The Knights of Zion.
(A Letter to the Editor)
To THE MACCABÆAN :
For those present at the last convention in Cleveland, who heard the "message of peace" from the Knights of Zion and voted for the district resolutions, it was indeed easy to predict that sooner or later the Knights would become a District.
Now that this prediction has come true, it must surely bring joy to the heart of every Zionist imbued with the spirit of our ideal and desirous of harmony in our movement.
One thing is certain, and that is, that nothing but good will result from this union. The Knights of Zion, shaking unnecessary "Federation" responsibilities off their shoulders, will be able to pay more attention to things at home; and under the leadership of able men, such as they have, will surely become one of the strongest districts of the Federation.
On the other hand, the Federation, by the annexation of the Knights of Zion, will strengthen its authoritative position by having jurisdiction over all of the Zionist societies of the United States instead of being weakened by division.
With this in view it is hoped that both the Federation and the new District will be able to report greater activity at the next convention than they did in the past.
But while we approve so much of this district division and look forward to its success, we must also bear in mind that unless a district is mapped out with the proper proportion of territory and working forces, it may prove a failure.
The purpose of the district division is the concentration of forces of a given territory for the harmonious co-operation among societies in that locality with the aim of unifying the methods of propaganda, by which Zionism could be carried into every Jewish home of that territory. This can be only then made possible if the central organization is within the reach of every Jewish community of its jurisdiction. Hence, the smaller the district, the greater the concentration of forces, the more effective the results, and vice versa.
This fact, however, was entirely overlooked in the transformation of the Knights of Zion into a district or otherwise they would not have consolidated ten States into one District, nor would they,
without a single "Gate" in the State of Missouri, and with only one Gate affiliated with the Knights of Zion in the State of Kansas, have added both of these States to the new district.
The leaders of both organizations seemed to have thought that the activity of the central organization of the district must be extended to organized societies only. It is true that these need a great deal of attention and that they are far from what we would want them to be. But have they ever realized that the societies already organized are for the most part located in the large cities and if the district should take care of those only, the places best fitted for Zionist propaganda would be left out?
The obligations of the Jews to their respective communities in the large cities are so numerous and they have to support so many social and charitable societies that there it is often difficult for a man in moderate circumstances to contribute to Zionist institutions. It is quite common for Jews in larger cities to be members of from ten to twenty different organizations, while in the smaller towns they are entirely free from charitable societies such as Home for the Aged, orphan homes, hospitals, etc. In other words, the Jew in a small town is exempt from all the heavy burdens of the city man. Hence, the proper places for Zionist propaganda are in the smaller towns and the Jews there tainly appreciate it when you come to certainly appreciate it when you tell them something about it. They are generous in their contributions and when once convinced of the great necessity of supporting our institutions they remain our loyal friends for ever. It is therefore most important and urgent that we carry our gospel to them. The sooner the better, the longer we wait the more we lose; the Knights will never penetrate these communities in the States of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. A separate district of these three States would, therefore, prove a success. There is beyond any doubt room in these three States for about twenty or twenty-five new societies and these can be easily organized and do good work. I would like to hear some one else express his opinion on the subject.