Private - The Entire Historic Conference in Katowice, 1884. Especially Rare. Rabbi Reines's Copy

Private - The Entire Historic Conference in Katowice, 1884. Especially Rare. Rabbi Reines's Copy

Private - all the negotiations and decisions discussed and carried out at the meeting of the leaders of the Chovevei Tziyon assemblies. In Katowice, during the days of the Va'ad, 18 to 23 Cheshvan. [Katowice?] 1885 [שנת " דכאי רוח יושיע" / תרמ"ה] First edition printed in a limited number for conference participants. On the title page: "Printed as a manuscript." Important and exceptionally rare historic booklet.

The Katowice conference was an assembly that gathered on Nov. 6, 1884 in Katowice, in the Silesian Region of Germany (presently Poland) under the initiative of Dr. Yehudah Leib Pinsker and Rabbi Shmuel Mohilever. At the conference, 36 Chovevei Tziyon representatives participated from Russia, Romania, Schlesia, Germany and France, including the heads of Chibat Tziyon: Kalonymus Ze'ev Wissotzky, Moshe Leib Lillienblum, Shul Pincha Rabinowitz (Shefe"r), Alexander Cederbaum, Echad HaAm and David Gordon. As well as R' Leib Kalischer (son of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer), Rabbi Y. Reines and others. The honorary chairman of the conference was Rabbi Shmuel Mohilever, although it was in fact led by Pinsker, who gave the opening and closing addresses.

The conference organizers were concerned about publicizing the goal of the conference due to Zionist activity in Russia being illegal. As a result, the conference was camouflaged as a jubilee celebration for the 100th birthday of Moshe Montefiore, as also written in this rare booklet.

This is the complete protocol, as recorded by Shaul Pinchas Rabinowitz of Warsaw - Shefe"r, who was designated "Hebrew-language scribe and secretary." The speeches and the protocol were written in lofty, literary language in recognition of the historic event.

The text on the margins of the title page: "Printed as a manuscript, " along with the few copies in which this booklet was printed make it rare and highly sought-after. In 1920, a new edition was printed by Leibush Toibash, who write in the foreword "This protocol was originally printed as a manuscript in a number of copies corresponding to the the number of those assembled in Katowice. This protocol is therefore indeed hard-to-find, and it is not found in libraries nor is it listed in bibliographies." Indeed, a hundred years ago, this booklet was very sought-after and impossible to obtain. The participants at the conference naturally held on to their single copies. There are only a limited number of public libraries in the world that have a copy of this booklet.

This rare copy originally belonged to Rabbi Y. Y. Reines of Lida, who received the protocol as a member of the conference. His stamp appears on the flyleaf. Rabbi Reines later established the Mizrachi movement.

40 pp and a (front) jacket cover, 15 cm.

Fine condition. Acidic paper.

Original cardboard binding.