• ▪

IA

-

Attacks by Toynbee Bordering on anti-Semitism
Repudiated in Quarterly- Review by Prof. Zeitlin

A series of grave attacks on- whole, did not figure to "a

a) Jewry and Israel by the British

ethnarch, thus making him the
ruler of Judaea. T h u s, he
not only nullified Gabinius' di-
vision of Judaea but he restored
her independence. He prohib-
ited the stationing of troops in
Judaea for their winter quarters
and the exacting of money and
provisions for their Roman
army. He placed Judaea among
the states, known as Cicitates

great extent as \the holy land
in Chris tian or Islamic
thought, whereas to the Jews.
Judaea was always a Holy
Land integrated into the pre-
cepts and ceremonies of Ju-
daism. The author of U Mac-
cabees, which was composed
before the destruction of the
Second Temple called Judaea
the Holy Land. It was holy to
the Jews before the destruc-
tion- of the State and through-
out the ages. For Judaism,
Palestine, called Eretz Israel,
the land of Israel, is the cen-
ter of Jewish religion. To this
day the synagogues are built
facing the East in order that
the prayers should be di-
rected toward Jerusalem. In
their prayers, Jews implored
God to rebuilt the Holy Land
and the Holy City of Jerusa-
lem. The Jews of the Diaspora
:were always connected spirit.
ually with Eretz Israel. They
prayed for the coming of the
Messiah when Kretz
would be the center of reli-
gion for the entire world,
when the prophecies of Isaiah
would be fulfilled, and the
teachings of "the sages of old
about the universality of God
and the fellowship of man
would be realized.

0 historian, Prof. Arnold J. Toyn-
a)
° bee, are answered by Prof. Solo-
0.)
= mon Zeitlin, editor of the Jew-
ish Quarterly Review, in the
>7;
• current issue of the Quarterly
Review which is published by
Li; Dropsie College for Hebrew and
I Cognate Learning in Philadel-
co phia. ,
In view of the "sweeping
r=1 ` statements by Dr. Toynbee con-
Z
cerning Palestine, Israel or
-41 Judaism in the public press,"
-. Dr. Zeitlin invited the historian
Lt
▪
to present his views in an ar-
t tide in the Quarterly' Review,
..,
E4 informing him in advance that
•
it would be answered by him in
the same issue.
4.1
Since Dr. Zeitlin, in his reply,
•
quotes the basic attacks by Prof.
Cr.1 Toynbee, his answers serve the
▪ purpose of ' indicating the at- .
tacks while providing the an-
swers to them.
Prof. Zeitlin's evaluation of
the attacks and his basic an-
swers follow in part:
"Prof. Toynbee's argument
reduces itself to three major
propositions: A. The religious
claims of the Jews in Palestine
confer upon them no special
status, because Christian and
Muslims likewise have religious
claims to Palestine. B. The
"In a word, to the Christians,
claim based on legal title to the
land is not - valid because Pal- only the places connected with
estine was occupied by Jews for. Jesus, his birth, his sojournings
relatively short historical per- and the holy sepulchre are
iods and on the other hand it sacred. For the Muslims only
was overrun by conquering thoge places which tradition
armies and was occupied by connects with Mohammed and
various Sovereignties for many IVIoses and other figures of their
more centuries. Consequently religion are sacred. For the
the tenuous legal title was torn Jews Eretz Israel as a whole is
to shreds. C. Finally, even if a Holy Land. All of its cities are
credence be granted to histori- considered holy, even those
c cal and legal claims, Dr. Toyn-
which were built after the de-
bee appeals to the statute of struction of the Second Temple.
limitations.
For them Tel Aviv, Haifa, the
"Regarding the Jewish re- Negev are sacred.
ligious identification with the
"From the religious aspects,
land of Israel, Dr. Toynbee cites we now turn to the Jewish his-
the alleged parallel_Nclaims of torical claims on Palestine. Are
Christianity and Mohammedan- they valid?
ism.
"Approximately 1,300 years
"What Dr. Toynbee fails to before the pr es en t era,
account for is the vital differ- the Children of Israel, under
ence in the historic ties, in the
leadership of Jushua, con-
spiritual quality and the degree the
qured
the Land of Canaan. In
of the indispensability of Pales- the early
days there was no
tine for the wholeness of the union among the tribes of Is-
religion in Judaism in contrast rael.
to the two daughter religions.
"The Kingdom of Israel was
"Christians did not consider
Palestine, now Israel, of any conquered by the Assyrians.
great importance in connection Later, in 587 BCE, the Kingdom
with their religion. Only the of Judah was conquered by the
places of Jesus' birth and burial Babylonians. Not all the Judae-
were ,considered loea sancta, ans were exiled from the land.
The Babylonians carried the
holy places.
Palestine as a whole was elite classes into captivity but
not the Holy Land "to the allowed many Judaeans to re-
early Christians, Christianity main.
"When Cyrus, king of Persia,
arose in Jerusalem but Paul
gave up the earthly Jerusalem conquered Babylonia he gave
and spoke only of a heavenly the Judaeans permission to re-
Jerusalem. . • .
turn to their homeland. . . .
"Rome, the city where Peter
"In 333 BCE, Alexander of
and Paul were executed, became Macedonia defeated Darius and
the center of Christianity and its became the ruler of the Persian
symbol. For Western Christianity Empire, including Palestine,
became the Eternal City. Pope which was then called Coelo-
Urban II, in addressing the' Syria, Lower S y r i a. With the
Council of Clermont in the year conquest of Judaea by Alexan-
1095, was the first to call Pales- der, the status of the Judaeans
tine, Terra Sancta, the Holy was not changed. They still were
Land. His purpose was to in- ruled by 'their high priests. The
spire the Christians to join, the Judaeans were ready to die for-
crushed and organize armies to the truth of their religion. They
the land already known to them were the first martyrs in his-
as Palestine to seize it from the tory. The persecutions by Anti-
rule of the Seljukes._ (The Sel- ochus Epiphanes against Juda-
jukes were not of Arabic stock.) ism brought about a great re-
Neither in the New Testament ligious' revolt, which developed
nor in the writings of the into a national war under the
Church Fathers was the term leadership of the Hasmonean
Holy Land applied to Palestine. family. It proved successful. In
"As 'to Mohammedanism, it the year 142 BCE Judaea be-
Can hardly be said that Pal- came an independent state.
estine played an important Simon the Hasmonean was
part in Islamic thought. While elected high priest and ruler
the r o o t s of Christianity of the new independent State
stemmed from Judaea, Islam of Judaea. Simon during his
came into being in the desert 'rulership concluded a political
of Arabia. The Koran hardly alliance with the Romans. . .
makes mention of Judaea or
."After Julius Caesar defeated
Palestine; its religion is fo- Pompey and hence became the
cused on Mecca.
ruler of Rome, he appointed
"Adaea, or Palestine as a Hyrcanus as the high priest and

•

.

,

•

• •

v

• • • • /

- 4

4

g

,
*
• g • •

g

claims by projecting the legal torically not true. In the Dec-
principle of the statute of limi- laration of Independence of
tation: "When the Jewish his- Israel one paragraph reads as
torical claim to a special follows: 'WE APPEAL—in
position for the Jews in Pales- the very midst of the on-
tine is carried to the point at slaught launched against us
which its implementation in- for months—to the Arab in-
flicts wrongs and sufferings on habitantts of the State of Is-
the present‘day Afab inhabi- rael' to preserve peace and
tants, the Jewish claim runs up participate in the uphuilding
against the statute of limita- of the State on the basis of
sine foedere immunes et liberae. tions. This is an almost univers- full and equal citizenship and
These communities had self ally accepted principle of law. due representation in all its
government, and no auxiliary The principle is that ancient provisional and permanent in-
troops could be stationed among rights, even if valid originally, stitutions.' The leaders of Is-
them.
lose their validity in course of rael made every effort to
"In 70 CE, Vespasian con- time if they have fallen into persuade the Arab population
quered Judaea and terminated desuetude and have .' conse- to stay and '.to "pursue their
its political independence. quently been supe-rceded by normal life.
The Jews however were not other rights that have been
"The blame for the exodus of
exiled_ from the land.
validated by a long period of the Arabs from Palestinemust
m
"After the unsuccessful revolt usage."
be put on their lead
ers who
against Hadrian (132-135 CE),
Thus Professor Toynbee dis- urged them to leave the coun-
the Jews were forbidden tem- misses the Jewish historical try. . .
porarily from entering Jerusa- rights in Palestine, which the
"The sufferings of the Arab
lem, but they continued to live Jews throughout the ages called, refugees invoke the sympathy
Eretz ISrael, the land of Israel, of all men of good will, Jew,
in their country. . .
"In the fourth century when on the principle of the statute Muslim and Christian. This how-
the Roman Empire was divided, of limitations. _
ever can be solved in a peaceful
Prof. Toynbee is certainly manner by both Israel and the
Judaea then known as Palestine
became a part of the Eastern aware' that the principle of the neighboring Arab states. The
Roman Empire, Byzantium. Al- statute. of limitations does not Karelians have been absbrbed
though the - Jews were greatly apply to all crimes. It does not by the Finns when Karelia was
humiliated and persecuted, and apply to hoinicide. Neither is annexed by the SoViet Union,
their religion was only tolerated the principle of statute of limi- and West Germany absorbed
by the Church, they still con- tations applicable' to peoples the refugees of Silesia when it
tined to live in Eretz Israel, whose countries were taken was annexed to Poland. With
their land. _
away from them by force as good will of both -parties a solu-
"For a short interlude (from long as they have not relin- tion can be found and must be
615 to 636), Palestine fell to the quiAhed their legitimate rights. forind.
Persians and then again to the Poland was first divided in the
"Prof. Toynbee's bias against
Byzantians under Heraclius. latter part of the 18th century. the Jews is revealed in all his
Finally in 636 an Arab invasion Finally, in the second decade writings concerning them. In
sweeping in from the desert put of the 19th Century, it was di- his newly published book Recon-
an end to the rule of the Byzan- vided • among Russia, Prussia sideration, he writes: 'In the
tians over Syria and Palestine and Austria. Poland ceased to Jewish Zionists I see disciples
(Judaea). Under the Arabs, the exist as a political state, but its of the Nazis.' Pace Professor!
Jews were allowed to live in national .consciousness was not How many Zionists put Chris-
Jerusalem, to practice their re- destroyed. After the First World, tians into gas chambers? Such a
ligion under the guidance and War, when the Allies' were vic- comparison is a libel upon the
control of their religious lead% orious over_Germany and Aus- Zionist and an insult to the - in-
ers, who enjoyed high status tria, Poland 'regained her po- telligence of the readers of his
under the rule of the Caliphate. litical independence. The sta- book.
tute of li-mitatiOris was not ap-
"In the year 1096 the first
"Prof. Toynbee denies that
Crusade was organized to march plied. Lithuania ceased to exist he is an anti-Seinite: 'I have
as
an
independent
state
at
the
on Palestine to retake the holy
never felt. an inclination to
places from the Muslims. In end of the Middle Ages. At the be anti-Semitic.' Perhaps so,
time
of
the
First
World-
War
1099, Jerusalem fell before the
But -he certainly has a dis-
Crusades. The capture of Jeru- much of her land was inhabited take for Hebrew and he has
by
Poles
and
Russians.
After
salem by the Christians was the victory of .the Allies Lithu- no interest in Hebrew litera-
celebrated by savage butchery ania became.. an independent ture. have never learned
of Jews and Muslims alike. For state: the principle of statute of even a smattering of Hebreiv'
a while Jerusalem became the limitations
not applied. he says, 'Since childhood He-
center of the Latin Kingdom.... Many other was
examples can be brew has left me cold, where-
"The brief outline of the cited. This principle. is not ap- as I have had a passionate
changing .rulers of Palestine plicable to peoples whose coun- desire to learn Arabic. I
shows that " the Jews never tries were taken by force and am ignorant of the Rabbinical
left Palestine which they who never relinquished their Jewish literature and of the
called the Land of Israel, and rights to their country, regard- Jewish- philosophy that flour-
also C h a t t h e Palestinian less of whether their Countries ished in an early Islamic and
Arabs or the Arabs of Trans- were conquered a hundred, five a medieval Western cultural
jordania never ruled Pales- hundred of eighteen hundred environment. I knoW of the
tine; it had been conquered years ago. Thus Tonybee's state- Pharisees, not through their
by the Arabs who came froth ment in dismissing the Jewish own writings, but through the
the desert. The Omayyades rights in Palestine on the basis denunciations of them in the
and the Abbasids were not na- of the statute of limitations is Gospels.'
tives of Palestine. Of course neither historically nor legally
"Yet he presumes to write
the Mamelukes and later the correct.
about the Pharisees and about
Turks were not Palestinian
Prof. Toynee's opposition to the history of a people whose
Arabs; they were not even
the
State of Israel leads him literature he admits he does not
Semites. On the other hand,
to
attack
the jurisdiction of know. Popular writers and dile-
the Jews never renounced the
the
United
Nations: "The tantes may depend on second-
title of their homeland-. There
United
Nations,
as so far con-. ary literature but not a serious
was never a period when
stituted, has no jurisdiction historial. He knows the Phari-
there were no Jews in Pales-
over the internal affairs of sees through the - denunciations
tine . . .
-
any country, and - to decree of them in the Gospels. Could
Prof. Toynbee concedes ten- that a country shall be
parti- an unprejudiced American' his-
tatively that a case could, pos- tioned - is certainly an
inter- torian write objectively about
sibly be made for the legitimacy ference with its internal the Democratic Party relying,
of the historical support for affairs.". . .
upon the attacks of the Repub-
'Jewish rights in Palestine: "An
licans during an election cam-
"Where
then
is
the
logic
of
exponent of Jewish historical
paign? Or vise versa? A serious
claims in Palestine may perhaps Prof. Toynbee's contention that historian must make use of the
the
United
Nations
has
no
juris-
plead at this point that the
literature of both parties, other-
establishment of the state of diction to interfere in the in- wise he writes propaganda and
Israel in Palestine in 1948 was ternal affairs of Palestine? The distorted history.
a legitimate implementation of League of Nations originally
"Some reviewers praised his
an historical Jewish right. It entrusted the mandate over writings saying that although he
Palestine
to
England.
Since
she
was., it may be argued, the re-
did not present microscopic de-
establishment of a past situa- reliquished 'her mandate, the tails, he did present a true
tion. In the past, there has been United Nations, the heir of the panorama. 'A panorama is true
of Nations, had the only when the details are au-
a series of Israelite and Jewish League
4
states in Palestine. The pre- -1 urisdiction to transfer Pales- thentic. When details are mis-
Exilic kingdom of Israel and 41' ine to other agencies, which represented and distorted the
Judah, and the -post-Exile Jeru- hey did by partitioning-it be- panorama cannot be true. Prof.
salemic Temple state, Hasmo- ween the Arabs and the Jews. Toynbee's approach to history,
"Dr. Toynbee's animus to- his very method of writing his-
nean kingdom. The previous ex-
istence of this series of states ward Israel leads him from tory is fundamentally unsound.
legitimatizes the present state i llogical positions to absurdity. His writings are conditioned by
of Israel, according to this argu-
"Prof. Toynbee accuses the personal bias, which may make
ment . . ." Forthwith, however, Jews of expelling the Arabs them attractive as art. But they
he seeks to demolish such from Palestine. This is his- t are dangerously misleading."

.

'