T H E S I T U A T I O N O F T H E J E W S 9 9 1 TRANSLATION Some Considerations on the Situation of the Jews The lecture dealt with these fundamental points: the social and spiritual problems of Zi- onism. The sage said that long ago, when there was no talk of a homeland for the Jews, they were scattered throughout the world, or rather, throughout the Western world. In this way, he added, the Jews lived within a German, French, Italian, or some other national environ- ment, but nowhere did they enjoy the same rights as all the other citizens or subjects of each country. They were scorned and frequently persecuted and accused of imaginary crimes. And yet the Jew adapted thrown into contact with a civilization that wasn’t his own, he ad- opted it and studied its science—the intellectual patrimony of the West—and thereby grad- ually lost his spiritual personality. This is how the capitulation of certain Jews can be explained, for some allowed them- selves to be baptized and others managed to forget their Jewish nature completely. But we mustn’t blame them too much for this, as they often were forced to do so, not because of any lack of dignity, but rather to avoid the hostilities to which they were subjected. After elaborating on other, no less interesting, considerations, Dr. Einstein posited the thesis that what Zionism really seeks is to dignify the Jewish people. He concluded by say- ing that for the Jew Zionism is the same as dignity. At the end of his talk, Professor Einstein was warmly applauded, and the applause con- tinued as he walked out into the street. … Discurso de Einstein en el “Capitol”[1] El sábado último dió el eminente sabio su anunciada conferencia en el Capitol, bajo los auspicios de la Asociación Hebraica. Después de haberlo presentado en breves términos el señor S. Raskovsky, tomó el doctor Einstein ola palabra, entre los aplausos del público. El conferenciante empezó diciendo que era para él un placer especial hablar desde la tri- buna de la Asociación, gracias a cuya iniciativa pudo realizar su visita a la Argentina. “A fin de comprender en su esencia el problema judío, agregó, entrando en materia, hay que recordar la situación de los judíos hace cien años, cuando vivían en Kehílas cerradas, apartados social y espiritualmente del mundo circundante”. “Aquel tiempo es recordado en algunos círculos israelitas como uno de los períodos más tristes y desgraciado de nuestra historia”. “Esta es una concepción evidente errónea.” [1] Transcribed from a low-quality original.