APPENDIX L
LETTER FROM WOLFESON
TO THE ZIONIST CONVENTION OF AMERICA:
Our Zion's greeting to the brothers in America! We view your work with pride and satisfaction. It affords us real pleasure to be able to acknowledge what progress has been made by your praiseworthy zeal, especially during the last few years, thanks to your capable new forces. It is inspiring to know that there in your young, aspiring American New Land, an "Altneuland" organization has been built up, which in conjunction with our world-organization satisfactorily performs its duties. And what are these duties?
The gathering of all Jews for the purpose of creating a great unity in the land of our fathers, the founding of institutions that may gather strength and means for this purpose, the obtaining of guarantees in order to have sure backing for the success of the work. This ultimate solution of the pain-fraught Jewish question is a goal for the attainment of which every Jew is in duty bound to co-operate. Every Jew should, in the locality where he lives, rally his fellow Jews for this common labor. Every Jew should pay his shekel. Every Jew should, by the earnestness and dignity of his conduct, win sympathy and co-operation for our common cause. Every Jew should, in his home and in the public school, work for Jewish nationalistic education; for thus shall we approach the goal of emancipation and the secure establishment of our race.
Ten years have you bravely worked along with us. Out of the past we derive courage for the future. The diaspora sighs under the direst burdens. The great centers of the Jewish masses in Russia, Galicia, and Roumania, heavily driven by the most horrible persecutions, flung hither and thither by the eddies of political conflict, are unfortunately considerably weakened in their capacity to render service. And therefore is the duty of our brothers in the free countries so much the greater, and on your well-kept organization we base the greatest expectations. You know the
state of our movement. Much of a preparatory nature has been achieved; much is in process of becoming. But the way is yet far, that leads us to Zion, the labor, yet to be done by all of us, gigantic. We hope that each one of you will not only do his duty but will ever do more and more. For that which we wish to create, can be created only by the active assistance of all our brothers. Our ability depends upon the collective willingness. And to this, your good will and achieving ability, we hereby appeal in the interest of our work.
With the heartiest Zion's greeting for the work of your conference.
DAVID WOLFESON
FROM MAX NORDAU
TO THE FEDERATION OF AMERICAN ZIONISTS:
I beg to send my cordial greetings to the forthcoming Tenth Annual Convention of the Federation of American Zionists. I know our Magen David Banner is in good hands with them.
A few weeks only separate us from the Eighth Zionists' Congress. It would be presumptuous on my part to step forth now with a formal program on my own individual behalf. I must leave it to the authorized body of our general representatives to work out the new Zionistic platform. All I should now care to do is to express a hope that this platform will contain the following planks:
1. No petty colonization in Palestine at the expense of the Zionistic financial institutions, but preparatory work in the Holy Land in order to open it up to spontaneous Jewish immigration on a larger scale, this work consisting principally in the study of the agricultural, industrial and commercial possibilities of Palestine, and in the publication of the results of the investigations.
2. The developing and strengthening of our organization and material power, so that we may undertake greater political tasks without exposing ourselves to ridicule.
As long as we are weak and poor, we can do nothing but talk. As long as we are few in number, our adversaries can always charge us with not representing Judaism and not expressing the conviction and willingness of the