eisga
Weizmann's Letters Edite by
Reveal Generation Gap, Aims to Form
University, Roles of Herz!, Ussishkin
By S. J. GOLDSMITH
(Copyright 191'1, JTA, Inc.)
LONDON—The second volume of
the "Letters and Papers of Chaim
Weizmann," just published by
Oxford University Press, covers
the period of Nov. 1902-Aug. 1903
which marked the beginnings of
Weizmann as a Zionist leader. It
offers a total of 423 letters. The
first volume appeared in 1968. It
is planned that the final volume
should appear in 1974 — on the
centenary of Weizmann's birth.
In his foreword, Meyer W. Weis-
gal, the general editor of the proj-
ect, recalls an argument between
those who wanted to print only
"important" and "revelant" letters
and documents and leave the rest
as apocrypha, as it were, in Yad
Chaim Weizmann, and those who
were in favor of printing every-
thing that is available. Fortunately,
the latter carried the day. For, as
Meyer Weisgal says, "Only Weiz-
mann's own original communica-
tions over a period of 67 years
can give a proper portrait of his
personality."
Weisgal also makes the point that
selection "militates against genuine
scholarship." Things which may
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seem irrelevant to the selectors
may yet be of great relevance to
future historians and biographers.
This is, of course, source ma-
terial, and not only of Jewish in-
terest. But it also makes fascinat-
ing reading, and there is a lesson
in it for our times.
Most of the letters and papers
in this volume relate to the plan
for a Jewish university some-
where in Europe. But there is
also a memorandum to Dr. Theo-
dor Herzl which deals with the
Democratic Fraction, Weizmann's
opposition group of the time; the
position of Russian Jews; and
the destiny of Zionism. And then
there are the personal letters,
including some to Miss Vera
Khatzman, who was later to be-
come Mrs. Chaim Weizmann.
The very first letter in the vol-
ume, to Samuel Shriro of Baku,
Georgia, informs the addressee that
Herzl himself had received the
report about the planned Jewish
university enthusiastically and
agreed to join the Central Corn-
mittee.
The . Jewish University was con-
ceived as an answer to a great
need. Jews had great difficulties
in gaining admission to universi-
ties in a number of countries. But
Weizmann also dreamt of a Jewish
institution of higher learning with
a positive Jewish spirit, a place
animated by the teachings of our
ancients and the vision of our
prophets. A bureau for the Jewish
University was established at
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anpower zurveye
THE DETROI
TTMUTS—'
J WISI
NEW YORK (JTA) The first 10—Friday, May 14, 1971
survey of manpower needs in Jew-
ish community services will be is-
• HYPNOSIS •
sued soon by the Bureau for Ca-
Hyman A. Lewis, consultant
reers in Jewish Service, according
LEWIS HYPNOSIS CENTER
to Lillian Margolin, the orga-
nization's executive director. She
18240 WEST McNICHOLS RD.
Phone 535-9661
Geneva, and it developed a wide told the JTA that the bureau is
By appointment • out 17th year
planning a publication on careers
net of contacts.
As it turned out, the Jewish in the Jewish field.
University never materialized, and
Weizmann realized that Palestine,
as it then was, must be the venue
for an institution of higher learn-
ing by Jews for Jews, and hu-
manity at large.
The very last letter in the vol-
for single adults, cordially invites you and your friends
ume is actually a telegram to
to cap the climax of this social season at its annual, informal
Menahem Ussishkin in Haifa. It
reads:
"In principle favor establishing
university in Palestine. Coming
if necessary. Zion's greetings
Weizmann" . . .
SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 22nd
The memorandum to Herzl was
written from Geneva on May 6,
Ballroom of the Oak Park Community Center,
1903. Weizmann makes the point
14300 Oak Park Blvd.
that it comes from himself and
*
Refreshments
* Social Mixers
* Door Prizes and
Berthold Feiwel, an effective and
articulate member of the Fraction.
* Dancing to the music of Eric Rosenow and his
It seems they had a generation
Continentals Orchestra with vocalists.
gap even then. Herzl was 43 at the
time; Weizmann was 28. Here is
what Weizmann says in his memo
on this subject:
"For years now I have been
traveling around Russia and I al-
ways meet the same old faces .. .
Youth cannot now, and will not
ever, share anything with the kind
of Zionism which bears the stamp
of the narrow petty-bourgeoisie ..."
And here you have the familiar
attempts to involve intellectuals:
"We must aspire to the capture
of the intellectuals, and through
them, Jewish public opinion as a
whole . . .
Here is your "New Left" of the
year 1903:
`'The larger part of the con-
temporary younger generation is
anti-Zionist, not from a desire to
assimilate but through revolu-
tionary conviction . . . The atti-
tude to Jewish nationalism is one
of antipathy, swelling at times to
fanatical hatred."
And there were not even the
Palestinians at the time! . .
It will not be surprising to dis-
cover that the Russians have
changed even less, despite the
Revolution. Weizmann reports to
.Herzl in his memorandum about
the attitude of the Russian authori-
ties to Zionism:
"This anti-Jewish current is re-
flected in the position that the
Russian government is now taking
up toward Zionism." To remind
ourselves: this was 1903, when Czar
Nicholas II was ruling the Russian
Empire and Zionism was very far
from commiting "aggression
against the Arab peoples."
Weizmann complains that his
Democratic Faction, the group of
the young Zionists which tried to
change the movement, is being
ignored and derided by the elderly
and the entrenched—in other words,
by the Establishment. Thus:
"The position of young Zionists
is almost tragic. Misunderstood
by the leadership, confined, driven
into opposition, they have to strug-
gle bitterly . . . to make the slight-
est advance."
CRITERION CLUB
MAYTIME BALL
'Woodstock' Style
Festivals at Dead Sea
JERUSALEM — Two rock fes-
tivals are to be held in mid-July
and the beginning Of August in the
Dead Sea area. They will be
named "the awakening desert" and
are intended for youth from
abroad. Four thousand and non-
Jewish, will take part in each
festival, alongside thousands of
local residents.
The festivals will resemble Is-
raeli "Woodstocks," and will cen-
ter around such themes as the
making of the desert bloom, de-
velopment of the Negev, and the
historical and spiritual hertiage of
the heroes of Massada. This was
revealed by Israel Minister of
Tourism Moshe Kol.
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