THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS -- Friday, Nay 15, 1959-32
'The Zionist Idea' Impressively Analyzes
Writings of Movement's Founders
Zionism, the great revolu-
tionary movement which has led
to the rebirth of Jewish state-
hood, has inspired the thinking
of many of the greatest Jews of
the past two generations. It is
not only a political movement:
its ideology has resulted in a
very great literary output.
Zionists would do well even
now to re-read the works of the
founders of the movement.
There is need for the revitaliza-
tion of the Zionist idea, and it
can best be done by turning
once again to Weizmann, Hess,
Ahad Ha-Am, Nordau, Pinsker
and the other pioneers who gave
strength to the national move-
ment.
A return to the literary pro-
ducts of the Zionist leaders is
made easy by a very important
book, "The Zionist Idea," edited
by Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg and
published jointly by Doubleday
and Co. and the Herzl Press.
The 'foreword to the book,
by Dr. Emanuel Neumann,
refers to the "triumphant con-
summation in a sovereign Is-
rael" of "the Zionist revolu-
tion," and declares that "the
mounting stream of books
dealing with the subject at-
tests the wide impact of the
event, unaparalleled in his-
Hebrew Corner
'Bedek'
(Translation of Hebrew column.
Published by Brit Ivrit Olamit.)
The Institute for Aircraft Main-
tenance, known in short as "Bedek",
has now entered the jet age. In the
near future the employes of Bedek
will assemble a jet training craft
of French manufacture (produce),
and will even produce themselves
some of the parts of the plane.
"Bedek" was established seven
years ago in Lydda, near the large
airport of Israel. In the beginning
Bedek served mainly the Israel Air
Force, but in the course of time it
began to deal with the aircraft of
the civil aviation companies, Arkia
and El Al. Some of the planes of
Arkia which were once military air-
craft, have been converted by Bedek
into comfortable passenger planes.
The Institute for Aircraft Main-
tenance has acquired a good repu-
tation and is today licensed (per-
mitted) to deal with the aircraft
of any aviation company in the
world. Not long ago Bedek handled
two large American planes, which
were sent especially to Lydda. All
the repairs on the large Constella-
tion planes of El Al are performed
by Bedek and soon they will begin
to handle the new Britannia planes
also.
As in every other enterprise in
this country, you can see in Bedek
a picture of the ingathering of ex-
iles. Beside a yotilig engineer from
Brooklyn works an engineer from
Warsaw, who came to this country
six months ago.
tory, upon the mind of our
generation."
This point is proven com-
pletely in the essays gathered
for this valuable work and in
the scholarly introduction by
Rabbi Hertzberg. The 85-page
introduction, analyzing Zionism,
is a book in itself. It is a
thorough evaluation of 'the idea
and shows convincingly that
"Zionism exists."
"Zionism is Jewish messian-
ism in process of realizing it-
self through this worldly
means," Rabbi Hertzberg
writes.
He adds: "What marks mod-
ern Zionism as a fresh begin-
ning in Jewish history is that
its ultimate values derive from
the general milieu. The Messiah
is now identified with the dream
of an age of individual liberty,
national freedom, and economic
and social justice—i.e., with the
progressive faith of the nine-
teenth century."
The historical analysis in this
introduction is so vital that
Rabbi Hertzberg's essay could
well serve as a textbook for
Zionist classes.
The selections of Zionist writ-
ings appear under the headings:
Precursors; Outcry in Russia,
1870s and 1880s; Theodor Herzl
Appears; Agnostic Rabbi—Ahad
Ha-Am; Rebels at Their Most
Defiant; Zionism of Marxist and
Utopian Socialists; Religious
Nationalists; Intellectuals in
Search of Roots; The N e
World; Ideologists in Action.
Each leader's speech or
essay is preceded with a bio-
graphical sketch of him, and
that helps considerably in at-
taining an understanding of
the forces that motivated
them to action in behalf of the
Jewish national cause.
The writings of Rabbi Yehu-
dah Alkalai (1798-1878), Rabbi
Zvi Hirsch Kalischer (1795-
1874) and Moses Hess (1812-
1875) are included in the part
dealing with Precursors.
The Russian leaders who are
quoted in the second part are
Peretz Smolenskin (1842-1885),
Eliezer Ben-Y e h u d a h (1858-
1923), Moshe Leib Lilienblum
(1843-1910) and Leo Pinsker
(1821-1891).
The third section — Head-
long Into the World Arena—
is devoted to Theodor Herzl
(1860-1904) and Max Nordau
(1849-1923).
The other Zionist personali-
ties whose ideas are incorpo-
rated in this book are Ahad
Ha-Am, Hayyim Nahman Bialik,
Micah Joseph Berdichevski, Jo-
seph Hayyim Brenner, Jacob
Klatzkin, Nahman Syrkin, Ber
Borochov, Aaron David Gordon,
Berl Katznelson, Rabbi Samuel
Mohliever, Yehiel Michael
Pines, Rabbi Abraham, Isaac
Kook, Samuel Hayyim Landau,
Judah Leon Magnes, Martin
Buber, Bernard Lazare, Edmond
Fleg, Ludwig Lewisohn, Rich-
ard James Horatio Gottheil,
Solomon Schechter, Louis Dem-
bitz Brandeis, Horace Mayer
Kallen, Mordecai Menahem Kap-
lan, Rabbi Meier Bar-Ilan (Ber-
lin), Vladimir Jabotinsky,
Chaim Weizmann, Rabbi Abba
Hillel Silver and David Ben-
Gurion.
Those who are acquainted
with Zionist history w ill
acknowledge that this is a
nearly-perfect anthological col-
lection. There undoubtedly will
be criticism over the exclusion
of Louis Lipsky, Emanuel Neu-
mann, Solomon Goldman, Na-
hum Goldmann, Henrietta Szold
and a number of others whose
expressions on Zionism should
be perpetuated as part of The
Zionist Idea. But in the main
the book is a fair collection of
views and an excellent cross-
section of opinions by outstand-
ing personalities.
"The Zionist Idea" deserves
a top spot in any library, and
no Jewish library can be com-
plete without it.
* *
Leaders Acclaim
Publication of
'The Zionist Idea'
NEW YORK, (JTA)--Lead-
ers in Jewish cultural life in
America attended a special
convocation at the Theodor
Herzl Institute, marking the
publication of the book, "The
Zionist Idea," edited by Rabbi
Arthur Hertzberg.
Dr. Emanuel Neumann, chair-
man of the Theodor Herzl
Foundation, presideded over
the convocation, highlighted
by the participation of the
prominent American historian,
Prof.. Henry Steele Commager,
and Israel Ambassador Abba
Eban.
;NI
Commenting on both the re-
r
• : • ror
volutionary trends and evolu-
tionary forces of Zionism, as
traced in the book, Prof. Corn-
mager drew a number of
parallels in the rise
icor striking
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Eban referred to Israel as "a
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stressed the indispensable
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arms
Fete Tenth Anniversary
of 'Operation Magic Carpet'
Around the World...
A Digest of World Jewish Happenings, from
Dispatches of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Other
News-Gathering Media.
United States
WASHINGTON — Dr. David I. Golovensky, rabbi of Beth El
Synagogue and Center, New Rochelle, will conduct a retreat for
Jewish chaplains in Europe, June 1- 8, at the Berchtesgaden
Retreat House in the Bavarian Alps, the Office of the Chief of
Army chaplains announced.
NEW YORK—Israel's Pavilion at the U. S. World Fair Trade
at the New York Coliseum opebed with Mayor Robert F. Wagner
as an honored visitor and exhibited 200 products made in Israel.
. .. A special committee of the World Confederation of General
Zionists was named to deal with problems and issues confronting
session of the Zionist Actions Committee in Jerusalem. . . • The
New York State Commission Against Discrimination confirmed
reports that "gentleman's agreements" exist in the State Employ-
ment Service in the placement of job applicants on the basis
of race.
PATERSON, N. J.—Mayor Robert A. Roe Jr. of Wayne
Township asserted that the 12 high school students who were
suspended as members of the "Nazi Regime of America" were
not really so had and he added that "nobody's life was threatened
and no arsenal of weapons was found," but the New Jersey
prosecutor's office and the Newark FBI office have not dropped
the case.
ST. PAUL, Minn.—An amended humane slaughter law,
defining both Jewish ritual slaughter and pre-slaughter handling
of animals as humane was passed by the Minnesota Legislature
and signed by Governor Orville Freeman.
TRENTON, N. J.—A humane slaughtering measure strongly
opposed by 16 New Jersey Jewish organizations appeared tabled
until next fall despite a flood of mail from humane societies
urging passage, the measure having been adopted unanimously
by the State Assembly's Agricultural Committee, postponement
resulting from a proposal by Assemblyman Francis J. Werner for
a return of the measure for public hearings.
PHILADELPHIA—Members of the congregations of Mikveh
Israel Synagogue and the Old Christ Church. Philadelphia's two
oldest congregations, met at dinner to mark the 171st year of
their friendship.
COLUMBUS, O.—Governor DiSalle has signed an Ohio Fair
employment practices measure termed "the most comprehensive
and carefully drawn state law."
NEWARK, N. J.—The United States has made a grant of
$30,050 to the Jewish Vocational Service of Essex County to
make a pioneering study in rehabilitating mental hospital patients
after their discharge.
,
Israel
TEL AVIV—Brig. Chaim Laskov, Israel Army Chief of Staff,
asserted that because the Air Force is now the key to any future
battles, "our primary aim is to attain air superiority which also
gives superiority on the ground and sea." ... Hanoch Weisky, 50,
was sentenced to five years imprisonment on the charge of
having ill-treated other Jews while being a member of the Nazi
concentration camp police at the Poznan Camp. . . Jewish
physicians in Nazi ghettoes and concentration camps during
World War if heroically and secretly carried on scientific re-
searches concerning the effects of hunger, typhoid, bone malfor-
mations and diseases of the skin suffered by Jewish victims,
according to a report by Dr. Mark Dworeczky, head of the Tel
Aviv Association of Physicians. Foreign Minister Golda Meir told
a meeting of local editors that Israel must hold Lebanon respon-
sible for an attack on an Israel bus last week. . .. John Haggerty,
chief of the U. S. Mission in Israel, announced a U. S. grant of
3,000,000 Israel pounds for the development of Israel's railways.
. . . The arrest of Moroccan Jews trying to emigrate from Morocco
to Israel and the treatment these Jews are receiving from police
authorities was roundly condemned in the Israeli press.
Europe
PARIS — Jacques Soustelle, French Deputy Premier, will
head a government study mission that will visit the Negev to
investigate ,Israel's methods of exploitation of natural resources
in comparison with French methods employed for exploitation
of the Sahara Desert, and at the same time an Israeli delegation
will visit the Sahara to study methods used for storing water
ill deep wells. . . . Stained-glass windows in three Paris syna-
gogues were broken during Passover week, stones having been
tossed through windows of Rue de la Victoire, Saint Lazare and
Saint Isaur synagogues on different evenings.
KARLSRUHE — The Federal Supreme Court rejected an
appeal for a retrial of Martin •Summers.
WIESBADEN—Dr. Otto Schweinsberger, a chief prosecutor
at Frankfurt, was officially retired after being under suspension
since December on charges arising out of war-time Nazi atrocities
against Jews.
FULDA—Gottlieb Musikant, 55, a former non-commissioned
SS officer in three concentration camps, confessed voluntarily to
the public prosecutor that he had murdered at least 50 prisoners
and implicated two former SS officers, one of whom now practices
medicine in West Berlin, and said "the dead have been weighing
on my conscience."
LONDON—The British government has made representations
to Iraq against the blacklisting by that country of Imperial
Chemicals Industries because it had dealings with Israel.
North Africa
ALGIERS — For the second time in the last few months, a
Jew has been murdered by Moslem terrorists in the town of
Laghouat, 190 miles south of Algiers, which has a Jewish popu-
lation of 40 families.
Latin America
SANTIAGO, Chile — Congress approved plans to name one
of the city's streets the Avenue Republic of Israel. . . .
BUENOS AIRES — A new industrial and commercial bank,
in which Argentine Jewish shareholders of the Agrobank Buenos
Aires and the Koor Industries of Israel are equal partners, was
announced here, Agrobank having merged into another bank.
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Beard-
ed sages wearing ancient robes
mingled with sturdy, open-shirt
youths and girls clad in gay
dance costumes as Israel cele-
Canada
brated the tenth anniversary of
MONTREAL—An agricultural school for hill farming will be
"0 peration Magic Carpet,"
through which the entire Jew- established at Ein Karem in Israel bearing the name of Allan
ish population of Yemen was Bronfman and his family, it was announced at the 1959 Negev
dinner sponsored by the Jewish National Fund.
flown to Israel in 1949.
-