Description:

Important handwritten letter to long-time friend and early Zionist leader, Baruch Zuckerman, about letters Ben-Gurion had published in Yiddish newspapers in the United States in 1916, while he was "in exile," concerning his opposition to the "agreement," most probably what was signed by Britain and France in 1916 dividing the control of Palestine between the two countries

Autograph Letter Signed "D. Ben-Gurion" (twice; once in text) in Hebrew, one page, 4.75" x 8.25". Sdeh Boker, January 22, 1964. With original envelope, 6" x 5", signed "D. Ben-Gurion" in Hebrew on back flap, addressed by him to Baruch Zuckerman in Jerusalem. No postal markings indicate it was hand-delivered. In part, "After writing to you on January 8, 1964 with my remarks, I stumbled by chance upon collections of my writings published while I was in _exile' in the U.S.A. and I found two items: 1) a letter I published in the _Tag' on August 29, 1916, a strong denunciation against the agreement with Hebrew date...2) a pamphlet in favor...of _Der Yiddishe'...against the agreement signed by Executive Board of the...Congress League: Dr. Yitzhak _Isaac' Hurvitch, Chairman, D. Ben-Gurion, Secretary, Dr. S. Melamed, Chairman of the Press Committee. Dated according to the Hebrew calendar on the 21st day of Elul 5676 [September 19, 1916]. I did not write to you in order to change the date, but just to let you know."

Folds, nicked at top, uneven right perforated edge. Fine condition. In 1915, Ben-Gurion was expelled from Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire, for his nationalist and socialist activities. He went to New York City to establish a group to aid in preparing young Jews to go to Palestine. "Der Tag" was a daily Yiddish newspaper printed in New York City. When its first issue was published in 1914, it included a letter of good wishes from President Wilson." "Der Yiddishe" was probably "De Yiddishe Folk," published since 1909 by the Zionist Organization of America. After the war, Ben-Gurion returned to Palestine, no longer under Turkish control. The "agreement" referred to by Ben-Gurion is most probably the Sykes-Picot Agreement concluded in May 1916, during World War I, between Great Britain and France for the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire once the war was over. The agreement led to the division of Turkish-held Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine into various French and British-administered areas. Great Britain was given control of areas in what is today Jordan, Iraq, southern Israel, and an area around Haifa to allow British access to the Mediterranean Sea. France would control southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. The agreement was negotiated by Sir Mark Sykes of Britain and Georges Picot of France. Baruch Zuckerman (1887-1970) emigrated from Poland to the United States in 1904 and, inspired by Herzl, founded the Poale Zion Publishing Association in New York which published the works of leading Zionists who sought to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Poale Zion (Hebrew for Workers of Zion) was a movement of Marxist Zionist workers circles founded in various Russian cities around 1900 and in New York City in 1903. He was executive director of the People's Relief Committee from 1915 to 1924 when it disbanded, and accompanied Herbert Hoover and investment banker Herbert Lehman to Poland to bring food and clothing to those in need. After World War I, Poale Zion in Palestine was merged by David Ben-Gurion into the Achdut Ha'avoda party which eventually became Mapai. Zuckerman, leader of the American Poale Zion, was one of the founders and officers of the American Jewish Congress and president of the Labor Zionist Organization of America. After Nina and Baruch Zuckerman and their daughters moved to Jerusalem in 1932, their house became a meeting place for the leaders of the Zionist Movement.

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