Special Interview the Bialik Institute

Within a matter of weeks, journalist-economist Yitzhak Taub, 54, altered courses. He gave up his Tel Aviv office as editor of the popular economic monthly “Ksafim” (“Money”) and returned to his home town Jerusalem to head the money losing publishing house of the World Zionist Organization, the Bialik Institute.

From now on, Taub would no longer advise other people how to make money, but would work on a similar — yet very much different — project publishing quality books, and not necessarily losing money. “My philosophy is that you don’t have to be ashamed to make money,” Taub said in a recent interview in his modest office, located within a few minutes walk from the WZO headquarters in the Rehavia district in Jerusalem. The previous director general of the Bialik Institute, Haim Milkov, retired at the end of last year after many years at the head of the organization.

The Bialik Institute was founded 45 years ago, to an extent as an implementation of what was considered the will of “the national poet,” Haim Nahman Bialik. Shortly before his death, Bialik urged the Zionist movement to compile quality publications, especially in the field of Judaica.

PUBLISHING QUALITY BOOKS

Once founded, the Institute began publishing quality books, original and translated, both in the fields of Judaica and general literature. Its catalogue includes a variety of publications, such as the monumental Biblical Encyclopedia, which is now in the process of completion, the writings of Martin Buber, and even the translation of Charles Darwin’s writings.

“The idea was to have serious publications which are worthwhile for the people of Israel to preserve,” Taub explained. But due to financial difficulties, the output of the publishing house gradually decreased from a record of 20 books a year to fewer than six books a year. “I have the feeling that the previous director felt he was under siege for not having sufficient funds to promote the project,” Taub said.

“Thus, I was not brought here to deal with the questions of spirit, but rather because there was an understanding that the Institute was in trouble. I told them; Gentlemen, if you want to get the institution out of the red, we shall need money. Not that they have already given me money, but I think the idea is hitting home.”

MAIN PROBLEM IS MONEY

The previous budget of the Bialik Institute was one million Shekels, of which two-thirds went for salaries to the staff of 11 workers. Taub now spoke in terms of four million Shekels. “We have dozens of manuscripts waiting to be published,” he said. He noted that with a proper setup of sales, the publishing house could once again blossom. “The main problem is to inject money into the circulation, so that we can go ahead and publish books and avoid the embarrassing situation in which there is demand for a certain book and we just don’t have the necessary funds to complete the publication.”

Taub is one of the veteran economic journalists in Jerusalem. He began working as an economic reporter during his student days at Hebrew University 30 years ago on Mapam’s Al Hamishmar and later on Zmanim, the daily of the then Progressive Party.

Later he joined the Bank of Israel, first in the bank’s research department, later as a bank spokesman and eventually as the secretary general of the bank.

He spent a sabbatical year in London trying to write a book about the economies of newly established developing countries, arguing that political independence has set these countries back to colonial times as far as their economies are concerned. But he did not have sufficient time to complete the book. Back in Israel he became the director general of the Securities Authority, which he left after six years to edit the economic monthly.

“I regard work at the Bialik Institute as a challenge,” he said shortly after taking office earlier this year. He has no doubts about the quality of material published by the Institute. The Institute’s Board of Governors includes some of the leading figures in Israel’s economic world such as Ephraim Uhrbach, Natan Rotenstreich, Yeshaya Tishbi, Gershom Sholem, Binyamin Mazar and poet Haim Gury.

A POTENTIAL WORLD MARKET

Although all books are published in Hebrew, Taub is confident that there is a potential market for them throughout the world. Any Judaica library, or any library that deals with Israel, should have on its shelves several books that were published by the Bialik Institute.

Discussing the completion of the Biblical Encyclopedia which was begun in 1945, Taub said “This is a giant and unique project, which should be a must for every student of the Bible beginning with the high school students and ending with the university instructor.” Once completed, Taub said, the Encyclopedia would be widely sold, which would, of course, improve the economic situation of the Institute.

Taub wants to push ahead with an already existing program of basic books on various subjects, which would serve as introductions to these subjects for students as well as instructors. The first book in this series (on musicology) has already been published. Others were not, for financial difficulties.

NEED FOR DYNAMICS

Taub also wants to promote special publications which were printed specially for various festive occasions. These were usually distributed for free and later were discovered as a popular — and expensive — item among collectors. “Why not resume these publications and make some money?” he asked. “We can sell such publications for half a million Shekels, enough to publish a new book.”

Musing about the potential of such a venture, Taub said: “Don’t get me wrong. It is not that I came here expecting that things will change suddenly. All I want to stress is the need for dynamics, so that everybody involved will understand that we have the potential for an economic enterprise. I believe that the people of Israel can publish good and beautiful books — and not necessarily lose money on it.”

If Taub is successful, he may create a worthwhile cooperative venture between the people of the book and the people of the check book.