Monday, January 26, 2009

Bialik & Sefardim

YNET wrote:

Long-held notion that national poet hated eastern Jews stems from statements wrongly attributed to him, say researchers

"The national poet of Ashkenazim only," "A well-known Sephardim hater," and "a famous racist" are only some of the sentiments – often expressed in talkbacks as well – aroused by the name Chaim Nachman Bialik. The national poet himself has been dead since 1934, so he is not here to defend himself. However, the notion stems from a statement attributed to Bialik: "I only hate the Arabs because they resemble the Sephardim." But it turns out that Bialik never said those words, but rather editor and translator Aryeh Leib Smiatzky.

Smiatzky included the statement in his book "Bialik on Atar" as a joke, and some researchers later claimed that literary circles hostile to Bialik attributed the words to him in a bid to besmirch him. Notably, none of Bialik works includes any mention of hatred or patronizing towards Sephardic Jews. [...]

9 comments:

  1. I am not sure that Bialik met very many Sephardic Jews. Bialik was born in th e Ukraine in 1873. He attended Volozhin Yeshiva in Lithuania, joined haskala and then lived in Kiev, Austrian Galicia, Poland, Turkey and Germany.

    From 1899-1915 Bialik published in Judeo German (Yiddish).

    He moved to Tel Aviv in 1924.

    Although Bialik is most famous for his long, nationalistic poems, which call for a reawakening of the Jewish people, Bialik wrote most of his poems using Ashke-
    nazi pronunciation, Israel today uses the Sephardic pronunciation. In consequence, Bialik's poems are rarely recited in the meter in which they were written.

    Bialik died in Vienna, Austria, on July 3, 1934.

    "The Sephardi community was the dominant community in Palestine and included Jews from the Islamic countries, North Africa, the Balkans, Anatolia, and the former Andalusia, as well as indigenous Jews. The Sephardic community was concentrated in the four 'holy cities', Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias and Safed; its center, however, was in Jerusalem.

    Most of the Sephardi community held Ottoman citizenship, in contrast to the Ashkenazi immigrants who held foreign citizenship which left the latter dependent on the protection of European consulates.

    The Sephardi community was perceived by the Ottoman authority as the sole representative of the Jewish community in Palestine, due to their legal status.

    The life experience of the Sephardi community in Jerusalem, greatly differentiated them from the Ashkenazi Zionists. "

    Source: Jacobson, Abigail. Sephardim, Ashkenazim and the 'Arab question' in pre-First World War Palestine: a reading of three Zionist newspapers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Why mention anything about Bialik, the notorious hater of Judaism and apikores?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Y'all gotta check this out;

    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3661994,00.html

    Can mezuzot thwart water crisis?

    Government ministers' attempts to come up with ideas to deal with depleting levels of Lake Kinneret prompt agriculture minister to suggest replacing all of Water Authority's parchment scrolls for good luck

    Itamar Eichner
    Published: 01.26.09, 14:25 / Israel Activism

    The escalating water crisis plaguing Israel has its ministers racking their brains in an attempt to come up with ways to deal with the predicament.


    Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) is Israel's main freshwater reservoir; and a recent succession of dry winters has left it nearly depleted.

    Stopping the Buck
    Knesset to form State commission of inquiry on water crisis / Amnon Meranda
    State Control Committee orders immediate formation of probe committee to investigate reasons for current waster crisis. Current situation result of series of governmental failures, says MK Orlev
    Full story


    The Knesset has heard suggestions the likes of partially shutting off the water supply to prisons or organizing mass prayer rallies, but Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon has come up with an original idea: Changing all the mezuzot in the Israel Water Authority offices.


    Jewish tradition calls for a mezuzah, a piece of parchment inscribed with specified Hebrew verses from the Torah and places in a special case, to be affixed to every doorframe.


    Simhon's peers found the suggestion somewhat puzzling, prompting the agriculture minister to explain the logic behind his proposal: "I would like to remind everyone that Labor was at an all-time low in the polls, but after I had the mezuzot at the Labor House changed we doubled our strength."


    Prime Minister Ehud Olmert suggested, fondly, that the next government consider keeping Simhon in the Agriculture Ministry so he may continue handling the water crisis.


    The government has held three sessions on the water crisis in the past few weeks, at National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer's request.


    Ben-Eliezer claims he want his fellow ministers to be fully updated on the situation, so that none of them claim they were unaware of its severity.


    "This has been an extremely dry winter, with the lowest recorder rainfall since Israel started keeping track."


    Head of the Water Authority, Prof. Uri Shani, said that "the rainfall we've had so far is about 45% of what we were supposed to see at this time. Water consumption, however, has increased. The probability of us having a dry winter for the fifth year in a row was minute.


    "We have prepared an emergency contingency plan meant to see the water system though this hard time. The government has already approved these steps and we have been implementing them uncompromisingly. The Water Authority is also working on several other emergency contingencies to cope with the drought."

    ReplyDelete
  4. Y'all gotta check this out;

    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3661994,00.html

    Can mezuzot thwart water crisis?

    Government ministers' attempts to come up with ideas to deal with depleting levels of Lake Kinneret prompt agriculture minister to suggest replacing all of Water Authority's parchment scrolls for good luck

    Itamar Eichner
    Published: 01.26.09, 14:25 / Israel Activism

    The escalating water crisis plaguing Israel has its ministers racking their brains in an attempt to come up with ways to deal with the predicament.


    Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) is Israel's main freshwater reservoir; and a recent succession of dry winters has left it nearly depleted.

    Stopping the Buck
    Knesset to form State commission of inquiry on water crisis / Amnon Meranda
    State Control Committee orders immediate formation of probe committee to investigate reasons for current waster crisis. Current situation result of series of governmental failures, says MK Orlev
    Full story


    The Knesset has heard suggestions the likes of partially shutting off the water supply to prisons or organizing mass prayer rallies, but Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon has come up with an original idea: Changing all the mezuzot in the Israel Water Authority offices.


    Jewish tradition calls for a mezuzah, a piece of parchment inscribed with specified Hebrew verses from the Torah and places in a special case, to be affixed to every doorframe.


    Simhon's peers found the suggestion somewhat puzzling, prompting the agriculture minister to explain the logic behind his proposal: "I would like to remind everyone that Labor was at an all-time low in the polls, but after I had the mezuzot at the Labor House changed we doubled our strength."


    Prime Minister Ehud Olmert suggested, fondly, that the next government consider keeping Simhon in the Agriculture Ministry so he may continue handling the water crisis.


    The government has held three sessions on the water crisis in the past few weeks, at National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer's request.


    Ben-Eliezer claims he want his fellow ministers to be fully updated on the situation, so that none of them claim they were unaware of its severity.


    "This has been an extremely dry winter, with the lowest recorder rainfall since Israel started keeping track."


    Head of the Water Authority, Prof. Uri Shani, said that "the rainfall we've had so far is about 45% of what we were supposed to see at this time. Water consumption, however, has increased. The probability of us having a dry winter for the fifth year in a row was minute.


    "We have prepared an emergency contingency plan meant to see the water system though this hard time. The government has already approved these steps and we have been implementing them uncompromisingly. The Water Authority is also working on several other emergency contingencies to cope with the drought."

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Why mention anything about Bialik, the notorious hater of Judaism and apikores?

    I am not sure where you got that impression, it is true that Bialic, the most famous talmid of Volozhin went of the derech but he still kept his love to his old life

    Take that poem for example:




    מִקְדַּשׁ אֵל נְעוּרַי, בֵּית-מִדְרָשִׁי הַיָּשָׁן!

    סִפְּךָ אֲשֶׁר רָקַב שֵׁנִית עָלַי נִקְרָה,

    אֶרְאֶה שֵׁנִית כְּתָלֶיךָ הַנִּמְלָחִים כֶּעָשָׁן,

    אֶת-סְחִי קַרְקָעֲךָ, אֶת-פִּיחַ הַתִּקְרָה.

    מִשְׁנֶה חָרְבָּה חָרַבְתָּ מִבְּלִי בָּאֵי מוֹעֵד,

    עָלָה חָצִיר בִּמְסִלָּתְךָ וּשְׁבִילֶיךָ דָשָׁאוּ,

    אֶרֶג הָעַכָּבִישׁ עַל-סִפּוּנְךָ רוֹעֵד,

    עַל-גַּגְּךָ הַנִּקְרָע בְּנֵי-עֹרְבִים יִקְרָאוּ;

    אֶבֶן אֶבֶן תִּשָּׁמֵט וְתֻכֶּה רְסִיסִים,

    עַמּוּדֶיךָ יִתְפַּלָּצוּן, כֻּלְּךָ עֹמֵד בְּנִסִּים.



    בַּעֲפָרְךָ יִתְפַּלֵּשׁ אָרוֹן מֵאֵין תּוֹרָה,

    גְּוִילִים בָּלִים וִירֹקִים יִרְקְבוּ בֶּחָבִית;

    נוּגוֹת בַּפְּרָצוֹת תָּצֵצְנָה קַרְנֵי אוֹרָה,

    וְאָבְלָה כָל-פִּנָּה וּבָכְתָה כָל-זָוִית.

    כָּתְלֵי בֵּית-הַמִּדְרָשׁ, קִירוֹת הַקֳּדָשִׁים!

    מַחֲבֵא רוּחַ אֵיתָן, מִקְלַט עַם עוֹלָמִים!

    לָמָּה כֹה-תַעַמְדוּ דוּמָם וּכְנוֹאָשִׁים

    תַּטּוּ צְלָלִים שְׁחֹרִים, צְלָלִים נֶאֱלָמִים?

    הֲסָר לָעַד יְיָ מֵעַל מַשׂוּאוֹתֵיכֶם

    וּטְבַעְתֶּם בַּאֲבַקְכֶם וְלֹא-יָשׁוּב עוֹד אֲלֵיכֶם?



    כַּאֲבֵלִים אִלְּמִים חֶרֶשׁ תִּתְאַבָּלוּ

    וּבִיגוֹנְכֶם קְפָאתֶם קוֹדְרִים, נֶעֱזָבִים.

    הֲתִזְכְּרוּ כָמוֹנִי אֶת-הַיָּמִים כָּלוּ?

    הֲלִבְנֵיכֶם יְצָאוּכֶם הִנְּכֶם נֶעֱצָבִים?

    הֲלֹא תִשְׁאֲלוּ לִשְׁלוֹם אֲסוּפֵיכֶם בַּמֶּרְחַקִּים –

    שָׁב הִנְנִי עַתָּה מֵעֵמֶק הֶעָכוֹר;

    נִמְלַטְתִּי לְהַגִּיד לָכֶם כִּי גָבְרוּ הַמַּכִּים,

    נִלְחַמְנוּ כַגִּבּוֹרִים, אַךְ הֻכִּינוּ אָחוֹר –

    וַאֲנִי יָתוֹם נִדָּח, עוֹלַל טִפּוּחֵיכֶם,

    אֻמְלָל, בּוֹש וּמְנֻצָּח שָׁב שֵׁנִית עָדֵיכֶם.



    וְשֵׁנִית, בֵּית-מִדְרָשִׁי, כְּפוּף רֹאשׁ כֶּעָנִי

    וּמַשְׁמִים כָּמוֹךָ עַל סִפְּךָ אֶעֱמֹדָה;

    הַאֵבְךְּ לְחֻרְבָּנְךָ, אִם-אֵבְךְּ לְחֻרְבָּנִי,

    וְאִם לִשְׁנֵיהֶם יַחְדָּו אֵבְךְּ וְאֶסְפֹּדָה?

    הָהּ! קִנְּךָ מְשֻׁלָּח, גּוֹזָלֶיךָ נָעוּ נָצוּ,

    נָגֹזּוּ כַצֵּל כֻּלָּם בֵּין הָעֵצִים הַגְּבֹהִים.

    רַבִּים אֶל-רָאשֵׁי הַצּוּרִים נֻפָּצוּ

    וּבְשָׂדוֹת אֲחֵרִים עוֹד רַבִּים תּוֹעִים;

    הֲיָמוּתוּ מוֹת יְשָׁרִים? אוֹ יִמְצְאוּ מְנוּחָה

    בְּחַיֵּי נְבָלִים וְלָעַד יִשְׁכָּחוּךָ?



    לֹא אָרִיתִי יַעְרוֹת דְּבַשׁ עַל-דַּרְכִּי הַמְסוֹרָר,

    מֵאָז הִפְרִידַתְנוּ הָרוּחַ הָרָעָה;

    אָבַד נִצְחִי מֵיְיָ, כָּל עוֹלָמִי הִתְפּוֹרָר,

    בָּאוּ מַיִם עַד-נָפֶשׁ – אַךְ הִיא בָם לֹא-בָאָה...

    לֹא רֵיקָם שִׁלַּחְתַּנִי מִצִּלְּךָ הַשַּׁאֲנָן –

    מַלְאָכֶיךָ הַטּוֹבִים שִׁלְּחוּנִי בַדֶּרֶךְ:

    מַחֳשָׁבָה פֹרִיָּה, הִגָּיוֹן רַעֲנָן,

    לֵב שָׁלֵם וּבֹטֵחַ עֵת תִּכְשַׁל הַבֶּרֶךְ;

    אָמְנָם יָכֹל לִי אוֹיְבִי, כְּלִי רִיק הִצִּיגָנִי –

    אַךְ הִצַּלְתִּי אֱלֹהָי – וֵאלֹהִים הִצִּילָנִי!



    וָאֹמַר: רַב-לִי לִשְׂבֹּעַ מַשְׂטֵמָה,

    קִיקָלוֹן וּבֹשֶׁת תַּחַת אַהֲבָתִי.

    הֲטֶרֶם אֵרֶא יַד הַשֶּׁקֶר רוֹמֵמָה?

    מִי-לִי שָׁם? מַה-לִּי שָׁם? אָשׁוּבָה לִמְנוּחָתִי.

    נֵס אֱלֹהִים אֱמֶת בֶּעָפָר לֹא אֲעוֹלֵל,

    לֹא-אֶמְכֹּר בְּכֹרָתִי בִּנְזִיד עֲדָשִׁים;

    בִּתְרוּעַת הַשֶּׁקֶר קוֹלִי לֹא יִתְבּוֹלֵל,

    מִהְיוֹת כְּפִיר בֵּין כְּפִירִים אֶסָּפֶה עִם-כְּבָשִׂים.

    לֹא חוֹנַנְתִּי בִּמְתַלְעוֹת וּבְצִפָּרְנַיִם –

    כָּל-כֹּחִי לֵאלֹהִים, וֵאלֹהִים – חַיִּים!



    וּכְחֹמֶט הַמִּתְכַּנֵּס בְּתוֹךְ קַשְׂקְשׂוֹתָיו

    אֶתְבַּצֵּר בְּמִבְצַר הָרוּחַ בִּדְמָמָה;

    חָמוּשׁ בִּכְלִי נִשְׁקִי אֶשְׁמֹר דַּלְתוֹתָיו –

    לַמּוֹעֵד אֶתְעוֹרְרָה וְאֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה.

    יְיָ עַל יְמִינִי! הוּא יַחְצֹב רָהַב,

    וּבְרוּחַ אֵל צְבָאוֹת אֲגַבֵּר חֲיָלִים.

    רָאִיתִי הַכְּפִירִים בְּתַלְתַּלֵּי הַזָהָב

    שֶׁנָּפְלוּ עַל-הַרְרֵי הַצְּבָאִים חֲלָלִים.

    כָּל-הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר, יָבֵשׁ כֹּחֵהוּ,

    כִּי רוּחַ יְיָ נָשְׁבָה בּוֹ – וְאֵינֵהוּ.



    לֹא הַכּוֹת בְּאֶגְרֹף אֶת-יָדִי לִמַּדְתִּי,

    וּבְתִירוֹשׁ וּזְנוּנִים לֹא-כִלִּיתִי כֹחִי;

    לָשִׁיר שִׁיר יְיָ בַּתֵּבֵל נוֹלַדְתִּי,

    שִׁבְיִי – שְׁבִי צֶדֶק, צֵיד מִשְׁפָּט – מַלְקוֹחִי.

    זִמְרַת נְעִים זְמִירוֹתַי – בְּפִי כָל-הַנְּשָׁמָה

    לְמִקְצֵּה הַשָׁמַיִם וְעַד קְצֵיהֶם;

    כֹּה תָסֹל הָאֱמֶת מְסִלָּתָהּ בִּדְמָמָה,

    כֵּן קוֹלוֹת אֱלֹהִים מִתְפּוֹצְצִים מֵאֲלֵיהֶם;

    אֵין אֹמֶר, אֵין דְּבָרִים, בְּלִי נִשְׁמָע קוֹלָם,

    וְדִבְרֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ יָקוּמוּ לְעוֹלָם.



    גַּם-שְׁמִי אֲשֶׁר מָחוּ מִסִּפְרָם בְּגָאוֹן

    עַל-בְּלִי גֵאַלְתִּיו בְּזִמָּה וּבְדָמִים –

    הָאַחֲרוֹן עַל-עָפָר יָקוּם מִמַּשָּׁאוֹן

    וִיהִי חוֹתַם שַׁדַי בְּדִבְרֵי הַיָּמִים.

    אָז יֵדְעוּ מִי-הָיָה הַשָּׂב נְזִיר הַלְאֻמִּים,

    שֶׁנָּדַד עִם-צְלוֹחִית שֶׁל-פְּלַיְטוֹן בֵּין זֵדִים

    וַיִּזְרֹק וַיַּז גּוֹיִם רַבִּים עֲצוּמִים

    וַיְטַהֵר הָרוּחוֹת וַיְבַעֵר הַשֵּׁדִים.

    לֹא גֵרְשָׁם בִּקְסָמִים, לֹא הֲדָפָם בְּנָחַשׁ,

    כִּי בְּמַקֵּל וּבְתַרְמִיל וּבִתְפִלַּת לָחַשׁ.



    לֹא תָמוּט, אֹהֶל שֵׁם! עוֹד אֶבְנְךָ וְנִבְנֵיתָ,

    מֵעֲרֵמוֹת עֲפָרְךָ אֲחַיֶּה הַכְּתָלִים;

    עוֹד תְּבַלֶּה הֵיכָלוֹת, כַּאֲשֶׁר בִּלִּיתָ

    בְּיוֹם הֶרֶס רָב, בִּנְפֹל מִגְדָּלִים.

    וּבְרַפְּאִי אֶת-מִקְדַּשׁ יְיָ הֶהָרוּס –

    אַרְחִיבָה יְרִיעוֹתָיו וְאֶקְרַע לוֹ חַלּוֹנָי,

    וְהָדַף הָאוֹר חֶשְׁכַת צִלּוֹ הַפָּרוּשׂ,

    וּבֵעָלוֹת הֶעָנָן יֵרֵד כְּבוֹד אֲדֹנָי;

    וְרָאוּ כָל-בָּשָׂר לְמִקְּטַנָּם וְעַד-גְּדוֹלָם,

    כִּי יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר, נָבֵל צִיץ – וַייָ לְעוֹלָם!

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  6. Monsey Tzadik?

    Have you ever read his Masmid dirge? He purposely demeans those who learn torah.

    He was mumar lehachis, yemach shemo. His name doesn't belond in a Torah blog.

    ReplyDelete
  7. "Have you ever read his Masmid dirge? He purposely demeans those who learn torah.

    He was mumar lehachis, yemach shemo. His name doesn't belond in a Torah blog."
    ===================================

    We obviously did not go to the same cheider…

    Yes I read the Matmid (not the Masmid) and it is a poem which describes admirably the sacrifices and the pains one has to go through in order to be a torah scholar (ein haTorah niknes elo b'mi shemeimis atzmo oleah etc. ).

    Not to clutter rabbi Eidensohn blog I attached the last stanza which he reflects and regrets in a way leaving the yeshiva and how he misses its blessing and described it as sun ray in the darkness

    לֹא-גָרַם מַזָּלִי כִּי-אֹבַד עִמָּכֶם,

    עֲמֵלִים עֲנִיִּים – מִסִּפְּכֶם נִפְרָדְתִּי.

    נָטַשְׁתִּי תוֹרָתִי, פָּשַׁעְתִּי עַל-לֶחֶם,

    וּבְדֶרֶךְ אַחֶרֶת לְבַדִּי אָבָדְתִּי.

    הָעִתִּים הִשְׁתַּנּוּ, וְהַרְחֵק מִגְּבוּלְכֶם

    הִצַּבְתִּי מִזְבְּחִי, נָתַתִּי אֶת-סִפִּי –

    אַךְ זֹכֵר עוֹדֶנִּי אֶת-כֻּלְּכֶם, אֶת-כֻּלְּכֶם,

    תְּמוּנַתְכֶם תִּלְוֵנֵי, לֹא-תָמּוּשׁ מִלִּבִּי.

    וּזְכוּרְנִי מֶה חָזָק הַגַּרְעִין, מַה-בְּרִיאָה

    הַפְּרוּדָה הַטְּמוּנָה בְּחֶלְקַתְכֶם הַזְּעוּמָה;

    מָה-רַבָּה הַבְּרָכָה אֵלֵינוּ הֵבִיאָה,

    לוּ קֶרֶן אוֹר אַחַת יֶחֱמַתָּה בְחֻמָּהּ;

    מָה-רַבּוּ הַצְּבָתִים בְּרִנָּה קָצַרְנוּ,

    לוּ נָשְׁבָה בָכֶם רוּחַ אַחַת נְדִיבָה,

    וּפִנְתָה אֶת-"דַּרְכָּה שֶׁל-תּוֹרָה" סוֹרַרְנוּ,

    וְסָלְלָה נְתִיב חַיִּים עַד בֵּית הַיְשִׁיבָה;

    וּזְכוּרְנִי אַחֲרִיתְכֶם מַה-מּוֹרְאָה נִגְאָלָה –

    הָהּ! צַר לִי מְאֹד, צַר לִי, עַמִּי חֵלֵכָה! –

    מַה-צְּחִיחָה הַחֶלְקָה וּמַה-מְּקֻלָּלָה,

    אִם-פְּרוּדוֹת כָּאֵלֶּה תֶּעֱבַשְׁנָה בְתוֹכָהּ!

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  8. We actually read Bialik's poetry in the Orthodox Day School I went to (late 70s). I regret that I could not develop an appreciation for poetry in any language.

    My mother told me it was very "un-Sefardic" of me to not enjoy poetry.

    ReplyDelete
  9. there's a famous gemara: yoter she'hayehudim shomrim et ha'shabat, ha'shabat shomer et ha'yehudim - even more than the jews keep the shabat, the shabat keeps the jews.

    except for one MAJOR fact -- its not a gemara, its a chaim nachman bialik.

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