The Maccabaean

The difficulty of surveying Jewish life, depicting it in broad outlines, and presenting it in proper scale as the ground work of a picture, is palpable; it lies in the very nature of things. The Diaspora is a chaos. Before the eye of the observer isolated phantoms flit rapidly by. The most manifold complications of the Jewish question, misery and distress in the most diverse forms, persecutions, restrictive laws, wanderings, internal feuds and so forth, do not permit of co-ordination into a system. In vain the hand that seeks to bring order out of this chaos searches for a formula. None the less it must be our duty here at least to make the attempt at such presentation. Where else indeed, should the situation of the Jewish people be depicted? Where else is there a platform from which the Jewish people may speak openly of its affairs? If, besides this platform which is dedicated to Zionism, there were another in the world devoted to the general interests of the people, the view, perhaps, might be entertained that we should do better to leave the general problem to this other platform. The view might be entertained but it would not be a correct view. In our eyes Zionism is the only correct and thorough solution of the Jewish problem, and nothing is more natural than that we should zealously occupy ourselves with this problem. We have, indeed, always endea- vored to raise the Jewish consciousness and the recognition of the true position of our people on to a higher plane, to distort nothing and to conceal nothing, but with a bold eye to look the truth in the face.

We do this more for our own satıs- faction than for that of others. The Zionist Congress is our forum, and we summon ourselves before the tribunal of our own consciences. Let the outside world hear us; we wish for nothing better. It is for this reason that we make use of various languages. We have no mysteries; no fog surrounds us; clearly and distinctly the pain of our people finds expression on our lips, because we bear its sufferings deep in our hearts; and just as clearly we point the way of salvation. Let the world hear us, but essentially and above all, the report concerns ourselves in order that we may search our own consciences and begin to think. What is the appearance of Jewish life in the Diaspora at the present moment. A “Tohu Wabohu,” aimless, disrupted, and sport of chance, like a leaf with which the wind plays. A deadening subjection to bondage, degradation, and misery. As if an evil fate wrote out its destiny with iron fist, and engraved the writing in stony letters upon the tablets of its history. The one common trade-mark to be detected in every part of this chaos is abject misery. The majority of the Jewish peopte is now suffering more than it has suffered for a long time. In judging the condition of a people, the majority-principle must, doubtless, hold good. It must, therefore, be afırmed that the Jewish people is hard-pressed. Misery embraces our masses in ever ' tightening grip. From the era.of excesses the peopre has proceeded to the era of decay; the acute crisis has given way to the creeping one. Our house has