Nahum ben Joseph Samuel Sokolow ( he, נחום ט' סוקולוב ''Nachum ben Yosef Shmuel Soqolov'', yi, סאָקאָלאָוו;
10 January 1859 – 17 May 1936) was a
Zionist leader, author, translator, and a pioneer of
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
journalism.
Biography
Nahum Sokolow was born in
Wyszogród
Wyszogród is a town in central Poland, in Masovian Voivodeship, in Płock County, by the Vistula River. The population of Wyszogród was 2,793 in 2004.
History
The settlement dates back to the 7th century, when there was a Slavic pagan templ ...
, in the
Płock Governorate of
Congress Poland
Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...
in the
Russian Empire. He began to attend ''
heder
A ''cheder'' ( he, חדר, lit. "room"; Yiddish pronunciation ''kheyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language.
History
''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th ...
'' at the age of three. When he was five, his parents moved to Płock. At the age of ten, he was already renowned as a Hebrew scholar. His father wanted him to study for the rabbinate but with the intervention of Baron Wrangel, the governor of Płock, he enrolled in a secular school. He married at eighteen and settled in Makov, where his father-in-law lived, and earned a living as a wool merchant. At the age of 20, he moved to
Warsaw and became a regular contributor to the Hebrew daily ''
HaTzefirah''. Eventually he wrote his own column and went on to become editor and co-owner. In 1914, after the outbreak of
World War I, he moved to London to work with
Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( he, חיים עזריאל ויצמן ', russian: Хаим Евзорович Вейцман, ''Khaim Evzorovich Veytsman''; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born biochemist, Zionist leader and Israel ...
.
Sokolow died in London in 1936.
Literary career
Sokolow was a prolific author and translator. His works include a three-volume history of
Baruch Spinoza
Baruch (de) Spinoza (born Bento de Espinosa; later as an author and a correspondent ''Benedictus de Spinoza'', anglicized to ''Benedict de Spinoza''; 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, b ...
and his times, and various other biographies. He was the first to translate
Theodor Herzl's novel ''
Altneuland'' into Hebrew, giving it the name ''Tel Aviv'' (literally, "An Ancient Hill of Spring"). In 1909, the name was adopted for the first modern Hebrew-speaking
city.
Zionist activism
In 1931, Sokolow was elected President of the World Zionist Congress and served in that capacity until 1935, when he was succeeded by
Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( he, חיים עזריאל ויצמן ', russian: Хаим Евзорович Вейцман, ''Khaim Evzorovich Veytsman''; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born biochemist, Zionist leader and Israel ...
. Sokolow also served as President of the
Jewish Agency for Palestine
The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...
(now called the
Jewish Agency for Israel) between 1931 and 1933, when he was succeeded by
Arthur Ruppin
Arthur Ruppin (1 March 1876 – 1 January 1943) was a German Zionist proponent of pseudoscientific race theory and one of the founders of the city of Tel Aviv.Todd Samuel Presner, ’German Jewish Studies in the Digital Age:Remarks on Disciplin ...
.
In 1906, Sokolow was asked to become the secretary general of the
World Zionist Congress. In the ensuing years, he crisscrossed Europe and North America to promote the
Zionist cause. After moving to London, he was a leading advocate for the
Balfour Declaration
The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, then an Ottoman region ...
in which the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
government declared its support for a
Jewish homeland
A homeland for the Jewish people is an idea rooted in Jewish history, religion, and culture. The Jewish aspiration to return to Zion, generally associated with divine redemption, has suffused Jewish religious thought since the destruction o ...
in
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East J ...
.
On 6 February 1917, a meeting was held in Maida Vale with Weizmann to discuss the results of the Picot convention in Paris. Sokolow and Weizmann pressed on after they had seized leadership from Gaster; they were granted official recognition from the British government.
Historian
Martin Kramer
Martin Seth Kramer (Hebrew: מרטין קרמר; born September 9, 1954, Washington, D.C.) is an American-Israeli scholar of the Middle East at Tel Aviv University and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. His focus is on the history a ...
argues that securing the assent of Britain's French and American Allies and of the Vatican, which controlled many Christian Holy Sites in the Land of Israel, was a necessary precondition for the
Balfour Declaration
The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, then an Ottoman region ...
. Sokolow secured the support of
Pope Benedict XV on 4 May 1917, who described the return of the Jews to Palestine as "providential; God has willed it".
Sokolow secured the assent of France in the
Cambon letter of 4 June 1917, signed by
Jules Cambon
Jules-Martin Cambon (5 April 1845 – 19 September 1935) was a French diplomat and brother to Paul Cambon. As the ambassador to Germany (1907–1914) he worked hard to secure a friendly détente. He was frustrated by French leaders such as Raymo ...
, the head of the political section of the French foreign ministry.
Chaim Weizmann wrote to the Manchester Zionist,
Harry Sacher
Harry Sacher (3 September 1881 – 10 May 1971) was a British businessman, journalist, and Zionist leader. He was appointed director of Marks & Spencer in 1932.
Early life and education
Sacher was born in Shoreditch, Middlesex, the fourth o ...
, who became a focus for the view that Sokolow and Weizmann had capitulated and forfeited the right to lead by "preferring British Imperialism... to Zionism". Sokolow acted as Weizmann's eyes and ears in Paris on a diplomatic mission with Sir
Mark Sykes
Colonel Sir Tatton Benvenuto Mark Sykes, 6th Baronet (16 March 1879 – 16 February 1919) was an English traveller, Conservative Party politician, and diplomatic advisor, particularly with regard to the Middle East at the time of the First ...
to negotiate with the French. The idea that the Jews would form a new kind of Triple Entente under the Ottoman Empire was unsettling to them. No, the delegation left for Paris on 31 March 1917. One purpose of the Entente was to strengthen the hand of Zionism in the US. "The Jews represented a powerful political and economic force... if subterranean influence". Sokolow did not know of the Sykes-Picot Agreement and British-French understanding on Middle Eastern policy matters. He believed that he must report to Weizmann that what France really meant by a "Greater Syria", taking the whole of Palestine for themselves. In a series of letters in April and May 1917, Weizmann accused Sokolow of letting the Zionists down in negotiations with France. Sokolow countered by replying that he remained totally committed to a British Palestine.
The
desiderata
"Desiderata" (Latin: "things desired") is an early 1920s prose poem by the American writer Max Ehrmann. Although he copyrighted it in 1927, he distributed copies of it without a required copyright notice during 1933 and , thereby forfeiting his ...
or things desired by the Jews for their new homeland were "facilities of colonization, communal autonomy, rights of language and establishment of a Jewish chartered company." Sokolow's eventual diplomacy triumph for Zionism in Paris made them "accept in principle the recognition of Jewish nationality in the capacity of National Home, local autonomy etc. It is beyond my boldest expectations", he wrote. They expected a quid pro quo for support against Germany, which was further made urgent by the entry of the US on 6 April 1917 to the global conflict. They now associated an Allied victory with securing "Zionist aspirations", a phrase also used by Sykes in his despatches to Balfour.
[NA, FO371/3045; Schneer, 395]
On 9 April, the Paris conference ended, marking a high point in Sokolow's career. The Zionists were now open to all diplomatic rounds. Sokolov came to Rome to gain support for the plan of a Jewish state in Palestine and spoke to Monsignor
Eugenio Pacelli
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
, the future Pope Pius XII. That Pope
Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. Hi ...
had vehemently condemned anti-Semitism a year earlier was seen as a good omen.
In Rome, the Vatican City were considering accepting terms. Sokolow's letters asked advice from Weizmann; the amazed Sokolow met the Pope on 6 May. The Zionists began to feel more confident about their patriotism. Sokolow asked for "moral support", a philosophical equality, and immediately wrote Weizmann about the "expressing of favour", but Weizmann was not so emotional since he had a tough hard-headed businesslike character. He congratulated Sokolow on the success. Sokolow was called upon to stop at Paris by
Jules Cambon
Jules-Martin Cambon (5 April 1845 – 19 September 1935) was a French diplomat and brother to Paul Cambon. As the ambassador to Germany (1907–1914) he worked hard to secure a friendly détente. He was frustrated by French leaders such as Raymo ...
and Prime Minister
Alexandre Ribot
Alexandre-Félix-Joseph Ribot (; 7 February 184213 January 1923) was a French politician, four times Prime Minister.
Early career
Ribot was born in Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais. After a brilliant academic career at the University of Paris, where he ...
. They were still concerned that Zionism would cause unlimited damage to world security if unleashed in Bolshevik Russia.
Published works
* ''Hatzofe levayt yisrael''
Awards and recognition
Kibbutz Sde Nahum
Sde Nahum ( he, שְׂדֵה נַחוּם, ''lit.'' Nahum Field) is a kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley in northern Israel. Located around 4 km northwest of Beit She'an, it falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Regional Council. I ...
is named for him.
See also
*
Sokolov Award
The Sokolov Award, also known as Sokolov Prize, is an Israeli journalism award, awarded by the Tel Aviv municipality, in memory of Nahum Sokolow.
The award has been granted since 1956, initially to outstanding print journalists and since 1981 to ...
References
Bibliography
Books
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Articles
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External links
* The personal papers of Nahum Sokolow are kept at th
Central Zionist Archivesin Jerusalem
Sokolow, Nahum b. Joseph Samuelin the
Jewish EncyclopediaSokolow's memorial address on the 25th anniversary of Herzl's death*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sokolow, Nahum
1859 births
1936 deaths
People from Płock County
People from Płock Governorate
Polish Jews
Jews from the Russian Empire
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom
British people of Polish-Jewish descent
Zionist activists
Modern Hebrew writers
British Jewish writers
Polish male writers
Polish journalists
Journalists from the Russian Empire
Male writers from the Russian Empire
Jewish activists
Polish translators
British translators
Jewish Agency for Israel
Burials at Mount Herzl