Tag Archives: Poland

Jew of the Week: Ze’ev Jabotinsky

The Ultimate Zionist

Ze’ev Jabotinsky: Zionist Extraordinaire

Ze’ev Jabotinsky (1880-1940) Famous for his instrumental role in the establishment of a Jewish state, Jabotinsky first gained fame as a journalist. In Russia, he formed the Jewish Self-Defense Organization to arm Jews to fight back the pogroms, saying it is “better to have a gun and not need it, than to need it and not have it!” Later, he formed the Jewish Legion for the British Army, fighting in several wars, for which he was awarded the Order of the British Empire. A staunch Zionist and freedom fighter, he worked tirelessly for Israel, at one point being arrested and given a 15-year prison term. He also wrote nearly a dozen books. Amazingly, sensing what he called an impending “super-pogrom”, in 1936 Jabotinsky set up an evacuation plan to bring every single Jew from Poland, Hungary and Romania to Israel. All three governments eagerly agreed to the plan. Unfortunately, it was not popular among the Polish Jews. Ultimately, the British vetoed the plan and prevented it from materializing. Today in Israel, there are more streets and parks named after him than any other figure.

Words of the Week

Some people like Jews and some do not; but no thoughtful man can doubt the fact that they are beyond all question the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has ever appeared in the world.
– Sir Winston Churchill (in an article for the Sunday Herald, February 8, 1920)

Jew of the Week: Don Joseph Nasi

Prince of Europe

NasiDon Joseph Nasi (1524-1579) I’m not sure why they haven’t made a movie about this man yet, but they should. His story is quite fascinating. In a nutshell, he was the head of a banking empire, the Duke of Naxos, the Count of Andros, and the Lord of Tiberias. He actively sought a national homeland for the Jews, initially hoping for Cyprus, later receiving a grant from the Ottomans to start settling Israel. He single-handedly triggered a war between Turkey and Venice, sparked the Dutch uprising against Spain and brokered a peace treaty with Poland. At one point, he went by the secret name Juan Miguel to escape the inquisition. He monopolized the wine industry in Moldavia and the beeswax industry in Poland, financed the Yeshiva of Constantinople (today’s Istanbul), established a printing press for Jewish texts and maintained a vast library in his house to be used freely by Torah scholars. For his foundational work in seeking to establish an independent Jewish state in the Holy Land all the way back in the 16th century, he has been called the first real “proto-Zionist”.

Constantinople (Modern Instanbul) – where Don Nasi financed the Yeshiva

Words of the Week

The entire people of Israel comprise a single soul; only the bodies are separate
– Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe (Tanya, ch. 32)