Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-04-01
THE POET-HERALD OF
JEWISH REDEMPTION
By Or, RAPHAEL A. BENDONE
he Denver Chapter of the Zionist Organic

nf the Zionist Organization of America
life is crumbling, that 1t cannot die
aud withstand the wave Of modern life.
In his poem "On the Threshold OF the
| Bcth.lIamldrash" he asks: "Shall
lament your ruins (the synagog). or
shall ] lament my ruins or shall | la
mcnt and mourn the desolation of both
OF us:" lie realizes that this old sys-
TEN Is gradually crumbling away aud
Bialik Is moved to tears by its disap-
pcarancc In his poem alone" he has
n tragic vision Of the IcShivnh mourn
Ing over the last OF her Young ones, for
the rest have already followed the call
Of lifc's song. and she tries to screen
him with her broken wing and whispers
he, too, win leave me soon, | shall re
main above
FrGm the Ghetto. Whittier?
ON the other hand, every jew who
left the ghetto severed with that life
A'AfN'i anu NNHA llllb ulNilfl NbIIu
entirely. That new life was not even
continuation of the ghetto life. II WINS
not even q modification of that life. but
a total estrnngcment from the Jewish
people "A complete assimilation with
the other world and Bialik voiced with
all the vigor of his prophetic power
against this strange phenomenon. And
while blood tricklcs from your bodies
in the teeth Of your devourcrs. You
yourselves feed them also with your
souls Nou build Pithom and Ramcscs
Of your nggrcssors. and use your own
children for bricks when one of
these children will rise eagle-like into
the air. and sun.thirsty and mighty
will soar In the heights. not ray Of
light will he shed upon you-Far away
faintcst echo will not reach your ears
And the glory OF your dwelling places
will perish, and your houses be impov-
crished''-
Here Is Bialik in all his manifold
greatness. in all his prophetic magni-
tudc. He has an intense love for the
culture Of the jew. he sees that the
spirit which burns in the orthodox jew
Is the spirit that kept us alive. yet he
demands IL this is TO be the end. lie is
aware of the fact that the ghetto life
is not to he confirmed without mOdih-
cation. yet he fully realizes that as
similatiOn with other nations. that as
similution which takes the Jewish soul
away with kiss. is not salvation
either In his poem which he dedi-
Gated to Ahad.Haam whom Bialik
loved and admired as his teacher
(Ahad-EIaam, the philosopher ard cN-
ponent of modern Jewish idcalogy. cX-
crtcd Il profound influence on Bialik)
lie defends that period: 1T was the
hour of chaos. the hour of confusion. Of
ending and beginning of destruction and
building, Of old age and youth and we
TO twilight children. knowingly and
uuknowingly bowed our heads TO both
Of thcsc domalns hanging he
tween these. too, masnatc We looked for
a true prophet until your star. our
teacher appeared and modcSily beck
oncd and called MS from the dark
The Two Magnets"
The two magnGls," The ghetto cul-
turc on one side and European civil
izHtiun on the other side -whgt wide
chnsm between these Two, and how
could it he bridscd over: Bialik with
his forcsightcd vision saw distinctly
that simple "EurOpcanizaiion Of the
Jewish spirit the mere application Of
modern European idcalogy TO the new
Jewish life is not solution. The cry
aud disappointment of European civil
| iizntiun Is heard in many Of his poems,
particularly in "On The Threshold Of
Brtb-IIamidrash' and "IlHmathmid.
| The Jewish renaissance cannot be-
copied word for word from the Gentle
| renaissance. There is n world of
riches in the old citadel Of Jewish
! learning and our modern renaissance