l x v i i i I N T R O D U C T I O N T O V O L U M E 1 3 A reception at the Gymnasium was attended by thousands, where Mossinson, in yet another speech, claimed that Einstein intended to settle in Palestine. In the evening, Einstein lectured in German on relativity to a small group of intellectuals. Tel Aviv apparently aroused Einstein’s enthusiasm: “The accomplishments by the Jews in but a few years in this city excite the highest admiration. [...] What an incredibly lively people our Jews are!” The following morning, Einstein attended the semiannual conference of the General Federation of Labor in Palestine. To rousing applause, he entered the hall during the speech of David Ben Gurion, the federation’s secretary-general. Following their brief sojourn in Tel Aviv, the Einsteins toured the nearby agri- cultural settlements of Mikve Israel and Rishon LeZion. Einstein, whose every ut- terance elicited hyperbolic press accounts, was reported to have stated that until “my last gasp I shall act on behalf of our Yishuv and our land.”[45] They then proceeded north by train to Haifa, where they lodged with Solomon Ginzberg’s brother-in-law, a prominent local Zionist. Two receptions in honor of Einstein were held at the Technion, the technological institute of the Yishuv, on 10 February. A popular reception was attended by some 1,500 people, including se- nior British officials. A smaller reception was organized by the Technion Commit- tee. During his stay, Einstein visited Chaim Weizmann’s mother and met with the Egyptian-born German-language playwright and poet Asis Domet. A festive ban- quet in Einstein’s honor was held at the prestigious Reali school, where he gave a brief talk on relativity. The following morning he toured the Reali and two indus- trial plants in and around Haifa. The religious Zionist leader and artist Hermann Struck kept notes on the visit to Haifa, and recorded that Einstein allegedly said that “[i]f there were no Jews here, only Arabs, the country would not need to export [anything], as the Arabs have no requirements, but rather live from what they them- selves grow. The Jew cannot compete with the Arabs and is not competitive with the local commodities on the world market. So nothing will come of the agricul- ture. Nevertheless, I think the country will be ours” (see Appendix G). Leaving Haifa, the Einsteins traveled southeast by car to Nahalal, the first work- ers’ cooperative settlement in Palestine. They then continued northeast and stayed overnight at Migdal, a privately owned estate overlooking the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. The next morning, on 12 February, they drove down to the city of Tiberias, where Einstein met with moderate local Arab dignitaries. They then con- tinued to nearby Degania, Palestine’s first kibbutz. Einstein noted in his diary: “This communism will not last forever but will raise people of integrity.” They drove westwards to Nazareth, where they stayed overnight. The following morn- ing, the Einsteins drove southward, back to Jerusalem. In the evening, Einstein de- livered a popular lecture in German at the Lämel school for 450 people, including