Dr. Weizmann at Joseph Cowen Memorial Meeting

It is almost impossible for one who has been connected with Joe Cowen both personally and politically for a good part of one’s active life, to record worthily what he meant and what he stood for in Zionism throughout the various phases of Zionist development, Dr. Ch. Weizmann, who only yesterday returned to London from his Keren Hayesod tour in South Africa, said speaking this afternoon at a memorial meeting for Mr. Cowen, held at the Zionist central office.

Everyone, young or old, in the Zionist movement, he went on, knows the familiar figure of Joe Cowen, who began his Zionist life almost simultaneously with Herzl.

Joe Cowen in Herzl’s literature is a familiar figure, as organising everything in the Utopian State of which Herzl dreamt. He belonged to what was commonly called at that time the so-called political Zionists, together with a group of staunch and distinguished figures like Marmorek, Fischer and Krementtaky. But he was never dogmatic. He was essentially a man with life and blood. He always reckoned and counted with realities.

It was my privilege to meet him when I came to the Congress, but I met him more intimately when I came over to settle in this country. We worked together on the English Zionist Federation, whose President he had been for many, many years. I remember a little incident in 1916, when we were engaged in negotiations with the Government during the War and I was more or less a sort of free lance; Cowen came to me and said: You are doing this sort of work; would you like to become the President of the English Zionist Federation? At first, Cowen and the English Zionist Federation were so identified that it was inconceivable to me that a sort of interloper should take the presidency. But he insisted, and from that period began our intimate connection with the work.

He showed his utmost interest and devotion at every stage of the work, and I could always call upon his time, upon his resources and upon his devotion, and it was always given unstintingly with the greatest enthusiasm and love.

A further stage in our own cooperation was when we went out about 18 years ago together with Dr. Eder and Leon Simon and a few others on the Zionist Commission to Palestine during the War. And again there we dreamed the dreams of which part have come true, and part have still to be realised in the fulness of time.

There was not a phase of the movement, whether politically, whether practically, in which he did not take a leading part, and of which he was not the soul and adviser, and he never held back his opinion. He gave it sometimes with the utmost frankness.

But even harsh as sometimes his frankness was, nobody resented it from Cowen. One always expected him to say exactly what he thought, and he would have been false to himself if he had beautified it and clothed it in diplomatic language.

There was a time when he ceased to be a member of the Executive. It was, I think, for four or five years continuously, but it affected the situation formally very little. Cowen walked into meetings of the Executive, and it was taken by everyone as being in perfect order.

DR. WEIZMANN RECALLS HE HAD A TELEGRAM FROM COWEN WHILE HE WAS IN DURBAN LAID UP

I need not stress his connection with the Bank. He was connected with it from the very inception; from the very first stages until he became chairman of the Board, which he remained for many years, until his last day. In the last three or four years he was not exactly active; he did not come to Congresses, but whenever there was a critical situation there was always Cowen.

It is almost inconceivable to think that this figure, so full of life and vigour, so much typifying the Zionist movement of the last 25 years, is no more with us. Our little world is very much poorer without him and very much sadder. If there is at all a comforting feature, it is that he visited Palestine in the last few weeks. I was not privileged to see him there. I was away. I only came back yesterday, but I had a telegram from him from Palestine in Durban, when I was laid up, and one remark there was that he was very pleased with what he had seen.

I understand that he came back very happy and vigorous. It is a great confort to know that he left us with a feeling that he found the country to which he gave his life’s work in good condition and in good shape, and that this was the last impression he took with him.

ALMOST THE LAST OF A GREAT PERIOD

We mourn him as a dear personal friend, Dr. Weizmann said, a man who had the capacity of being a personal friend much more than any I know.

He was a great Zionist and a great Jew, a warmhearted and full-blooded Jew. A man who had quick reactions, sometimes violent reactions, but they were of genuine, of absolutely sterling truth. There was not a false note in the whole of his life, and that is much more than one can say about a great many people. He was genuine-capable of enormous effort sometimes. When he put out his effort it was worth having. He is no more with us, but I am sure that he has a niche in Jewish history and in the history of the Zionist movement.

He is almost the last of a great period. Marmorek has gone, and Fischer has gone of his friends and colleagues. But he was a friend of all of us, and in my personal and public capacity I mourn deeply with you the death of the great man. It may be a comfort to his brother, who is with us to-day, and to all who are related to him, that he has left a wonderful name which we shall all cherish and which will serve as an example and an encouragement.

DR. BRODETSKY’S TRIBUTE: {SPAN}###{/SPAN} PRACTICALLY DECIDED TO GO AND LIVE IN PALESTINE: THAT WAS ONLY A FEW DAYS BEFORE HIS DEATH:

I belong to the younger generation of Zionises who did not know Herzl and did not know Wolffsohn, Dr. Brodetsky said. My first introduction to Zionism was at a big meeting in the East End where I heard Joseph Cowen speak about the Uganda proposal. It is a memory that I shall always cherish as my first introduction to Zionist affairs. Joseph Cowen always seemed to me to embody English Zionism. I well remember that it was he who sent me the first invitation to join the Federation and take part in its work. Ever since then I have been privileged to see the work that he was doing and to realise what a power we had in him. His influence was perhaps far greater than many people knew. He exerted a great influence by the force of his personality and by the transparent honesty of his conviction. There could never be any doubt that Joseph Cowen was a convinced Zionist and was firmly confident of the success of our work.

I had the pleasure of meeting him in Palestine a few weeks ago and to hear from him his impressions of what he had seen in the country. It is well known to some of us that when he came back from Palestine only a few weeks ago, he came back so full of enthusiasm and confidence and pleasure with what had been done that one anticipated from him further great contributions to our work in consequence of the added confidence he had acquired there.

I think he made known to some of us that he had practically decided to go and live in Palestine, and this was only a few days before his death.

I think we can look forward to the time when he will live in Palestine; at any rate, his memory will live in Jewish history so long as we remember this band of young men and women who started our movement.