''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' () was a
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
-language literary journal, founded by
Ahad Ha'am
Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg (18 August 1856 – 2 January 1927), primarily known by his Hebrew name and pen name Ahad Ha'am (, lit. 'one of the people', ), was a Hebrew journalist and essayist, and one of the foremost pre-state Zionist thinkers. ...
and the Ahi'asaf Publishing House in 1896. He edited the journal until December 1902, whereupon it came under the editorship of historian
Joseph Klausner
Joseph Gedaliah Klausner (; 20 August 1874 – 27 October 1958), was a Lithuanian-born Israeli historian and professor of Hebrew literature. He was the chief redactor of the '' Encyclopedia Hebraica''. He was a candidate for president in the ...
. It ceased publication in 1926. The journal's title refers to the text of . Initial financing for Ha-Shiloaḥ was provided by businessman Kalonymus Ze’ev Wissotzky under the condition that Ahad Ha'am would be editor.
Since it was difficult to obtain a license from the Russian government to publish the journal due to censorship laws, it was first printed in Berlin from 1896 until 1900 and then later in Krakow from 1901 to 1905. Publication was suspended in 1905 for two years as a result of the Russian Revolution. Permission to publish in Russia was granted in 1907 while editing was done in Odessa and Warsaw, while the vast majority of readership lived in Russia. ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' experienced financial problems due to the considerable increase in printing and paper costs coupled with an underwhelming number of initial subscribers, causing significant losses. The division of administrative work between Ahad Ha’am in Berlin and the administrators in Warsaw put further strain on the journal, leading to a period between October and December 1897 where publication was suspended to reorganize. Following the interruption of the
1905 Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, th ...
, ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' was then relaunched on a firmer economic and administrative basis as well as an increase in readership.
Intent
''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' was created at a time where no major Hebrew monthlies existed. Ahad Ha’am wanted to create a journal that could compare to the most important European monthlies at the time such as ''English Contemporary Review'' in England or ''Revue des Deux Mondes'' in France, which led to Ha’am having exceptionally high content and editing standards. He intended for the journal to be devoted to Zionism, Jewish scholarship, and ''
belles lettres'' in a style that was accessible to the average reader and not to a specific or limited audience. The periodical was meant to be a vehicle to raise the national consciousness of Jewish people and to be a central platform for the discussion and analysis of issues facing the Jewish community in the past and present. Ha’am stressed that the journal would not serve as a platform for scientific discussions or debates on abstract issues in order to further expand accessibility to the masses. Due to Ha’am adherence to the Hibbat Zion and cultural Zionist movement, the monthly often expressed antagonism towards Theodor Herzl and political Zionism.
''Te'udat Ha-Shiloaḥ''
The first issue of ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' in October 1896 contained a statement of purpose by Ahad Ha’am that outlined the structure of the journal as well as his intent in its creation and his editing style. He stated that Hebrew literature would be a tool to raise the voice of the Jewish people through revealing knowledge of the “inner world” of Judaism. Ha’am claims that Hebrew or Jewish literature thus far has been superficial and has not awakened the Jewish national consciousness.
Ahad Ha’am divided the periodical into four categories that works will fall into:
* Articles on Science/Scholarship (''pirke hokmah'') – This section focused on phenomena related to the life of Jews and spiritual development throughout history, along with articles on general science concerned with Judaism.
* Publicistics – Included articles regarding intellectual, moral, economic, and political matters. Works in this category often explained phenomena pertaining to Jewry, reasons and consequences for it, and offering methods of improvement.
* Criticism – Ahad Ha’am’s goal for this section was to judge “the law of the human spirit and the fruit of his labor” as it relates to truth (logical critique), the good (moral critique), and to beauty (aesthetic critique). Criticism would not be limited to only books, but extended to all ideas and actions.
*''Belles lettres'' (''beletristica'') – This category would include works of poetry and stories related to past and present Jewish life or commentary on the “inner world” of Jewish national life. Ha’am specified that this section would not simply include flowery or “beautiful work in which there is nothing but beauty,” and thus would be a fairly short and limited section.
Editorial Style
Ahad Ha'am
The editorial style of Ahad Ha’am is characterized by strict standards and meticulous editing to ensure ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' remained exactly within his vision. Originally, Ha’am believed that Hebrew literature must be opened to the influence of European culture in order to reach the masses, but his attitude changed upon the journal’s creation. He did not allow any non-Jewish aspects to be discussed in the monthly, nor translations of any materials. His desire to make ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' a journal for the masses meant that it did not have any party affiliations or adherence to any specific ideas, which attracted a wider range of writers than a party-affiliated journal would. Ha'am did not give priority to his own views over others.
Ahad Ha’am exhibited exceptionally strict editorial practices that garnered some discontent among writers. He dedicated most of his time to reading and correcting manuscripts submitted to ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'', and he refused to have an assistant despite having little time to contribute to the journal himself. Ha’am wanted the journal to be pedagogical and didactic in nature, so he corrected the language and style of works and added or cut parts to make the contributors’ views clear to the readers, but he did not change the meaning of any of the manuscripts. He would either make the changes himself or return the work to the contributor with suggestions on revisions. Ha’am aimed to protect the Hebrew style and taste of the readers from being spoiled while also protecting the reputation of his contributors by preventing them from writing anything that would lessen respect for them. In fact, no article under Ha’am’s editorship was printed in its original form without some degree of changes.
Ahad Ha’am’s overbearing editorial style garnered negative reactions from many of ''Ha-Shiloaḥ''’s contributors. Some writers considered this treatment to be humiliating and began to turn their backs on Ha’am. One contributor,
Micha Josef Berdyczewski, protested his editing by claiming it was destroying the character of the contributors. Ha’am responded to this by stating that other publishers would see the writers’ works in ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' and open the door for them to publish in their own style. All contributors were treated equally as he did not favor one over another. Even
Joseph Klausner
Joseph Gedaliah Klausner (; 20 August 1874 – 27 October 1958), was a Lithuanian-born Israeli historian and professor of Hebrew literature. He was the chief redactor of the '' Encyclopedia Hebraica''. He was a candidate for president in the ...
, who succeeded Ha’am as editor, and
Hayim Nahman Bialik
Hayim Nahman Bialik (; January 9, 1873 – July 4, 1934) was a Jewish poet who wrote primarily in Hebrew language, Hebrew and Yiddish. Bialik is considered a pioneer of modern Hebrew poetry, part of the vanguard of Jewish thinkers who gave voice ...
had works that were heavily corrected or rejected. His goal through such strict editing policy was to “train the taste of the Hebrew reading public up to the point at which they would cease to find pleasure in those exhibitions of bad taste and bad manners which were familiar in the Hebrew literature of that time.” Despite ''Ha-Shiloaḥ''’s success, Ahad Ha’am resigned editorship at the end of 1902, believing that powers in which his work depended upon have continuously decreased.
Joseph Klausner
Although Ahad Ha’am believed Ha-Shiloaḥ should have been discontinued after his resignation, he still handed editorship to contributor Joseph Klausner. He was often considered a disciple of Ha’am, although he did not accept that characteristic. Klausner belonged to a younger generation of Zionist thinkers that was characterized by a desire to widen the scope of Jewish culture and Hebrew literature. His appointment as editor faced strong opposition as writers thought of him as too inexperienced, but Ha’am refused to hand the position to anyone else. Joseph Klausner assumed editorship of ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' in 1903 and would remain as the journal’s editor until its final issue in 1926.
Immediately after becoming editor, Joseph Klausner enacted significant changes that reflected the demands of the younger generation. He outlined these changes in the first issue of the “new” ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' in January 1903 in an article titled “Megamatenu,” or “Our Mission.” Klausner stated that the character of Ha-Shiloaḥ will remain the same as the inner cognition of the Jewish people and that he will continue to fight against both enemies and friends that spoke in an “unworthy manner.” He also mentioned that particular attention would be paid to the younger generation who are not satisfied with the present situation of the Jewish people. Klausner’s goals were ultimately to bridge the gap between the young generation of Hebrew writers and the older generation of writers like Ahad Ha’am.
The first editorial change Joseph Klausner made was to remove the barrier that separates Jewish aspects from general aspects. In other words, ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' would no longer be strict on only including works that pertain to Jewish history or culture. Klausner believed that this policy in the past forced Hebrew writers to be unnatural by suppressing sincere human thought and that this change would open the door for a wider range of works. The second change made was to the ''belles lettres'' section. Klausner sought to expand this category that Ahad Ha’am had kept extremely limited in the past in order to reach a larger audience. Third, he promised to include more articles on Jewish and general manners while at the same time lessening the amount of scientific and scholarly works due to their unpopularity.
Upon reading Joseph Klausner’s changes to ''Ha-Shiloaḥ''’s editorial policy, Ahad Ha’am was displeased. Ha’am expected to be informed of the changes before they were made due to his attachment toward ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'', but Klausner wanted to act independently in spite of Ha’am’s support being essential to the journal’s success. Ha’am was especially upset at the changes made to the publistics section where Klausner promised to include more articles on general matters. He claimed that Klausner would be unable to fulfill his promises due to a lack of talented writers and would therefore have to increase the amount of articles dealing with non-Jewish matters. Despite Ahad Ha’am’s protests at the changes made to Ha-Shiloaḥ, Joseph Klausner believed that his connection to youth would allow him to meet the demands of the younger generation. Unfortunately, he failed to satisfy all readers and writers. After relocating to Palestine for a job opportunity as a professor of Hebrew literature, ''Ha-Shiloaḥ''’s prominence began to dwindle, eventually leading to its demise in 1926 under Klausner.
Hayim Nahman Bialik
Under the editorship of Joseph Klausner, poet Hayim Nahman Bialik was appointed as co-editor of ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' in 1904, leading the literary section of ''belles lettres'' that he often contributed to. Ahad Ha’am was apprehensive about this appointment, fearing that “the atmosphere of Warsaw might spoil the talent of Bialik.” Before accepting the position, Bialik made the condition that he would be completely independent in running the ''belles lettres'' section and dealing with contributors. He began to send letters to all ''belles lettres'' writers, inviting them to collaborate with him on the section and even persuaded the prominent Yiddish writer
Sholem Aleichem
Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich (; May 13, 1916), better known under his pen name Sholem Aleichem (Yiddish language, Yiddish and , also spelled in Yiddish orthography#Reform and standardization, Soviet Yiddish, ; Russian language, Russian and ), ...
to translate some works into Hebrew to be published. However, once Klausner handed over all the materials collected for the section, Bialik was unsatisfied with its quality. His editorial policy followed closely with that of Ahad Ha’am as he often corrected or rejected material that did not meet his standards, but he always provided a reason for rejection for the writer. Due to the lack of suitable material, the ''belles lettres'' section was often filled with Bialik’s own works.
Bialik and Klausner often disagreed and misunderstood each other, leading to a lack of communication between the two editors. Klausner attributed this divide to their differing social and educational backgrounds, affecting their relationship along with their editorial work. Despite attempts by others to mediate conflict between Klausner and Bialik, the pressure on Bialik coupled with the burden of correspondence with contributors, led to his resignation. He announced his resignation suddenly in volume 21 ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'', stating that his responsibilities would be relinquished at the beginning of 1910.
Reception
''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' received mixed reviews from the public after the publication of its first issue. Some saw it as a great step towards the modernization of Hebrew literature, while others saw it as a step toward the limitation of the Hebrew reader’s knowledge. This was due in part by Ahad Ha’am limiting the works in the publistics section to purely writings on Jewish history and culture. This limitation of the scope of literature led to protests against the monthly, as Ha’am was accused of driving young readers away from Hebrew literature. Ha’am responded to this by stating he did not deny the importance of general knowledge for Hebrew readers, but argued that Jews should first know their own culture and history and therefore that must be the sole concern of Hebrew literature. Despite its mixed reviews, nearly everyone agreed that a Hebrew periodical of its kind would not satisfy a wide range of readers and that it was unlikely to survive long.
Further controversy against ''Ha-Shiloaḥ'' and Ahad Ha’am arose from the generation of young writers that believed the journal did not appeal to them. Micha Josef Berdyczewski was one prominent writer who advocated for European culture to be made available to every Hebrew reader, and accused Ha’am of confusing this young generation. Also, the disregard for the ''belles lettres'' section would mislead readers to believe that poetry did not have real value as well as dissuade young readers. Ha’am responded to this point by arguing that the aim of Hebrew literature to help the Jew understand and interpret their inner world did not have to be done creatively in order to achieve such a goal. Writers of the older generation tended to side with Ahad Ha’am, most famously , who published an article defending Ha’am and his editorial style. He also believed that a majority of ''belles lettres'' was not suitable for the young Hebrew reader due to the lack of content that expressed the true feelings of the Jewish people.
Contributors
The periodical's contributors included:
*
Nathan Agmon
*
Shmuel Yosef Agnon
Shmuel Yosef Agnon (; August 8, 1887 – February 17, 1970) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Israeli novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew literature. In Hebrew, he is known by the pseudonym Shai A ...
*
Ahad Ha'am
Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg (18 August 1856 – 2 January 1927), primarily known by his Hebrew name and pen name Ahad Ha'am (, lit. 'one of the people', ), was a Hebrew journalist and essayist, and one of the foremost pre-state Zionist thinkers. ...
*
Sholem Asch
Sholem Asch (, ; 1 November 1880 – 10 July 1957), also written Shalom Ash, was a Polish Jews, Polish-Jewish novelist, dramatist, and essayist in the Yiddish language who settled in the United States.
Life and work
Asch was born Szalom Asz in ...
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Asher Barash
Asher Barash (; 1889 – June 1952) was an Israeli writer, editor, teacher, and translator.
Biography
Asher Barash was born in Lopatyn, near Brody in Galicia (Eastern Europe), Galicia. He was the son of Naftali Herts Barash, a grain merchant de ...
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Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi ( ''Yitshak Ben-Tsvi''; 24 November 188423 April 1963; born Izaak Shimshelevich) was a historian, ethnologist, Labor Zionism, Labor Zionist leader and the longest-serving president of Israel. He was 1952 Israeli presidential elec ...
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Micha Josef Berdyczewski
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Isaac Dov Berkowitz
Isaac Dov Berkowitz (; 16 October 1885 – 29 March 1967), was a Hebrew and Yiddish author and translator.
Biography
Isaac Dov Berkowitz was born in Slutsk in the Russian Empire. He immigrated to the United States in 1913 before moving pe ...
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Isaiah Bershadsky
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Hayim Nahman Bialik
Hayim Nahman Bialik (; January 9, 1873 – July 4, 1934) was a Jewish poet who wrote primarily in Hebrew language, Hebrew and Yiddish. Bialik is considered a pioneer of modern Hebrew poetry, part of the vanguard of Jewish thinkers who gave voice ...
*
Reuben Brainin
Reuben ben Mordecai Brainin (; March 16, 1862 – November 30, 1939) was a Russian Jewish publicist, biographer and literary critic.
Biography
Reuben Brainin was born in Lyady, Belarus in 1862 to Mordechai Brainin, the son of Azriel Brainin ...
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Yosef Haim Brenner
Joseph Chaim Brenner (; 11 September 1881 – 2 May 1921) was a Hebrew-language author from the Russian Empire, and one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew literature, a thinker, publicist, and public leader. In addition to his literary innovations ...
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Ya'akov Cahan
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Hermann Cohen
Hermann Cohen (; ; 4 July 1842 – 4 April 1918) was a German philosopher, one of the founders of the Marburg school of neo-Kantianism, and he is often held to be "probably the most important Jewish philosopher of the nineteenth century".
Bio ...
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Judah Löb Davidovich
Judah Löb Davidovich (1855, in Vilna – 1 January 1898, in Odessa) was a Russian Hebrew writer and translator. After serving in the Imperial Russian Army, Davidovich studied surgery, but failed to find work as a ''feldsher''. After a futile atte ...
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Jacob Fichman
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Shlomo Ginossar
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Uri Zvi Greenberg
Uri Zvi Greenberg (; September 22, 1896 – May 8, 1981; also spelled Uri Zvi Grinberg) was an Israeli poet, journalist and politician who wrote in Yiddish and Hebrew.
Widely regarded among the greatest poets in the country's history, he was a ...
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Haim Hazaz
Haim Hazaz (; 16 September 1898 – 24 March 1973) was an Israeli novelist.
Biography
Haim Hazaz was born in the village of Sidorovichi, Kiev Governorate in the Russian Empire, the same village of future prime minister Yitzhak Rabin's fami ...
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Aaron Abraham Kabak
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David Kahana
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Itzhak Katzenelson
Itzhak Katzenelson (; also transcribed as ''Icchak-Lejb Kacenelson'', ''Jizchak Katzenelson''; ''Yitzhok Katznelson'') (1 July 1886 – 1 May 1944) was a Polish Jewish teacher, poet and dramatist. He was born in 1886 in Karelichy near Minsk, ...
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Joseph Klausner
Joseph Gedaliah Klausner (; 20 August 1874 – 27 October 1958), was a Lithuanian-born Israeli historian and professor of Hebrew literature. He was the chief redactor of the '' Encyclopedia Hebraica''. He was a candidate for president in the ...
*
Samuel Krauss
Samuel Krauss ( Ukk, 18 February 1866 - Cambridge, 4 June 1948) was professor at the Jewish Teachers' Seminary, Budapest, 1894–1906, and at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Vienna, 1906–1938. He moved to England as a refugee and spent his last ...
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Jacob Levy
Jacob Meyer Levy (Hebrew: יעקב מאיר לוי ''Ya'akov Me'ir Levi''; May 14, 1894 – September 8, 1956) was an Israeli educator, historian, translator and writer.
Biography
Born to Moshe Levy and Masia-Leah (nee Barmack) in the Ukra ...
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Elhanan Leib Lewinsky
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Moshe Leib Lilienblum
Moshe Leib Lilienblum (; October 22, 1843, in Keidany, Kovno Governorate – February 12, 1910, in Odessa) was a Jewish scholar and author. He also used the pseudonym Zelophehad Bar-Hushim (). Lilienbloom was one of the leaders of the early Zioni ...
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Joseph Massel
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Mendele Mocher Sforim
Mendele Mocher Sforim (, ; lit. "Mendele the book peddler"; January 2, 1836, Kapyl – December 8, 1917 .S. Odessa), born Sholem Yankev Abramovich (, ) or S. J. Abramowitch, was a Jewish author and one of the founders of modern Yiddish and Heb ...
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Hersh Dovid Nomberg
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I. L. Peretz
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Yehoshua Hana Rawnitzki
Yehoshua Ḥana Rawnitzki (; 13 September 1859 – 4 May 1944) was a Hebrew publisher, editor, and collaborator of Hayim Nahman Bialik.
Biography
Yehoshua Ḥana Rawnitzki was born to a poor Jewish family in Odessa in 1859. He began his journal ...
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David Remez
David Remez (; 23 May 1886 – 19 May 1951) was an Israeli politician, the country's first Minister of Transportation, and a signatory of the Israeli declaration of independence.
Biography
Remez was born David Drabkin in the village of Kopy ...
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Chava Shapiro
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David Shimoni
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Avraham Shlonsky
Avraham Shlonsky (; ; March 6, 1900 – May 18, 1973) was a Russian-born Israeli poet and editor.
He was influential in the development of modern Hebrew and its literature in Israel through his many acclaimed translations of literary classics, ...
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Zalman Shneour
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Gershon Shofman
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Moshe Smilansky
Moshe Smilansky MBE (; February 24, 1874 – October 6, 1953) was a pioneer of the First Aliyah, a Zionist leader who advocated peaceful coexistence with the Arabs in Mandatory Palestine, a farmer, and a prolific author of fiction and non-fict ...
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Jacob Steinberg
Jacob Steinberg (; September 1, 1887– June 22, 1947) was a major Ukrainian-born poet in Mandatory Palestine.
Biography
Jacob Steinberg was born in Bila Tserkva, but ran off to Odessa when he was 14, joining Bialik and other Jewish intelle ...
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Eliezer Steinman
Eliezer Steinman (; born 1892, died 7 August 1970) was a Russian-born Israeli writer, journalist and editor.
Biography
Steinman was born in 1892 in Obodówka, part of the Sobański estate, a village in the Podolia Governorate of the Russian Empi ...
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Shaul Tchernichovsky
Shaul Tchernichovsky () or Saul Gutmanovich Tchernichovsky (; 20 August 1875 – 14 October 1943) was a Russian-born Hebrew poet. He is considered one of the great Hebrew poets, identified with nature poetry, and a poet greatly influenced by the ...
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Chaim Tchernowitz
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Hillel Zeitlin
Hillel Zeitlin (1871–1942) was an Ashkenazi Yiddish language, Yiddish and Hebrew language, Hebrew writer and poet. A leading pre-Holocaust Jewish journalist, he was a regular contributor to the Yiddish newspaper ''Moment'', among other literary ...
References
External links
''Ha-Shiloaḥ''at the
National Library of Israel
The National Library of Israel (NLI; ; ), formerly Jewish National and University Library (JNUL; ), is the library dedicated to collecting the cultural treasures of Israel and of Judaism, Jewish Cultural heritage, heritage. The library holds more ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiloaḥ, Ha-
Defunct magazines published in Russia
Magazines published in Berlin
Magazines established in 1896
Magazines disestablished in 1926
Hebrew-language journals
Defunct literary magazines published in Europe
1896 establishments in the Russian Empire
Jewish magazines