The Maccabaean

]Though Mr. Shabotinsky's brochure entitled "The Critics of Zionism" appeared in Yiddish some time ago, the line of his argument makes his valuable contribution applicable to the present day with just as much force and power. His essay will run through three numbers of THE MACCABAEAN.]

THE lot of the Zionist ideal is identical with the lot of Judaism. We Jews are a nation and can trace our existence to the time of the oldest Pharaoh and prove our origin to the time of the Chettäers, the oldest race mentioned in the most ancient writings.

Our people dispersed throughout the universe took an active part in the progress of the world: they were foremost in industry, science, art, literature and even in war. The quintessence of our culture, the Bible, is translated into every known language and dialect. In short, our people played and plays a very prominent part in the progress of the world’s history. Every Jew should pride himself on a familiar knowledge with the history of his own nation. In reality, to our great shame, it is the non-Jew who studies and knows Jewish history. But regardless of this, the Jew is feared, the Jew is hated, the Jew, even now, is accused of impossible crimes. On the question ‘of what is a Jew, we constantly hear contradictory answers, such as: the, Jew is the greatest -cosmopolitan and. the strongest nationalist, the Jew is the richest capitalist and the stanchest revolutionist, the Jew is tne most superstitious fanatic and the greatest unbeliever, and so on through a whole list of contemptible condemnation and fulsome praise.

The relation of the majority of the Jews to the Zionist idea is not less peculiar. The Zionist idea is just as old as Israel itself. One cannot have a conception of the Jewish people without its historical territory. Ac-

cording to the teachings of the Bib'e, or, in other words, according to the spirit of Judaism, the Zionist idea, i. e., the possession of Palestine by Israel, is much older than the nation itself. As far as 700 years before the formation of the Jewish nation, Palestine was promised to the offspring of Abraham. This promise was repeated from generation to generation until the time of Moses; it is often mentioned by the Prophets, and it constitutes the dogma of our fasıtlh

The Jewish people, through the whole time of their wanderings, did not lose hope for the realization of this Promise, i. e., the materialization of the Zionist ideal. Daily the people prayed to God to hasten the time; this expectation gave the people strength to endure its solitary martyrdom.

One would imagine that, at th first call for the realization of the Z‘onist ideal, the Jews would at once grasp its significance, .e inspired by it. propagate it, and make it now the one aim of Jewry. In reality ut few Jews understand our idea. Many Jews even fear it and assume a hostile attitude toward it. Some of itss opponents consider it as a fanatical reaction, whi.e others consider it as heretical and against religion. At the same time, Zionism is for some a Utopia, while for others it is a mavement, which, if realized, will destroy Judaism. It is clear that, regardless of the antiquity of the Zionist idea, and of practical activity within the last ten years, Zionism is not understood by many, and, to our regret, some do not want to understand it, because they see in it a historical fault, which could be remedied by assimilation and intermarriage.

There are people, who have not made an attempt to study the question; there are also a good many who, as yet, cannot free them-