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diff --git a/old/63689-0.txt b/old/63689-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7b07060..0000000 --- a/old/63689-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3268 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of On the Eve of Redemption, by Samuel Max -Melamed - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: On the Eve of Redemption - -Author: Samuel Max Melamed - -Release Date: November 08, 2020 [EBook #63689] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Image source(s): https://archive.org/details/oneveofredemptio00mela/ - -Produced by: Carlos Colón, the Princeton Theological Seminary Library and - the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive/American - Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON THE EVE OF REDEMPTION *** - - - - - - Transcriber's Notes: - - Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by - =equal signs=. - - Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase. - - Blank pages have been eliminated. - - Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the - original. - - A few typographical errors have been corrected. - - - - - On _the_ Eve - _of_ Redemption - - - S. M. Melamed, Ph. D. - - - Alpha Omega Publishing Company, - New York - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1918 - - ALPHA OMEGA PUBLISHING CO., INC. - - - - - The following pages comprise a number of editorial leaders - discussing questions and problems pertaining to Jewish - nationalism and Zionism which were published in the _American - Jewish Chronicle_ in the years 1916-17-18. - - - - -FOREWORD - - -The war has caused an upheaval of the whole world; vast changes have -been wrought in many peoples. Destruction of life and treasure has -brought about a revolution of national assets and resources, and there -has been stock taking of the spiritual no less than of the material -possessions. We have confident hope that the material losses will be -balanced by the moral progress of the peoples of the world, great and -small. - -No people has felt the upheaval more than have the Jews. None has had -a greater share in its sorrows. None has had more reason to examine -carefully its past and its present and to define its future plans; and -none can look with clearer purpose or with firmer courage into the -future. For none has better ground than have the Jews for confident -hope in the moral progress of the world,--that people which has been -the constant witness of the course of civilization throughout the ages -and has never lost its faith in the ultimate victory of Justice and -Right. - -We need not speak in generalities. The smaller nations are assured -that their rights will be safeguarded in the future, and that these -rights will embrace not only protection from attack and aggression, but -equally the right of development along the lines of their own national -bent, the right of self-government, the right to cultivate their own -spiritual possessions. There is no other people to whom this is so -full of deep meaning as to the Jews. During the many centuries of the -Dispersion our people has ever looked forward to its Restoration in -its ancestral home. During these many centuries there has never been a -day that the prayers for the Return have not ascended in every country -of the world in which the Children of Israel have been dispersed. -This undying hope has been the factor in the unique, the miraculous -preservation of a small people scattered among all the peoples of the -globe. - -The national movement of the past generation, which has led to the -rejuvenation of the Hebrew language, to the founding of prosperous -Jewish colonies in Palestine, to the establishment of the Zionist -Organization with its branches throughout the world, this national -movement has trained us to think politically and to act with -statesmanlike grasp of present conditions and of plans for the future. -A part of our people has been prepared to deal with the great national -problems which obtrude themselves upon us today. Large numbers are -still confused by the new outlook and must find guides to direct them -in the new paths. - -The Essays which Dr. Melamed presents to us in this volume are -therefore most welcome at this time. He has applied his vast knowledge -of history, philosophy and literature, and his intimate acquaintance -with Jewish life in many parts of the world, to answer many of the -questions about which there has been confusion, and to point out -the direction of progress and development in the future. In clear -and forceful language he has analyzed Jewish conditions in the past -and studied the needs of the future, so as to point out what the -present demands of us. We may not agree fully with all the views and -conclusions expressed, but we shall find them original, suggestive and -illuminating. The publication of these Essays is therefore opportune -and timely, and the Jewish public is deeply indebted to Dr. Melamed for -their presentation. - - HARRY FRIEDENWALD. - - Baltimore, - December 23, 1917. - - - - -JUDEA AND ROME - - -Even history has its reasons that reason often fails to understand. -When news reached Rome in August 70 C.E. that Judea was conquered, the -temple burned and the Jewish people subjugated, the Roman populace -greeted it with the infamous cry, "Hierosolyma est perdita"; there -was rejoicing at the downfall and humiliation of the Jewish state. -Eighteen hundred and forty-seven years later, after the deafening -cries "Hierosolyma est perdita" were shouted in the streets of the -eternal city, an Italian army leaves Rome with Palestine again as -its objective; but this time it marches not with the object of -annihilating Judea, but, as an official message puts it--to enable the -allied powers to wrest the Holy Land from the Turks, to turn it over -eventually to the Jews, and thus to rebuild Judea. Even if there should -be little to the Roman announcement, it is not lacking a pathetic -touch; it testifies to the grim irony of history. The same Rome that -once destroyed Judea is making public its intention today to help -rebuild it. Our ancestors, who were the tragic witnesses of the cruel -destruction of Judea, would surely not think of the possibility that -after a lapse of nearly two thousand years, an army should leave Rome -for Palestine with the object of helping to reinstate the Jewish people -in the land of its forefathers; nor could anyone have foreseen that -the Rome of old, that aimed at the subjugation of small nationalities, -would be succeeded by a new Rome that pronounces its stand for -the rights and political re-establishment of small and oppressed -nationalities. - -Of course, people will say that modern Rome can in no way be compared -to ancient Rome and that the two have nothing in common. However, those -who have read Montesquieu and Hegel on the deeds of ancient Rome and -those who have followed the development of modern Rome, will recognize -the close similarity between the two. As far as power and political and -strategic genius go, modern Rome, it is true, cannot be compared to its -predecessor of two thousand years ago; but if traditions, surroundings -and other sociological factors that give a people shape and form count -for anything, the Roman of today is bound to have a good deal in -common with the Roman of two thousand years ago, even if the one is not -racially the offspring of the other. - -Present-day Rome has much in common with ancient Rome. The main -difference between them is, of course, this: While ancient Rome, -dominating the entire world then known to humanity, and forming the -centre of the Mediterranean civilization, was the world power of the -time, modern Rome holds neither the political position of ancient -Rome nor is it the representative and bearer of the Mediterranean -civilization. The predominance of Mediterranean civilization has gone -with the last great Doges of Venice, and modern Rome is no longer the -centre of gravitation of civilized humanity that ancient Rome was two -thousand years ago. In the course of the last millenium, the centre of -civilization has shifted from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. It is -the Atlantic civilization that is supreme today. The whole terrible -fight that is going on today in all parts of the world is not a fight -about the Mediterranean and its supremacy, but it is a struggle for the -Atlantic and its predominance--and, in this struggle, Rome is no longer -playing a leading part. - -In the course of the fight about the Mediterranean, Judea was destroyed -and the whole Semitic race nearly annihilated. The wars of Rome against -Carthage, the people of which spoke Hebrew and formed a branch of -the Aramaic family of nations, were fought with the only object of -preserving Roman supremacy in the Mediterranean. The fight for the -Atlantic, however, has already resulted in the re-establishment of -one Semitic nation--the Arab--and will probably also result in the -re-establishment of old Judea. That is where the difference between the -fight for the Mediterranean, fought by ancient Rome, and the fight for -the Atlantic, in which modern Rome participates, comes in. - -The ancient Mediterranean Rome was not only imperialistic to the core, -but universalistic as well. The chief aim and plan of ancient Rome was -to subjugate the whole world, then known to humanity, with a view to -dominating it. The idea of a universal monarchy at the expense of the -independence and freedom of other nations first originated in ancient -Rome. Rome of today, which takes part in the fight for the Atlantic, is -imperialistic, although no longer striving for political universalism -and world domination; it announces that it stands today for the -preservation of the individuality of the small nations. - -The prospective re-establishment of Judea, as one of the consequences -of the present war, cannot be a blind chance of fate. There is -historical logic in this development. Palestine, as a Mediterranean -country could not maintain its independence in the face of a rising -Mediterranean world power that strove to master not only the -Mediterranean but all the other parts of the globe then known to -mankind. Our sages of old found a thousand and one moral and political -reasons for the downfall of ancient Judea and for its destruction -by Rome. They ascribed the downfall of ancient Judea not only to -political, but even to moral causes and to the growth of individual -hatred and dissensions among the Jews themselves. The internal -political and moral reasons advanced by our sages for the downfall of -Judea may have contributed to the destruction, but the main reason was -the determination of Rome to master all the shores of the Mediterranean -and to dominate the entire ancient world. In the face of this fact, -even an internally solid and strong Judea would have finally succumbed -as did Carthage, which produced greater generals and gave a better -military account of itself than did Judea. The destruction of Judea was -a tragic historical necessity and could only have been avoided if Rome -had, by a miracle, suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. -Were present Rome what ancient Rome was, the centre of civilization -that strove for the mastery not only of the Mediterranean countries but -also of the entire world, the prospective re-establishment of Judea -today would have as little chance as ancient Judea of surviving or -resisting Roman aggression. The prospective re-establishment of Judea -is only possible because the centre of civilization has been shifted -from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. - -Why did the Jewish people suffer two thousand years under the -dispersion and why did they not try during this long period to -re-establish their political sovereignty in the land of their -ancestors? Even the best of our thinkers ascribe this national default -and political apathy to a sort of lethargy of which the Jews were -apparently the victims. To many a Jewish thinker, Ahad Ha'am not -excepted, the past two thousand years of Jewish existence appears -to be planless and one great historic confusion; but on looking -closely at developments, one will come to recognize that not because -of lethargy, but because of given historical conditions, the Jewish -people could not up to our times have attempted to re-establish their -national sovereignty in the land of their forefathers. More than a -thousand years after the downfall of western Rome, Mediterranean -civilization, though degenerated, remained supreme and was identical -with civilization at large. The chief move of its centre from the -Mediterranean to the Atlantic and the consolidation of a new center was -accomplished only after a struggle of nearly five hundred years. So -long as Atlantic civilization was not supreme and so long as the fight -for its supremacy was not finished, the political re-establishment -of Judea, closely connected with the settlement of the solution of -questions arising out of the fight for the Atlantic and all that -there is to it--the individualization of international politics, the -preservation of the small nationalities, their political restoration, -etc.--could not be taken up and no serious attempt to re-establish the -Jewish nationality in Palestine could be made by the Jews or other -nations interested in the settlement of the Jewish question. - -For these reasons, the re-establishment of Judea, as one of the -post-bellum problems, is as historically logical now as was the -downfall of Judea a historical necessity two thousand years ago. - -There are no blind chances in history, nor are there stagnant moments -in history. History has its reasons, which, however, reason often fails -to understand. - - - - -LAND AND PEOPLE - - -Ever since the Jewish people lost its national independence and -sovereignty and began to live in dispersion among the nations of the -earth, it has lost the opportunity and possibility of continuing the -work of its national civilization and has had to be satisfied with -producing cultural values only. Everything that individual Jews have -achieved in the past two thousand years in the domain of civilization -has been an enrichment of the civilization of the peoples among whom -they have lived. Jews have always been prominent in commerce and -industry, but there was no national Jewish commerce and no national -Jewish industry, even when those who created and developed certain -branches of commerce were all Jews. Their commercial and industrial -activities and accomplishments strengthened the other nations among -whom the Jews lived, but not themselves. In many cases they have -endangered and imperiled the Jewish people, because they became the -arsenal of anti-Semitic weapons. The individual has profited by Jewish -industrial and commercial achievements, but not the Jewish collective -body. In short, all our work and energy in the domain of practical -civilization has reached not the Jewish people, but other nations, and -only a few have given us credit for these achievements. - -Often enough have we been blamed for them. The Dutchman is full of -envy of the Jew to the present day for having monopolized the diamond -cutting industry; the Turks are still angry when they remember that -Baron de Hirsch built their railroads. In Switzerland people are -blaming the Jews for having monopolized the silk and watch industries; -the Russians antagonize them because of their big share in the -development of the petrol wells in the Caucasus and in the lumber -business in western Russia. A famous German professor, Werner Sombart, -has written a voluminous book of five hundred pages in which he indicts -us for having developed capitalism, while others are accusing the Jews -of having produced anti-capitalistic forces. In short, not only have -the activities of individual Jews in the domain of civilization not -been of profit to them as a people, but they have in too many cases -served as a basis of attack. - -The cause of these peculiar phenomena was our diaspora life. We had -no homeland of our own. We had no national soil beneath us and no -national sky above us. We were a wandering people and as such could -not produce a national civilization, which involves and presupposes a -static and not a dynamic order of things. But as soon as the Jews can -lead a normal national life, all this, unhappy and tragic, will change -radically and an entirely new order of things will arise. Not the -Jewish individual, as heretofore, but the Jewish people at large, will -be the agency of the Jewish genius and whatever the Jewish individual -has to contribute to civilization he will contribute through the Jewish -people. While his achievements in this domain will serve humanity, -as heretofore, they will at the same time enrich the life of his own -people and become a source of strength instead of weakness; when the -Jews have an opportunity to be active for civilization as Jews, Jewish -individualism, the curse of our racial life, will gradually disappear. - -Only a few of us realize the fact that this individualism, which finds -its unpleasant expression in petty factionalism, communal strife, party -quarrels and lack of discipline among the rank and file, is in the main -to be ascribed to the fact that the Jews have no national civilization. -If we had one, many an unpleasant phenomenon in our public life would -be impossible. If the Jews had common political responsibilities, if -they had all to look to the safety of their country, if they had all to -look after their national economic interests, the national intellect -would be more uniform and two Jews would not have three different -opinions. It is the lack of a national Jewish civilization that makes -the Jewish intellect queer and misshapen. The mind of a people can -only be trained by its national civilization, and is orientated by -it. But since the Jews have lacked national civilization for the -last two thousand years, the intellect of the nation has lost its -uniformity, has become atomized and has in many cases gone astray. -This has added to our inner misery and has driven many an idealistic -Jew to despair. At the moment when the Jews begin to lead a national -life on national soil and under their own sky, which give out line -and color to the soul of a nation, many negative energies which are -active in our life because of the effects of diaspora existence must -necessarily disappear. The intellectual discipline of the nation will -be re-established and the life of its soul will again assume normal -proportions. There will be a Jewish public opinion in the best meaning -of the term, not merely the opinion of individual Jews. - -It is generally asserted that, though the Jews as such have not -produced a civilization during their life in diaspora, they have -produced a culture. This is sincerely believed by all Jews, by -believers and disbelievers, orthodox and reform, nationalists and -assimilationists. Though one lays more stress on the spiritual and the -other more on the secular aspect of the so-called Jewish culture, the -outstanding fact is, however, that the belief in the Jewish culture -produced in the diaspora is general. But if it is true that culture is -a superstructure of civilization and has civilization as its basis, it -is hard to see how it is possible to assume for one moment that the -Jews have produced anything like a culture during their diaspora life. - -It is true that Jews have written books among which some are famous -in world-literature. It is true that the Jews have painted good -pictures. It is also true that the Jews have composed good music. But -the question is often more than justified whether or not the Jewish -genius has drawn the material from Jewish sources and Jewish life. Are -all the good books Jews have written Jewish books? Are all the good -pictures Jews have painted Jewish art? And is the good music Jews have -composed Jewish music? In some cases they are partly Jewish. In the -overwhelming majority of cases they are not Jewish at all. Neither -Spinoza nor Bergson, neither Heine nor Hoffmannsthal, are Jews in the -sense that they have been inspired exclusively by Jewish motives and -that they have drawn their inspiration from Jewish sources alone. But -we can go even further and maintain that even those great Jews from -Philo of Alexandria to Maimonides and from Maimonides to Herman Cohen, -who were always conscious of their Judaism and who thought that they -were working as Jews and that their creations were Jewish, stood much -more under the spell of alien than Jewish influence, and in their work -were less Jews than is generally supposed. In spite of their racial -enthusiasm, their intellect was hyphenated. Philo was at least as much -Greek as he was Jew, Maimonides at least as much Greek and Arab, and -Cohen is at least as much German as he is Jew, if not more. - -We are quick in our condemnation of those who wrote on the tombstone of -Maimonides, "Heretic and Disbeliever." We are angry at the "fanatics" -of Amsterdam who excommunicated Spinoza, and we are often angry at -those who utter severe criticism of Herman Cohen as a Jew. But these -fanatics, wrong as they may be in their methods, are not entirely -wrong in their motives and ideas. They are Jews in whom strong Jewish -instincts are alive and these Jews, gifted with more original instincts -than the average Jew, see more quickly what is Jewish and what is not -in the work of a great Jew; it is the un-Jewish motive in these works -by which they are repulsed. - -Even the Jewish religion has been largely influenced, not only by -non-Jewish surroundings, but also by non-Jewish religious motives. The -truth of the matter is that national Jewish culture ceased to be with -the destruction of the Jewish state. From that time on, individual -Jews have cultivated Jewish thoughts and Jewish feelings, but they -could not prevent their thoughts and feelings from being so mingled -with and darkened by non-Jewish thoughts and feelings as to lose -their original strength. Much of our so-called national literature is -not organic, but consists of a number of books written by individual -Jews who were only too often inspired by motives more non-Jewish than -Jewish. The same is true of Jewish art, Jewish music, etc. Only when -our culture touches upon our classical past or upon our national -future, that is to say, when it is not influenced by the chaos of the -present, is it truly Jewish. - -When the Jews return to Palestine and begin to develop a national -civilization, their culture will be built up not only on the past or -the future, but also on the present. It will grow with the growth -of civilization and it will not be a culture of individuals who are -inspired by one thought appearing in different colors as the result -of various influences; it will be the culture of a nation, an organic -essence produced and developed with the help of the entire nation. - -This will be the consequence of a national Jewish homeland in -Palestine. - - - - -PALESTINE'S ROLE IN THE WORLD'S HISTORY - - -Even territories are subject to the incalculable caprice of Fate. -Palestine, a small territory in Western Asia, forming the southern -third of the province of Syria, excelled in natural beauty by -Switzerland or the Tyrol, has nevertheless been touched by the Spirit -of Humanity and has exerted a greater influence upon the development -of the human mind than any other country in the world, not excepting -ancient Hellas and Rome. There is hardly another land that has -witnessed as great historic events as has Palestine; there is surely -no other land that has seen so many invading conquerors on its soil. -No other spot on the globe has so kindled the magnetism of the great -nations throughout the ages as Palestine. Today, when an army of the -mighty British Empire is fighting hard to conquer Palestine, the land -of eternal mystery and miracles, it is well to remember that throughout -the ages every great power has fought for the possession of the Holy -Land. In the early days of our civilization Babylonians, Egyptians, -Assyrians and Persians in turn tried to conquer the country. At a -later time, the Greeks and the Romans made the attempt; in the middle -ages the great nations of Europe were organized by the Church to wrest -Palestine from the Mohammedans. All the great conquerors in history, -from Nebuzaradan and Titus to Napoleon, have commanded invading armies -on Palestine soil. - -This small land of Palestine, drenched with human blood since time -immemorial, has become the holy centre of three great religions, and -witnessed the birth of two great religions, Judaism and Christianity. -From the purely religious point of view the land is as holy to Islam -as it is to Christendom or Jewry. Politically, it has always been and -still remains the goal of many a great power. The Turk holds it, the -British are anxious to conquer it, the French have politico-historical -claims on Syria, which includes Palestine, the Roman Church considers -it its special domain and aspires to possess it; the Emperor of Austria -still bears the title King of Jerusalem, and the King of the Belgians, -on the assumption that he is an offspring of the Crusader Prince who -ruled over Jerusalem for a while, asserts historic claims on the Holy -Land which, however, he does not press. Palestine has seen many a -change of masters and has been inhabited in turn by many peoples. But -among all the peoples that have lived in Palestine there is only one, -the nationhood and culture of which has grown and developed there--the -Jewish people. - -The Judaism originating in Palestine has become one of the driving -powers in history; it continues to fructify the human mind of the -present day. Mankind bears in mind that just as in modern philosophy -there is scarcely a single thought that was not already known -either to the Greeks or to the Romans, so in modern social ethics, -humanitarianism and countless branches of modern political life -there is scarcely an idea or thought that was not propounded by the -representatives of the ancient Jewish mind. Many a radical idea -commonly supposed to be a product of the civilization of the 19th -century is found on close examination to be the embodiment of an -ancient Jewish idea born on Palestinian soil. The kernel and sum total -of Marxism is of ancient Jewish origin; Karl Marx added a modern garb -to an ancient Jewish thought. - -But Palestine has witnessed not only the birth and development of -Judaism but also of Christianity. Christianity is, reduced to its -original components, a synthesis of Eastern and Western Aryan thought, -consisting of the universalism and pessimism of ancient India and the -individualism and optimism of the Greeks and Romans. Christianity -is therefore not only not a continuation of Judaism, but its very -antithesis, despite the fact that there is nothing in Eastern Aryan and -Western Aryan thought, when looked at separately, that cannot also be -found in Judaism. - -The fight for Palestine by the great nations of ancient times, the -origin and growth of two historic religions on Palestinian soil, the -subsequent struggle for Palestine by united Christendom against the -Islam and the constant attention that humanity pays to Palestine does -not explain why Palestine is held sacred. Another explanation must be -found why Palestine, a strip of coast land on the Mediterranean, has -become the land of wonders, the cradle of European spiritualism. - -Palestine has become the very well and centre of the spiritual life -of humanity because she was so placed geographically as to be in a -position to mediate between the Eastern and the Western Aryans and -because Jewish thought, born in Palestine, the mediating centre, was -later to act as the spiritual mediator between both wings of the Aryan -race without giving up its own position and independence. - -The geographical position of the region where Judaism arose is located -just between the settlements of the West and East Aryans. Just as -Palestine is the geographical centre between East and West Aryans, so -also does the Jewish mind born in Palestine mediate between Tibet and -Greece. - -The East Aryans believed in the universal, the infinite--the West -Aryans in the individual, as expressed in classic mythology. The -Jewish God-concept comprises both of these extremes. The Jewish God -is the highest individuality, but he is also God who has created -the universe, the God of all mankind. The Biblical cosmogony shows -combination of this individuality with universality. As the Biblical -metaphysic mediates between the extremes of Aryan thought, so does -the Jewish mind born in Palestine hold the middle between Greek and -Indian thought. The Jewish mind lacks both the cold, analytical -intellectuality of the Greek and the mystic, fantastical tendency of -the Indian mind. With the Jew, however, reason is praised and knowledge -highly valued, while feeling is given its due and is not mortified. -The prophet is not an individualist nor is he a hazy universalist, -but a self-sacrificing patriot who for the love of his people suffers -martyrdom, and yet a cosmopolitan who in his heart full of love -embraces all mankind. - -When the two Aryan culture thoughts met in Alexandria and Rome, the -Jewish thought intervened and acted as mediator between the two -extremes. Of course it was not done by conscious design, but we cannot -disregard the influence men like Philo exercised on the course of -events. While many momenta and causes co-operated in making the Jew the -mediator between these two extremes, the main cause no doubt was the -middle position occupied by Judaism. It was related to both sides and -could therefore effect a reconciliation. - -This, to our mind, explains in the main the place of Palestine and -Judaism in the world's history. The Jews, a small Asiatic people, -owing to a remarkable concatenation of events and chances, have set -in motion a circulation of ideas, which later on cemented other great -cultures. Christianity is not, as Christian theologians would have the -world believe, a continuation of Judaism. What Judaism in the main did -contribute to Christianity was the form, the architecture, and the -cohesive power of its various elements. If there be any truth in the -assertion that the Jews are the "everlasting middlemen," it is not -because they have been for the last two thousand years the economic -or political middlemen among the nations who forced them into a -parasitical life, but because they, a Palestinian people, have brought -about a union between worlds of thought which were arrayed against each -other. By reason of this mediation, they have impregnated other peoples -with their own mind. - - - - -JUDAIZING PALESTINE - - -In spite of the political and diplomatic events of the two months -preceding the Baltimore Zionist Convention, not one of the responsible -Zionist leaders uttered a word with regard to the political situation -pertaining to Palestine. The various rumors concerning a Jewish -republic in Palestine have been answered by the representatives of -American Zionism with--silence. This attitude on the part of the -responsible Zionist leaders testifies to their political ability -and tact, for nothing would be more dangerous today than to discuss -Palestine at a Zionist assembly in as careless a manner as persons -have done for the last few months. The situation is still fraught -with difficulties, dangers and uncertainty; and the less it is spoken -of the better for all parties concerned. The question on the lips of -every delegate to the convention: What have we to expect? has been -well answered by the representative of the Provisional Committee for -General Zionist Affairs--We expect to be able to create after the war -such conditions in Palestine as to enable us to carry out our program. -To those delegates who are not able to think in terms of statesmanship -the answer of the official representatives of the Provisional Committee -must have appeared to be unsatisfactory, but the better politically -trained Zionists appreciated the answer as the only one possible under -the present circumstances and it convinced them that the leaders in -this country are politically on the right track. - -All the talk about a speedy establishment of a Jewish republic in -Palestine in which even a part of the general press indulged is pure -fancy if we consider things in the light of reality. A republic or -any form of state cannot be made--it must grow naturally from certain -given conditions, it must develop organically. So long as the people -and the people's land are separated physically from one another, how -can the synthesis of the state be won? It is, therefore, clear that -the very first condition for the realization of the Zionist program is -a settlement of Jews in Palestine en masse, which settlement is not -possible unless certain economic conditions are created to enable the -settlers to organize their life speedily and acclimatize themselves -as quickly as possible. But this creating of conditions is not as -easy a task as many persons imagine. It not only presumes a favorable -political situation, but also a display of organizing genius, important -financial transactions and almost heroic deeds. If Palestine were an -industrial country where new industries could be created or the old -ones so developed as to give sustenance to masses of new settlers, the -task would not be difficult. Palestine, however, is at present not an -industrial country, there are no mines and consequently no factories -of importance; it is altogether an agricultural country, the soil of -which, though potentially very productive, has been neglected for -centuries and must be regenerated before it can produce enough to feed -a large population. But even if Palestine were an industrial country -it would be an unwise policy to make industry the economic basis of -the future population. If the Jewish people are going to be reborn not -only politically but also physically, mentally and morally, the masses -of the Jewish people must return to agriculture and to country life. -For the last two thousand years we have been a city-population and -we have acquired all the habits and qualities of one. City life has -wrought havoc among us. If Zionism has a philosophy then the return -of large numbers of the Jews to country-life is part and parcel of -that philosophy by which we must abide if we do not mean to deceive -ourselves. Besides, agriculture is a much sounder basis for a state -than industry. The agricultural country is peaceful, conservative, -moderate, while the industrial country is always restless, upset, -radical and bellicose. If an individualistic--and because of a long -life in the dispersion--nervous people like the Jews should build its -entire future on industry, it would be built on sand. For this and -many other good reasons, we must make agriculture the main economic -basis of Jewish life in Palestine. But to create favorable agricultural -conditions to enable an immigration en masse to Palestine is much more -difficult than to create favorable industrial conditions, especially in -view of the fact that the Palestinian soil has been neglected. - -The economic future of Palestine rests to our present knowledge on -agriculture and trade. For the past ten years Palestinian trade has -been increasing from year to year, especially that of commerce in -fruit and wine. Palestine can, if its soil is properly tilled and -modern agricultural methods used, produce such quantities of fruits -and grain as not only to feed the native population but also to supply -other countries. The same holds true of wine and tobacco and probably -cotton. Industries can be established which have the home products -as a main basis, such as canning and packing industries, manufacture -of soap, perfumes, etc. The possibilities of pastoral industry in -Palestine are enormous, and industrious Jewish ranchers may turn -Eastern Palestine into a second Texas. - -There are altogether vast possibilities and should a favorable -political situation enable us to revive and to create the necessary -economic conditions for a Jewish settlement en masse in the land, -Jewish industry and Jewish financial strength combined with Jewish -idealism would within a few years of hard work prepare the ground for -a realization of the Zionist program. This is what the Zionist leaders -have in mind when they speak of creating such conditions in Palestine. -It is further understood that next to the preparing of economic -conditions, something must be done in the field of social and cultural -preparation. When a group of Jews is sent to Palestine, it must find -there such social and cultural preparations as to make civilized life -possible. One cannot, of course, build communities, schools, social and -charitable institutions in Palestine before large masses of our people -have settled in the country. The ground for the establishment of such -institutions must be prepared before the actual immigration takes place -for we will not send our people to a wilderness. The Jewish groups -that will emigrate to Palestine may not find actually erected all the -schools and hospitals they need, but they must find everything that is -necessary for re-establishment of such institutions and the men needed -to conduct them. This is not an easy task but it can be accomplished -if we centre our organizing genius on it. In this way we can _Judaize -Palestine_ in a relatively short time and when this is done the -geographic and economic position will be used for a strengthening of -all the sociological factors which are necessary for the creation of -a Jewish homeland. Palestine, on account of its geographic condition -can again be developed to a mighty trade centre and it can become the -great commercial roadway between Europe, Africa and Western Asia. This, -together with its solid economic and social organization, will give -Palestine political strength and position among the civilized countries -in the world. - -It can thus be seen that it is futile at present to talk of the -immediate establishment of a Jewish republic in Palestine. The very -best that can be done and will be done is to prepare the ground -economically, socially and culturally for the settlement of great -masses of our people in the Holy Land. And it will be for the settlers -to shape the future and to strive to realize the Zionist Ideal: A -permanently secured homeland for the Jewish people in the land of its -ancestors. Unless this big work is done, no power on earth can help us -carry out our national political program, because states cannot be made -but must develop organically. - - - - -NATIONAL EXISTENCE AND NATIONAL HISTORIC LIFE - - -What is the essence of the historic life of a people? This question -has been on the program of the sociologist ever since society began to -free itself from the hold of the state. Prior to the French Revolution, -when society and the state were interlinked by thousands of strands, -the belief was current that the national state--particularly, the well -organized, centralized state--is the essence of the historic life of -a people. It was thought that as soon as a special form of government -was overturned the people would turn loose like a herd of wild men. -Then came the French Revolution and laid the prestige of the state low. -A national society began to organize, outside the state, and became a -historic factor of its own account. It then became evident that the -state was not the only essence of the historic life of a people, that -there were other factors equally, or even more important, and that -no national historic life could exist without them. Only a short -time before the French Revolution, a French historian said that the -Chinese nation, despite its living a national life, is only _existing_ -in a historic sense, because it has no influence upon the historic -process, and plays no part in the production of cultural values for -the human race. In short, the Chinese nation lives outside the pale of -history. Now then, if a people like that of China, numbering hundreds -of millions of souls and living on its own soil under the auspices of -its own government, is placed in the category of nations that merely -_exist_, other nationalities of smaller numbers and having no national -government are certainly not to be classed as historically living -nations. - -Liberal-minded thinkers, whose thought was influenced directly by the -events of the French Revolution endeavored to minimize the historic -glory of the state and reduce it to only one of the factors in the -historic life of a people. The conservatives on the other hand -endeavored to restore to the state its old glory. The controversy -was especially intense in Germany. Hegel, the father of conservative -philosophy in Germany, raised the state to the pedestal of a deity, -characterizing it as the aim and substance of historic development, -in general, and as the most significant phenomenon in history. Johann -Fichte, Hegel's contemporary and opponent, the father of the national -doctrine in Germany gave society the first place, and looked upon the -state as a necessary evil. He regarded culture, with the exception of -art, as opposed to the state. The essence of historic life was to him -not the political life of the people but its ethics, science, religion -and art. The state can have a positive attitude towards art alone--all -the other elements, such as science, religion and ethics, must enjoy -the freedom and independence which the state can not always grant to -them. According to him, therefore, not political acts but scientific -cognition and intellectual development are the driving forces in the -historic life of a people. - -Even Kant himself--who gave preference to the state--recognized a -certain antagonism between ethics and the state. The state is the -realm of law, while ethics has its origin in conscience. The romantic -philosophy, which attempted to solve this problem from the standpoint -of esthetics culminated in the extreme individualism which found its -highest expression in the doctrines of Nietzsche. The superman, the -great personality which a people produces is according to this doctrine -the aim and end of history, and, naturally, that of the historic life -of a people. Herder hinted at this conclusion, Schelling developed -the doctrine and Nietzsche--the extremist of romanticists--perfected -it. But this historic personality of the romantic philosophers is not -only, as many are inclined to believe, an intellectual being. The great -philosopher or the great artist is not the historic personality, but -the man of great deeds; for history is first and foremost the realm of -action and not that of thought. Nietzsche's "blond beast," that is, the -man of great passions and great deeds, is the historic personality, -that motive power in historic life, in general, and the life of the -nation in particular. - - * * * * * - -If we look upon Jewish history in the Diaspora in the light of classic, -or romantic, or even modern philosophy, we are bound to come to the -conclusion that the Jewish people ceased to live a historic national -life when it was exiled from its land. We have not lived a political -life during the past two thousand years; hence we could not contribute -to the civilization of mankind, for a national civilization is -possible only in a national state. True, we have produced many great -personalities, but the Jewish great personality in the Goluth is not -a great Jewish personality--in the majority of cases it is merely -an intellectual personality: a poet, an artist, a philosopher, etc. -Lord Beaconsfield certainly was a great historic personality; but who -would dare claim this statesman as a Jewish historic personality--the -product of Jewish culture? His deeds are chronicled in the history -of the English people; his historic accomplishments are the historic -accomplishments of the English people. It was not the Jew Disraeli -who procured the Suez Canal for the Jewish people, but the English -statesman, the Lord Beaconsfield who acquired it for the English people. - -The Jewish great personality displayed its talent in various -intellectual fields, but did nothing in the political field, for which -it lacked the necessary conditions. For two thousand years, we have -lived an unhistoric life--the life of Chinese, with the exception that -the Chinese live on their own soil and were spared the persecutions -that fell to our lot. We eked out an existence; but we did not live. -Hence the entire history of the Jewish people for the past two thousand -years is a history of Jewish literature. Since the deterioration -of the Jewish state, Judaism has been a mere literary tendency in -general history; an interesting tendency, to be sure, occasionally -even original, but not more than a literary tendency. Not our historic -deeds but the abstract thought alone aided us in continuing our -existence--our philosophy, poetry, ethics, and religious cravings kept -us alive. We the bearers of that literary aspiration have been going -a-begging for thousands of years. We wandered from land to land and -from sea to sea without an end in view. All our political achievements -have been concentrated in our memory for the past two thousand years. -We remembered that we once were a people like every other people, -and by the mere force of these memories we went wherever we were -directed. Thus in our long travels we have become spiritualized, we -have converted a system of national culture with laws and regulations -about the state and its rulers to a system of theology. The ancient -Hebrew culture which is essentially a secular culture became to us a -sacred thing. The Hebrew prophets, who were historic personalities in -the full sense of the word, because they were men of action, statesmen -and warriors of political battles, were raised by us to the category of -saints in the theological sense. Thus the Hebrew culture was reduced to -a mere theological system. - -We lived in a Roman environment, that is, in an environment which draws -its strength from ancient Rome, whose program was the state, practical -civilization, wars, conquests, revolts, political reorganization, etc. -In such an environment with its peculiar culture, there was no room for -the ancient Jewish culture based on ethical teachings, which, in order -to be able to maintain its existence, was compelled to confine itself -within the walls of the synagogue. In short, it is not only impossible -to create new cultural values in the Diaspora but even to continue the -thread of the ancient Hebrew idea, in essence an idea of civilization. -In exile, more so in Roman exile, there was no past and no future for -Judaism. Ancient Judaism was a historic and not a literary phenomenon; -hence, since it has been the destiny of the Jewish people for the past -two thousand years _to exist_, and not to live a normal national life, -it is even unable to preserve the memories of a historic past. - -Then came Zionism. The nationalistic trend in history has influenced -the Jewish people too. Zionism came not from the East, but from the -West--from the centre of modern nationalism. Modern nationalism, -unlike that of ancient peoples, is not a cultural nationalism; modern -nationalism is nationalism in the sense of civilization and can be -understood only in connection with the industrial revolution and -the colonial expansion of the great nations. Zionism could not have -come from the East; for the East is politically and industrially not -sufficiently developed to produce a movement which is both national and -civilizing. - -The Zionist platform is known to all: A publicly recognized and legally -secured home in Palestine for the Jews. What is the historic meaning of -this program? It is to convert an unhistoric people, that is, a people -that does not live a historic life, to a normal historic people and to -create for it all the factors necessary for a national civilization: -a Hebrew administration, a national Hebrew economic life, a Hebrew -education, a Hebrew social organization. The Zionist genius realized -that there cannot be even national Hebrew culture without a national -Hebrew civilization, for the culture of a people is only the roof on -the edifice of a national civilization, and woe to the culture which -lays its foundation upon personalities and does not draw from the wells -of the nation's civilization. At present there are only atoms connected -to one another by the ties of national remembrances, spirit, tradition, -and poetry. Zionism purports the building out of these atoms, which -are scattered throughout the world, of a national organism in the -land of the Hebrews. And since every national polity and civilization -is secular, with the exception of papal Rome and theocratic Tibet, -the function of Zionism is to create those conditions which will -again secularize Judaism, and raise it to the pedestal of its ancient -glory--to make it a historic force. - -Goluth means: a scattered existence, and one of misery and affliction. -Zionism means: a national historic life. And he who prefers a national -life to a miserable existence has no other choice than to join the -Zionist ranks. - - - - -DRIVING FORCES: NATIONAL OR SPIRITUAL? - - -The days of religious wars have gone. The Inquisition is dead and -theocracy is dying even at Tibet. The modern man, be he Gentile or -Jew, no longer thinks _more theologico_ as in the Middle Ages, but -rather _more sociologico_. The time when a given religious dogma, a -categorical philosophic principle, or some definite spiritual force -was the driving power in history is far gone. Law and order in our -political and social life are not derived from books and principles, -but from life itself. Any attempt to return to the status quo ante -1789, is an assault on modern civilization, an attempt to re-establish -theocracy in its various forms. - -In the life of our own people the process of secularization is going -on with the same rapidity as in the life of any other nation. Within -five decades we have created a secular literature in Hebrew as well as -in the other languages spoken by Jews, and all the forms of our modes -of life, public as well as private, have gone through the process of -secularization. Even the modern orthodox Jew, who observes all laws and -rituals, differs quite in his disposition of mind from the orthodox Jew -of the seventeenth or eighteenth century. In worldly affairs he is a -man of his time and thinks in the terms of his time. To the credit of -our people be it said that they have understood how to adapt themselves -to the conditions of the time. - -It often happened that during the process of adaptation, Jews lost -their way and became separated from their people, but the bulk of -the nation has passed through the crisis caused by the process of -transition and made itself at home in the new conditions without -disintegration. - -Though fanatics have profaned the tombstone of Maimonides by writing -on it: "Infidel and Heretic," Judaism ratified the peace which -Maimonides concluded in its behalf with Aristotelianism. All the hue -and cry against Maimonides was in the end of no avail, because at that -time the deed of Maimonides was a step forward towards progress. At -a time when the Roman Catholic Church fought Copernicus and Galileo -no representatives of Judaism participated in this fight, though the -Synagogue had an older historic reason to oppose Copernicus than had -the Roman Catholic Church. - -In short, Judaism has never resisted real progress and has always -known how to make peace with the tendencies and currents of the time -without weakening its own position. As it has reconciled itself to new -conditions in the past so today it is making peace with the tendencies -of our own time. Separation of state from church and the overthrow -of theocracy and secularization of life are strong currents in our -contemporaneous history. In the life of our people, these tendencies of -the time have taken the form of nationalism and Zionism. Neither mean -alienation from the religion of our ancestors, as many misled rabbis -argue, but only imply that the Jewish religion has a definite place in -Jewish life, but cannot and should not rule our lives altogether. - -This is a general human tendency which we should not and ought not -oppose; unfortunately, there are leading Jews who deem it their duty -to resist the forces of progress and to display medievalism at the -expense of our people and its prestige, and to the exclusion of all -modern and intellectual forces. This resistance we find represented in -two schools of thought, in the school of _old-fashioned Reform_ and in -that of the _semi-nationalistic spiritualism_. The representatives of -the one school argue that we are only a spiritual people and that we -are violating the spirit of Judaism if we strive to become a secular -people. The others do not go so far, but they also maintain that Jewish -nationalism is above all spiritual in nature and that, if Jewish -nationalism has a duty to perform, this duty consists in establishing -a Jewish _spiritual_ centre in Palestine. Both schools of thought may -be characterized as utterly reactionary, because they imply that we -should stand still, where humanity stood two or three hundred years -ago; that we should continue to submit to the law of the book instead -of submitting to the law of life, and that we should continue to live -as a spiritual people and give spiritualism the first place, while the -basis of present day civilization is secular in nature. - -With regard to the philosophy of Judaism as represented by -old-fashioned Reform, it suffices to remember that every people on -earth had a period in its history when it considered itself a spiritual -people. And to the present day every civilized people firmly and -sincerely believes that it has a special mission to perform. The author -of "Oraisons Funèbres" formulated such a spiritual mission for the -French, Fichte did it for the Germans, and Katkov for the Russians. -But neither the French nor the Germans nor the Russian people clung -to their mission-theory. While appreciating these spiritual values, -they have outgrown spiritualism as the all embracing guide of the -nation's life and have settled down to work out their salvation in a -very prosaic and profane way. Either the Jewish people are subject to -the laws of historic progress, and then we have to keep pace with that -historical progress, or else we miraculously form an exception to the -rule and laws of history--we are an island in the ocean of life--and -then we ought to be today what we were two, three, five or twelve -hundred years ago. - -Reform Judaism of today is surely not the Judaism of the year 1700 or -1500. It is a modern Judaism adapted to modern life. The same Jews, -who are arguing that we cannot give up spiritualism as the prime -factor of Jewish life and that we cannot stick to the old conception -of Judaism, have deemed it advisable to introduce reforms into a field -of Judaism that was considered the very stronghold of spiritualism in -the Jewish religion. That is where the contradiction and confusion come -in. So far as religion is concerned, these reformers conform to the -requirements of the time, but on the other hand they still cling to -the spiritualistic supremacy in Jewish life, to the theory of Israel's -mission, as if they were Jews of the seventeenth century. - -Either Judaism cannot undergo a change and must remain what it always -was--and then reform is unjustifiable--or Judaism can adapt itself to -modern life and make peace with the tendencies of the time--and then -why stick to the fictitious supremacy of the spiritual side of Judaism? - -No less contradictory and confusing is the philosophy of the other -school of thought that preaches spiritual nationalism as the only -solution of the Jewish question. If spiritualism is no longer the prime -factor in life, and if it is no longer in a position to maintain its -hold on the peoples of the earth as it did in the days gone by when -men thought _more theologico_, how can it hold its grip on the Jewish -people? And how can a purely spiritual centre even in Palestine answer -the Jewish question? - -Did Mecca, the centre of Mohamedan spiritualism, prevent the conquest -of Egypt, Morocco, Tunis and Tripoli by the Christian nations? (And -Mecca is the spiritual centre not of a people of fourteen but of a -religious community of two hundred millions.) - -Despite Mecca and despite the pan-Islamic movement, the holy war -proclaimed by the Caliph two years ago was a failure. Instead of a -united Islam we have today an independent Mecca, an Egypt that is loyal -to England, and an Algeria and a Morocco that are loyal to France. -If Mecca could not contain Islam politically and could not save the -Islamitic nations from being conquered, how could a much smaller Jewish -_spiritual_ centre in Palestine save the Jewish people politically and -nationally? This is the question which we would like to submit to these -"spiritual" nationalists. - -These Neo-Ahad-Ha'amists are by no means better than the adherents -of old-fashioned Reform; both cling to the spiritualistic supremacy -in Jewish life, and both oppose the necessary gradual secularization -of Judaism. Both would have us stand still, or, if possible, draw us -back to a medievalism that has no room in modern life, and both are -reactionaries in the full meaning of the term. They are our "dark -forces" and the time seems very near when we will have to rise against -both and overcome them. There is reason to fear that in the hour of -fate they will put obstacles in the way of our redemption. - - - - -THE ETERNAL CYCLE - - -Every revolutionary phenomenon in life, every political catastrophe, -upsets men's minds and shakes old rooted opinions to their very -foundations. The sudden break with tradition affects both the mind -of the individual as well as that of the collective body. It brings -about a radical change in views and sentiments and often in the whole -world-concept. The gloomy pessimist may suddenly become a joyous -optimist and vice versa. The earthquake of Lisbon of 1755 not only -shook the belief in Providence of the young Goethe, but turned numerous -orthodox circles into agnostics. The French Revolution broke the -conservative spirit that was prevailing in Western Europe and put an -end to the mediaeval conception of the state, just as the appearance -of Bonaparte brought about the revival of the longing for Caesaric -splendor and the cult of the superman. - -The Russian Revolution, successful till now, has naturally greatly -affected the minds of our contemporaries, and compelled them to revise -their attitude on many historical forces and to consider the course of -recent history in an entirely new light. Men who never believed in the -political ability of the Slavonic race and, therefore, thought that -Russia was doomed as a political power, are now admiring the political -genius of the Russian people and the tactfulness of its leaders. Many -Jewish contemporaries, who considered the Jewish case hopeless because -of the terrible oppressions directed against our brethren in Russia by -the representatives of the old regime, are now joyous optimists and -think that since millions of Russian Jews have been freed the Jewish -question is completely solved. To the minds of these men the Jewish -question will sink into forgetfulness within a short time because -the Jews will enjoy everywhere freedom and liberty and will live in -complete happiness. - -This is the attitude of just those people who but the other day were -convinced of the hopelessness of the Jewish cause and were worried -over the sufferings that the future had in store for the Jews. This -radical outburst of optimism, understandable at the present juncture, -nevertheless betrays a naive intellect and a lack of historical -intelligence. We all hope that the successful Russian Revolution, -next to the world war the most important event in the history of the -twentieth century, will open a new era for our people, an era of -happiness and peaceful development but, at the same time, we should -never lose sight of the fact that there is so far nothing new under the -sun. There is only a definite number of forces and energies prevailing -in history and each and every one of these forces has in turn its term -of domination. History is only a continuation of biological nature plus -human intelligence. There is only a certain definite amount of matter -and energy in the realm of nature as well as in history, and energy -in history can be destroyed as little as energy in nature. And just -as there is always a substitution and constant change of forms in the -realm of nature, so there is in history. Progress never assumes the -shape of a straight line but that of a curve. The most glorious period -in human history may be followed by a period of decay and misery. The -golden era may be followed by an era of iron, to use a parable of Ovid. - -There is in the realm of history as well as in the realm of nature -an eternal cycle. The old Graeco-Roman historian, Polybius, already -recognized the eternal cycle in the development of the state when he -graphically described this development from despotism, monarchism and -feudalism, and from republicanism, democracy and ochlocracy back again -to despotism. - -We, as Jews, have too often experienced ups and downs to believe -that a happy era will last forever. The Jews in Spain not only saw -golden days of complete happiness and freedom, but formed for a time -the vanguard of human civilization. Yet within one hundred years the -Spanish Inquisition annihilated 200,000 Jews while the other 400,000 -were compelled to leave the country. Today, Spain is again inviting the -Jews to settle in the land, promising them complete liberty and freedom -where Torquamada's rule was supreme. - -There was a time when the Jews of Poland lived in happiness. Today, the -Poles are harassing the Jews in every possible way and are scheming and -devising plans to break up Judaism in Poland. In Rome, where the Jews -only one hundred years ago were humiliated and depressed, a Jewish -mayor dared to criticize the Pope openly and to challenge all the -forces of mediaevalism in the Eternal City. England, that invented the -ritual murder accusation, has today a Jew as its Lord Chief Justice. On -the other hand, the Jews of North Africa, who were politically supreme -in the Atlas countries, are today the most oppressed human beings on -God's earth. - -All these ups and downs which we have experienced ever since we have -lived dispersed warrant a certain reserve in our judgment on phenomena -in life, even when these phenomena be of the most revolutionary nature. -Too much optimism and too much overstating of matters must subsequently -lead to disappointment, to despair, even to ruin. Our age as a people, -our historical and general intellectual experience, do not warrant too -much optimism even at present. - -The Jews are a force in history. The other historical forces must take -an attitude to and judgment from Judaism. This attitude and judgment -are likely to change. The change that is necessary to take place from -time to time is not always a product of malice, but a product of -certain factors which the individual, be he even the most powerful, is -often unable to control. If an oppressed people is set free, all the -suppressed energies in it begin to pour out suddenly; this may lead to -the reaction against the Jews. The people sheltering us may often need -a scapegoat and it will without fail take the Jews for that purpose. -National as well as international crises may often affect the attitude -of a people to the Jews or the attitude of the dominating class to -the Jews. In this case we will always be the sufferers. Because of -the hostile encounter between clericalism and liberalism in France -the Jews had to suffer. The Dreyfus affair is still in the memory of -every contemporary. When the liberal forces in France finally emerged -victors from the struggle, another Jewish group--the Hungarian--felt -the effects of this struggle in a very unpleasant way. The Clericals -not being in a position to do any more harm to the French Jews began -to awaken the anti-Semitic instincts of the Hungarians, and set about -to create an anti-Semitic movement in Hungary. Even the Polish Jews -had to suffer because of the victory of liberalism in France, for -the Clericals in Poland took revenge on the Jews for their defeat in -France. - -As to the future of the Jews in Russia, it is hard to predict whether -or not it will be a happy one. The mind of the Russian people is still -a blank. The Russian people have been kept in ignorance; their will is -not domesticated and their mind not trained. The Russians themselves, -or, to be correct, the Great Russians do not know the Jews. They have -never lived together. On account of the emancipation the Jews of the -Pale will emigrate to the interior of Russia and will settle in the -midst of the Great Russians, and they will become active in various -spheres and fields. - -How will the presence and the activity of this new neighbor react on -the Russian mind? Will the presence of the Jews in the midst of the -Great Russians result in the development of friendship or will the -reverse be the case? And if a new crisis should break out in Russia, -and a Russian Government should need a scapegoat to save its neck, will -it or will it not pick out the Jews to serve as the scapegoat? Russia -is a land of unlimited possibilities for good and for bad; there are no -prophets nowadays to predict future happenings, especially since the -mind of the Russian people is still a question mark. - -Thus, besides the eternal cycle and besides the necessary ups and downs -in history, we have now a special reason to be careful in our judgment -and to moderate our optimism. But even taking for granted that the -Jewish development in Russia will be unhampered, does it already mean -that the Jewish question is solved? Does the Jewish question consist of -bread and butter and human rights? Can the ideal of a people as old as -the Jews be satisfied with just being permitted to live as individuals? -Can it be the meaning and aim of 4000 years of Jewish history that the -zenith of our development as a people should consist in being permitted -to live among the people with mere civic equality? Is that what we have -struggled for during the centuries? - -Greater and more civilized people than the Russians have not succeeded -in solving the Jewish question. Why then should we expect that from -Russia will come the salvation, especially as only one-quarter of our -people is today living in Russia? - -The Jewish question can become simplified when we are liberated by -the one people or the other, but it can be solved entirely only by -the Jewish people itself. The Russian Revolution means for the Jews -freedom to breathe and to move, freedom from prison and captivity, but -even the free man has his own problem to solve. Life only begins when -the prison-doors open. - - - - -JEWS AND RACE CONSCIOUSNESS - - -At the beginning of the war there were many who ascribed the world -conflagration to a conflict of races. At present there are many who -would either belittle the rôle of race as a factor in history or -eliminate it altogether. These people describe the theories of race as -"race mythology" and consider them the invention of scholars rather -than facts of objective reality. - -Among a certain section of the Jewish people this negation of race -theories is very popular. If there are not races in this world, then -assimilation is the easiest and best way to solve the Jewish question. - -It may or may not be true that race is a biological category, but -it is true beyond a doubt that the consciousness of race among all -peoples always was and will be an historic factor of prime importance. -Therefore, it matters little whether or not race is a biological fact. -History and its interpretation are concerned only with consciousness of -race. - -If consciousness of race were to be recognized only because it exists -and has always existed, people might say: "So other superstitions have -likewise existed." The fact, however, is that the consciousness of race -has a definite psychological basis, although we know next to nothing -about its biological foundation. We see that the co-existence of like -individuals in a definite place and during a long period of time, -who are held together by a common ancestry, by a common destiny and -interest, and the interaction resulting from such co-existence produces -new phenomena and radiates creative energies which cannot be simply -reduced to the qualities and forces of the individual minds. These -energies radiating from the co-existence of a group of individuals -are new, original and creative. They are more than actualized -potentialities, and are to the individuals sharing in the co-existence -as are sounds which the great artist draws from the violin to the -violin itself. The energies emanating from this co-existence often -assume shape and form which differ from the energies of the separate -individuals. They appear rather one-sided and unbalanced. For instance, -the separate individuals have about an equally large or small amount -of religious or æsthetic desire, an equally large or small sense of -justice or morality. - -If the energies radiating from the co-existence would comprise and -express the will of the individuals only, the culture of the ethnic -group would necessarily consist of equal portions and exhibit a -proportionate amount of logic, aesthetics and ethics. But we see that -every great culture gravitates in a certain direction. Hellenism -tends towards the artistic-philosophical, Judaism towards the -religious-ethical, and Romanism towards the political-legal. We thus -see that the manifestation of the mind of the race being one-sided is -more than the sum total of the expression of all the individual members -of the race, and as soon as we recognize a certain psychological or -psychical unity, of a certain group of people, we must also recognize -that this unity is modeled and shaped by time. In course of time this -psychological or psychical unit becomes enveloped in traditions and -experiences which make it stronger from day to day. As in biology many -think that the function in time creates an organ, so the new energies -radiating from the co-existence of a group of people become in course -of time something organic in the mind of those people. This is the -psychological basis of race consciousness and since earliest time the -various peoples, all of whom had an outspoken race consciousness except -those savages who cannot count, have recognized or felt that their -consciousness of race was more than belief--that it was a psychological -reality. - -Of all the ancient peoples none had more marked race consciousness and -racial feeling than the Jews and Greeks. It is very characteristic -of Greek race consciousness that Greek philosophers, when discussing -ethical or political subjects, have only the Hellenic people in mind. -Their notions of justice and peace were applied only to the Hellenic -people. The ancient Jews were not so one-sided. Yet they, too, had -a well developed race consciousness which showed not merely in the -religious idea that they were the chosen people, but in a very general -acceptance of the belief that they were a distinct unit. Even the -call to righteousness uttered by the prophet is colored by racial -motives: "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness; ye that -seek the Lord. Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn and to the hole -of the pit whence ye are digged." Another of the prophets, Ezekiel, -even speculated as to the origin of the Jewish race. All the terms, -_ger_, _nakhri_, _akum_ and others used by ancient Jews to describe -non-believers characterized non-Jews with reference to race also. The -feeling of racial consciousness among Jews to the present day and the -consciousness of the isolation of that race are best expressed in -the popular Hebrew term, "Umoth ha-Olam," the people of the world. -The "Umoth ha-Olam" are the non-Jews, as the "barbaroi" were the -non-Greeks. This throws light on the mental disposition of the Jews. -While, in the eyes of the Greek, the non-Greek is an inferior, being a -"barbaros," in the eyes of the Jews the non-Jew is simply different and -not necessarily inferior. Even the term _goy_, which is so much abused -by anti-Semites, means only non-Jew. But while the Jew never held the -non-Jew in contempt merely for differences of race, he had always and -still has intense feeling for his own race. - -In theological periods of history the fight against Judaism was perhaps -a conflict of theologies only. Today, however, a fight against Judaism -is inevitably a fight against the Jewish race. In times of old the -religious motives of Judaism seem to have been the prime factors in -Jewish life. Today the driving powers in Jewish history are not so -much religious as race and national consciousness. It is, therefore, -characteristic of those Jews whose Jewish backbone is broken to deny -the existence of the race and to scoff at race consciousness in general. - -Race consciousness is not a myth invented by the professors, but a fact -of life. - - - - -AHAD HA'AM - - -The sixtieth anniversary of Ahad Ha'am, the foremost Hebrew thinker of -his time, is a notable event in Hebrew literature, and will no doubt -be celebrated by Hebraists all over the world in a manner worthy of -the man and of the thinker. Next to Bialik, the great Hebrew poet, -Ahad Ha'am is today the most popular Jew among the Jewries of the -East and the best known representative of Hebrew thought among Jewish -intellectuals in the West. His name is identified with the formulation -of the program of Hebrew nationalism and the creation of a Hebrew -cultural centre in Palestine. Unlike other thinkers who consider their -convictions their own private affair, Ahad Ha'am had the courage of his -convictions and defended them against great odds. He had the courage to -take his stand against the giant, Herzl, and the powerful dialectician -and publicist, Max Nordau. He knew that the fight against Herzl, when -the great leader of Zionism was at his height, would not win him -friends, but he had the daring to take up the fight. - -For Ahad Ha'am the question of political Zionism and that of cultural -Zionism as represented by himself, were matters of principle and had to -be fought out sooner or later. While Ahad Ha'am fought against Herzl -and Nordau and against the other powerful representatives of political -Zionism, he had no personalities in mind and fought for principles -only. The whole position of things was such that Ahad Ha'am could -at that time have had no hope to win the struggle because political -Zionism was at its height and because Theodor Herzl was the shining -star in the firmament of Jewish political life. But disregarding -the disadvantageous position in which he found himself, he fought -courageously until he believed the danger was passed. - -We mention this fight against Herzl and Nordau because it best -characterizes the man, Ahad Ha'am. Though his philosophy of life is a -philosophy of abstract ideas, he is at the same time a man full of life -and temperament, a hard public worker and a political Jew in the best -sense of the term. A great deal of his popularity must be ascribed not -only to his philosophy and his system of Jewish politics, but also to -his manliness and wonderful qualities of character. - -As a Hebrew thinker, Ahad Ha'am represents the last point in the line -of Jewish thought which can be characterized as Hebrew intellectualism -as distinguished from Hebrew irrationalism and mysticism, which found -its expression in the teachings of the Hassidic sect. - -Since the rise of the theoretical Kabbalah in Spain in the thirteenth -century, which must be considered a reaction against the system of -intellectualism as laid down by Maimonides, we can observe in Jewish -history two spiritual tendencies striving for dominance: Irrationalism -in all its forms and Intellectualism in all its aberrations. Ahad -Ha'am represents the line of development, of Maimonides, the Gaon of -Wilna, Krochmal. The parallel line to the theoretical Kabbalah is the -practical Kabbalah which began in Palestine in the sixteenth century -and Hassidism which originated in Poland in the eighteenth century. -The intellectualists maintain that the prime essential of the soul is -intellect and that Judaism is based not on metaphysical will but on -intellectual cognition. For our mediaeval intellectualists and those -of the eighteenth century, this premise resulted in the conception -of a Judaism which lays more stress on knowledge (Torah) than on the -practice of the religious ceremonies (Avodah). It is, of course, -understood that the older representatives of Jewish Intellectualism -were as God-fearing and observing as their mystical opponents. But -basing Judaism on knowledge and cognition, they maintained that the -first thing a Jew should do is to study and accept the advice of old: -Thou shalt recognize the God of thy fathers. - -In opposition to these teachings is the conception of Judaism as -represented by Kabbalists and Hassidim. These lay more stress on the -practice of Judaism, claiming that Judaism is primarily a matter of -will and not of knowledge. It is not a coincidence that while among -Jewish intellectualists in the East (Mithnagdim) the knowledge of the -Talmud and of Rabbinic Judaism is widely spread because they consider -this the first duty of the Jew, there prevails among the Hassidim -ignorance of the Talmud and of Rabbinic Judaism. - -Ahad Ha'am is today the representative of Intellectual Judaism as -conceived by his time, as the Gaon of Wilna was in his day the -representative of intellectual Judaism. It is very characteristic of -this Jewish school of thought that a man like the Gaon of Wilna has -written a system of geometry and was interested in mathematics and -logic. With his logical mind he created a new method of studying the -Talmud which is marked by simplicity and clearness. Ahad Ha'am achieved -in the domain of Hebrew thought and literature what the Gaon of Wilna -had achieved in Talmudic methodology. As the Gaon of Wilna did away -with "Pilpul" sophistry, so Ahad Ha'am did away with the confusing and -unproductive "Hakira," unsystematic discussion of abstract thought, and -introduced economy of thought and of expression--a clear terminology -and a systematic formulation of principles and ideas. That is what has -given him the leading position in modern Hebrew literature. - -Ahad Ha'am's greatness does not consist of these formal innovations -only. He has enriched Hebrew literature with a philosophic ideology -of his own which has greatly influenced modern Hebrew thought. Ahad -Ha'amism, as this system is called, was not less productive at the -beginning of the twentieth century than the Yeshibah of Volozhin, the -work of the Wilna Gaon, at the start of the nineteenth century. As a -matter of fact Ahad Ha'amism is the modern development of the ideas -which came from Volozhin. Without Volozhin there would be no modern -Hebrew literature, no modern Hebrew thought and no Ahad Ha'am. - -While the Jewish teachings of Ahad Ha'am can easily be explained as -the continuation of a certain historical tendency in Judaism, the -philosophy of Ahad Ha'am consists of many different systems and cannot -be so readily surveyed. His own disciples claim that he is following -in the footsteps of Krochmal and that he is thus a disciple of Hegel. -This, however, is only partly true. One finds, moreover, in the -philosophy of Ahad Ha'am elements of Kant, Spencer, of modern French -sociology and even of Nietzsche. The unifying and productive mind of -Ahad Ha'am has absorbed these various philosophic elements and turned -them into an organic unit. For this reason Ahad Ha'am cannot be called -an eclectic. Even Kant had his predecessors, was influenced by various -philosophers and took up their suggestions. - -Ahad Ha'am is one of the few modern Hebrew leaders who is as much -European as Jew, and who is not on less intimate terms with European -thought than with Jewish. Owing to these facts he succeeded in -Europeanizing Hebrew literature and in raising it to the high level it -now holds. - -In the last few years Ahad Ha'am has made peace with Zionism because -he thinks that Zionism has accepted his views on Palestine. His -appearance at the 11th Zionist Congress at Vienna was thought by friend -and opponent alike to mean that he had made peace with the Zionist -organization. He has in any case supported the Zionist organization -in its efforts in Palestine and has approved the plan to establish a -system of Hebrew educational institutions in the Holy Land. But whether -Ahad Ha'am became more political or whether the Zionist organization -has come nearer to Ahad Ha'amism remains a question. The many pupils -of Ahad Ha'am, however, and the Zionists in all lands, are happy that -the uncontested leader of modern Hebrew thought and literature is to be -found today with the rank and file of Zionism. - - - - -THE TRANSVALUATION OF VALUES - - -Even a language is subject to the force of fate. Its value in life and -its meaning for the life of a people change constantly with the great -changes of life. Only one hundred and twenty years ago there were those -who believed in the possibility of the realization of the medieval -idea that a day would come when all the peoples of the earth would -speak one language and all linguistic barriers would soon disappear. -Today language stands next to the state as the most important factor -in the life of a nation; in many cases it is as strong a factor as -the economical and political forces. This is especially true of the -so-called nationality states where the various peoples can show their -line of national demarcation chiefly by the language they use. Today -language is not only one of the strongest factors in the national -life of a people, but is also of great weight in universal politics. -The future historians, in describing the ups and downs of the present -war, will not fail to observe that one of the causes that threatened, -for a time, the existence of the Hapsburg Empire was the apparently -unimportant fact that the people in Germany and Bohemia could not come -to terms about the linguistic barrier. The language quarrels in Bohemia -were the cause of so many political upheavals that they shook the very -foundations of Austria; they have influenced, to a large extent, the -international crisis during the last three years. - -Since language has developed into such a tremendous force, all the -meditations and calculations of the philosophers of the eighteenth -century about the possibility of one language for the entire human -race have proven to be empty visions--soap bubbles of philosophic and -humanitarian dreamers. If the living provincial languages of small -peoples, the Bohemians, Lithuanians, Armenians, and so forth, have -become important political factors in the lives of the nations, and, -in consequence thereof, an important momentum in international life, -the so-called dead languages, such as Hebrew, Gaelic, Welsh and many -others, have become driving forces in the lives of their peoples -and may even decide their fate and future. The development of these -dead languages during the nineteenth century is as interesting and -fascinating as the growth in political importance of such living, -provincial languages as Bohemian, Lithuanian, and so forth. Most -remarkable of all is the development of the importance of Hebrew during -the nineteenth century. - -One hundred years ago, Hebrew was a purely philological and theological -proposition. The knowledge of Hebrew had quite a different value from -what it has today. To the Eastern Jew, Hebrew had the meaning of a holy -tongue only; to the Western Jew, Hebrew was a sort of a cultural luxury -which was very much appreciated as such, but had no national value. The -love for Hebrew in the West, which, by the way, was stronger than we -today imagine, smelled faintly of a museum. These conditions prevailed -in the West for several centuries. In the East, however, conditions -changed with kaleidoscopic rapidity. With the spread of the Haskalah -eastward, Hebrew achieved another value altogether; it had a different -function to perform. The adherents of the Haskalah used Hebrew not as a -holy tongue, as did the orthodox, nor as a theological proposition, as -did many of the Western Jews, but as a medium to spread culture among -the Jews and to introduce European ideas in the ghetto. The Hebrew -writer of the middle of the nineteenth century considered himself a -sort of cultural missionary. The best means to enlighten the people -and to counteract superstition was, at that time, Hebrew literature. -By the end of the Seventies and the beginning of the Eighties, Hebrew -experienced another transvaluation, chiefly because of the failure of -the Haskalah and the awakening of the national spirit among the Jews. -The writers of that time considered Hebrew no longer a means to an -end--that is to say, an agency to spread culture among the Jews--but -an object in itself. People began to realize that Hebrew is not only a -linguistic theological proposition, as was thought at the beginning of -the nineteenth century, but that it is the woof and warp of national -culture. The Hebrew writers of the last third of the nineteenth -century, consequently, began to speak of the Hebrew tongue as a certain -culture and Hebrew ideas as the ideas of the Jewish people. In short, -Hebrew became the national cultural force in contradistinction to the -humanitarian cultural force that it was thought to be in the middle of -the nineteenth century. - -The Hebrew writers of the Eighties and Nineties no longer considered -themselves cultural missionaries of the Jews, as did the writers of -the preceding generation, but rather as the representatives of Hebrew -thought and Hebrew culture. The most conspicuous representative of this -school of thought is Ahad Ha'am, the father and systematizer of Hebrew -cultural nationalism. Ahad Ha'am himself witnessed the transition from -cultural Hebrew to political Hebrew. Although about twenty years ago -he was the embodiment of Hebrew thought, his school had to make room -for another conception of Hebrew, a conception to which, we think, the -future belongs. It is the national political conception of Hebrew in -opposition to its purely cultural conception. - -To the modern Hebraist, Hebrew is neither a holy tongue nor a medium -to spread culture among the Jews, nor yet a national cultural idea, as -it is to the disciples of Ahad Ha'am, but a national political force; -accordingly, he strives to secularize Hebrew and to introduce into it -all the elements of secular civilization and to make it the expression -of the movement of life of his people. The modern Hebrew writer -would think in Hebrew not only on subjects Jewish, would not only -philosophize in Hebrew on Jewish cultural and theological problems, -but would write in Hebrew on all secular subjects and try to find -the Hebrew expression for all the movements of life, especially the -life of our people. This striving to secularize Hebrew has enriched -our national tongue enormously. We now know more Hebrew than did -our forefathers one hundred years ago. Because of our striving to -secularize Hebrew we were compelled to go to all the Hebrew sources of -antiquity and to find Hebrew terms for things which, for the last two -thousand years, have not been described in Hebrew, because the writing -of Hebrew was concentrated on theological and philosophical subjects. A -few years ago a Russian Jew wrote an agricultural text book in Hebrew, -which created a sensation among Hebrew circles because the author -re-created Hebrew agricultural terminology. Since the ancient Jews -were agriculturists, they had of course an agricultural terminology -of their own which had, however, been forgotten during our Diaspora -life. The author of the above mentioned book re-established that -Hebrew agricultural terminology. Other Hebrew writers have produced -similar results in other literary and scientific endeavors. A small -booklet by the late Dr. Schereschevsky, for instance, surprised the -Hebrew public by the abundance of Hebrew scientific terms and by his -re-establishment of a Hebrew scientific terminology. The modern Hebrew -writer is conscious of the fact that Hebrew is bound some day to become -a concrete political force and that, to gain that end, it must admit -all the elements of life and establish the life of our people as the -only agency of our general and Jewish education. This necessitates the -secularization and, one might say, the humanization of Hebrew. The -real modern Hebrew writers are, therefore, not those who can write a -treatise in Hebrew on medieval Jewish philosophy but those who can -write a Hebrew essay or Hebrew book on scientific or sociological -topics. - -The tendency to secularize Hebrew is spreading all over the world; it -is to be hoped that the day is near when a considerable section of our -people will use Hebrew with the same ease as any other people uses its -national tongue. The secularization of Hebrew is a clear sign of our -approaching national liberation. - - - - -A TURNING POINT IN JEWISH HISTORY - - -In ancient times, nationality and state were identical. The destruction -of the state always involved the destruction of the nationality. This -was, in fact, the case with many peoples whose states were destroyed -by conquerors. Only the Jews are an exception to the rule. The -Jewish state was destroyed, the Jewish nationality was not. Even the -dispersion of the Jews all over the globe could not destroy and did -not destroy the Jewish nationality. On the contrary, the diaspora life -of the Jews, with all its evils and troubles, woes and tribulations, -sorrows and pains, only served to intensify the national consciousness -of the Jews and to strengthen their hopes of national redemption. But -the chancellors of the governments, always in the habit of dealing -with concrete facts, did not take the sentiments of Jewish individuals -into consideration. Seeing that the Jews have no homeland, no national -sovereignty and not even an intellectual and spiritual centre, they -pronounced the Jewish nationality dead forever. From the point of -view of this now antiquated conception of nationality, the European -governments could not be blamed for their attitude toward the Jews as a -people, for the orthodox notion of nationality always implies an ethnic -unit that enjoys national sovereignty, or, at least, is living on its -own land, even though it may be dominated by others. The governments, -in their attitude toward the Jews as a people, followed a certain -principle that had to be maintained as long as no substitute could be -found for it. Today it seems that the old principle of nationality has -been replaced by another and that the present notion of nationality -does not necessarily imply that an ethnic group must either enjoy -national sovereignty or live on its own soil. The Jews, who have now -been recognized as a nationality not only by Great Britain but, as we -have been informed, by several other great powers, are still living in -dispersion and have none of the characteristics of the concrete makeup -of other nationalities. - -This change was brought about both by the Jews themselves, who for the -past thirty or forty years have begun to assert their nationality and -to claim the right to which every nationality is entitled, namely, a -national homeland, and by the peculiar discrepancy between principle -and life. The European governments, following a certain principle, -refused to consider the Jews a nationality, but in practical life the -Jews were always considered a nationality of their own. While the -modern state emancipated the Jew on the condition that he emancipate -himself from Judaism, modern society, on the other hand, refused to -admit him just because he was a Jew, and thus counteracted and opposed -the emancipation policy of the government. Modern society is intensely -nationalistic and will only recognize those as its true members who -belong to it, not only socially and economically, but also nationally -and racially. Since the Jews are not Slavs or Teutons or Anglo-Saxons -but Jews, they simply were not admitted as full-fledged members in the -society of these races and nations, and whenever they made an attempt -to penetrate into society by force and _en masse_, they were only too -quickly ejected by a wave of anti-Semitism. So that while the states -emancipated the Jews, on the condition that they become full-fledged -Frenchmen, Germans, Italians, Austrians, etc., because it considered -the Jewish nationality dead and done for, the nations themselves, being -nearer to life and its movements than the bureaucrats of the government -chancelleries, felt that the Jews do form a national society of their -own and are by no means nationally dead. The official recognition of -the Jews as a nationality on the part of a modern state will, we are -convinced, put an end to this difference in attitude and policy towards -the Jews on the part of the government and of the nation. - -Besides the national self-assertion of the Jews during the past thirty -years, we find that their rôle as intellectual and spiritual factors in -history led to the present change of mind of the European governments -in regard to Jewish nationality. It is by no means pure accident that -two mighty Anglo-Saxon nations and governments, Great Britain and the -United States of America, should be the first among the great powers to -recognize the right of the Jews to a national homeland of their own and -thus to recognize publicly the nationality of the Jews. If the ancient -Jewish mind, as it expressed itself in the Bible, ever influenced -a great race and helped to shape its destinies and policies, it was -the Anglo-Saxon race that it influenced. For the past four hundred -years the greatest production of Jewish genius, the Bible, has been a -powerful factor in the life of the Anglo-Saxon race, and as soon as the -Anglo-Saxons freed themselves from medievalism, they began to treat the -Jews living among them with consideration and fairness, even before -they were officially emancipated. - -Besides, the American Government is the only government of the Great -Powers that never pursued any hostile policy against the Jews, because -its very establishment was based on emancipation from medievalism. Of -all the powers which have now come to recognize the Jewish nationality -and its right to a homeland, America is, we dare say, the only one that -is inspired solely by motives of pure idealism. For America surely has -no political interests or ambitions in the Near East and is led only by -the unselfish wish that the Jews, after a life of exile of two thousand -years, should return to a normal national life and enter the great -family of nations on equal terms. In saying this, we by no means wish -to imply that the other great powers who have recognized the Jewish -nationality have done so from political motives only, and that politics -only were instrumental in bringing about their decision to help the -Jews establish a homeland in Palestine. We are, moreover, convinced -that England and Italy, Russia, and probably France, which, as we have -been informed, are now taking a very favorable attitude toward the -establishment of the Jewish homeland in Palestine, have done so because -they recognized that the Jews are a people in themselves and that they -are entitled to be given the possibility of living a normal national -life. These powers, inspired by noble motives, now say to the Jews, "Go -and build up a national life of your own and we shall help you. Go and -be Jews as much as you like and we shall not interfere with your Jewish -affairs and your national happiness." - -We are, however, afraid that many Jews themselves misunderstand or -misconstrue the meaning of the decision of these powers. If the Jews -go to Palestine, they must live there with the object of building up -in the country of their forefathers a new Jewish life and establishing -a Jewish homeland there; they must do it as Jews only, not as Russians -or Germans, not Britons, Austrians or Italians, but as Jews. They -must consider themselves an object in themselves. They must, first -of all, look after their own affairs and their own happiness. While -always having the welfare of humanity in mind, they must not consider -themselves the protégé of a certain state or race or nation, and they -must not be under the impression that, when given the possibility of -living a national life of their own, they are called upon to defend -interests other than their own. - -No British or American statesman believes that the establishment of -the Jewish homeland in Palestine is possible without the consent of -all the great powers, irrespective of their present mutual relations, -and as soon as one power or group of powers finds out that the Jewish -Palestine is not primarily looked upon as the homeland of the Jewish -nation, but the political stronghold of another power or group of -powers, there will be no unanimity in regard to the Jewish Palestine -when peace is discussed; and without unanimity of the powers there will -be no Jewish Palestine, because no belligerent power will continue -the war one day longer, only because it is anxious to establish a -Jewish state in Palestine. But as a matter of fact the powers which, -led by noble motives, have expressed their willingness to favor the -establishment of the Jewish homeland in Palestine, have only uttered a -noble desire. There can be no talk of anxiety on their part, but only -of consent to permit us to rebuild our nation. These powers, because -they are not led by motives of war politics only, but by political -foresight and idealism, do not want us to serve other purposes than our -own, because they know that unless we look only after our own affairs -we will not succeed. - -For the time being, the Jewish people are divided into various -groups, each group serving the country in which it lives to the best -of its ability. Today there is not, and cannot be, a supreme Jewish -leadership, a Jewish national assembly or a general Jewish congress. -Each and every Jewish group is entitled to work for the future of the -Jewish people under given conditions only. The English Jews can ask -their government to do something for the Jewish cause and so can the -French, Italian, Russian, German, Austrian and American Jews; every one -of the respective governments can extend its sympathy and help, can -promise its help in establishing the Jewish homeland in Palestine only -to the Jews of their respective lands, but not to the Jewish people at -large, for the Jewish people are today divided into hostile camps, just -as is civilized humanity. - -Our assimilationists in every country, here as well as in Germany, -in England as well as in France and Austria, have been telling their -respective governments that those Jews who aspire to establish a -Jewish homeland in Palestine are disloyal citizens and are conspiring -against their own country. In England and in America, where the -governments follow a broad-minded and liberal policy, no attention is -paid to such hypocritical talk. But in Austria, Germany and Turkey, -conditions are different. There the influential assimilationists are -still _personae gratae_ with their governments, and since they are -capable of every crime, if they can only see their way clear to break -Jewish nationalism, they will no doubt lose no time in pointing out -to their governments that Jewish nationalists, though they displayed -heroism on the battle-field, are not loyal to their countries and are -crossing the plans of the Central Powers in the Near East. They will -tell the governments that the Jewish nationalists are conspiring with -the enemies of their governments against the interests of the Central -Powers in the Orient; the result may be that the government of the -Central Powers, listening to this misleading talk, may embark on a -Jewish policy opposing that of the Entente and may start to persecute -Zionists and all who sympathize with Jewish nationalism, thus making -the life of eastern European Jewry, now greatly under the control of -the Teutonic Powers, still more bitter. - -Therein lies the danger of our misconstruing the high-minded -declaration of the British Cabinet. The statesmen of the Entente Powers -certainly do not wish to imperil the existence of European Jewry, nor -do they wish to have their policy misconstrued by the Central Powers. -These statesmen want the liberation of small nationalities and not -their oppression. These statesmen also know that if the Jews in the new -Palestine will not be, first of all, pro-Jewish, there will not be the -Jewish Palestine which they wish to see established. By misconstruing -the declaration of the British Government, we are implicitly acting -against the spirit and noble motives of this declaration and, needless -to say, we are acting against our own elemental interests. A Jewish -Palestine is only possible with the consent of all the powers, and -since it is desirable that it should be a product of the consensus of -opinion among all the powers, every act on our part must be avoided -that may create the impression that in the anxiety to build up a -national homeland in Palestine the Jewish people are becoming political -tools of any power or group of powers. This will, in the end, spell -ruin for us and might, besides, endanger the life of millions of our -people in central and in eastern Europe. We have been told on good -Zionist authority in this country, that the American Government, -appreciating the present complicated international situation, is -anxious to remain in the background with regard to the establishment of -the Jewish homeland in Palestine, though it is a noble and unselfish -champion of the cause. We wish that the Jews everywhere would take -an example from the wisdom and forbearance displayed by the American -Government. - - - - -THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK - - -No one has characterized the Jews better than did Mohammed when he -called the Jews The People of the Book. In fact, nearly all that -the Jews have achieved during their existence as a people they have -achieved in the domain of literature. Even at the time when the Jews -lived in Palestine and were at the height of their power, their -achievements in the field of practical civilization were relatively -poor. When the Jews disappeared as a sovereign nation from among the -nations of the earth they did not leave behind them a highly developed -civilization as did ancient Rome, nor did they leave behind them a -highly developed science and art, as did the Greeks, but they did leave -a book that subsequently became _the_ book of humanity. The economic -structure of ancient Judea was primitive, and only the tribes living -on the borderland and communicating with the peoples across the border -succeeded in developing trade and commerce. The interior of Judea was -an agricultural country and its inhabitants pious and simple-minded -people without ambition to create values of civilization and without -pretence. Just as the economic structure of ancient Judea was primitive -and simple, so was the political fabric. - -The ancient Jewish state never succeeded in entirely subduing the -individual and making him respect the supreme authority of the State. -The prophets repeatedly exhorted the people to abide by the law and to -respect the authority of the State. This would go to indicate that, -even in the best days ancient Judea has seen, individualism was supreme -and the authority of the State thus considerably weakened. We have -no record of the ancient Jews ever having built great roads, or ever -having been a great seafaring nation, or having done other things that -would testify to their creative genius in the field of civilization. - -But, on the other hand, they have created great books and have always -been active in the field of literature, as have no other people on -earth. It may be that their literary genius and activity absorbed -all their energies, so that the literary values they created were -created at the expense of the creation of values of civilization. -From time immemorial to the present day, the Jews, first as a nation -and then as individuals, have been busily engaged in writing books, -and, besides the Bible--that became _the_ book of humanity and that -has influenced the mind of humanity more than any other book in world -literature--they have written a number of books at various times and -in various languages which had a striking effect on the human mind and -were instrumental in shaping and framing it. - -The appearance of Philo of Alexandria puzzled and amazed the entire -ancient world. The Greeks themselves considered him a wonder and -expressed their admiration for him by saying that they did not know -whether Plato Philonized or Philo Platonized. How Philo's writings have -influenced the course of spiritual development in Europe and how they -contributed shape and form to the philosophy of Christianity is known -to everyone who is acquainted with the history of the European mind. -Christian authors have often asserted that part of the success of St. -Paul is to be ascribed to his literary genius, his striking style and -to the concise form of his literary expression. And how can we think -of Christianity without Philo and St. Paul, though the former did not -consciously contribute anything to the makeup of Christianity? - -When, during the chaos following the disintegration of the Roman -Empire, the Jews disappeared from the arena of European literature, the -best Jewish minds were busy creating books and literary styles, which -remain unique to the present day. We refer to the Talmud and Midrash -or, to be more precise, to Halakhah and Hagadah. The day will come when -European scholarship will pay more attention to these two marvelous -books. A famous German scholar, Professor Strack, declared a few years -ago that "for the last four hundred years the European peoples have -studied the Bible and have worked very hard to understand it. Now, -since we are better acquainted with the Bible, we will have to take up -the study of the Talmud and the Midrash. Only then will we understand -Judaism." Whatever place the Talmud may hold in the history of law and -no matter how it is valued by great jurists, it is certainly unique in -its literary style. The Talmudic style may or may not be a beautiful -one, but it is certainly peculiar, striking and original to the core. -Literature is first of all style; what is true of the originality of -the Talmudic style is also true of the strikingly original style of the -Midrash. - -At the time when the style of these two books was created the greatest -representative of European literature of that period, St. Augustine, -appeared and gave to Christian humanity the best book of its time, -the _Confessiones_. The _Confessiones_ is a striking book powerfully -written. Its style is both soft and forceful; because of that it became -one of the best books of the Church. Wherein, however, lies the secret -of that book? What made it a success? It is the attempt to imitate -the Bible, just as Nietzsche's _Zarathustra_ took up the style of the -Bible and became the best-known book of the nineteenth century. But how -does St. Augustine's _Confessiones_ compare with the Bible? In certain -places it is an artificial imitation of the Bible, pure and simple, or, -to be more accurate, a poor imitation of the Psalms; only very rarely -does Augustine reach the height of the true Biblical style. Because -St. Augustine succeeded in imitating the style of the book which we -created he became the literary master-mind of Europe of his time. -The entire literature of confessions from Augustine to Rousseau and -from Rousseau to Tolstoy has its inspiration in the Bible; as long as -humanity will produce poets who think in terms of eternity and who feel -at one with the cosmos they will have to fall back on the Bible, as did -Dante and Shakespeare, Milton, Goethe and Nietzsche. - -Just as our national book, the Bible, became the inexhaustible source -of inspiration to the great representatives of world literature, just -so have many books written by Jews within the last five hundred years -influenced and affected the European mind. The books of Spinoza in -the seventeenth, of Mendelssohn in the eighteenth, of Heinrich Heine -and Karl Marx in the nineteenth and those of Bergson in the twentieth -century were all cornerstones in the realm of the literature of modern -times. Only recently has attention been called by the admirers of -Spinoza to the exquisite and truly artistic style of the lonely Jew -of Amsterdam. Mendelssohn was certainly not a first-rate philosopher, -but he is considered by his admirers and opponents alike a first-rate -writer and literary master-mind; next to Lessing he was the greatest -German stylist of his time. - -The deep impression that Karl Marx made on his contemporaries we -understand less by reading his minor writings. As an economist of -genius he could appeal to a small community of scholars, but as a -literary man of rare qualities, as a powerful writer who wrote with -blood and venom, he succeeded in greatly infuriating his opponents and -enthusing his adherents. - -Heine has been called by Nietzsche the wonder of world literature. The -conservative Germans, the Prussians especially, hate him thoroughly, -but they cannot help singing his "Lorelei" and "Die zwei Grenadiere" -when they feel truly German or truly patriotic. This Düsseldorf -Jew, who received a convent education and who, according to his own -testimony, did not master the German language before he was sixteen, -became _the_ lyrical poet of the German nation and discovered the tune -of the German soul. - -Five decades after Heine's death there appears a Polish Jew in the -firmament of French literature who acquires for himself the name -of the _maître écrivain_. The French, with their great literary and -artistic traditions and with their own exquisite literary taste, are -not so hasty in bestowing upon one of their writers the honor of the -title of _maître écrivain_. But they lost no time in giving that honor -to the Polish Jew, Bergson. Educated Frenchmen agree that even if all -the philosophic teachings of Bergson should prove to be false or should -be refuted he would nevertheless remain a great figure in the gallery -of French literature. He may die as a philosopher, but he will remain -immortal as a litterateur. - -We have mentioned only the principal great books written within the -last three hundred years, which have caused true revolutions in the -literary world and for which most other peoples have no match. If an -historian of literature were to study the subject of the influence of -the Jews on world literature, especially of modern times, he would have -to write not one, but five volumes, and even then he would not exhaust -the subject, not because of the multitude of the books the Jews have -written, but because of the creative values of these books and of the -influence exercised on their contemporaries. It is a remarkable fact -that the best piece of German literary eloquence was written by a Jew, -Ludwig Boerne, and every German schoolboy has to know his piece of -eloquence, "Denkrede ueber Jean Paul," by heart. Of Israel Zangwill the -English say that he comes nearest to Dickens. Hugo von Hoffmannsthal, -the offspring of a Galician Jew and a relative of the late Graf von -Aehrenthal, today holds such a unique position in German literature -that even the wildest anti-Semites do not dare to attack him. The -French Academy has recognized another German Jew, Ludwig Fulda, as -the best German metrician of his time. And there are such powerful -publicists as Maximilian Harden and Max Nordau, such men as Wasserman -and Schnitzler, who have contributed to the literary glory of the -Jewish people in recent times. - -The Aryan peoples will seldom concede that the Jews are one of the most -capable literary peoples that have ever lived, but there are many signs -that would go to indicate that they are fully conscious of it. The -French never forget to mention the fact that the mothers of Rabelais -and Montaigne were Jewesses and there is a German folksong that begins -with the verse: - - "Er hat wie Börne geschrieben - Er hat wie Heine gedichtet." - -The humorous papers in Italy, when taking Luigi Luzzatti to task, are -always cartooning him as a little Jew buried in books, and it is a -current expression in Italy today that "he eats books like Luzzatti." - -A Jew and a book are nearly synonymous. We were and we are to the -present day a bookish people. The book has been until now our greatest -glory. For thousands of years we have been dreamers and writers. -The book was our shield and our weapon and the only outlet for our -energies. Now it seems that a great and radical change is going to -take place in our lives. We may and will probably never abandon the -book altogether, but we are on the verge of becoming an active people, -instead of being solely a bookish people. - - - - -THE FUTURE OF THE JEWISH RELIGION IN THE DIASPORA - - -Preceding and during the religious crisis in France, which resulted in -the Separation Law, a great number of books on the future of religion -appeared in Paris. The largest number of writers denied that there was -a future for religion, maintaining that modern economic conditions -are undermining the spiritual and religious basis of the life of the -masses. A minority, upholding Clericalism, foresaw a promising future -for religion. - -A similar discussion on the future of the Jewish religion arose with -the advent of Zionism. In the first decade of our century scores of -books appeared in Europe, dealing with the nature and future of the -Jewish religion. As in France, during the crisis, so in European Jewry, -during the inception of Zionism, two distinct views were held as to the -future of the Jewish religion. One view saw that Judaism could hope for -no future in the Diaspora and that, if only to avert the destruction -of the Jewish religion, a homeland in Palestine was needed. The other -view was that Judaism, being non-political in nature, would continue to -exist indefinitely and that, as a matter of fact, it was created for a -Diaspora existence. - -Today, when the Jewish people is once more at the parting of the ways, -the same question comes up again. Those who oppose Zionism hastily -affirm that the Jewish religion not only does not need a homeland in -Palestine, as a source of new inspiration, but that the very idea of -this homeland is incompatible with the Jewish religion. The spokesmen -of Zionism who, as a rule, do not worry much over questions of theology -and religion, have so far failed to take a definite attitude towards -the rabbis who oppose Zionism on religious grounds. - -We think it high time to approach this question and to try to answer it -from a purely objective point of view. - -Before we ask whether the Jewish religion has any future in the -Diaspora, let us see whether it has had any development in the past. - -It is known to every intelligent Jew that since the appearance of -Maimonides, with the exception of the pathological phenomenon of -"Sabbathai Zevi" and of Hassidism, the Jewish religion has not -developed in the least. The rabbinic literature of the last 800 years -consists mainly of legal responses to which nobody will attribute -religious significance, because religion and legalism are two different -things. The rabinnic Jew has the same views on God, on the relations -between God and man, and on immortality, as prevailed among Jews 800 -years ago. Even the synagogue and the Jewish ritual have undergone -few changes in this period. Many attribute this fact of religious -stagnation to the predominant legal element in the Jewish religion, -while others maintain that, even without this element, the Jewish -religion would not have undergone changes because of its existence in -the Diaspora. Religion, like any other phase of spiritual life, must -draw from life itself and if the source is polluted stagnation must set -in. - -Many people seek to prove that the Jewish religion is capable of -development in the Diaspora, and as proof they point to Hassidism. -But even they must agree that Hassidism itself failed to develop and -that it resulted finally in a form of Judaism which is objectionable -even on æsthetic grounds. Hassidism, which claims to have a greater -freedom of movement than Mithnagdism, is today even more stagnant than -Mithnagdism. In addition, it is questionable whether the pantheistic -element in Hassidism is altogether compatible with the traditional -Jewish conception of God. All in all, Hassidism affords no proof that -the Jewish religion has developed in the last 800 years. It would be -no exaggeration to say that ever since Jewish religious philosophy -chose the path of Aristotelianism, it has been favored only with the -slightest development. - -One must bear in mind that in the past the Jewish religion, though -more persecuted than at present, had better chances of development -than in our own day. The Gentiles surrounding the Jews lived a more -intense spiritual life than is the case today and in addition they -thought in terms of religion as the mediaeval philosophers thought -_more theologico_. Judaism and Christianity were absolutely separated -and regarded each other with hostility. The intense religious feeling -of the Middle Ages, the thinking in terms of religion on the part of -the Gentile masses, the hostility of the Church to the Synagogue, -the isolation of Jewish life and the persecution which must have -intensified the religious feeling, were all factors conducive to -religious development. However, the fact remains that since Maimonides, -the Jewish religion has not undergone notable development. - -Is it capable of development in the future? - -Today humanity does not think in terms of religion; modern philosophers -do not think _more theologico_ but _more biologico_; the synagogue in -the country where Jews are free is not isolated as was the case in -the past, nor is Jewish life isolated. Unlike the Jews of the past, -the modern Jew in these countries is actuated not by religious but by -economic and social motives and he has little time to give thought to -Judaism. To the average Jew in the liberal countries, Judaism is either -an unwelcome heritage or at best a synagogal duty. In eastern Europe -there are two sorts of Jews, as far as religion is concerned. There -are either rabbinic Jews, who are pious and naive, or there are Jews -whose views practically amount to a superficial atheism. Under these -conditions, it is hard to tell how the Jewish religion is to develop in -the Diaspora, or what its future may be. - -The Reformers, of course, would point to the work of Geiger and -Holdheim. But is the work of these men really proof of organic -development in Jewish religion? Does the destruction of the bases of -a religion indicate development? Reform Judaism not only did away -with rabbinism, but it would also deprive the Bible of its religious -character, denying the divinity of its source and in addition -arbitrarily abolishing fundamental biblical laws for the convenience of -its practioners. Is there any intelligent Jew, with a fair knowledge of -Judaism, perhaps with the exception of a few Reform rabbis, who will -maintain that in these changes there is a trace of development? If -Reform Judaism can do no more than destroy what others have built, it -is not progress in Jewish religion, as its leaders assert, but merely a -ruthless iconoclasm. - -We do not say that Reform Judaism is created by malice or by the wanton -desire to destroy, but only that it serves as proof that from present -conditions the Jewish religion seems to have no future in the Diaspora, -once it has come into contact with modern life. - -The Jewish religion, a product of national genius, can live and thrive -only on its own soil. It can live and thrive only if it is part and -parcel of the whole life of the nation, because the Jewish religion, in -contradistinction to the universal religions, is distinctly national in -character and wherever the Jewish nation is hampered in its movements -(as it is, everywhere, in the Diaspora), the Jewish religion is also -hampered and condemned to stagnation. - -The stronger and more intense the life surrounding the Jews, the weaker -becomes their own religious impulse. - -This is well known to the Reform rabbis. We do not know how they -conceive the future of Judaism in the Diaspora, but we do know that the -only possibility for a Jewish religious revival lies in a national life -for the Jewish people. - - - - -THE MIGRATIONS OF JEWISH LITERATURE - - -Among all the literatures of the world the Jewish literature is the -only one that did not develop in any one land and the destinies -of which are not connected with any one country. It has neither a -certain local odor nor a certain local color, and it has seldom been -the product of local conditions. There are a good many scholars who -go so far as to say that the Jews had litterateurs only and not a -literature, because the conception of a national literature involves -national territory, a national political organization, and national -traditions. A people, these scholars say, may produce a great numbers -of writers and poets and may still be said not to possess a national -literature. Formerly scholars who argued to that effect may have been -right. If we take into consideration the psychological continuity of -Jewish literature ever since the Jews began their career as a wandering -people, we are justified in doubting the wisdom of this conception. - -Although Jewish literature has undergone many radical changes (the -change in language being only one prime fact) and although it has -been as restless as the Jewish people, compelled to wander from one -country to another, it has still succeeded in preserving certain prime -qualities and characteristics which entitle it to bear the proud name -of national literature. It is easy to recognize the age of a Jewish -literary document, but it is not so easy to ascertain the place and -locality where it was produced. The Hebrew-Italian school of the -eighteenth century resembles in many respects the Hebrew-Spanish school -of the Middle Ages, and the Russian-Hebrew school of the present time -has much similarity not only to the various Hebrew schools of the -twelfth and the eighteenth centuries but even to the Biblical period. -It suffices only to mention the name of Bialik to show how near we are -today to the spirit of the Biblical period. - -This is true of Hebrew poetry but not of Hebrew prose. Here the -results of migration are very noticeable. The Jewish literature of -the Alexandrian period has hardly anything in common with Babylonian -Jewish literature, and the literature created in the Provence is -quite different in character from that created in Central Asia or in -Africa. In other words, while the contemplative Jewish mind succeeds -in preserving its chief original qualities, the meditative Jewish mind -was subject to certain degrees of assimilation. As long as the Hebrew -language was the means of expression for the Jewish literary spirit -the effect of migration from one country to another was to make Jewish -literature more picturesque and more interesting. But it did not fill -the literary mind with new contents. Sometimes the effect of the new -surroundings was not felt at all. This is due to the fact that, with -the Hebrew language as cultivated by the Jews, there goes a certain -philosophy of life and of things. The fate of the Jews throughout the -ages, more or less similar in every land, contributed also to the -psychological continuity of the Hebrew literary mind. This expresses -itself best in the Hebrew elegy. When one reads Bialik's "Poems of -Wrath," one thinks at once of Hebrew poems of a similar kind written -hundreds of years ago. Hebrew prose on the other hand underwent slight -changes during the Jewish migrations. - -Since the Jews have entered modern civilization and have adopted -the language of the Gentiles as a medium of literary expression, -the effects of migration on the Jewish literary mind have begun to -make themselves felt in a rather unpleasant way. This unpleasantness -consists not in the variety of languages in which modern Jewish -literature is so rich, but in the variety of ideas and conceptions -which the Hebrew language imposed on the individual. The works of -Jewish writers who write in European languages, even if they deal only -with Jewish subjects, do not belong to Jewish literature alone; we -cannot proclaim these works as our national possessions because of the -very non-Jewish elements which characterize them. - -On another occasion we have already shown how Jewish historiography and -our history of Jewish literature have been influenced by non-Jewish -elements. It goes without saying that all the other branches of our -prose literature, as far as they have not been written in Hebrew, are -strongly influenced by non-Jewish elements to a very great extent. -Very often it is difficult to recognize what is Jewish and what is -non-Jewish in these works. Everyone acquainted with the theological -developments of Judaism within the last hundred years knows how -Jewish theology in the west has gradually become alienated from its -Jewish origin and come nearer to a Christian point of view. No less an -important theologian than Schleiermacher characterized so-called modern -Judaism as being very similar to modern Christianism. It will readily -be understood that it was not Christianity that came nearer to Judaism -but, on the contrary, Judaism that came nearer Christianity. It would, -of course, be wrong and historically untrue to say that only in modern -times has a non-Jewish element begun to creep into Jewish literature. -It is moreover a fact that ever since the Jews have used foreign -tongues for literary expression, they have been compelled to admit -non-Jewish elements into their works. This is true of Philo and to a -certain extent even of Maimonides' "Moreh." Is it not peculiar that all -the great mediators between Judaism and the Gentile world have written -their philosophical works either in Greek or in Arabic or in some -modern language, and that those Jewish philosophers who have written -their philosophical works in Hebrew have never tried to play the rôle -of mediators? Philo, who wrote in Greek, tried to mediate between -Platonism and Judaism. Maimonides, who wrote the "Moreh" in Arabic, -tried to mediate between Aristotelism and Judaism, and Herman Cohen -tries to mediate between Kantianism and Judaism. There are, of course, -exceptions to the rule. Nachman Krochmal was a thorough Hegelian and -wrote his "Moreh" in Hebrew. But this is just the exception which -proves the rule. Most of our philosophers who wrote in Hebrew developed -a more or less purely Hebrew philosophy and contributed to the -development of the Hebrew mind which found its purest expression in the -Bible, the Talmud and the Haggaddah. - -All this would go to show that the psychological continuity of the -Hebrew literary mind and the true development of the Jewish mind can -best be safeguarded through the medium of Hebrew. Hebrew is to the -Jews and to the literature of the Jewish people more than a language. -It replaces the many elements required for the sound development of -a national literature which we have not, such as a country, local -traditions, a national political organization, and so on. As long as -Hebrew is the medium of literary expression among the Jews, Jewish -literature deserves the name of a national literature and is a -national literature. If, however, the Jewish mind does not express -itself any more through the medium of Hebrew, the productions of this -mind do not solely belong to us and are not part and parcel of our -national property. They belong to the others as well as to us and -probably more to them. Herein lies the importance of Hebrew for the -development of Judaism and the Jewish mind. - - - - -ARE THE JEWS A COMMERCIAL PEOPLE? - - -The reputation of the Jews for being a business people has done them -more harm than good, and has, in fact, retarded their emancipation in -many countries. But nowhere has this reputation done them so much harm -as in Russia. Even the Russian liberals, who are not anti-Semitic, -seem to believe that the Jews, if emancipated, would ruin the Russian -peasantry and completely monopolize Russian commerce. They are -therefore not eager to take up the cause of the Jews, though they may -be liberal in every other respect. - -The Russian and Roumanian anti-Semites, however, base their theories -of the need for oppressing the Jews on the belief that the Jews are -too shrewd in business and that they will exploit the Russians and -Roumanians if they are given freedom to move about and to utilize all -their commercial energy and intelligence. This view is not restricted -to those countries alone. We find traces of it even in America. - -Has this belief any foundation in fact or is it only a myth? The -question is interesting enough to be discussed. There are two methods -of considering this question, the _historic_ and the _pragmatic_. Have -the Jews always been a business people? Are they today a business -people? Instead of answering these questions in the affirmative or in -the negative, we think it wiser to lay the facts before the public and -to let it answer the two questions. - -In ancient times--as confirmed by the Bible--the Jews were not much of -a business people. The bulk of the people were devoted to agriculture. -There are thirteen terms for rain in Hebrew while there is only one for -commerce. The number of agricultural laws in the Scriptures exceeds -by far the number of laws and regulations relating to commerce. The -attitude of ancient Jews to commerce was similar to the attitude of the -ancient Greeks to labor. Indeed the ancient Jews, in contradistinction -to the Greeks, respected labor and despised business and commerce. -Josephus Flavius in his book against Apion, says clearly: "We Jews do -not find much pleasure in commerce." The Talmudic sages warned the -people against commerce again and again, and represented the business -man as an ignoramus and a sinner. Rabbi Meir ruled: Trade less and -study more. Rabbi Johanan exclaimed: There is no Torah among tradesmen -and business people. - -Taking all these facts into consideration, we fail to see how any -intelligent person can say of the Jews that they were always a business -people. Indeed, it is interesting to observe that the word used in -Hebrew for commerce is not of Hebrew but of Greek origin. - -But what about Diaspora Jewry? The Diaspora Jew was not allowed to -become an agriculturist. He was forced to live in the city and as -he was excluded from all artisan guilds he was obliged to become a -tradesman or a money lender. How did the sturdy agricultural Jew -become a business man, when business was never his ideal? To answer -this question we must learn the attitude of the early mediaeval -Christian Church to commercialism. The slogan of the Church was "Nullus -Christianus debet esse mercator" (No Christian dare be a merchant), for -commerce turned the Christian from the Church. This hostile attitude -of the Church toward commerce had its origin in the influence of Greek -culture on Christianity. The Greeks, as is well known, despised the -merchant and considered him a necessary evil. The social status of the -merchant in ancient Greece was very low and the representatives of -Greek thought, Plato and Aristotle, contributed largely to lowering -it still further. According to Plato the merchant class is to the -intellectual class what the stomach is to the brain and the raison -d'être of the merchant class is only to be found in its feeding the -warrior class. Plato describes the merchant as belonging to the third -and lowest class of society. The early Church had taken over these -views of commerce and made them its own. Even Thomas Aquinas, who lived -in the 13th century, when commercial life still flourished, adhered -still to the early Christian ideas about commerce. But as commerce is -necessary to the existence of organized society, the Church made the -Jews the bearers of commerce by forbidding Christians to trade and -inducing the Jews to do so. - -The Church had another reason for making the Jew the business man. The -representatives of the Church--fine psychologists that they were and -still are--knew that as long as the Jew confined himself to agriculture -he would continue to be "stubborn and stiff-necked," and no Christian -propaganda would induce him to give up his religion. The peasant is the -conservative element of society. The tradesman, however, whose business -it is to make bargains and compromises in his business life, is always -inclined to make compromises in morality and religion. If the Jews were -made tradesmen, so the leaders of the Church thought, two aims could -be achieved at one stroke. First they would be made to do the "dirty -work" for the Christians, and secondly, their conservative Jewish -spirit would be broken. These were the reasons why the Christian world -consciously forced the Jews into commercialism. On the other hand, -political conditions in the Middle Ages actually compelled the Jews to -take to commerce. - -Thus a people, originally agricultural, became commercial. It is clear -that the Jews are not a business people by nature but out of necessity -and by reason of historical developments. - -But now another question arises: Are the Jews clever as a business -people and do they really show an inherent business genius? The -anti-Semites and many of our friends believe that every Jew is -potentially a business genius. Is this true? This question is also best -answered by facts. - -In Eastern Europe, where industry and commerce are not developed, and -where Jews live in masses, the ordinary Jew is not a business man. On -the contrary, the ordinary Jew in the East is a skilled or unskilled -laborer. Out of the million Eastern Jews, who emigrated to this country -from 1899-1908, about 60 per cent were laborers. The great masses or -Eastern Jews in America are, in the main, laborers. As Eastern Jewry -forms the bulk of the Jewish people, there is no reason to think that -the modern Jew is _eo ipso_ a business man, or a tradesman. The great -Jewish Socialist movement likewise testifies to the fact that the Jews -are not a business people in the sense used by our enemies and by many -of our friends, because a Socialist movement cannot rise and flourish -among business people. - -The Jews, in individual cases, may be sharper in business than their -non-Jewish fellow business men of the same station in life. Belonging -to an Oriental, passionate race, they have a more vivid imagination and -can see things in brighter colors than the non-Jews. This is, however, -true only of individual cases. The ordinary Jewish business man is -as clever or as stupid as the Gentile business man. A mediocrity, -whether a Jew or a Gentile, is a mediocrity, and the Jewish mediocrity -is no more productive or creative than the non-Jewish mediocrity. It -is interesting that in the Levant, where Greeks, Armenians and other -Oriental people are active in business, the Jew cuts a relatively poor -figure as a business man. There are in Salonica great Jewish merchants -but the vast majority of Salonica Jews are artisans and laborers. The -Jews of the East when settled in the West, be it in Western Europe or -America, have seldom achieved a great success as merchants or business -men. - -The fact is that the Jew is no more shrewd as a business man than -the Englishman, Frenchman, or American. It is true, however, that in -exceptional cases the Jews produce commercial geniuses as they also -produce literary and artistic and scientific geniuses. We are an old -and relatively pure race and our experience is far-reaching. We -have more productive powers than many other peoples, and we produce -proportionately more great men than other peoples. Some of these great -men are great in business, but that does not mean that the Jews are a -business people and a clever business people. - - - - -OUR NATIONAL BUDGET AND BRIBERY - - -All peoples who live under normal conditions live economically, -that is, on a systematized budget in which expenditure is adjusted -to income. The Jewish people, not living under such conditions, do -not live economically. Their budget is not systematized nor are its -expenditures proportionate to the income. The lack of a systematized -budget, however, does not mean that we have no fixed annual -expenditures, although it is true that we have no fixed annual income. -The truth is that we, as a people, spend as much as any other people of -equal numbers who live a normal life. The only difference is seen in -this: while other peoples spend money for national organization and on -national institutions, we have to spend our money either in bribery or -to help pogrom victims. - -On the eve of the Jewish New Year it is proper that we draw up and -take account of our annual budget. The biggest sum in this budget is -the item marked "bribery." Few realize how many millions are spent -annually by Russian and Roumanian Jews who seek to mollify their -oppressors with bribe or gift offerings. Few realize that the many -millions spent by wealthy Assimilationists in non-Jewish philanthropies -are also bribe offerings. The Jew has learned that if he means to be a -Jew he must pay bribery and that if he does not want to be a Jew, he -must also pay bribery. - -When a few years ago a Jewish lord in England bequeathed his fortune -of $10,000,000 to non-Jewish institutions, he made it clear that this -gift should be taken as proof of his sincere Anglicism, which meant -the repudiation of Judaism. When the French Jew, Meurts de la Deutsch -spends 2,000,000 francs annually to encourage aviation in France, it -is for no nobler purpose than to deny that he is a Jew, and that he -has embraced all French interests. The same is true of innumerable -wealthy Jews who give millions for non-Jewish and often for anti-Jewish -purposes. It might prove interesting to an economist to discover how -many millions are spent annually in such bribery. - -It is not difficult to estimate in round figures the sums spent -annually by those who want to remain Jews. - -There are six million Jews in Russia. For every move he makes, the -Russian Jew must bribe the authorities. If he wants his son admitted -to the schools, he must bribe the education officials. If he wants to -open a store and obtain a license, he must bribe the village or town -officials. If he builds a house he must bribe the building inspectors. -If he seeks a passport, he must bribe the police. The whole run of -human activities is accompanied by an endless flow of bribes, gifts, -presents, etc. It is no exaggeration to say that every Jew in Russia -must spend an average of ten rubles annually in bribing officials. This -is 60,000,000 rubles, or $30,000,000 a year. The total budget of the -Swiss Confederacy falls within this amount. In return the Russian Jews -are paid in exceptional laws and pogroms. These laws and pogroms lead -to emigration which costs us, on an average, $10,000,000 a year. - -In the last decade Jewish emigration from Russia has been at least -100,000 persons a year. The cost to every immigrant is at least 120 -rubles. This totals $7,200,000 a year. Economists have calculated and -discovered that the incidental expenses of each immigrant amount to -about 100 rubles. These expenses are caused by the loss entailed in -breaking up business, selling out below cost, etc. This in turn totals -up to 12,000,000 rubles, or $6,000,000 a year. In addition to these -sums there are extraordinary losses resulting from pogroms, fire and -boycott. - -We are not taking into consideration the hundreds of millions lost by -Jews in the war owing to the malice of the Russian Government. These -losses are not recurrent. But we must consider the losses of the Jews -in Russia as a result of pogroms. In the pogroms of 1905 and 1906 the -Russian Jews lost 20,000,000 rubles. Pogroms on a minor scale are -yearly events in Russia. All in all, the sum which the Russian Jews -spend annually in bribes or in expenses in connection with emigration, -or which they lose in pogroms or other upheavals, reaches the gigantic -sum of $50,000,000, a sum which exceeds the annual budget of Bulgaria -or of Switzerland. For less than this sum these two peoples enjoy -national independence and sovereignty while we enjoy--pogroms. - -What is true of Russia is true of Roumania, partly true of Galicia and -of the Jews in northern Africa, Persia and Afghanistan. That these -million and a half of oppressed Jews living outside of Russia also -spend millions annually in bribery and emigration goes without saying. - -As the emigration from the countries of oppression does not diminish -the number of Jews, because of the high birth-rate there, and as -conditions of life grow worse daily, the emigrants have to support -their families and friends who stay behind. The Russian Ministry of -Post and Telegraph published statistical tables a few years ago, which -show that the Russian immigrants in the United States, mostly Jews, -send annually to their relatives and friends from $15,000,000 to -$18,000,000 a year. A good part of this sum goes to the Russian post -office officials. This fact became known four years ago when a group -of Jews in Petrograd and Moscow started a movement with the purpose of -founding a Jewish immigrants' bank. - -When speaking of necessary and incidental expenses of immigration one -must not overlook the losses accruing from re-immigration and from -a decrease of productive energy of many immigrants because of their -inability to adapt themselves to new surroundings. - -These are expenses caused by the decision of Jews to remain Jews. We -maintain that the sums of money paid by Jews who are determined to have -the world think them non-Jews, or to have the world forgive them for -being Jews, are at least as large. - -When, a few years ago, the Jewish millionaire Efrussi died in Paris, -the French press without exception paid high tribute to his French -patriotism and omitted all mention of his Jewish origin. Efrussi -used to spend 2,000,000 francs on French national sports, races, -etc. This was also the case with the French Jew, Osiris, who left -his fortune of 60,000,000 francs to the French people and French -institutions, and 60,000 francs to the Jewish people in the form of -a copy of Michael Angelo's Moses erected in the court of the Jewish -Teachers' Seminary of the Alliance Israelite in Paris. An Austrian Jew, -Taussig, gave 1,000,000 kronen to the Catholic Eucharist Congress in -Vienna, while a relative of the same name left 500,000 kronen to the -Catholic church with the request that on his Jahr-Zeit two Franciscan -monks visit the synagogue to pray for his soul. The new university -in Frankfort-on-Main, which cost many million marks, is a Jewish -university in so far as large parts of this sum were contributed by -Jews. Most of the contributors were Jews who in no way support Jewish -institutions. A Prussian statistician discovered a few years ago that -not only do Jews contribute to funds for the building of monuments to -national heroes, but also to funds for Catholic cathedrals and other -institutions that are anti-Semitic in character. - -In England there are hundreds of wealthy Jews who make annual -contributions to the Church of England, refusing at the same time to -support any Jewish institutions. Lord Rothschild, who is by no means -the richest man in England, spends more in New Year's gifts to various -non-Jewish classes in London than ten other rich lords combined. -Another English Jew, Sir Ernest Cassel, the son of a Hebrew teacher -in Germany, has spent in the last decade £1,500,000 in the support of -non-Jewish institutions. Their contributions to Jewish institutions -have been insignificant in comparison. - -The gift of these large sums is always made public, but the sum total -of smaller gifts, which are not made public, exceed by far the amounts -given by very rich Jews to non-Jewish institutions. If we compare -the sums given by so-called Jewish philanthropists to Jewish and -non-Jewish institutions we discover that they give at least five times -as generously to the non-Jewish as to the Jewish. Mr. Jacob H. Schiff's -gift of $500,000 to Barnard College is a striking instance. At a time -when his own people experienced the greatest calamity in its history, -when millions of Jews were starving, and when Jewish blood was being -shed freely, Schiff gave $100,000 for Jewish relief purposes and five -times as much to a single institution for the erection of one building -in New York. This is the usual proportion that marks the giving of Jews -to Jewish and non-Jewish institutions. - -We think that the form of bribery which the oppressed Jews practice to -mollify their oppressors is sad enough as a commentary on Jewish life. -But the more ostentatious form of bribery--a form of gift bestowal -which seeks to hide the giver's identity as a Jew or at least to -purchase pardon for his Jewishness--is the greater tragedy. These Jews -spend millions to make the world forget they are Jews, but the world -remembers and laughs up its sleeve. - - - - -THE TRUE MEANING OF JEWISH UNIVERSALISM - - -In the course of the long controversy between Jewish nationalists and -opponents of Jewish nationalism many have come to believe that those -who oppose nationalism stand for universal Judaism, especially since -the anti-nationalists call themselves Jewish universalists. After the -publication of the declaration of the British Government with regard -to Palestine the main anti-nationalistic spokesman in America, Dr. -Philipson of Cincinnati, summed up his negative attitude to Zionism -with the short sentence, "I stand by my Jewish universalism." One even -hears people from the radical camp of the left proclaiming their Jewish -universalism. The impression has thus been created that while the -nationalists stand for a petty, provincial conception of Judaism, they, -the anti-nationalists, advocate a broad-minded universalism. - -We deem it opportune to examine this Jewish universalism, which is -played up today against the nationalistic efforts of our people to -re-establish a Homeland in Palestine and to see how far it is sincere -in its motives and compatible with Jewish tradition, and how far it -is intellectual camouflage. We think it rather curious that those -who claim to be Jewish universalists--the radical Reform rabbis and -assimilationists from other camps--always lay stress on American, -German, French or English Judaism, and often speak of the American -Jewish Church or the English Jewish Church, and so forth. It is -also remarkable that these Jewish universalists have always worked -for a "readjustment" of Judaism to local conditions and have tried -to Americanize Judaism in America, to Germanize it in Germany, to -Anglicize it in England, to Magyarize it in Hungary, and so forth. - -On the other hand, those who were considered as standing for a petty, -provincial conception of Judaism, the nationalists, have not only -never tried to do anything of the sort but have always defended the -interritoriality and catholicity of Judaism. One never hears a Jewish -nationalist here or abroad speaking of an American Jewish Church or -an English Jewish Church, and so forth. It seems to us that in view -of these facts the sort of universal Judaism as proclaimed by the -assimilationists is of rather doubtful origin and character and that -it is everything but universal, for it is territorial and provincial -to the core. As a matter of fact, Reform Judaism as established -by the Reform rabbis in the middle of the nineteenth century, and -developed by American rabbis at the end of the nineteenth century -and the beginning of the twentieth, is the first gigantic attempt to -break the catholicism of Judaism and to territorialize it, that is -to say, to annihilate its organic unity. Reform Judaism is in fact -nothing else but territorialism in religious terms, just as Yiddishism -is a territorialism in linguistic terms. Those who divide Judaism -geographically and claim that each part has little or nothing to do -with the other, and that each part is organically connected only with -its surroundings, that there is such a thing as American Judaism, -English Judaism, German Judaism, French Judaism, and so on, stand for -the same policy as do the Yiddishists, who divide the Jewish people -into ten or fifteen separate groups, claiming that every group is -a unit by itself and has nothing to do with the others. According -to Yiddishists the Ladino-speaking Jew has scarcely anything in -common with the Judeo-German-speaking Jew, just as the Arabic or -Greek-speaking Jews have little or nothing in common with the Ladino -or Yiddish-speaking Jews. Some express their Jewish territorialism and -provincialism in terms of religion, the others in terms of language. -Both are opponents of Jewish unity and Jewish catholicism, both are -opposed to traditional Judaism, both are opposed to Jewish nationalism -that is organically connected with Hebrew, and both are, of course, -opposed to a Hebrew Palestine. - -Why these people, who, as we have seen, stand for territorialistic -Judaism instead of universal, should call themselves Jewish -universalists, we are at a loss to understand. The fact that their -notion of God is as colorless and pale as that of the Unitarians, and -the fact that their conception of ethics, especially of Jewish ethics, -is as bloodless and vague as that of the rationalists of the eighteenth -century, gives them scarcely any right to call themselves Jewish -universalists and to assert that they stand for universal Judaism. Our -only consolation is that this sort of territorialistic Judaism that -goes under the false mark of universal Judaism is not the invention -of the Reform rabbis, nor that of the Yiddishists, but is as old as -Judaism itself. All who have carefully paged the history of our people -know that there always was a Jewish minority from time immemorial that -stood for a territorialistic Judaism, and if there is any difference -in principle between the Judeans and Israelites this difference -consists in that the Judeans always stood for universal Judaism, while -the Israelites stood for a territorialistic Judaism. The Judeans -were what the nationalists are today--traditional, conservative and -nationalistic, while the Israelites were reformers, assimilationists -and territorialists. The Judeans advocated a Palestinian and Hebrew -Judaism, while the Israelites always opposed it and were satisfied even -with the Temple outside of Palestine. - -The first radical reformer, assimilationist and territorialist was -not Abraham Geiger, but Jeroboam Ben Nebat. The Judeans, advocating -a Palestinian and Hebrew Judaism, produced the true, great prophets, -the prophets of truth and justice, while the Israelites produced the -false prophets, who misled the people and displayed religious and -moral camouflage. The notion of a universal God, of a universal -morality and of the brotherhood of man, the fundamental teachings of -Jewish universalism, have not been created by the prophets of the -Israelites, the false universalists, but by the prophets of Judea, -the nationalistic prophets. These great nationalistic prophets, who -alone made Judaism that tremendous force in history and who, by their -genius, secured immortality for our religion and ethics, must turn in -their grave when they hear the false prophets of today claiming them -as their witnesses. The teachings of our great prophets have been -distorted and falsified by many of our enemies and opponents, but none -has falsified and distorted them more than the representatives of the -so-called universal Judaism of today, because our great prophets, who -were at the same time great Jewish statesmen, taught the doctrine of -the indestructible Jewish nation and the immortality of our people as a -people, and they were so extreme in their nationalism and nationalistic -conception of Judaism that they dreamt of the Jewish nation to be the -glory of all the peoples of the earth and the center of all that is -good and great and beautiful in humanity. - -We doubt whether there are many Jewish nationalists today whose -nationalistic feelings run as high as did those of our great prophets -whom Jewish universalists claim as their chief witnesses for their -falsified Judaism. It was the great Hebrew prophets of old who first -fought against territorializing Judaism and who fought against the -attempt to Yiddishize it in one form or another. They all stood for -the pure, traditional, Palestinian and Hebrew Judaism. They were -bitter against Ephraim, because Ephraim stood for what the Israelites -stand for today: "Ubi bene, ibi patria"--Where I do well there is my -fatherland. - -That the Judeans and not the Israelites were right in their conception -of Judaism can be seen from the fate of both. Israel disappeared, swept -away by the storm of history, while Judea remained. It is only a pity -that all of the Israelites did not disappear also for, if they did, -we would have no Israelites today in our midst, and God knows that -the Israelites of today are unnecessary Jews and that those who claim -a mission for Israel have no mission at all. The Jewish universalism -advocated today by all those who stand for the disintegration and -deterioration of Judaism is not universalism, and if its advocates -are anything, they are Jewish nihilists, because Judaism is nihil to -them--no people, no race, no nation, no religion, no tradition, but---- - - - - -THE BURDEN OF TRADITION - - -The phenomenal tempo made by the United States in preparation for the -war is a very interesting phenomenon of our time. What England did in -many years of struggle America has achieved within a few weeks. It -took England more than a year and a half before she saw her way clear -to resort to compulsory service, and it required many weary months to -organize the administrative branch of the war service and to place -the country on a solid war footing. Even countries with long military -traditions, such as France, Italy, Austria, and even Germany, had to -struggle long before they were in the war with both feet. America, -though unmilitaristic, did all that within a very short time. Over -night there was a national army in America. The economic life of the -country adapted itself to war conditions, and everything to conduct -a war on an unheard-of scale was created within a few months. That -a non-militaristic country like America could adapt itself to war -conditions within such a short time must puzzle every observer, and -it will be a puzzle to the historian of the future, also, unless he -recognizes the touchstone of American genius as displayed at present. -This touchstone is the absence of long historical traditions. - -We Jews, who are preparing ourselves to start a new life as a nation, -ought to learn in this respect. We have old traditions of our own and -we are burdened with a great many non-Jewish traditions in addition, -for we have lived in the last two thousand years in the Diaspora and -among those people whose life has been shaped by thoughts and the -spirit of ancient Rome. The European state that is today undergoing -a crisis as never before is the inheritance of old Rome. The entire -system of European politics is Roman in origin. International political -relations can be traced to ancient Roman origin. A comparison between -the history of the international relations of ancient Rome and that -of any European state during the last five hundred years will clearly -show that the international political movements in Europe for the last -centuries have their parallel in international political movements of -ancient Rome. All the severe criticisms leveled by Montesquieu against -ancient Rome are still timely today. All branches of the activities -of the European state, civil administrations, jurisdiction, matters -military, foreign affairs, and so on, are more or less remnants of -ancient Roman civilization. - -In short, we have to be conscious of the fact that the life of the -Jewish people in Europe was lived amid a system of Roman civilization. -The old Jewish preachers, who characterized our present Diaspora life -as Goluth-Rome, knew what they were talking about, though they could -not exactly explain why they characterized our present Goluth as Roman -in nature. Since we have lived for two thousand years in this system -of civilization, it goes without saying that we have been greatly -influenced by it and that we ourselves are definitely subject to Roman -traditions in addition to our own. Traditions sometimes strengthen a -nation, but they also may weaken it. The most traditional people in -the world, the Chinese, are practically the weakest, while the most -non-traditional people, the Americans, are today the best fitted for -modern life. - -National traditions, of course, cannot be cast away over night. In the -Diaspora old and genuine Jewish traditions were the life-giver of our -people. They were the main force that preserved us from annihilation, -as long as we were facing the problem, "How can we best preserve our -national existence?" Today, however, we are not only facing the problem -of preserving our national existence, but also that of rebuilding our -nation and reorganizing our people so as to make its future safe. Since -the entire Jewish problem has changed so radically, our attitude to -the complex Jewish traditions must change. We cannot possibly use the -same methods in rebuilding our national existence as in preserving our -nation. The two different problems need two different positions. Just -as China is a terrifying example of what slavery to tradition can do to -a nation, so is America an edifying example of what traditions can do -in strengthening a nation. A nation does not live to uphold traditions -only; and where, instead of helping a nation, traditions handicap it, -they will be superceded by new traditions to be created by national -deeds. - -We do not want to describe our future life in Palestine, for we are -today unable to do so. We are only anxious to lay stress upon the fact -that what we have called our traditions in Diaspora life will probably -have to be revised in a Jewish Palestine. Life is much stronger than -the Book and the principle derived from the Book. In the Diaspora it -was the principle of the Book that shaped our life, because it helped -to preserve it. In Palestine, where there will be an active Jewish -life, Jewish life itself must work out its own principles. This is what -we should bear in mind, whether we are orthodox or free-thinkers. We -must go to Palestine with the consciousness of freedom and not with the -feeling that we are the creatures of traditions. We will have to free -ourselves not only from many Roman traditions that was most worthy in -the Diaspora, but will be superfluous in Palestine. - -The future Jewish State in Palestine will draw its strength from Jewish -life and not from principles of the Book; it will be free from all -inorganic traditions which we have acquired during our long life in the -Diaspora, and from those traditions which were un-Jewish in nature. - - - - -WHAT IS THE JEWISH MISSION? - - -In view of the rise of Jewish nationalism during the last decade, -especially during the war, it is understandable why the fancy of the -Jewish masses should be directed to the future of the Jewish State -in Palestine and that quite premature questions as to the form and -character of the Jewish State should be asked. - -There are no prophets nowadays. No serious-minded man would even dare -to anticipate the development of many generations and attempt to -foresee the character of the time which is deeply enshrouded in the -bosom of the future. Sociology has not yet discovered laws with the -help of which one can predict future material happenings. Nevertheless, -serious-minded Jews, especially nationalists, should give a thought to -the question of possible future developments and should ask themselves -in which direction they have decided to go. - -An unequivocal answer to this question will help to clarify matters and -will deprive the enemy of many of the weapons which he is always ready -to use against us. - -When Theodor Herzl appeared before the Zionist Congress in 1906 with -his famous Uganda proposition, the Jewish people was amazed. How could -a man like Theodor Herzl, whose love for Palestine was beyond doubt, -propose to the Jews to settle in East Africa, on a stretch of territory -not only outside the pale of Jewish traditions but even outside the -pale of civilization? If it had been a question only of enabling the -then badly persecuted Russian Jews to emigrate to other countries where -they could live in relative freedom and happiness, were there not -plenty of civilized countries where the Jews could find a refuge? These -and similar questions were raised after Herzl brought forth the Uganda -proposal. But those who were on intimate terms with the great leader -later explained this apparently strange mood. - -It was in 1903 that von Plehve began his policy of pogroms, and from -1903 to 1906 hundreds of pogroms were perpetrated against the Jews in -Russia and Poland. Theodor Herzl, who witnessed the development of -the tragic Dreyfus affair and who had some experience with western -European anti-Semitism, knew perfectly well the prevailing hatred -against the Jews everywhere, but he could not imagine that a Christian -State, forming a member of the family of nations, should in the -twentieth century resort to such barbarities as pogroms, in order to -carry out its anti-Semitic policy. Man of delicate and fine feelings as -he was, he became so disgusted with the situation and so downhearted -on account of these pogroms that, in a moment of despair, he said to -himself, "We would rather live among the Hottentots and other savages -in Africa than among the civilized Christian nations in Europe." The -entire Uganda proposition can be understood as an expression of disgust -with European civilization on the part of our great Jewish statesman -and artist. In short, Uganda was a loud protest against Christian -civilization and Christian political methods. - -In a lesser degree Zionism, also, is partly a protest against European -Christian civilization, which is an inheritance of ancient Rome. -We want to go back to Palestine not only because we want to live -a national life of our own there, but also because we are utterly -repelled by European civilization and because we do not believe in a -civilization that leads to the murder and pillage of entire nations -and the reign of horror and brutal might. We are disgusted with this -civilization because we do not believe that "might is right," because -we do not believe in the political heritage of ancient Rome. - -We cannot say whether or not every nationalistic Jew is conscious of -this fact, but the conscientious historian who does not believe in -the inheritance of Rome will certainly ascribe the revival of Jewish -nationalism not only to the national memories of the Jews, but also to -the radical difference between Jewish and Roman political ideas and -ideals and to the difference in the concept of life of the Jew and -those who live on the political inheritance of ancient Rome. We, for -one, firmly believe that Zionism, in spite of its purely political -aspects, has the ethical consciousness of the Jewish nation as its -basis and as its driving power; Zionism is thus to our mind not only a -_political_, but also _an ethical movement_--or even a revolutionary -movement, in the sense that the Jewish people revolts against a system -of civilization from which not only entire humanity has suffered, but -from which it has suffered most. Now, since Zionism is also an ethical -movement, one can easily see to what its realization should lead. - -Though the Jewish people lived in a Europe dominated by Roman ideas -for two thousand years, it did not become an adherent of the Roman -school of thought. We have remained Jews, still cherishing Jewish -ideals of justice and equity, and we mean to go back to Palestine -not as "Europeans," but as Jews pure and simple. It cannot possibly -be our desire to erect in Palestine such a system of civilization -and to establish there such an order of things as have created the -present state of affairs in Europe. _We are going to Palestine not -only to begin a new national life, but also to create a new system -of civilization._ This is the justification of Zionism from a broad -ethical point of view. We are going to realize there not the old Roman -inheritance but the old Jewish inheritance. We have for the last 2,500 -years had a political philosophy of our own, a political philosophy -that is just the opposite of the Roman political philosophy. We believe -that the political philosophy of the old prophets is just as human -and at least as near to reality as the political philosophy of the -ancient Romans, and we believe that our national political philosophy, -which considers men not only as physical beings but also intellectual -and spiritual beings and urges them to live up to their spiritual -and intellectual nature, is at least as sound as the one-sided Roman -political philosophy, which takes into account only the physical nature -of man and hence teaches that "might is right." - -It is our firm conviction that Jewish national ideals of old, though -buried in books for the last two thousand years, can be turned into -reality and be applied to life. This is what we are going to do in -Palestine. But, people will ask, if the Jewish ideals are based on -life's reality, why did not the Jewish people succeed in making its -ideals a force in life when it lived on its own soil and enjoyed -independence? To this we reply that the ancient Jewish genius, which -devised such grand plans of life, failed, for reasons which we cannot -enumerate here, to create the technique and methods, with the help of -which these grand plans could have been carried out. The Romans, on -the other hand, invented a wonderful technique of life, but failed to -devise a plan of life which would make life more worth living than -it is now. We have lived under the system of Roman civilization for -nearly two thousand years. We have not been imbued with Roman ideals. -We have not accepted the Roman doctrine of life, but we have learned a -great deal from Roman technique, and we are therefore now equipped with -both--with the Jewish idealistic traditions and with the experiences -of Roman civilization and Roman technique. Now we are in a position to -apply our ideals of old to life, because we possess the methods and -the technique of the application. We know today a great deal about -administrative and constitutional technique, of which our ancestors -knew next to nothing. We know today a great deal about organization, -of which our ancestors had not the slightest idea. Having gone through -the Roman school, we today know something about organization and this -knowledge of organization we are going to apply to our political -traditions, to our philosophy of life; we are going to create in -Palestine that synthesis of civilization which will be Jewish to the -core in its contents and Roman in shape and form. Might will not be -right, because man is not only a physical but also an intellectual and -spiritual being. Justice and equity will be thoroughly organized and -will not be left to the conscience of the idealistic individual only, -as was the case in ancient Judea. - -Whether the future Jewish State in Palestine will be a republic or a -monarchy does not matter. The form of government never testifies to the -soundness of the state; there are good monarchies and bad republics. -One thing is as clear as day: If there is going to be a Jewish -Palestine, it will be a land of justice and freedom, where right will -prevail and where the demands of the spirit will be complied with. All -forms of life will have to be different from what they are in the pale -of Roman civilization. "Thou shalt be a light unto the nations." This -must be our ambition. - -Jews as individuals can accomplish very little for Judaism, cannot help -to realize its ideals and cannot possibly make it a force in life. For -two thousand years we have lived in the Diaspora as individuals, and -what did we accomplish for the realization of our old ideals, of which -we are so proud? Nothing. Only feeble-minded rabbis, who are constantly -talking of the mission of Judaism without knowing what they are talking -about, can speak of the mission of the Jews in the face of the present -catastrophe. Jews as individuals cannot have any Jewish mission in -life, but a people can, if it is inspired by ideals. - -What we have failed to do as individuals for two thousand years--to -make humanity recognize that the political philosophy of the old -prophets is much stronger than that of the old Romans--we may be able -to realize in Palestine as a people. It is only with reluctance that we -use the much abused phrase, "Jewish mission," but if there is such a -thing as the Jewish mission, it will only be realized when the Jews are -reorganized as a people on the soil of their ancestors and lead such a -life as to justify the prediction of the prophet of old: "Thou shalt -be a light unto the nations." This is the true meaning of the Jewish -mission. 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