Auction 73 - Jewish and Israeli History, Culture and Art
Early Letter Handwritten and Signed by David Ben-Gurion – Addressed to Yitzchak Ben-Zvi – USA, 1915 – Reference to the American Jewish Congress
Opening: $5,000
Unsold
A letter handwritten and signed by David Ben-Gurion, addressed to Yitzchak Ben-Zvi. Buffalo (USA), July 1915.
Ben-Gurion wrote this letter after a prolonged illness that interrupted his activities for several weeks. The letter opens with a description of his illness, the time he spent in hospital and his plans for the future: "Today I got out of prison – the hospital – after a stay of two weeks there. I couldn't believe my ears when I suddenly heard my physician telling me two weeks ago that I must hurry to the hospital since I caught diphtheria […] for ten days they wouldn't let me see anyone – and only on the eleventh day they permitted it – and even then, only through a grille, like in prison, but different! […] none of the physicians or nurses know anything but English – and their accent is so strange that it was hard for me to understand even a single word of what they were saying […] I will presumably have to rest at least another week until I am able to continue my trip. And anyway, my 'round' will have to be changed and shortened" (Hebrew).
At the end of the letter, Ben-Gurion writes: "Yesterday I read… that a special committee was established at the initiative of P.R. [?] to run a campaign for the congress and they plan to publish a special newspaper for this purpose. This doesn't make much sense to me. Why do we need a new newspaper when we can utilize the popular press…". Presumably, Ben-Gurion is referring to the establishment of the organization committee of the American Jewish Congress – a Jewish American association aiming to defend Jewish interests – and to the weekly "Der Yidisher Congress", one of the founders of which was Pinchas Rutenberg.
[1] leaf, folded in half (three and a half written pages), approx. 16 cm. Good condition. Fold lines.
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David Ben-Gurion and Yitzchak Ben-Zvi's friendship was forged in Jerusalem, in 1910, during their joint work as members of the editorial staff of "HaAchdut", the official journal of the Poalei Zion party in Palestine. During the years 1912-1914, they studied law in Istanbul in order to be able to represent the Jewish Yishuv before the Ottoman government when time comes. When the Ottoman Empire joined World War I on the side of the Central Powers, all the subjects of the Entente Powers in Palestine became enemy subjects and were required to accept Ottoman citizenship or leave the country. Ben-Gurion and Ben-Zvi, who returned from Istanbul, supported the idea of Ottomanization and together with the other members of the Poalei Zion Movement accepted Ottoman citizenship. Nevertheless, in 1915, when it was decided to deport anyone related to Zionist activity, they received a 'permanent' deportation order and were sent by ship to Alexandria. In Alexandria, they were arrested by the British as enemy citizens; however, after the intervention of the USA consul, they were released and sailed to New York.
After their arrival in New York, Ben-Gurion and Ben-Zvi became involved in Zionist activity as members of Poalei Zion. They wrote for the local press, gave lectures and published the books "Yizkor" and "Eretz Yisrael BaAvar UVaHoveh" (Palestine in the Past and in the Present). After the Balfour Declaration, they were among the initiators of the establishment of the 39th battalion of the Royal Fusiliers of the British army (a Jewish-American battalion) and encouraged Jewish youth to join the Jewish Legion. With the conquest of Palestine by the British, the two returned to the country.
Ben-Gurion wrote this letter after a prolonged illness that interrupted his activities for several weeks. The letter opens with a description of his illness, the time he spent in hospital and his plans for the future: "Today I got out of prison – the hospital – after a stay of two weeks there. I couldn't believe my ears when I suddenly heard my physician telling me two weeks ago that I must hurry to the hospital since I caught diphtheria […] for ten days they wouldn't let me see anyone – and only on the eleventh day they permitted it – and even then, only through a grille, like in prison, but different! […] none of the physicians or nurses know anything but English – and their accent is so strange that it was hard for me to understand even a single word of what they were saying […] I will presumably have to rest at least another week until I am able to continue my trip. And anyway, my 'round' will have to be changed and shortened" (Hebrew).
At the end of the letter, Ben-Gurion writes: "Yesterday I read… that a special committee was established at the initiative of P.R. [?] to run a campaign for the congress and they plan to publish a special newspaper for this purpose. This doesn't make much sense to me. Why do we need a new newspaper when we can utilize the popular press…". Presumably, Ben-Gurion is referring to the establishment of the organization committee of the American Jewish Congress – a Jewish American association aiming to defend Jewish interests – and to the weekly "Der Yidisher Congress", one of the founders of which was Pinchas Rutenberg.
[1] leaf, folded in half (three and a half written pages), approx. 16 cm. Good condition. Fold lines.
-------------------------------------
David Ben-Gurion and Yitzchak Ben-Zvi's friendship was forged in Jerusalem, in 1910, during their joint work as members of the editorial staff of "HaAchdut", the official journal of the Poalei Zion party in Palestine. During the years 1912-1914, they studied law in Istanbul in order to be able to represent the Jewish Yishuv before the Ottoman government when time comes. When the Ottoman Empire joined World War I on the side of the Central Powers, all the subjects of the Entente Powers in Palestine became enemy subjects and were required to accept Ottoman citizenship or leave the country. Ben-Gurion and Ben-Zvi, who returned from Istanbul, supported the idea of Ottomanization and together with the other members of the Poalei Zion Movement accepted Ottoman citizenship. Nevertheless, in 1915, when it was decided to deport anyone related to Zionist activity, they received a 'permanent' deportation order and were sent by ship to Alexandria. In Alexandria, they were arrested by the British as enemy citizens; however, after the intervention of the USA consul, they were released and sailed to New York.
After their arrival in New York, Ben-Gurion and Ben-Zvi became involved in Zionist activity as members of Poalei Zion. They wrote for the local press, gave lectures and published the books "Yizkor" and "Eretz Yisrael BaAvar UVaHoveh" (Palestine in the Past and in the Present). After the Balfour Declaration, they were among the initiators of the establishment of the 39th battalion of the Royal Fusiliers of the British army (a Jewish-American battalion) and encouraged Jewish youth to join the Jewish Legion. With the conquest of Palestine by the British, the two returned to the country.
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