Chaim Nachman Bialik, Hebrew Poet, Gives Message to New York Jewry

Chaim Nachman Bialik, poet of the Hebrew renaissance, gave his first message to the Jews of America Wednesday night at a public reception in his honor given under the auspices of the United Palestine Appeal. Over four thousand persons filled the Mecca Temple where the reception was held. One thousand were turned away.

Louis Lipsky, chairman of the Zionist Organization of America, presided in the absence of Dr. Stephen S. Wise. chairman of the United Palestine Appeal. Nachum Sokolow, president of the World Zionist Executive, Judge Julian W. Mack, chairman of the Bialik Reception Committee, Abraham Goldberg, president of the Histadruth Ivrith, the organization of Hebrew writers, Yehoash, (S. Blumgarten) well known Jewish poet who translated the Bible into Yiddish, and Dr. Schmarya Levin, life-long friend of Bialik, greeted the guest. Mr. Sokolow and Mr. Goldberg read Hebrew poems in honor of the guest. A message of greeting was read from Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the World Zionist Organization.

“I rejoice at the opportunity to add my welcome to that of thousands of American Jewry assembled to greet Bialik. I know American Jewry will share my own humble but very great admiration for this great poet and great Jew who leaves his literary productions to throw himself with ardor and devotion into strenuous Zionist work. May this work of the singer and messenger of Zion be blessed with success,” Dr. Weizmann’s message read.

A rising ovation which lasted for over ten minutes was accorded the famous poet by the large audience. A feeling of suspense prevailed in the hall when the guest of the evening rose to deliver his message, interrupted with cheers of admiration and applause.

“By the ordinance of our sages when one faces large masses, one must repeat the prayer ‘Blessed be He who understands the mysteries.’ The psychology of masses comprised of single individuals is a mystery. The existence of the Jewish people has been a mystery. The rising and development of the Zionist movement has been a mystery. The growth and development of the American Jewish community is not less a mystery.

“When one sees these three mysteries and faces the large Jewish masses in America, one must, in conformity with the ordinance, repeat that prayer, ‘Baruch Chacham Ha’razim,’ ” Bialik began his address in a low voice.

“I come to you from Palestine where a great mystery is being unfolded. It is indeed difficult to understand it from a distance; the greatest achievement of the Jews through out the ages in the Diaspora was the fact of their existence. This, however, was only a passive vigor. In Palestine, we are displaying an active vigor. Palestine exists not only for Palestine Jewry, but for world Jewry, including the Jews of the United States.

“Palestine was placed in the scales of history with the issuance of the Balfour Declaration.

“The Jews have existed as a separate entity by reason of the hatred toward them displayed by their environment; should we, God forbid, fail in the reconstruction of Palestine as the Jewish National Home now, the future Jewish generations would have to face an environment not only of hatred, but also contempt and no race has ever survived such an environment.”

These were the high spots in the address of Chaim Nachman Bialik, which lasted an hour and a half.

In his address be also attacked the sponsors of the Russian colonization plan.

“It is inconceivable how Russia or Crimean colonization could have been placed in the scale against Palestine,” he declared. “Zionists have to be pardoned if they, to some extent, oppose the relief action in this form. We are jealous for Palestine because we know its permanent value in Jewish life and its incomparable strength for the revitalization and continuation of Jewish life and Jewish culture. A perusal of Jewish history will convince every unbiased person that all structures erected in the Diaspora sooner or later collapse leaving deplorable ruins. This ought to be a lesson.

“The capital of each nation and country is the sum total of the surpluses of each individual. This is true not only of material wealth but also of spiritual wealth. The misfortune of our people was that the surplus of our material and physical wealth, the result of our pain and labor, was not credited to our nation, but went to the countries in which we lived. It is true that at present if you sow in Palestine a pint of seed, a quart will not grow, but you may rest assured that the pint will be there and it will be ours.”

“The direct cause for my arrival in America is the reestablishment of the Jewish national home in Palestine. A great and decisive hour has come in the history of our people: as in the time of Cyrus, the opportunity has been granted to us to return to our country and to rebuild our house. The redemption and the reconstruction in the land of our forefathers has, therefore, been intrusted from now on into our hands. It all depends on the will and ability of the Jewish people. The Jewish people in all its parts must, therefore, take upon itself the fulfillment of this historic duty with love and enthusiasm, the duty toward itself, its past and to ward its future, if we do not want to deny the substance of our life and of our his tonic existence. The sooner we fulfill this duty, the better it will be for us. There is no doubt that the question of re-establishing the Jewish national home in Palestine will, whether we want it or not, become a question of honor for the Jewish people and its status in all the countries of the diaspora.

“The final responsibility for the solution of this problem-in the positive or negative-will fall, whether or not we want it, on the heads of all parts of Jewry. The failure of the Jewish national home will be counted from now on as the last and final failure of Judaism throughout the world.

“The Jewish people which seeks not only the existence of a ‘living dog,’ but of a life of honor and pride, must consider this question and draw from it the theoretical and practical consequences. The only and final consequence of this consideration must be that the reestablishment of the national home must, at any price, become the task of the entire people without exception and that the reconstruction cannot be delayed, but must be carried out with the greatest speed and efficiency possible, with tremendous enthusiasm and with a maximum of effort of all the creative forces both material and spiritual which are at our disposal.

“The Jewish people met with a misfortune that the Balfour Declaration was issued simultaneously with the complete destruction of the Jewish community in Russia-this wonderful source of national energy in the previous decade-and with the impoverishment of the other parts of the Jewish people. American Jewry is, therefore, at present the only part of Jewry which can take upon itself this task. It must do so because there is no other redeemer. It must fulfill not only its duty but the duty of the other parts.

“American Jewry is strong and healthy. It has broad shoulders. The burden which history has placed upon them is in accordance with their strength.

“No danger! I am confident American Jewry will bear this burdent and come out victorious.

“The ‘eternal Ahasver’ has glimpsed his star which told him ‘here is your place of refuge.’ Will the Jew take this refuge? Has he grown so accustomed to wandering that he cannot rest? There is no other way out. The only way left to us is the path of life prescribed to us by the history of the Jewish people,” the poet concluded.

The choir of the Young Men’s Hebrew Association, under the leadership of A. W. Binder, and the Hebrew opera singer, Myro Glass, sang several of Bialik’s poems. They were enthusiastically received by the audience.