THE DETROIT JEW ISH NEWS—Fr iday, January 30, 195 9-2
Purely Commentary
y.
Flanked by Israeli veterans, the body of Theodor Herzl,
which was disinterred from the grave in Vienna, was brought
to the Israel Parliament building, then in the Hakirya in Tel
Aviv, on Aug. 17, 1949. The remains of the founder of the
world Zionist movement now rest on a hill west of Jerusalem,
which has become the historic spot known as Mount Herzl.
*
*
'Theodor Herzl: Founder of Political Zionism',
Splendid Biography by Octogenarian Israel Cohen
"Theodor Herzl: Founder of Political Zionism" is an out-
standing and very valuable biographical study of the great Jewish
leader. It gains in importance from the fact that its author,
Israel Cohen, who this year celebrates his 80th birthday, was a
co-worker of Herzl. He knew the inspiring and inspired leader,
he watched him at work and by following up all the events that
transpired during his lifetime—and since—the biographer writes
authoritatively.
This biography, published by Thomas Yoseloff (11 E. 36th,
N. Y. 16), deserves special commendation for its accuracy, for
the scrupulousness with which the author has pursued the task
of gathering the data about Herzl, his family, his associates and
the time in which he lived, and for the personal interest the
biographer shows in the merits of Zionist ideology.
While there is no doubt about the effects the Dreyfus Affair
had on Herzl, who attended the proceedings as the correspondent
for the Neue Freie Presse. It becomes clearly evident, in Cohen's
biography, that Herzl became deeply concerned over the tragedy
of his people and their inse-
curity long before that time. He
was given a traditional Jewish
education, leading up to his Bar
Mitzvah. His interest in his peo-
ple was genuine. His reactions
to anti-Semites who crossed his
path were expressed with dig-
nity and in defense of Jewry's
honor.
As a student he encountered
anti-Semites and felt the sting
of their insults. He protested by
resigning from a student society
that gave a platform to anti-
Semitic rabble-rousers. He wrote
on Jewish themes and asserted
himself firmly.
Even before Herzl had written
the historic pamphlet, "The Jew-
ish State," he authored a play in
which he dealt with the Jewish
problem; he sought audiences
with Jews he tried to interest in
the cause he saw as the solution
to the Jewish problem, and
many of them rejected his idea
and rebuked him; he heard the
cries, in Berlin. of "Juden raus"
—"out with the Jews!"—and he
devoted all his energies to ef-
Theodor Herzl
forts to arouse Jewry. The rich
turned him down, so he directed his pleas to the Jewish masses,
"The Jews who wish, will have their State," he predicted, and
a bit later—in 1899—he prophesied that in 50 years his idea
would be realized. In 50 years, there arose Israel, and his
prophecy did indeed come true.
He enlisted the aid of men like Max Nordau who supported
him in all his undertakings. The Zionist Congress he called into
being in 1897 sounded the rallying call to action for self-eman-
cipation. Herzl was disillusioned in many ways. He even turned
to the Uganda idea, and was rebuked by his fellow-Zionists who
refused to go along on the scheme of accepting a territory other
than Palestine. But in the final analysis he succeeded, and even
those who temporarily differed with him accepted him and his
leadership: he was and remained the prophet of Zionism.
His missions to Turkey and to Russia, his acceptance by the
Jewish masses who suffered under Czarism, the hopes he instilled
in the hearts of Jews who were undergoing humiliation at the
hands of anti-Semities, not only in countries where anti-Semitism
was condoned officially but also in free lands, provide inspiring
reading in this excellent book.
"What he accomplished," Israel Cohen writes, "was done
within the small space of nine years, and only one who had
habituated himself to intensive industry could have achieved it.
To his friend Adolf Friedemann he once said: 'I am always at
work. When I wake, at four or five in the morning, I immediately
think how I could arrange this or that. Just think—this terrible
••
Splendid Biography
of Herzl . . . History
Ably Re-Evaluated
New Israeli Law Gives
Vote to 1,300,000
By Philip
Slomovitz
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—Israel
Bar-Yehuda, Minister of In-
terior, reported that under the
new voters registration law,
nearly 1,300,000 Israel citizens
will be eligible to vote in the
Knesset elections now set for
Nov. 17.
The law provides for the es-
tablishment of an annual voters
register to include all persons
who have reached the age of 18
or arrived as immigrants since
the preceding Dec. 31.
Voters will have the right to
inspect the register and to file
appeals to committees headed
by district court judges by May
10 of each year on complaints
of exclusions or mistakes, the
Minister said.
He declared that since the
1955 election, the number of
voters increased by 250,000. He
also reported that there will be
2,400 polling stations for the
November elections.
responsibility. It tires me out completely. But a good horse dies
in harness.' "
Russian Premier Plehve, with whom Herzl had negotiated in
an effort to secure Russian cooperation in the Zionist idea, is
quoted by Cohen as having said: "Till Dr. Herzl came to me, I
did not know there were Jews who did not crawl." The eminent
British journalist, Wickham Steed, is quoted, from an article he
wrote about Jews who were imbued with the Herzlian Zionist
idea: "To minds like these, Zionism came with the force of an
evangel. To be a Jew and to be proud of it; to glory in the power
and pertinacity of the race, its traditions, its triumphs, its suffer-
ings, its resistance to persecution; to look the world frankly in
the face, and to enjoy the luxury of moral and intellectual
honesty . . . was the train of thought fired in youthful Jewish
minds by the Zionist spark."
Such was the force of Zionism generated by Herzl. Israel
Cohen evaluates the man and his work with great skill. in a book
that will acquire a prominent place on Zionist and Jewish
historical bookshelves.
There were a number of tragic aspects in the life of Theodor
Herzl. His personal experiences were marred by sad family
problems. He suffered from the setbacks incurred during his
negotiations with wealthy Jews, with rabbis and Jewish leaders.
But he had a great goal and he had faith in its realization.
His prophecies came true. In Cohen's biography, he emerges as
the Modern Prophet in Israel.
.1 ■ 11.041101111.0.11 ■ 4141 ■ 4,011•• ■■■••• ■•■01 M11.0
Pineau in Israel
for 8-Day Visit
JERUSALEM, ( JTA ) —Chris-
tian Pineau, former Foreign
Minister of France who is re-
garded here
as the archi-
tect of Franco-
Israel friend-
ship had a
90-minute talk
here with
Premier David
Ben-Gurion.
Pineau ar-
rived in Israel
for an eight-
day visit as a
guest of For-
eign Minister
Golda M e i r.
Pineau He also met
with Speaker of the Knesset
Joseph Spinzak (before the lat-
ter's death Wednesday. See
obituary on page 6) and is con-
fering with several other gov-
ernment leaders.
Simultaneously It was re-
ported that the French govern-
ment opened the door this week
to more favorable treatment for
Israel as an exporter to the na-
tions of the European Common
market by lowering its tariff
barrier on agricultural com-
modities from the Jewish state.
In line with a permissive
policy of the common market's
executive board, the French,
government cut import duties
on Israeli agrictural products
by ten percent.
As a result, it is believed, the
West German government will
grant Israel similar reductions.
Negotiations also are due to
commence soon between Israel
and the Benelux countries.
1
Boris Smolar's
'Between You
. and Me'
Copyright, 1959,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
Romanian Emigration:
The mass emigration of Jews from Romania — expected to
reach 100,000 this year — is no longer a secret • . . The reaction
of the American Jewish leadership to it is highly emotional .. .
I All Jewish organizations in the United States are gratified with
Romania's lifting of the ban on emigration of Jews who wish
to proceed to Israel . . . The sentiments of American Jewry will
be expressed to the Romanian Ambassador in Washington by
a delegation of top American Jewish leaders . . • There is, of
course, a feeling that it would be much more satisfactory if the
Romanian government permitted the Jewish emigrants to leave
from the Romanian port of Constanza on ships sailing directly
to Israel . . . This would substantially decrease the cost of
transportation and would save the tens of thousands of emigrants
complications connected with their 32-hour ride to Vienna en-
route to Israel . . . It would also save the hardships and the
cost of transporting them from Vienna to Naples where they
embark for Haifa . . . However, for reasons which the Romanian
government does not reveal, the emigrants are permitted to leave
Romania only by way of Vienna . . . The flood of Jews reaching
Vienna on every train from Romania mounts with each day .. .
None is permitted to take along any money, jewelry or other
possessions; they get off the trains in Vienna with not much
more than the clothes on their backs . . . Thus, they become the
immediate responsibility of the Jewish Agency which is now
compelled to seek emergency funds for their transportation and
settlement in Israel.
•
•
•
Jewish Reaction:
The first step in the direction of helping the Jewish Agency
meet the needs of the Jewish emigrants from Romania was
made this week by the United Jewish Appeal in presenting a
picture of the situation to a selected group of American Jewish
leaders . . . Summoned from all parts of the country, about
200 Jewish community leaders came to New York . . . Private
reports at that meeting made it clear that the operation of
helping the Jews leave Romania and settle in Israel will receive
top priority attention in American Jewish communal life from
now on . . . It will probably overshadow many other important
*
Jewish programs in this country in 1959 . . . The foundation
Eshkol-Pinay Talks for a large-scale American Jewish effort to assist Romanian
Jewish immigrants establish themselves in Israel will be laid
'Very Satisfactory'
Feb. 15 at a huge national UJA conference of historic impor-
PARIS, (JTA)—Levi Eshkol, tance . . . In the meantime, important UJA leaders have gone
Israel's Finance Minister, stop- to Vienna to study the situation on the spot . . . Some may
ping here enroute from United even go into Romania to take a look at the potential Jewish
States to Israel, said his con- emigrants there . . . Officials of the Romanian Embassy in
versation with French Finance Washington indicated that they are greatly interested in - the
Minister Antoine Pinay was American Jewish reaction to the emigration of the Jews . . .
"very satisfactory." He said he They are studying the reports in the American and American-
found much sympathy and Jewish press and obviously report back to their government on
understanding on the part of sentiment here.
•
•
•
the French Cabinet member
when he outlined the problems Facts and Figures:
faced by Israel.
Zvi Haftel, concert master of the Israel Philharmonic Orches-
Eshkol revealed he had out- tra, is now in this country to sign up American musicians for
lined to Pinay the difficulties guest appearances with the Israel Philharmonic .. . At a recep-
for Israel arising out of the tion given him by Samuel Rubin, president of the American-
recent French currency devalu- Israel Ctiltural Foundation, which provides almost $100,000
ation and the entry of France annually towards the support of the orchestra, he passed on
into the common market. It interesting statistical figures . . . During the 1957-58 season, he
was reported that in his con- said, the orchestra gave 181 concerts heard by an estimated
versations, the Israel Finance 400,000 people . . . Over a million Israeli pounds are taken in
Minister reviewed plans for through the sale of subscription tickets in Tel Aviv, Haifa and
French participation in the Jerusalem . . . Income from records, which are distributed under
building of the Elath-Beersheba the American Decca label, will net 36,500 pounds in the current
oil pipeline. However, it was year . . . The 93 musicians, who now comprise the orchestra,
also stated that recent reports receive salaries totaling 745,000 pounds, with an additional
published here that the two 228,000 pounds allocated for guest artists from Israel, the United
governments have r e a c he d States and other countries of the world . All of which indicates
agreement on a signed con- that the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with a total budget of
tract for the project were pre- almost a million dollars a year, is now in the "big time" among
mature.
the world's leading orchestras.