D O C . 5 9 O N P A L E S T I N E . F I R S T V E R S I O N 2 4 1
59. On a Jewish Palestine. First Version
[before 27 June
1921][1]
Ladies and Gentlemen!
For two thousand years the common
heritage[2]
of the Jewish people comprised
only its past. Our people, dispersed throughout the world, had nothing but carefully
preserved traditions. Yes, a few individual Jews contributed great cultural values,
but it seems the Jewish people as a whole no longer had the strength for great col-
lective
achievements.[3]
This has now changed. History delegated to us a great and noble task: active par-
ticipation in the building of Palestine. Outstanding brethren already work with all
their strength to realize this aim. We have the opportunity to erect centers of culture
that the entire Jewish nation can look on as its own work. We hope to create in Pal-
estine a homeland of our own national culture that shall contribute to the awakening
of new economic and intellectual life in the Near
East.[4]
The goal envisioned by the leaders of Zionism is not a political one, but rather
social and cultural. The Palestine community should lean toward the ideal of our
ancestors as it is laid out in the Bible, and simultaneously it should also become a
home for modern intellectual life. An intellectual center for Jews of the whole
world.[5]
In keeping with this concept, the establishment of a Jewish university in
Jerusalem is one of the most important aims of the Zionist Organization. In recent
months I have been in America in order to help create the material base for this
university.[6]
The success of this endeavor was outstanding. Thanks to the untiring
activity of Jewish physicians in America and their outstanding willingness to make
sacrifices, it has been possible to collect sufficient means to create a medical facul-
ty; and the preparatory work toward realizing it is starting right
now.[7]
Based on
the success so far, I have no doubt that the material base for the remaining faculties
can be created in a short time. The medical faculty is essentially being established
as an institute of research and will be active in the field of public health, particularly
important in the building of the country. Teaching activity on a larger scale will be-
come important only
later.[8]
The establishment of a medical faculty appears com-
pletely assured since a group of accomplished researchers who would accept a
position at this university has already been
found.[9]
I also want to note that a spe-
cial fund for this university has been created that is completely separate from the
general funds used to build this
country.[10]
Thanks to the untiring work of Profes-
sor Weizmann and other Zionist leaders in America, substantial sums for the latter
fund have been brought together in recent months; in particular, the middle class
[p. 1]
[p. 2]