Bidspirit auction | An Important Issue of HaOlam,

An Important Issue of HaOlam, in Which Nahum Sokolow Accurately Foretells the Future That Would Unfold in the Ghettos of Poland - January 1936 - ”Let us imagine that our brethren remain there, confined within a new ghetto, withdrawn into themselves, stagnant, crowded together and bound by the same umbilical cord, like the well-known creature within its proverbial four cubits... Is this not a mousetrap?...”.  An important issue of HaOlam, the official journal of the World Zionist Organization - dated 14 Tevet 5696 (January 9, 1936).  This issue focuses on the worsening plight of German Jewry under Nazi persecution, the implementation of the Haavara (Transfer) Agreement in an effort to rescue as many Jews as possible through emigration to the Land of Israel, and includes a statement by Chaim Weizmann acknowledging that the Zionist Organization lacked the means to solve the crisis facing German Jewry. Most notably, it contains a remarkable article by Nahum Sokolow that strikingly anticipates the fate that would later befall the Jewish ghettos of occupied Poland. The issue opens with a leading article entitled ”From the Land of Israel”, by HaOlam's special correspondent, based on exclusive information obtained by the newspaper. It reports the remarks of Kurt Blumenfeld, delivered at a special meeting of the executive committee of the Association of German Immigrants, in which he emphasized the escalating persecution of German Jewry and called for immediate action to facilitate their immigration to the Land of Israel: ”Some say that the Jews of Germany are living in a fortress under siege, that they are surrounded. That is not correct. They are under terrible pressure, but they still have the possibility of leaving Germany and escaping from it... Once, the Jews believed that they were secure in Germany. They said: In Russia and the countries of Eastern Europe there may be pogroms and terrible events, but it is inconceivable that we ourselves should witness such things. This is how they thought of all the countries of Western Europe, and especially of Germany. That time now seems distant to us, yet it was only a few years ago that people thought this way, and we remember it well. We do not wish to appear as prophets concerning the future course of the world. We do not know what will happen in other countries. We hope that the condition of the Jews in the various lands will improve and that they will be able to live there in security. But we must also learn from experience, and we must provide a Zionist answer to the events we have witnessed in Germany. If Zionism cannot offer a clear and fundamental answer, then that failure will bring about the failure of Zionism itself throughout the world...”. The issue continues with Chaim Weizmann's address at the same conference, in which he describes the desperate condition of German Jewry: ”In Germany, matters have reached so dreadful a state that the departure of Jews from that country has become nothing less than a flight. Day by day we witness the progressive destruction of the very foundations upon which this great community was built over centuries, perhaps even a thousand years. Its moral, intellectual, and material foundations are being destroyed from one moment to the next. Although we fully recognize the depth and magnitude of this tragedy... those entrusted with the leadership of the Zionist movement must look reality squarely in the face and see things as they truly are. We must honestly admit to ourselves that, despite all our efforts, we shall not be able to find a solution to the entire problem of German Jewry; regrettably, any solution we can offer will necessarily be only a partial one. The Land of Israel can provide refuge only for a portion of the young and courageous, those capable of preparing themselves for a new life here and adapting to the difficult conditions prevailing in this country. Yet I hope and believe that, through a great undertaking and a determined effort, we may succeed in bringing the greater part of Germany's Jewish youth here, where they will find security and the opportunity to rebuild their lives...”. Weizmann continues: ”The German question is not an isolated problem. It is a profound challenge and a decisive test for Zionism itself. Upon this issue the Zionist movement will be judged, and it will stand as a sign before the world and before future generations whether Zionism has fulfilled its mission or failed in it. This undertaking is the noblest and most sacred duty that has been placed upon us at this hour. In the near future, our movement will be judged by whether we have done everything within our power to find a solution to this problem, or whether, in this great and terrible hour, we have merely acted as other Jewish organizations have acted ... It is therefore the duty of the Zionist movement to bring to this country, and to absorb here within a defined period,