Zionism
FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A WORKINGMAN
We hear a great deal of what Zionism could do to help the persecuted Jew of Eastern Europe. But what answer could the Zionist make to the argument of the Jewish wage worker? Would it make any difference to me, argues the workingman, whether I am oppressed by a Jewish employer or by a Gentile employer? Whether the right to the fruits of my labor is denied me by a Jewish or Gentile community? Could the workingman expect his rights to be protected in Palestine under a Jewish government?
To answer this argument we must turn to the history of our people.
If we compare the history of the Jewish people with the history of any other historical people we will notice the following characteristic difference: Church and State, in other words, the religious and the political life of the Jewish people, always went hand in hand. There never arose the question of separation of Church and State. The modern civilized nations consider it a great step in advance that they succeeded in separating politics from religion. So far as the Christian nations are concerned this is perhaps a good thing. But where the Jewish nation is concerned it is a blessing that religion and politics always went hand in hand.
Some people believe that the so-called labor problem is an economical problem, and that it could only be solved on an economical basis. But is that so? Economically considered the condition of the wage worker is too good. Could the wage worker be educated to live without food, without clothes, without education, in general without any expense, such a wage worker would be an ideal machine, economically speaking.
If a steam engine or any other machine could be operated without the expenditure of energy, that is without expending anything on its operation, such a machine would be a great relief to the manufacturer. This is what the perpetual motion inventors are wracking their brains to invent. But next to
such an ideally perfect machine is a machine which could be operated at the least possible cost. Labor being one of the factors which enters production, a perfect laborer would then be one who could be hired for the lowest possible wages. This would be a satisfactory solution to the labor problem economically considered.
But, the question is, would it be right?Certainly not! But the question of right andwrong is not an economical question. It is amoral question, and consequently the laborproblem is not an economical problem, buta moral problem.
We must not forget that we are not only physical beings, but we are also moral beings. (Although there are some so-called scientists who try to make themselves believe that there is nothing outside the physical world. But this is not so. For the present we will assume that there is a moral life, which is simply another term for spiritual or religious, that is, these terms are interchangeable.)
What! many a labor leader would say, do you mean to say, that the labor problem is a religious problem, and that for the solution of this problem we should look towards religion! Religion, with its history of persecution, injustice, darkness! No, my friends. But religion, with its justice, tolerance, light and hope.
The Egyptians of the Jewish slavery days were very irreligious. The common people were too ignorant to understand what true religion was, and the ruling classes took advantage of their ignorance.
The Jews were taught to be religious, and the Jewish religion made the Jewish slave free. And just as much as any other people progressed religiously, in other words, morally, just so much did their economical conditions improve.
Religion teaches us that God is the creator of this world, that we are his creatures, his children; we are therefore all brothers and sisters; consequently we must love one an-