D O C . 6 2 F O U N D I N G O F H E B R E W U N I V E R S I T Y 2 4 9
and gifted Jewish people are today generally barred from university studies. I have
become convinced that a large number of Eastern European Jews who are other-
wise eligible for the university have, in vain, tried to matriculate in central Europe-
an universities, and in my opinion it is a duty of honor of the whole to lend help.
We even hope to bring the Hebrew University in Palestine to such a level that Jew-
ish students from the diaspora seek admission, and not just out of need.
Finally, we think it highly significant that Jewish people as a whole, and through
their own institutions and their own strength, take part in international scientific
life, since the plentiful and successful participation of individual Jews in scientific
life and the achievements of many of its sons in the diaspora have shown its love
and qualification for cultivating knowledge.
I believe that by creating a blossoming Hebrew University of international rep-
utation we can also contribute to counteract the shameful inclination of many suc-
cessful intellectual workers among the Jews who always timidly hide and deny
their group affiliation. In my opinion this phenomenon is not always due to a lack
of character but is caused more by the fact that individuals succumb to the influence
of their non-Jewish surroundings—especially if anti-Semitic feelings are prevalent.
All my life I have considered it a sacred duty to contribute, to the best of my abil-
ity, to make the Hebrew University in Palestine a success; not just now when its
foundations are laid. I know that many Jewish scientists feel as I do about this ques-
tion. The widely appreciated “Jüdische Pressezentrale Zürich” deserves special
recognition for its many services in furthering Jewish interests; this widely read and
influential paper would earn still more merits if it could raise in a wider public more
interest in and willingness to make sacrifices for the Hebrew University in Pales-
tine.
[6]
[7]
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