Menaḥem Ussishkin: Difference between revisions

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During the anti-Jewish pogroms that broke out in southern Russia in 1881, a public fast was declared for the Jews of the Russian cities. The young Ussishkin, who attended the mass prayer assembly at the Great Synagogue in Moscow, was impressed by its activist direction: not to mourn Jewish suffering, but to create conditions in which Jews would not be helpless before their attackers. When the [[BILU|Bilu]] movement arose among Jewish students—to turn their backs on Russia and on the careers they had hoped to build there, and instead become agricultural workers in the Land of Israel in order to lay the foundation for an independent Jewish state—Ussishkin was amongst the first to join. He was ready to give up everything and make [[aliyah]]. Yet his steadfast insistence on his “conservative” opinions cost him dearly. At Bilu’s founding meeting, when the question of government in the future Jewish state was raised, the progressive students all supported a republican system like that of the most enlightened modern countries, while Ussishkin demanded a monarchical regime, as in ancient times. Due to this, his candidacy was rejected and he was not included among the pioneers of the movement to move to Israel. Thus, he had to content himself—for the time being—with work for the Land of Israel from within Russia. When the [[Hibbat Zion|Ḥibbat Zion]] (Love of Zion) movement arose in 1882, he joined it and became one of its devoted activists.

In the summer of 1882 he graduated from the Real School and that fall entered the Moscow Polytechnic School. Soon he founded a Jewish students’ society for cultural work, where he gave his first lecture—on the Maccabean revolt. In 1884, when the “[[Bnei Zion]]” student association was established (lasting until 1918, with similar groups formed in other Russian cities), Ussishkin was one of its leaders. That same year, he attended the Katowice Conference of [[Hovevei Zion|Ḥovevei Zion]]. Though still too young to leave a mark, he learned and absorbed in order to act. In 1885 he was elected secretary of Hovevei Zion in Moscow. At the 1887 Druskininkai Conference, he was elected secretary of the presidium, and his active participation showed that he saw work for Zion as the serious essence of life. From that year on, he began publishing articles on Zionist thought and action in ''[[~~Ha-Melitz~~]]'', in Nathan Birnbaum’s ''Auto-Emancipation'' (the newspaper, not the essay), and in ''Zion'' (edited by S. Bambus and M. Löwe in Berlin). In 1889 he graduated as an engineer-technologist. That same year, the secret society “[[Sons of Moses|Bnei Moshe]]” was founded (March 10, 1889) by [[Aḥad Ha‘am]], who sought to prepare the people spiritually for national revival. Ussishkin, the practical engineer, long hesitated over the value of “spiritual talk” when all forces were needed for practical work in the Land of Israel, but in the end he joined as well. At the 1890 Odessa Conference of Hovevei Zion, he already participated as a member of “Bnei Moshe.”

In the summer of 1882 he graduated from the Real School and that fall entered the Moscow Polytechnic School. Soon he founded a Jewish students’ society for cultural work, where he gave his first lecture—on the Maccabean revolt. In 1884, when the “[[Bnei Zion]]” student association was established (lasting until 1918, with similar groups formed in other Russian cities), Ussishkin was one of its leaders. That same year, he attended the Katowice Conference of [[Hovevei Zion|Ḥovevei Zion]]. Though still too young to leave a mark, he learned and absorbed in order to act. In 1885 he was elected secretary of Hovevei Zion in Moscow. At the 1887 Druskininkai Conference, he was elected secretary of the presidium, and his active participation showed that he saw work for Zion as the serious essence of life. From that year on, he began publishing articles on Zionist thought and action in ''[[HaMelitz]]'', in Nathan Birnbaum’s ''Auto-Emancipation'' (the newspaper, not the essay), and in ''Zion'' (edited by S. Bambus and M. Löwe in Berlin). In 1889 he graduated as an engineer-technologist. That same year, the secret society “[[Sons of Moses|Bnei Moshe]]” was founded (March 10, 1889) by [[Aḥad Ha‘am]], who sought to prepare the people spiritually for national revival. Ussishkin, the practical engineer, long hesitated over the value of “spiritual talk” when all forces were needed for practical work in the Land of Israel, but in the end he joined as well. At the 1890 Odessa Conference of Hovevei Zion, he already participated as a member of “Bnei Moshe.”

In 1891 he married Esther, daughter of Shmaryahu Paley. For their honeymoon, they traveled to the Land of Israel, staying there for 49 days. He intended to create a new “fashion” of honeymoon trips to the Land of Israel, instead of to Europe—but few imitated him. He published his impressions in Russian in diary form, later translated into Hebrew in the “Ussishkin Book” on his 70th birthday. That same year, when Aḥad Ha‘am published “[https://benyehuda.org/collections/7883 Truth from the Land of Israel]”—a pessimistic, disheartening report—Ussishkin boldly opposed his teacher and mentor, declaring instead: “We shall surely go up and inherit it, for we are able to do it.”

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 During the anti-Jewish pogroms that broke out in southern Russia in 1881, a public fast was declared for the Jews of the Russian cities. The young Ussishkin, who attended the mass prayer assembly at the Great Synagogue in Moscow, was impressed by its activist direction: not to mourn Jewish suffering, but to create conditions in which Jews would not be helpless before their attackers. When the [[BILU|Bilu]] movement arose among Jewish students—to turn their backs on Russia and on the careers they had hoped to build there, and instead become agricultural workers in the Land of Israel in order to lay the foundation for an independent Jewish state—Ussishkin was amongst the first to join. He was ready to give up everything and make [[aliyah]]. Yet his steadfast insistence on his “conservative” opinions cost him dearly. At Bilu’s founding meeting, when the question of government in the future Jewish state was raised, the progressive students all supported a republican system like that of the most enlightened modern countries, while Ussishkin demanded a monarchical regime, as in ancient times. Due to this, his candidacy was rejected and he was not included among the pioneers of the movement to move to Israel. Thus, he had to content himself—for the time being—with work for the Land of Israel from within Russia. When the [[Hibbat Zion|Ḥibbat Zion]] (Love of Zion) movement arose in 1882, he joined it and became one of its devoted activists.
-In the summer of 1882 he graduated from the Real School and that fall entered the Moscow Polytechnic School. Soon he founded a Jewish students’ society for cultural work, where he gave his first lecture—on the Maccabean revolt. In 1884, when the “[[Bnei Zion]]” student association was established (lasting until 1918, with similar groups formed in other Russian cities), Ussishkin was one of its leaders. That same year, he attended the Katowice Conference of [[Hovevei Zion|Ḥovevei Zion]]. Though still too young to leave a mark, he learned and absorbed in order to act. In 1885 he was elected secretary of  Hovevei Zion in Moscow. At the 1887 Druskininkai Conference, he was elected secretary of the presidium, and his active participation showed that he saw work for Zion as the serious essence of life. From that year on, he began publishing articles on Zionist thought and action in ''[[Ha-Melitz]]'', in Nathan Birnbaum’s ''Auto-Emancipation'' (the newspaper, not the essay), and in ''Zion'' (edited by S. Bambus and M. Löwe in Berlin). In 1889 he graduated as an engineer-technologist. That same year, the secret society “[[Sons of Moses|Bnei Moshe]]” was founded (March 10, 1889) by [[Aḥad Ha‘am]], who sought to prepare the people spiritually for national revival. Ussishkin, the practical engineer, long hesitated over the value of “spiritual talk” when all forces were needed for practical work in the Land of Israel, but in the end he joined as well. At the 1890 Odessa Conference of Hovevei Zion, he already participated as a member of “Bnei Moshe.”
+In the summer of 1882 he graduated from the Real School and that fall entered the Moscow Polytechnic School. Soon he founded a Jewish students’ society for cultural work, where he gave his first lecture—on the Maccabean revolt. In 1884, when the “[[Bnei Zion]]” student association was established (lasting until 1918, with similar groups formed in other Russian cities), Ussishkin was one of its leaders. That same year, he attended the Katowice Conference of [[Hovevei Zion|Ḥovevei Zion]]. Though still too young to leave a mark, he learned and absorbed in order to act. In 1885 he was elected secretary of  Hovevei Zion in Moscow. At the 1887 Druskininkai Conference, he was elected secretary of the presidium, and his active participation showed that he saw work for Zion as the serious essence of life. From that year on, he began publishing articles on Zionist thought and action in ''[[HaMelitz]]'', in Nathan Birnbaum’s ''Auto-Emancipation'' (the newspaper, not the essay), and in ''Zion'' (edited by S. Bambus and M. Löwe in Berlin). In 1889 he graduated as an engineer-technologist. That same year, the secret society “[[Sons of Moses|Bnei Moshe]]” was founded (March 10, 1889) by [[Aḥad Ha‘am]], who sought to prepare the people spiritually for national revival. Ussishkin, the practical engineer, long hesitated over the value of “spiritual talk” when all forces were needed for practical work in the Land of Israel, but in the end he joined as well. At the 1890 Odessa Conference of Hovevei Zion, he already participated as a member of “Bnei Moshe.”
 In 1891 he married Esther, daughter of Shmaryahu Paley. For their honeymoon, they traveled to the Land of Israel, staying there for 49 days. He intended to create a new “fashion” of honeymoon trips to the Land of Israel, instead of to Europe—but few imitated him. He published his impressions in Russian in diary form, later translated into Hebrew in the “Ussishkin Book” on his 70th birthday. That same year, when Aḥad Ha‘am published “[https://benyehuda.org/collections/7883 Truth from the Land of Israel]”—a pessimistic, disheartening report—Ussishkin boldly opposed his teacher and mentor, declaring instead: “We shall surely go up and inherit it, for we are able to do it.”