Bidspirit auction | ”Ha'Ivri Ha'Katan” - The First

”Ha'Ivri Ha'Katan” - The First Jewish Journal in the World for Youth, by Eliezer and Chemda Ben Yehuda - the Three Single Issues that had been Published - Jerusalem, 1908 - Rare! - ”Ha'Ivri Ha'Katan” – a weekly journal for Hebrew youth. The only three issues that had been printed. Jerusalem, Cheshvan, 1907. The issues contain stories, news, poems, jokes and riddles. Ben Yehuda opens his first article in the first issue with a dramatic announcement: ”This is the first time we are speaking especially to you, Hebrew children, will you be able to listen? … ”Ha'Ivvri Ha'Katan” is all yours, dear children … ”Ha'Ivri Ha'Katan” will tell you about Hebrew children and adults, in the past and in the present”. As everybody knows, Ben Yehuda believed that the future of the Hebrew language relies on the children. The goal of the journal was to instill in the children faith in and love of their nation and their country. ”Ha'Ivri Ha'Katan” was an independent journal although its title ”An addition to Hashkafa” (Hashkafa was the newspaper of Eliezer Ben Yehuda) implied otherwise. The title was actually added because the Turkish government forbade to found new Hebrew journals. This is the first Hebrew journal in the world for Jewish youth. Indeed, this journal was preceded by the journal ”Olam Katom”, whose editor was Ben Yehuda, and was also designated for children. However, the new journal had several additional virtues: A. ”Olam Katon” was the product of the initiative of others, Ben Yehuda being asked by them to edit it. He himself refused to write for the journal since he claimed that ”I do not know how to write for children; I like the childish sense”. For the journal before us, in contrast, Ben Yehuda did write. B. ”Ha'Ivri Ha'Katan” was meant to be a platform for Hebrew children to write their stories, as Ben Yehuda explains in detail in his first article for the journal. C. The journal was meant for youth, not children. Therefore, unlike ”Olam Katon”, the text is not vowelized. The news section refers to public affairs in addition to issues that interest youth. D. The circulation of the journal included countries abroad (mainly Russia) in order to influence the Hebrew education of children abroad as well. A rare journal! Almost all of its copies had been lost over the years, due to the thinness and fragility of its leaves and due to the fact that it was read by young children who did not take care of it properly. Before us is a rare copy, in an impressive condition, which had been preserved in the archive of David Yudilovich, a close friend of ben Yehuda and his assistant in his literary and journalistic work. 4 pp in each issue. 24 cm. Condition: Good. Few tears, with no damage to text.