The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-07-20
THE BAN is RAISED! MILK AND HONEY
WILL FLOW IN ONCE BARREN PALESTINE
BY MAURICE WEIDENTHAL.

of grapes on a stick. This is what
they said of the place they came
! from:
I'VE came into the land whittier
thou sentest lis, and surely it flow
eth with milk and honey, and this
is the fruit of it"
A few days ago, some latter day
spies sent into Canaan to spy out
the land appeared before a conven-
ton of American Zionists at Pitts
burg, with exhibit B. They didn't
have bunch of grapes from Ca
naan, but, better, they had sundry
bottles of the blood of the grapes Of
the promised land. Furthermore,
they had bottles of olive oil and
strained honey.
"Behold.' said the spies, milk
and honey flow again in Palestine"
where's the milk" was asked.
Unfortunately, we were unable
to bring the COW and the goat" was
the reply, but there is plenty of
milk
The report of the spies is true.
There is plenty of milk and honey
and wine and oil in Palestine these
days. The soil of Palestine, for cen
turtles unproductive, is being re-
deemed by modern agricultural
methods. 1t bids fair to rival the
Canaan of old for productiveness.
1t only remains for the Zionists to
buy out the latter day Hittites and
sons of Anak, and go in and pos
sess the land.
That is precisely what the Zion
lists propose to do. Indeed, they are
already doing it. For five dollars
any Jew can now buy third of an
acre of land in Palestine. There
are owners of Promised Land real
estate all over the world. For three
dollars any Jew can have planted
and named after himself an olive
tree in the "Hertzlwald," an olive
forest that is being planted in
Palestine.
They are dreamers and idealists,
these Zionists.
Since the destruction of the tenn
pie at Jerusalem and the dispersion
of Israel over the globe, 1t has been
a part of the Jewish faith to pray
for the restoration of Israel as
nation. This year in exile, next
year in Jerusalem has been for
centuries an important phrase in
the Hebrew liturgy.
This yearning, this longing, is
still a part of the orthodox Jewish
faith, put its expression has been
eliminated from the prayer book of
Reform Judaism. This branch no
longer believes in Zion. Their Zion
is America, or some other liberal
nation. The orthodox Jew still looks
for the Messiah. The reform Jew
believes in a messianic age, instead
of a personal redeemer.
Since DR.. Herzy of Vienna wrote
his "Judenstaat,' there has been
marked revival in the longing to
return to Jerusalem and re-estab-
lish the Jewish nation. This book
marked the beginning of modern
Zionism. which has spread over the
civilized globe, but which is COM
paratively weak in lands where
Jews nave civil and religious lib
erty, and strong in such countries
as Russia and ROumania, where the
Jews are prosecuted and oppressed.
There are Zionists and Zionists.
1t is hard to find two opinions alike.
However, though there are many
subdivisions, the Zionists divide
into two great divisions: The relig-
ious Zionists and the practical
| Zionists.
The religious Zionists still believe
in a miraculous restoration of Israel
as a nation. However, they admit
that work of preparation is neces-
sary, and so they heartily join with
the practical Zionists in working
and making sacrifices, that Pales-
tine may again blossom like the
rose.
The practical Zionists are work
ing like beavers with that end in
view. The Jewish national fund is
a part of the Colonial Trust, which
has a capital stock of 100000
pounds sterling, $1O,OOO,OOO. 1t has
100000 stockholders, the price per
share being S.. This trust also in
cludes the Anglo-Levantine COM
pany.
The object of the Jewish Ma
tonal fund is the acquisition of land
in Palestine. There is already a
paid in capital of 100000, secured
through the sale of stamps, and of
places on the pages of the Golden
Book. through which the names of
donors will be handed down to
posterity.
There is also provision for the
direct redemption Of Palestine from
non Jewish control, by the purchase
of land at So per dunam-a third OF
an acre. The national fund has also
established the Herzlwald. Three
dollars will buy an olive tree in this
forest. Each tree is named after its
owner.
The national fund has organized
cooperative communes with view
to lettering the condition of the
Jewish laborers in Palestine, and
has established a number of schools
in Jerusalem and elsewhere, chiefly
technical, but the acquisition of
land. principally farm lands, seems
to be the main object of the Zion
lists.
Hitherto, the laws of the Turkish