l x x x I N T R O D U C T I O N T O V O L U M E 1 5 Einstein continued to endorse some Zionist enterprises. In early March 1926, he attended a rally in Berlin in behalf of the German branch of the Keren Hayesod, the Palestine Foundation Fund. In a statement for the occasion, he made it clear that activity in support of Jewish settlement in Palestine did not render Jews any less German. For him, the “distinction is not between Jew and German, but rather be- tween upstanding and spineless” (Doc. 208). Einstein’s most important contact with the German Zionist movement continued to be Kurt Blumenfeld, president of the Zionistische Vereinigung für Deutsch- land.[52] In response to Blumenfeld’s request that Einstein support a Zionist campaign in March 1926, he stated that he had high esteem for the educational achievements of Zionism but did not know the movement well enough. He there- fore asked to be sent the Zionist Organisation’s annual report, information on in- come from the various countries, and on the use of these funds in Palestine and elsewhere, thereby indicating that he would not automatically endorse the planned campaign (Docs. 225 and 227). Half a year later, Blumenfeld expressed concern about numerous reports of Einstein’s “changed position relative to Zionism.” Einstein’s statements were allegedly not only critical, but also derogatory. Blumen- feld acknowledged that not all of Einstein’s experiences with the Zionist movement had been pleasant ones, yet he did not believe that Einstein would be decisively swayed by such interludes. He asked him to clarify his stance toward the Zionist movement, yet no reply is extant (Doc. 385). We do not have documentation that would substantiate a transformation of Einstein’s position toward Zionism during this period. But it is definitely possible that his alleged dissatisfaction was related to his disenchantment with developments at the Hebrew University, by far the most important Zionist enterprise that Einstein had supported. Nevertheless, in late 1926, Einstein backed a very important Zionist enterprise when he attended the inaugural assembly of the Deutsches Komitee “Pro Palästina” in Berlin and was elected a member of its honorary board. The commit- tee, originally founded in 1918 and reestablished on Blumenfeld’s initiative, aimed to educate the German public about Jewish settlement in Palestine and foster rela- tions between Germany and Palestine. Its members included high-ranking officials of the German government, politicians, diplomats, and Jewish and non-Jewish intellectuals.[53] This volume also presents two brief writings by Einstein that demonstrate the deepening reception of relativity in various sectors of Jewish culture. In July 1926, he wrote a foreword for the Hebrew translation of his exposition on special and general relativity (Einstein 1917a), being “especially pleased with its publication in the language of our forefathers” (Doc. 317). Later in the year, Einstein was also happy with the publication of a book on relativity in Yiddish (Doc. 423).