 276
Schwarz, Rabbi Joseph, on Haim Farhi’s death, I, 74
Scott, Mr. C. P., Editor of “Manchester Guardian,” and Zionism,
II, xxxi, 46‒7, 424
Scott, the Rev. John, on the Preservation of the Jews, I, 99
Scott, Sir Walter, I, 99
Sczernichowsky, Saul, I, 280; II, 301
Sebag-Montefiore, Mr. Edmund, II, 67
Sebastiani, Colonel, on the Jews of Turkey, I, 64 note 1
Seddon, Thomas, in Palestine, I, 163
Seidemann, A., II, 283, 293
Seidemann, S., II, 295
Segal, the Rev. M. H., II, 353
Selborne, the Earl of, on the British Declaration, II, 114
“Self-emancipation,” Pinsker’s theory of Jewish, I, 217 ff.;
the doctrine in the Bible, I, 218‒21;
in Jewish literature, I, 221‒2
Selim I., Sultan, I, 167
Sequerra, Solomon, I, 185 note 1
Sereni, Commendatore, II, 53
Serrarius, Petrus, I, 42
Shaftesbury, the Earl of, I, xxvii;
and the Restoration of Israel, I, 121 ff.;
his project in 1840, I, 125 ff.;
his new appeal in 1876, I, 206‒7;
his memorandum, II, 229 ff.
Shakespeare, influenced by Bible, I, 3, 8;
Hebrew and Yiddish translations of some of his plays, I,
8 note 1
Shelley, influenced by Ezekiel, I, 12
Shoshana, the Rev. Abraham, I, 115
Sichel, Nathanael, II, 335
Sidebotham, Mr. H., and Zionism, II, 424‒5
Sieff, Mr. Israel, II, 109, 140, 425
Silbernagel, J., II, 336
Silberstrom, Dr., II, 295
Simon, Mr. Julius, ♦II, 303, 357, 359
♦ Volume number omitted in original
Simon, Mr. Leon, I, xii, 279; II, liv, lvii, 51, 140, 353, 425
Sinai Peninsula, the, offered to Zionists by the British
Government, I, 296
Sintzheim, Rabbi David, I, 80 ff.
Slouchz, Dr. Nahum, I, 292
Slutzki, A. J., II, 314
Smartt, Sir Thomas, on Zionism, II, lxii
Smilanski, M., II, 292
Smith, Admiral Sir W. Sidney, I, 104, 105
Smolenskin, Perez, I, 39, 278; II, 9, 288, 297, 308;
and Pinsker contrasted, I, 226‒7;
on Manasseh ben Israel, I, 39
Sneersohn, Rabbi Chayim, of Jerusalem, appeals to English Jews
for Palestine Colonization, I, 186, 197, 202‒3, 206; II,
253‒5
Sneur, Hebrew poet, II, 315‒16
Snowman, Abraham, II, xlii
Snowman, Isaac and Louis, Jewish artists, II, 344
Sokolow, M. N., II, 50 ff., 79, 99, 101, 112, 123, 127, 324;
statement on behalf of the Zionist Organization, II, 117‒23
Sola, the Rev. A. de, II, xl
Sola, Mr. Clarence de, II, 22, 82, 354
Solomon, Simeon, II, 337
Solomon, Mr. Solomon J., II, 337, 339
Solomons, Mr. Israel, I, xii, xxxix‒xli
Soloveitschik, M. A., II, 283
Sonnenschein, Mrs. Rose, on the Restoration of Israel to
Palestine, I, 243‒4
Sonnino, Baron Sidney, on the British Declaration, II, 129;
on the rights of the Jews of Roumania, II, 139
Soskin, Dr., II, 300
Soul, the immortality of the, view of Manasseh Ben-Israel on,
I, 27
South Africa, Zionism in, II, 24, 45, 354
Southey and the Bible, I, 12
Spielmann, Sir Isidore, II, 67
Spire, M. André, II, vi
Spitzer, Emanuel, II, 336
Stand, Adolf, II, 22, 306, 359
Stanley, Lord, and the Don Pacifico case, I, 133
Steinberg, Jehuda, Hebrew novelist, II, 315
Steinschneider, Moritz, II, xxxix, 319 Stoics, the, I, 27
Stopford, Admiral Sir Robert, I, 104‒5
Stratford de Redcliffe, Viscount, and Sir M. Montefiore, I, 117
Straus, Mr. Nathan, II, 82, 385
Stricker, M. Robert, II, 359
Struck, Hermann, I, 284; II, 303, 343
Stungo, Mr. S., II, xliii
Suez Canal shares, the, and Disraeli, I, 142, 303; II, 246‒7
Suleiman Pasha, of Acre, I, 73
Sulzberger, ex-Judge Mayer, and the British Declaration, II, 136
Sutta, M., II, 381
Suttner, Baroness Bertha von, and Zionism, I, 289‒91
Suwalski, J., II, 351
Swaythling, the first Lord, and the “Lovers of Zion,” I, 231,
239, 250; II, xxxvii, 279‒81, 289
Swaythling, Lord, II, 67
Switzerland, Zionism in, II, 1, 24, 27, 304, 358
Sydenham, Lord, on the British Declaration, II, 115
Sykes, Sir Mark, A Tribute, II, xvii‒xxxvi;
and Zionism, I, xxxvii‒viii; II, 52, 106‒8, 111
Sykes, Lady, II, xxii, xxxvi
Syria, the problem of, in 1840, I, 107 ff.;
and the Lebanon in 1860, I, 167 ff.
Syrkin, Joshua, II, 295‒6
Syrkin, Dr. Nahum, II, 295, 317
Syrkin, Nachman, II, 300
Szold, Miss H., II, 82
Tacitus, II, 225
Taine, Hippolyte, on the Bible and England, I, 3
“Tancred,” Disraeli’s, I, 145; II, 43
Tannenbaum, A., Hebraist, II, 292
Tardieu, M. André, addresses American Zionist Medical Unit,
II, 135
Taviev, O., II, 314, 318
Taylor, Bishop Jeremy, and the Bible, I, 10
Temkin, Isaac, II, 308
Temkin, Vladimir, II, 292, 326
Tennyson and Hebrew, I, 14 note 1
Tennyson, Lord, on the British Declaration, II, 115
Ten Tribes, the Lost, I, 15, 18‒19, 31, 40, 47
Teretschenko, M., Russian ex-Foreign Minister, II, 28, 39
Tertullian on Miracles, I, 28
Thales, I, 30
Theodores, Tobias, on the character of the Hebrew language, I, 7
Theodoret, I, 29
Theœtetus, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 57; II, 217‒18
Thomas, Father of, Damascus, I, 110
Thomson, James, and the Bible, I, 11
Thon, Dr. Jacob, II, 147, 386
Thon, Rabbi Dr. Joshua, II, 314
Thouvenal, M. E. A., French Foreign Minister, protects Jews of
Damascus in 1840, I, 174
“Times,” the, on the Restoration of Israel in 1840, I, 127‒8, 131;
and Zionism, II, 58 ff.
Tobhi, Rabbi H. M., of Damascus, I, 75
Tolkowsky, M. Semmi, II, xlix, 51, 425
Torah, the, I, 190
Touro, Judah, II, 238, 321
Tourov, Dr., II, 382
Trietsch, Mr. Davis, I, 284; II, 292
Triwusch, J. E., Hebrew journalist, II, 318
Troupianski, J. A., II, 344
Tschernichowsky, Saul. _See_ Sczernichowsky
Tschernowitz, Dr. Chaim, II, 293, 314
Tschernowitz, Samuel, II, 317
Tschlenow, Dr. Jechiel, I, 281; II, 26, 28, 39‒40, 50, 83, 99,
127, 281‒2, 359
Tschrenow, M., II, 308
Turkey, I, 146 ff. (in 1853);
after the Crimean War, I, 150 ff.; II, 412;
in 1910‒14, II, lv‒vi, lviii;
and England, I, 101 ff.;
offers an asylum to persecuted Jews, I, 32
Turkestan, Zionism in, II, 27
Turkish Jewry, after the Crimean War, I, 152 ff.
Turkish Revolution, the (1908), I, 289, 305‒6
Turow, M., II, 302
Uganda Offer, the, I, 296 ff.; II, xlv, 44;
Mr. Balfour on, I, xxix
Ulmann, Benjamin, II, 335
Umanski, Dr., II, xlii
University Students’ Zionist Groups, I, 280 ff.; II, 294 ff.;
in Warsaw, II, 294‒5;
in Vienna, II, 296‒8;
in Berlin, II, 298‒301;
in Heidelberg, II, 301;
in Munich, II, 301;
in Leipzig, II, 301;
in Bern, II, 304;
in Geneva, II, 304;
in Zürich, II, 304;
in Montpellier, II, 305;
in Galicia, ♦II, 305‒6;
in England, II, 351‒3
♦ Volume number omitted in original
Urwick, Dr. Wm., on the Restoration of Israel, I, 165
Ury, Lesser, II, 339
Ussishkin, M. M., I, 281; II, 281‒3, 293, 359
Uziel, Chief Rabbi of Jaffa, II, 147
Valero, M., of Jerusalem, II, 321, 322
Vane, Sir Harry, influenced by the Bible, I, 13
Vatican, the, and Zionism, II, 53
Vecht, Mr. A., II, 350
Veneziani, M. Emanuel F., and Baron de Hirsch, I, 250
Victoria, Queen, receives Hebrew address from Jerusalem, I, 159;
II, 250‒1
Vilkomitsch, Hebrew educationist, II, 317
Vishnepolski, Bezalel, I, 8 note 1
Volkov, S., II, 318
Vossius, Dionysius, I, 42 note 3
Vossius, Gerard J., I, 42, 46
Vossius, Isaac, I, 42, 44; II, 180‒1
Wachtel, II, 344
Waddington, M. W. H., and Laurence Oliphant, I, 208
Waley, Mr. Philip S., II, 67
Walker, Mr., II, lxiii
Wall, Moses, translates into English some of Manasseh Ben-Israel’s
works, I, 19
War, the European, the Jewish tragedy during, I, xxii‒xxiii;
II, 33 ff.;
Zionist relief work during, II, 33‒8;
the conclusion of, II, 153 ff.
Warburg, Professor Otto, I, 284; II, xlviii, 303, 359, 387
Warren, Sir Charles, on Palestine Colonization, I, 62, 230;
II, 269‒72, 273
Warton, Thomas, and the Psalms, I, 11
Weber, M., Hebrew journalist, II, 318
Weinles, II, 344
Weissenberg, Simeon, II, 292‒3
Weizmann, Dr. Chaim, I, xxix, 282; II, xxx, xxxii, xxxiv, liv,
lvi, lvii, 44, 46 ff., 63‒4, 65, 68, 79, 99, 101, 111‒13,
123, 127, 299‒300, 304, 353, 425;
the Weizmann Commission to Palestine, II, 130, 141, 144, 145;
speech at the laying of the foundations of the Hebrew
University, II, 147‒52;
and Arab leaders in Egypt, II, 141‒2
Weizmann, Zelig, II, 295
Wellington on the Eastern Question, I, 103 note 1
Weston, Bishop, I, 200
Whiston, William, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 94
White, Mr. Arnold, and Baron de Hirsch, I, 258
Wilbuschewitsch, Grigory, II, 300
Wilde, Sir William R. W., on the Jews and Palestine, I, 113
Williams, Roger, I, 49‒51
Wilson, President Woodrow, on the Weizmann Commission and the
Hebrew University, II, 130‒1
Wilson, the Rev. John, on Haim Farhi, I, 70‒1;
on the Farhis of Damascus, I, 75‒76
Wilson, Sir Charles W., I, 62
Wilson, Serjeant, II, xxxii, xxxvi
Wissotski, Kolonimos Wolf, II, 284
Witherby, Thomas, on the Restoration of Israel, I, 91‒2, 108;
II, 225
Wohlmann, M., Hebrew writer, II, 315
Wolf, Mr. Lucien, I, 17 note 3;
on Sir Moses Montefiore, I, 118‒19
Wolf, Rabbi, II, xliii
Wolff, Dr. Joseph, I, 124
Wolfsohn, David, I, 265, 289; II, xlviii, liv, lvi‒vii, 302,
303, 389;
his autobiography, II, 388‒9
Wolmark, Mr. A., II, 344
Wolseley, Viscount, I, 304
Women’s Zionist Societies, II, 368‒71
Woolf, Mr. Albert M., II, 67
Wortsmann, Ezekiel, II, 304, 305
Yellin, Mr. David, I, 286; II, 293, 317, 351, 381, 384
Yemen Jews, the, in Palestine, II, 321
Yiddish Press, the, in Poland, II, 21
Yoffey, Rabbi, II, xliii
Young, Edward, poet, I, 11
Young, Mr. W., British Vice-Consul in Jerusalem, I, 116, 121, 157
Zacuto Lusitanus, Dr. Abraham, I, 45; II, 184‒5
Zagorodzki, Ch., II, 318
Zamenhof, Dr., II, 294
Zangwill, Mr. Israel, I, 296; II, 110‒11, 116, 349
Zechariah, the prophet, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 167
Zederbaum, Alexander, I, 278
Zeitlin, Hillel, II, 314‒15
Zephaniah, the prophet, and the Restoration of Israel, II, 165
Zerahiah Ha’levi, Rabbi, I, 27
Zimpel, Dr. Chas. F., on Palestine, II, 416‒17
Zionism, its meaning, I, vii;
its objects, I, xxv;
its principles, I, 307 ff.;
its motive forces, I, 273 ff.; II, 413;
philanthropic, I, 184 ff.;
political, I, xxv‒xxvi, 134, 150, 224, 310 ff.; II, 44;
Sir Moses Montefiore’s, I, 120;
political Zionist work during the War, II, 42 ff.
Zionism in America, II, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 49, 79‒82, 133‒4,
355‒7;
in Australia, II, 23, 27;
in Belgium, II, xlix, 25, 27, 358;
in Bohemia, II, 25;
in Bulgaria, II, 1, 358;
in Canada, II, xliv, lvii, 22, 29, 354;
in Denmark, II, 358;
in Egypt, II, 355;
in England: _see_ England and Zionism, and English Zionist
Federation;
in Galicia, II, 22‒3;
in Germany, II, 357;
in Greece, II, 27, 29;
in Holland, II, xlix, 22, 23, 25‒6, 30, 357‒8;
in India, II, 24;
in Poland, II, 24‒5, 26, 27, 30;
in Roumania, II, 1, 22, 358;
in Russia, II, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 38 ff.;
in St. Petersburg, II, 293;
in Scandinavia, II, 1, 24;
in South Africa, II, 24, 45, 354;
in Switzerland, II, 1, 24, 27, 304, 358
Zionism and Emancipation, I, 92‒3;
and Jewish art, II, 333‒46;
and Judaism, I, xvi‒xvii;
_versus_ Assimilation, I, 188 ff.
Zionist Bureau, the, in Copenhagen, II, 33;
in London, II, 425
Zionist Commission to Palestine, the, II, xxxii, xxxiv, 139 ff.
Zionist Congress, the, II, 358‒9;
the first, I, 268 ff.; II, xxxvii, xli, 5‒6, 124;
the second, II, xlii‒xliii;
the “Jewish Chronicle” on, II, xlii‒xliii;
the third, II, xliii‒xliv;
the fourth (in London, 1900), I, 296; II, xliv;
Press opinions on, II, 389 ff.;
the sixth and the East African offer, I, 297;
the eighth, II, liv;
the ninth, II, liv;
the tenth, II, lvi;
the eleventh, II, lvi‒lvii
Zionist literature in England, II, 351‒3
Zionist literature, Christian, I, 138 f.
Zionist organization, the, its institutions, II, 358 ff.;
in Palestine, II, 386 ff.;
the Greater and Inner Actions Committees, II, 32, 359‒60;
during the War, II, 5 ff.
Zionist poetry, I, 95
Zionist propaganda in war time, II, 21 ff.
_Zionist Review_, the, II, 54, 352
Zitron, S. L., Hebrew journalist, II, 318
Zlocisti, Dr., II, 302
Zohar, the, on the composition of man, I, 28;
on the Jewish soul, I, 31
Zweifel, Eleazar Ha-Cohen, Hebrew writer, II, 315
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