Yiddish vs. Hebrew
IT is interesting to note the relation between Yiddish and Hebrew literatures, and the position that the former has taken in the last few years towards the latter.
There were times when Yiddish literature was looked upon with contempt, as a literature of books and ignorants, and the language itself as one of the "misfortunes" whose birthplace was the Ghetto. Those days are long since over. People have come to the Hegelian conclusion that whatever exists is reasonable, and therefore they not only yielded to the inevitable, but even tried to foster and develop Yiddish literature as the literature of the people. And their efforts have not been fruitless. There is indeed a marked progress in Yiddish literature: books of value are rapidly finding their way among the people, good taste is developing, and, what is most important, the idea of the necessity of a literature forces itself more and more upon the minds of the Yiddish readers.
With this change or development in Yiddish literature, a remarkable change took place also in the position that this literature has assumed towards Hebrew. Yiddish literature which used to be conscious, as it were, of the superiority of Hebrew, has now assumed a certain attitude of arrogance and of defiance towards the latter. She challenges Hebrew literature to do her homage, because she has succeeded in establishing herself more or less as a literature among the people, and as such she is taking revenge upon her former mistress.
This defiance, however, noticeable mostly in America, where Hebrew literature is yet languishing, does not spring so much from the self-assurance of Yiddish literature as from ignorance of facts as regards the condition of modern Hebrew literature, and from superficiality in trying to deduce logical conclusions from illogical premises. It has been urged by some Yiddish writers in America—and it seems to be the opinion of the majority, since none has contradicted the statement—that Yiddish literature is or will very soon supersede Hebrew, and as proof to the truth of this statement they present the following arguments: (1) Yiddish literature is rapidly spreading and developing in America, where Hebrew can hardly get a foothold; (2) Even in Russia, where Hebrew literature is supposed to flourish, the publication associations that were established for the sole purpose of propagating the spread of Hebrew, after making vain attempts to issue Hebrew journals, must fall back on Yiddish, and this with success. Now, superficially, these seem to be conclusive and logical arguments. But not all that is logical in itself is true to fact. The fact is, that if we study the question more deeply, and if we consider the condition and the motive powers of the two literatures, we will easily discern, in spite of the more rapid spread of Yiddish literature, the transitory character of Yiddish and, on the other hand, the stability and permanent nature of Hebrew literature.