The names Aryeh Tartakower, Aryeh Kubovy, Jacob Robinson, and Benjamin Akzin are unfamiliar to the public. Nor do they feature much in scholarship on the formation of the state of Israel or on American Jewry in the first half of the 20th century.
Yet the long days I spent in various archives and the many hours during which I peered at the computer screen revealed a very different story. These figures continually cropped up in the context of the most dramatic events linked to Jewish life during the first half of the twentieth century in the USA and in Israel.
The personal archives of Tartakower, Kubovy, Robinson and Akzin, along with documents related to them found in the archives of various organizations, constitute a priceless treasure for the historian. These men deliberated, struggled, and operated during the most dramatic period in modern Jewish existence. Their stories teach us historians how important it is to examine the “second level” of political activists and organizations, and not only the top echelon of political leadership. Perusal of the personal archives of the historical figures featured in the book reveals that they are less well ordered than the official archives of leaders such as David Ben-Gurion, Haim Weizmann, Abba Hillel Silver, or Stephen Wise. We may assume that our protagonists themselves collected and put their documents in order, without an intermediary administrative layer, which means that the material remained virtually uncensored. The perspective of those who actually did the job is refreshing and innovative and displays events that appeared cut and dried in a new light. The documents of the book’s protagonists reveal that owing to their relatively short sojourns in the USA they felt rather alienated from American society and from the Jewish community in particular, despite the important roles they played in leading Jewish organizations. It is precisely this sense of alienation and marginalization emerging from their documents and writings that affords us a fascinating perspective on fundamental issues relating to the US Jewish community in general and to the intricate inter-relationship between the US Diaspora and the Jewish society in Palestine and Israel.
The debate on these issues is not confined to the historical events of the first half of the twentieth century and remains highly relevant to this day. Our four protagonists adopted a complex world view. While they supported the founding of a Jewish state and viewed this as the most important event in modern Jewish life, they did not consider the Jewish state to override all else and favored the continuation of Jewish life in the Diaspora alongside the state of Israel. They believed that the Jewish Diaspora was far more than a negligible offshoot of sovereign Jewish existence in the land of Israel and constituted a viable political and organizational entity that maintained a nuanced and significant reciprocal relationship with the state of Israel.
During the initial stages of collecting the documents and writings, I believed that the book would focus on the impact of the American arena on the protagonists’ worldview and public activity. Indeed, their sojourn in the USA did have a major impact on the worldviews and modus operandi of the figures I studied. This is significant since, although they did not become political leaders of the first order in Israel, they did play key roles in shaping the complexion of Israeli society and displayed a singular worldview with regard to the patterns whereby Jewish nationality and the state of Israel should evolve. The present research reinforces the perception that the USA impacted the Zionist movement, Jewish society in Palestine, and the state of Israel rather more than appears at first glance.
The further I proceeded in my research, the more it became apparent that the issue of American influence covered only one aspect of the fascinating content of the documents relating to Tartakower, Kubovy, Robinson, and Akzin. This material adds a further layer to historical scholarship and affords us an additional perspective on the dramatic events in which these men participated during the first half of the twentieth century in the USA. Of particular interest is the role they played in the supreme effort to rescue European Jewry and in the struggle to establish a Jewish state as part of the political arrangements put into place following World War II.
A feature of historical scholarship is the isolation of the scholar. Unlike those in other disciplines, we generally sit alone reading in archives and write articles and books on our own, without co-authors. Yet this view is somewhat deceptive. The work of historians in general and on this book in particular depends on the help of other scholars, friends, and family.
Archival documents form the foundation of the historical research that led to the writing of this book. My research could not have proceeded without the devoted assistance and professional input of archive personnel in the USA and in Israel. I offer my heartfelt thanks to the team at the Central Zionist Archive in Jerusalem; the Archive of the American Jewish Historical Society, New York; the Yad Vashem Archive, Jerusalem; the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum in Hyde Park, New York; the Jabotinsky Institute Archive in Tel Aviv; the Labor Party Archives in Beit Berl, Israel; and the Ben-Gurion Archives at the Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism at Sde Boker, Israel.
I extend my special thanks to Gary Zola, head of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, OH and to its staff. Professor Zola and his team have created a most pleasant and homely ambience in the archive alongside their uncompromising professionalism. The most generous grants I received from the Cincinnati archive along with the wonderful physical conditions I enjoyed at the archive and campus of the Hebrew Union College at Cincinnati were instrumental in enabling me to complete my research.
Historical research conducted on two continents presents a financial challenge of its own. My work would not have been possible without the generous research grant I received from the D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum in Hyde Park, New York, and the support of Haifa University and its rector at the time of writing, Professor Gustavo Mash. In 1952 a stamp was issued in Israel to mark the inauguration of the Zionist Organization of America building in Tel Aviv, which symbolizes the complex relationship between Israel and the US Jewish community. The stamp appears on the cover of the book. My heartfelt thanks to the staff of the Philatelic Service – Israel Post and to the Finance Ministry for their permission to use this image.
I am deeply indebted to the friends and fellow scholars whose advice I sought while writing the book: Professor Anita Shapira, Professor Mark A. Raider, Professor Gary Zola, Professor Daniel Gutwein, Professor Hasia R. Diner, Professor David Myers, Professor Aviva Halamish, Professor Pamela Nadell, Professor Ofer Schiff, Professor Jonathan D. Sarna, Professor Orit Rozin, Professor Meir Hazan, Professor Tony Michels, and Professor Tuvia Friling. Their comments helped to remove obstacles, throw light on difficulties, and define research questions. My conversations with them opened new research perspectives and they offered their assistance with heartwarming generosity. The process of writing the book in English could not have proceeded without the assistance and dedication of Ms. Merav Datan. I am extremely thankful to Merav, without whom this project would not have materialized. The Department of Jewish History and the Faculty of the Humanities of Haifa University provided me a welcoming home during the writing of the book. I thank them for supporting me over these many years.
Last but certainly not least, the team at Brill Publications, who brought this project to its conclusion. Every author would be delighted to work with such a professional, friendly, and pleasant publishing team. My special thanks to Dr. Erika Mandarino, Associate Editor, Ancient Near East and Jewish Studies, to Mr. Lloyd Cabasag, who oversaw the book’s production, and to the series editor Professor Joshua Holo.
The intricate process of turning historical research into a manuscript accessible to the reader could not have taken place without close collaboration with my partner Na’ama. Thanks to her sharp observation and constructive criticism the quality of the manuscript was enhanced no end.
During the writing of the book our lives here in Haifa on the shore of the Mediterranean and on Mount Carmel underwent a far-reaching transformation. New family cells were built, our children left home, returned, and once again went out into the world. Against the splendid backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea, a wonderful, varied, and empowering fabric of life was woven. I dedicate this book to my partner Na’ama, to her children and mine, and to their partners and children.