The Maccabaean

T

Now is the time for Zionist societies to be thinking of what they will do in the fall. The holidays always give a good opening for the serious work of the year. Every Jew is awakened more or less to his relationship to the great Jewish world. With the chanting of the first Penitential Hymns (Selichoth) he begins to feel that he cannot remain away from those things that affect the Jewish people. He is brought to consider the fact that what is in store for his fellow-Jews must interest him, for he is one of them, whatever his indifference theretofore might have been. It is the perennial trumpet call to which no Jew can close his ears. There are many who join a congregation for the holidays and think they discharge their duty by appearing once or twice in the synagogue; thus do these show that they have not entirely cut themselves off from the Jewish nation. There are many who become charitable at this time of the year, feeling that by relieving the Jewish misfortunates they are entitled to be called Jewish citizens. There are others who become interested in Jewish problems and who are touched by Jewish misery to think of ways and means of lightening it. And dead indeed must that Jew's feelings be who cannot be influenced by the series of Jewish religious holidays which come after the summer's sun has brought the harvest and the work of storing it has begun.

Just this season of the year, when the Jewish soul is opened up, like a freshly turned furrow, can our Zionist societies gain members to the cause. But it needs planning and work. During the summer we expect our fellow-Zionists to devote themselves to their physical health, to gain strength for the winter months, to lay up power to be used later. That also is good propaganda work; for it serves to make strong, healthy citizens of our people; it serves to build up a healthy working force which can stand as a model to others; it is in line with what Zionists term cultur, and is immensely valuable. But only as a means to an end. The end is, the establish-

ment of a Jewish nation. To this end all Jews must be interested. Therefore, while in summer we need not look for much organization work, we should ask for sufficient attention to it to give direction to the real work that must be undertaken in the fall and winter. Zionists should seize upon the holiday season to arrange for meetings, to lay out courses of lectures, to appoint committees for circularizing Zionist thought, etc.

Every synagogue, of whatever kind of Judaism, orthodox or reform or liberal, is a center into which Zionism can be introduced. Every lodge, every benefit order, can be influenced in the direction of Jewish nationalism. For every such organization is in reality evidence of Jewish nationality; every order composed of Jews only, every synagogue, every society with Jews only for members, is organized on the basis of Jewish affiliation. Even our synagogues are not essentially religious.

It is not necessary that Zionism shall be found only in Zionist organizations. There is room for societies that are purely beneficial to become part and parcel of the movement for financial or sentimental reasons. They need not devote themselves to propaganda work; that may be left to Zionist societies only. Remember that our Zionist societies are the working instruments of the movement; it is to them we look for the agitation of the principles of Jewish nationality.

But while these non-Zionist Jewish societies are not propagandists, the membership of the Zionist societies may be recruited from them. First by awakening interest in the nationalist cause; then by inspiring with enthusiasm for that cause; then by enlisting them in the ranks of the propagandists of that cause; so will our movement grow.

II.

LAST month we spoke, or rather Mr. Fromenson spoke, of a little more of the ceremonial in our societies. Every one will admit that the slipshod method of conducting meetings has a bad effect on the members. Organ-