***
The interpretive summaries go beyond a mere summary of each of Lamdan's entries and also offer analysis of what is being said. You can follow the interpretive summaries below, or you can return to the overview, translations, or concise summaries of the diary entries.
June 1914
June 26, 1914 | June 29, 1914
July 1914
July 2, 1914 | July 6, 1914 | July 8, 1914 | July 9, 1914 | July 12, 1914| July 16, 1914 | July 19, 1914 | July 21, 1914 | July 22, 1914 | July 23, 1914 | July 27, 1914
| July 29, 1914
August 1914
August 2, 1914 | August 5, 1914 | August 8, 1914 | August 16, 1914 | August 17, 1914 | August 18, 1914 | August 19, 1914 | August 23, 1914 | August 26, 1914 | August 31, 1914
September 1914
September 2, 1914 | September 4, 1914 | September 6, 1914
***
When the curtain rises, we first meet Yitzhak Lubes (he becomes Lamdan later) writing in his journal behind his home in Mlynov. It is a hot summer day, Friday, June 26, 1914. He is journaling at a small table in an alleyway behind his home in Mlynov under the shade of the willow tree; bees and flies are buzzing nearby. Though he remarks on how beautiful nature is around him, Yitzhak is frustrated and filled with sadness. He is longing to immigrate to the Land of Israel (“make aliyah”) and is hoping to join the family of Abraham Weitz who are making plans to do so. Based on earlier communications, Yitzhak has reason to believe that the Weitz family will add his name to the immigration documentation that they are working on, which will authorize their immigration to the Land of Israel, which at that time was still under Ottoman control. As will become evident, Abraham Weitz has a son Yosef who is already living in the Land of Yisrael and he is working with local authorities to assist his family with their efforts.
Lamdan is depressed and terribly frustrated with Abraham Weitz, who lives in the nearby town of Bokiima, 12 km (about 7 miles) southwest of Mlinov. On Tuesday that week Yitzhak wrote Weitz a letter asking about the status of the immigration documentation that the Weitz family was trying to secure. Yitzhak was written to Weitz several times already requesting an update on the plans. But his letters have gone unanswered so far and he can’t understand how the Weitz family can be so callous to ignore him.
One time out of sheer desperation with Weitz, Yitzhak even scrawled a question in the margin of the newspaper that Weitz reads in hopes of provoking a reply. Yitzhak doesn’t say this but the reader can discern the newspaper he wrote in was probably one picked up by a courier sent by the Weitz family to conthatvenience store of Yitzhak’s family (Mlynov-Mervits Memorial Book, 222). In several diary entries that follow, Yitzhak mentions that the Weitz family sends a courier and wagon to pick up supplies from Yitzhak’s family’s store and that Abraham Weitz’s son, David, drops by the Lubes home as well. Yitzhak remarks in fact in this current journal entry that even though the Weitz family recently sent a courier to purchase food and other supplies, and even though the courier brought a letter [perhaps to be sent out] from Abraham’s Weitz’s son, David, there was still no update about Yitzhak’s status.
Yitzhak describes himself as sad, depressed and in a “crisis state” as a result. “ How terribly tragic for me if I couldn’t travel to Eretz Yisrael,” he writes. In the recent letter Yitzhak sent to Weitz, he tried to reassure him that he would not be a burden to him in the Land of Israel. One is left with the impression that Yitzhak began his diary precisely because he was in emotional turmoil. Because of Weitz’s silence, Yitzhak fears the worst. Perhaps the Weitz family is not going to add his name to the immigration documents that they are securing. Maybe that is why he is not answering his letters. Or perhaps some tragedy has befallen him.
Yitzhak is quite eloquent in expressing his longing to make aliyah. “And I do not know which world I am in. Thus the time is already so short!! Intense sorrow fills my heart. Who knows? Who knows if some great catastrophe has befallen him? Oh no, Lord of the world, is it indeed, possible? ! … Is it really possible that my sacred idea, which I nurtured and developed, at this time, in my best feelings, and in the best blood flowing in my youthful veins; this sacred idea, for which I made great valuable sacrifices on its altar, this idea, will it really not soon come to fruition?... Truly? …
Yitzhak is feeling so desperate that he send a postcard inquiring about positions for teachers for a school in Yektaerinoslav (today Dnipro, Ukraine) that were advertised in the magazine “HaZeman." “Look what a crisis period can generate,” he remarks.
Read the translation of June 26, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Two days have passed since Yitzhak last wrote in his journal. He now reports that Abraham Weitz’s son, David, came to Mlynov and stopped by in Yitzhak’s home. When he saw him, he thought that at last he would get an update about his ambition to immigrate. But David indicated that matters were on hold; they were waiting to see if a relative named Abraham Lender was going to make aliyah. If Lender was going, they would go. If not, they wouldn’t go. Yitzhak does not report why the Weitz decision depended on Lender. While there was no decision yet about traveling, David did confirm their plans to add Yitzhak to their certificate of immigration as soon as it was feasible. While the update made Yitzhak feel a bit better knowing he was not forgotten, he was still worried and remained in a “crisis state” remained. He knew that if Mr. Weitz didn’t make aliyah Yitzhak’s father would not allow him to go either.
Read the translation of June 29, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Nothing has happened or changed for the last two days since Yitzhak last journaled, but he feels that he should write more frequently. He has no new information and continues to fret about whether his plans to make aliyah will come to fruition. Yitzhak expresses his turmoil, not wanting to think about it, but not being able to stop.
He mentions writing a poem called "Sinking Feelings," (a poem that has not been recovered). Meanwhile, he is still waiting for a response to a postcard he sent to the editorial staff of the magazine, Shaharit, complaining that he has still not received the third issue. And he is eager to receive an issue of Perahim that was going to publish a poem he wrote called “Spring Rain.”
Read the translation of July 2, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Writing on Tuesday, July 6, Yitzhak mentions having a response on the Sabbath from the principal of the agricultural school in Petah-Tikvah, a man named Dr. Pikhulitz. Whether it was a letter or postcard is not clear. The response was to a postcard Yitzhak sent inquiring about the requirements to enter the school and the life of students. Yitzhak specifically mentions receiving the response on the Sabbath and one naturally wonders what this means since he lives in a religious household. Did someone deliver a letter or postcard to his home, or did he go to the local post office in Mlynov? Did he open it and read it on the Sabbath? He doesn’t say.
In any case the principal, Dr. Pikhulitz, did not fully understand what Yitzhak was initially asking in his postcard. Yitzhak was trying to understand how students at the school make a living in the Land of Israel and any qualification barriers to entering the agricultural school. From the response, Yitzhak gleaned that he could not make a living working for others, but the principal didn’t seem to understand what he was asking about requirements. Yitzhak decides it is not worth writing again because he hopes he will be making aliyah in the near future.
But the situation is still unclear. He is still in the dark about Abraham Weitz’s plans and he ponders going to the town of Bokiima to speak to him. As noted earlier, Bokiima is about a seven mile walk from Mlynov so to go and return in one day is a hefty hike. Even though a wagon appeared at Yitzhak’s home, that the Weitz family sent to purchase household goods, he hesitates to get on the wagon heading back lest he bother them by showing up unannounced. Yitzhak decides instead to wait hoping that Abraham Weitz’s son David will come during the week and if that doesn’t happen Yitzhak will send a message asking when he can visit them.
Meanwhile a day after Yitzhak sent another postcard to the staff of Shaharit complaining that he didn’t get his copy of the recent issue, the edition arrived. “Such is life, ” Yitzhak thinks, realizing that he wasted a post card.
Read the translation of July 6, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
It has been two days since Yitzhak has written in his diary and he indicates nothing has happened. There has been no update about the pending opportunity to travel to the Land of Israel. He is in turmoil whether he should wait for Abraham Weitz’s son David to visit again or to wait for the Weitzes to send a courier for supplies at Yitzhak’s family store and to send a letter to them asking when he can visit and discuss the situation. He thinks such a letter might prompt a reply in writing. But he admits that all his earlier letters were met with silence. He is not sure what he will decide to do and feels that pessimistic about his prospects and his “crisis period” is filled with self-doubts. In the meantime, he wrote a poem in one sitting but needs to make corrections before putting it in his own book of poetry.
Read the translation of July 8, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak reports that Abraham Weitz got a postcard from his son Yosef who was living in the Land of Israel. One wonders how Yitzhak knew about the postcard and what it said? Did the Weitz family tell him or perhaps did the postcard arrive in Mlynov get held for pickup by the Weitz family at the Lamdan store? In any case, Yitzhak quotes from the postcard. Yosef reports that he is involved with others in buying land near Rehovot and is hopeful the acquisition will be done by the end of summer and that a portion of the land is retained for their relative Mr. Lender. He goes on to write that his family that in making their plans they should consider coming earlier.
Needless to say, Yitzhak gets excited and can’t restrain himself from thinking about the fulfilment of his dreams. Using gardening/ agricultural metaphors he describes his dreams: “Hope blossoms in me, deep, deep are its roots in my heart and soul. My blood waters and irrigates her and she nourishes it…and if this hope of mine is uprooted, God forbid, (how terrible!).”
Read the translation of July 9, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
It is July 12, 1914, three days since Yitzhak wrote in his journal. It is a fast day on the Jewish calendar that recalls the day the walls of the Jerusalem were breeched before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. Normally this fast would place on the 17th of Tammuz and not on the 18th, but this year the 17th fell on a Sabbath when fasting is forbidden. So the fast day takes place on a Sunday instead.
Yitzhak makes no mention of fasting and thus we do not know whether he was observing the fast. Instead, Yitzhak is surprised by his feelings at some difficult news that just arrived that day. “I don’t know whether to be happy or sad” he writes.
While he was composing a letter to send to David Weitz [Abraham’s son], a wagon appeared at his home carrying Abraham Weitz. Weitz informed him that he would not travel during the present summer for a number of reasons but that his daughter Hinda and his relative Abraham Lender might go in the month of Elul (two months hence). Yitzhak remarks in his journal that he is not sure if his situation is better or worse. His parents told him that his plans were no longer viable. But Yithak pushed back and told them it didn’t matter if they went or not since he would try to pursue getting his own immigration documentation.
Though he still feels like he is in a crisis state, he is surprised by his internal state and perhaps that he is taking the difficult news in stride. “I am not happy and I am not forlorn, I am ready,” he writes drawing on a quote from the writer Z. Shneour with which he begins his journal entry.
Read the translation of July 12, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak is writing in an alley behind his house and is acutely aware of the natural beauty around him. He sits in the shade of a willow and hears insects pleasantly buzzing around him while golden sunlight scatters around him. And though the natural beauty arrests his attention, he catches himself. Physically he enjoys the sights and sounds, but his soul and heart are elsewhere longing for the Land of Israel.
In language that is partially poetic, Yitzhak draws the ironic contrast between life in exile (galut), which abounds in natural beauty, and the reality of life as it would be in the Land of Israel, which he knows is difficult. But this contrast is superficial. Naysayers tell him his aspirations are vapid hallucinations. Is not everything in the Land of Israel wilderness and broken earthenware fragments, isolated shrubs, and gloomy rock”? Lamdan acknowledges the reality. But if you rub your eyes the dreams will come alive and everything will be beautiful. In answering “naysayers,” Yitzhak here anticipates one of his literary devices in his later poem Masada.
Outward reality is misleading. Though everything appears beautiful around him, he is in exile, his birthplace is a “stepmother who tortures him.” Yitzhak desires to reach the Land of Israel like “a son who has not seen his mother in many days.” “Who will make me a shepherd under the azure skies of our land?” he asks. While he has golden rays of sun around him while he writes, his “soul thirsts for sunlight in our father’s land.” Yitzhak longs to stand among the many Hebrew workers and hold a hoe, a spade and a plough, and to work and to sing from the joy of building, raising the ruins, singing the song of rebirth of cultivated fields and vineyards of our land. “Alas how strong are the longings for our homeland!
Read the translation of July 16, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Three days have passed since Yitzhak last made a diary entry. He continues his diary on Sunday July 19th. The entry is a mix of philosophical reflection, despair and hope, and a mundane but interesting account of how he injured his foot. He also recounts an interesting story he heard from Abraham Weitz during his earlier visit on July 12th.
The day before Yitzhak made his entry, prayers were said on the Sabbath for the new month of Menachem Av. The name of the month is Av (which means father) but it is customary to call the month Menachem Av (consoling father) to acknowledge that the month is a low point of the Jewish calendar commemorating the destruction of the first and second Temple in Jerusalem.
Yitzhak is both philosophical and morose in this diary entry. The Yiddish folk saying which he quotes, “A man plans and God laughs” captures his mood. He has been planning to go to the Land of Israel, but at the moment his plans are not materializing. Yitzhak ponders whether all human plans are in vain given that the end of life is ultimately death. Even if one realizes one’s goal, is all in vain? “What is the profit in all this if death will in the end take him from the land of the living?”
It is not surprising that given thoughts of mortality and the fleeting nature of human endeavors, Yitzhak quotes from the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes, which wonders about the meaning of life admist the transient nature of human experience. Yitzhak’s writing about futility is powerful and convincing, leading one to wonder whether he is disingenuous when he goes on to say that such thoughts only intrude momentarily and do not undermine his dream of making aliyah.
To that end, Yitzhak shifts the focus of his entry to his latest attempt to get an update from the Weitz family about plans for the journey to the Land of Israel. Yithak’s impatience is evident in this and earlier entries. He received an update a week ago, on July 12th, when Abraham Weitz paid a visit to his family home. He learned then that Weitz wouldn’t be making the journey himself but that his daughter Hinda and their relative Abraham Lender might go in another month.
Now a week later, Yitzhak indicates he hoped to visit Weitz at his home in Bokiima the day before, on the Sabbath day, “but there was no wagon.” The surprising implication appears to be that Yitzhak would have traveled on a wagon on the Sabbath day had one been available, an activity that is forbidden by Jewish law on the Sabbath. One is left wondering whether Yitzhak is already disregarding religious practice or just thinking about it.
Even apart from the religious question, Yitzhak acknowledges he would not have been able to take a wagon anyway, even if it had appeared, because of an injury to his foot. A footnote Yitzhak adds opens a window into everyday life in Mlynov: The injury took place nine days earlier (July 10th). Yitzhak’s brother Moshe asked him to get him some cold water from the well behind their house and a piece of the well’s drawing mechanism fell on Yitzhak’s foot. Although nine days have passed, his foot is still in pain and he still can’t walk very easily.
Yitzhak’s train of thought leads him next to recount a story he heard from Mr. Weitz when he was previously visiting, possibly on July 12th when Weitz last appeared at their home on a wagon. Weitz apparently told the story of a young man named Shmuel from the small town of Hubyn Pershyi, whose journey to the Land of Israel was cancelled at the last minute by his sponsors from his hometown. The young man’s name was Shmuel Bortnik. Yitzhak was friendly with him as we shall see in a subsequent entry. And the town of Hubyn Pershyi, which was 54 km east of Mlynov, was where Yitzhak’s brother, Moshe, worked in some sort of senior position.
Apparently, the residents of Shmuel’s town had agreed to sponsor his journey to the Land of Israel. Shmuel headed to the nearby town of Radzivilov [Radyvyliv, Ukraine] to leave for his journey when the residents of his hometown suddenly retracted their decision to send him to the Land of Israel. Shmuel was naturally devastated and Weitz expressed sympathy for how distraught Shmuel was by the loss of his opportunity. And Yitzhak naturally identified with the anguish of his friend. “Alas, how difficult is this situation and what a great inner tragedy for this young man. Ha! Overwhelming sorrow upon you, my dear friend, my soul is also silent crying out of sight, from fear that its hope will be in vain.”
Read the translation of of July 19, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
In this entry on this day, Yitzhak indicates he is writing in his journal to organize his thoughts, not because something noteworthy had happened. Yitzhak discusses an interesting visit by a friend with a business proposition and the discussion triggers Yitzhak thoughts about making aliyah and reveals just how isolated and misunderstood Yitzhak feels in this aspiration.
A young man named Shimon Berger came to Yitzhak’s home. He is a friend who Yitzhak mentions again later in his diary. Shimon had just returned from Dubno where he has been for a week and is excited about a business opportunity purchasing hops. But he needs to rent an office and hire a bookkeeper, and he hopes Yitzhak’s brother Moshe will be the bookkeeper. Then Shimon turns his attention on Yitzhak and prods him and suggests that he too should take a role in the business and thereby prepare himself to be a man and for the tough working life in Palestine. It is interesting to note that this is the first time in Yitzhak’s diary the term “Palestine” is used and only when quoting the words of a third person. Yitzhak never uses the term himself but always refers to the place as Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, or the land of my ancestors and with other similar descriptions.
Though Yitzhak doesn’t take Shimon Berger seriously, his suggestion still triggers Yitzhak’s own self reflections on his aspirations. Yitzhak acknowledges that neither strangers nor those close to him can understand his dreams. And he knows he can’t work in a warehouse because “haggling is totally strange to me and I am not patient by nature.”
Yitzhak goes on to describe his aspirations again to leave exile and make aliyah in now familiar terms, “to the land of revival, the land of the ancestors and offspring; to work there on the people’s field and its literature, to drive a post in the soil of our land and dwell among her mountains [35] to enjoy oneself in the radiance of her sun, the blue of her heavens, and see with my eyes the rebirth of my people and the development of her name.”
What is new for the first time is Yitzhak’s revelation that he hopes to work not just on the land but in “the field of literature and the people.” Previously when he refers to the fields in the Land of Israel, he appeared to be speaking about matters of the soil, agricultural revival, and physical rebuilding of the land. But here he apparently alludes to a hope that he can work in the field of literature and be a writer in the Land of Israel.
He ends his journal entry with a fervent prayer that the God who brought the first Zionists of Bilu to the land not let him “down in exile.” And indeed, the budding young writer is struggling, as he admits in the conclusion to this entry. He hopes to be a writer in the Land of Israel, but he is having a hard time expressing his feeling in poems. He has tried a number of times already but not had success. Yitzhak compares himself to a person who becomes dumbstruck while in the middle of speaking and is filled with so many ideas and feelings that he wants to express but cannot say. By evoking this powerful metaphor about his poetic impotence, Yitzhak belies his failure. He doesn’t know it yet obviously, but one day he will find the words to express his feeling of being alone and out on a limb by himself.
Read the translation of July 21, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak indicates that a courier from the Weitz family arrived at his home today. The courier brought a note came from David Weitz requesting that Yitzhak renew their subscription to the newspaper, HaZeman, which he had not received for a while and assumed the subscription lapsed. The request indicates that the Lamdan convenience store in their home functioned as a nexus for letters and communications and Yitzhak’s administrative role in this activity. It is evident that David Weitz couldn’t resubscribe himself from his smaller town of Bokiima and he relied on the Lamdan store to do this. Whether the Lamdan store was involved in sending and receiving mail or whether it had something to do with guaranteeing the payment is not clear. In any case, Yitzhak himself was responsible for orchestrating the subscription.
Yitzhak realizes that David Weitz has made a mistake. The subscription had not in fact lapsed. Yitzhak had created the subscription two months earlier and subscribed the Weitz family for a six month period. David apparently did not remember. The newspaper has not arrived for some other reason. Yitzhak suspected a foul-up by the administrative offices rather than an end of the newspaper’s life, which he felt would be a real shame.
In responding to David’s request, Yitzhak took the opportunity to request any news about David’s sister’s plans to go to the Land of Israel.
Read the translation of July 22, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak’s entry for July 23rd discusses a failed opportunity to visit Abraham Weitz, the fact that his brother Moshe is soon to leave for Hubyn Pershyi where he works, and an exchange of letters with Shmuel Borshtak the young man who had his journey to the Land of Israel abruptly cancelled. The entry is also of interest in illustrating the movement of letters among friends as a means of encouragement among aspiring Zionists.
Yitzhak begins with his dismay that his plans to catch a wagon to visit Weitz fell through. A wagon didn’t show up that day even though it was a market day. He expects the Weitz famiy will send someone for meat the next day, but he expects the person to come on foot, not by wagon. Yitzhak now expects he won’t get an update for two weeks since the first nine days of Av are a period of mourning, and it is not customary to go on visits to other families.
Yitzhak then mentions that his brother has not yet left Hubyn Pershyi with Abraham Borshtak and that he received a letter written by the sister of Shmuel Borshtak on her brother’s behalf. Shmuel Borshtak was the young man whose aliyah was abruptly canceled (see July 19th). The letter indicates Shmuel wants Yitzhak to come visit. Yitzhak responds with a letter of his own explaining he is in a crisis moment with regard to his journey and must stand guard to ensure he doesn’t miss any news. He also expresses words of empathy to his friend over his cancelled trip and offers him advice that if he still hopes to make aliyah, he should join an agricultural school.
Yitzhak then turns to the grief he feels not knowing his situation and the questions swirling around in his head. Was Abraham Weitz’s journey cancelled for good? Would Weitz’s daughter Hinda go? Yitzhak is afraid if he does not gain clarity soon, it will be too late to make the necessary preparations like getting his immigration documentation and allaying his parents’ concerns. He ends with a prayer that “bursts” from his heart.
Read the translation of July 23, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
On this day, just a day before the assassination that triggers WWI, Yitzhak’s diary entry gives us a window into the active mind of a sixteen-year-old boy who is extremely well read and well-aware of political debates in the wider Jewish community.
Yitzhak begins his entry mentioning a note he received from David Weitz, the son of Abraham Weitz. David was responding to Yitzhak’s previous note (see July 22nd) in which Yitzhak explained that their subscription to the newspaper HaZeman had not lapsed even though it had not arrived recently. David wanted to know whether Yitzhak had any update word on the status of the newspaper, HaZeman, since he still had not received it. “Is it still publishing?” he wanted to know. If not, could Yitzhak subscribe him to Sephira, the Hebrew daily that in the 1880s had shifted its focus to Zionist matters. As previously noted, Yitzhak is playing a role in managing communication and subscriptions for the Weitz family who live in the smaller community of Bokiima. We can assume that Yitzhak has this role because he works in his family’s store and perhaps performs a similar role for other families who live in the area.
David Weitz also responded to Yitzhak’s desire for an update on the plans of David’s sister, Hinda, to journey to the Land of Israel. Yitzhak’s own plans are tied to her plans. If she goes, Yitzhak has a chance of going too. However, David indicates her plans are still up in the air. Yitzhak repeats David’s words verbatim in his entry and then laments about the uncertainty that still plagues his aspirations to make aliyah. Yitzhak feels growing urgency now to visit the Weitz family “in the forest” and get the real story. But Yitzhak knows he’ll have to wait longer. During the first nine days of Av, which are a period of mourning on the Jewish calendar, people do not go visiting one another. After reacting to the update from David Weitz, Yitzhak shift gears and comments on some of his recent reading, making clear just how broad are his interests and how well versed he is in Hebrew Literature and current political discussions. Though only sixteen and living in a small town, he is reading daily Hebrew newspapers and periodicals with stories written by future award-winning Hebrew writers. And he is also aware of ideological debates between Zionists and non-Zionist organizations.
Yitzhak explains how he loves the reading he is doing.
I so enjoyed reading such things because, is it not obvious, it strengthens my idea to make aliyah in the near future to the Land of Israel. I yearn to read about the new lives unfolding in the Land of Israel, until I can’t stand to read very often about the lives in exile (galut)…ha! How I love our land and all that is being realized there.
Yitzhak gives us a glimpse into how he obtains some of his reading material. A day earlier, he sent a postcard to his brother, Moshe, who is now in the town of Hubyn Pershyi where he works. Yitzhak asks him to bring back a few books he wants to read. Books, evidently, were circulating via travelers from larger to smaller towns. One of the books Yitzhak wanted to read was written by Moshe Smilansky (1874-1953), a pioneer of the First Aliyah. Smilansky was born in Telpino, Ukraine, influenced by the Bilu movement and by disciples of Leo Tolstoy. He was also a disciple of Ahad Haam. Smilansky went to Ottoman Palestine in 1890, at the age of 16, the age Yitzhak was when he made this diary entry. Yitzhak also asked his brother to bring a book called Our New Literature, written by Mordechai Rabinson (1877-1953) which was an innovative history of Hebrew writers and is considered the first textbook of modern Hebrew literature. The budding literary Zionist was already well-aware of the Jewish literary currents of his day.
After mentioning the books he hoped to get from his brother, Yitzhak summarizes his reading from earlier this same day. First, he mentions reading an inspiring announcement in the margins of HaZeman (the Hebrew newspaper David Weitz was inquiring about in his note). HaZeman was published in Russia and Lithuania between 1903-1915. In 1914, when Yitzhak read it, HaZeman was a daily paper published in Vilna in Lithuania.
Yitzhak is moved by a proclamation he saw published there from former members of an aid organization called “Ezra.” They apparently switched sides in a public uproar now known in the history of Zionism as the “Language War.” In the proclamation in HaZeman they came out supporting the Zionist position that Hebrew should be the language of instruction in the professional technical school that the aid organization was funding in the Land of Israel. The debate originally broke out in 1913. For practical reasons, the head of the school had decided that German would be the language of instruction: Hebrew was a language that had only recently begun to be spoken, and there was still a great dearth of technical and scientific vocabulary in the language. After the debate roiled the Jewish community, a definitive meeting in October 1913 in Berlin decided that, indeed, German would be the instruction. In February 1914, six months before Yitzhak wrote this diary entry, the organization Ezra had finally given in to pressure from donors and supporters and agreed that instruction would be in Hebrew. It was a decisive victory for Zionists favoring the growth of the Hebrew language. Yitzhak was clearly aware of the debate and wrote approvingly of the proclamation in HaZeman by the former members of the aid organization.
After alluding to the language debate, Yitzhak mentions reading a story from a magazine called HaShiloach (“The Dispatch”) which arrived earlier the same day. “The Dispatch” was a Hebrew monthly magazine, founded in 1896 by the Zionist thinker, Ahad Ha’am in Odessa and focused on literature, science and life issues. Yitzhak remarks in his diary that he really likes reading about the lives of worldly Israelis like the essay written Aharon Avraham Kabak in the current issue he just received and by A. Talush in the previous issue. It is worth knowing a bit about the two writers he was reading:
Aaron Abrahm Kabak (1880–1944) was a Lithuanian-born Hebrew language author. His father was a rabbi and he had a traditional education in Heder and yeshiva. He wrote for several Hebrew newspapers and magazines under the pen name “A. Bar-Natan” and immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1911. When Yitzhak read his story in the magazine, Kabak was back in Europe studying at the University of Berlin. After an advanced degree in Switzerland, Kabak returned to the Mandatory Palestine in 1921. He was later recipient of the Bialik Prize for Literature in 1943.
A. Talush, for his part, was the pen name of Issar Moskovitz (1887–1962) a Russian Jewish writer who lived in the Land of Israel in 1908. After a year there he returned to Europe and eventually migrated to the US. Yitzhak was reading a novella Talus wrote called “The Insult,” which was published in 1914 in four parts.
From this one day in the life of Yitzhak Lamdan, we see just how well-read and politically aware already was this sixteen-year-old young man living in the small town of Mlynov.
Read the translation of July 27, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak is writing on July 29th, 1914, just a day after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, the day typically thought of as the start of WW1. Yitzhak does not mention the event and may not be aware of the situation yet, though he will be by the time of his next entry on Aug. 2nd. Yitzhak begins this entry focused on how insufferable the uncertainty has become related to his efforts to go to the Land of Israel.
Yitzhak then turns to what began as a mundane experience that day but became a significant experience worthy of writing about in his diary, one that underscored his dedication to aliyah. Specifically, he walked to Mervits to deliver some butter, likely part of his responsibilities for his family store. On the way back, he was accompanied by a friend Ben-Tzion Gruber, a friend of Yitzhak’s who according to later memories of him had literary talents. Along the way some Christian and Jewish laborers were repairing the road. The Christian workers began ridiculing the young men. Yitzhak is infuriated and comments that they probably would have attacked them physically if there were not Jewish workers with them. Yitzhak doesn’t say what the insults were or what the reaction of the Jewish workers was. But he did bend his friend’s ear about the experience. It is worth quoting the words Yitzhak used to describe his feelings, which illustrate one of the reasons underlying his feelings of living in exile (galut).
My blood boiled inside, and I was entirely consumed with vengeance; if I could, I would have torn the attackers of our honor to bits, why? Are we dogs? It is impossible to resist insulting us? And who are these abusers? Are we despicable and worthless as their insults suggest? [49] Why doesn’t their impure blood relax when they see Jews pass and why do they feel an obligation to insult us? But all of [the reactions] have to be kept confined inside. It is forbidden to protest– in the diaspora [galut] we are in exile [galut]. How terrible.
Yitzhak concludes his reflection explaining one of the reasons he wants to live in the Land of Israel. “There we can take vengeance, we can protest, we can fight and protect our soil and our freedom.”
Read the translation of July 29, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
On Sunday, Aug. 2, 1914, Yitzhak entered his first comment about the beginning of WWI. It was just 5 days after Austria declared War on Serbia, and a day after Germany declared War on Austria. In an irony not lost on Yitzhak, his first entry about the war was on a fast day, Tisha B’Av, the day commemorating the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and in Yitzhak’s mind the day Jewish nationality ended. Normally, Tisha B’Av takes place on the 9th of Av. But because the 9th of Av this year fell on a Sabbath, the fast day was pushed to the 10th, since fasting is not permitted on the Sabbath according to Jewish ritual law.
It is only on Aug. 2nd that Yitzhak begins to realize the magnitude of the events taking place, though he initially thought that the events were not relevant to him personally. He writes about them he says so he can enjoy their memory in the future. As he writes, however, it becomes clear even to himself that the events may be more impactful than he initially thought.
It is extraordinary that a sixteen year old boy, living in a shtetl with the population size of a large American high school, knew and understood as much as he evidently did. He knows that the conflict between Austria and Serbia was triggered by the murder of the Austrian Crown Prince. He knows that Russia is compelled by treaty to support Serbia. And he knows that Germany and Italy are compelled to help Austria. Even though Germany didn’t declare War on France until a day later (Aug. 3rd) Yitzhak already anticipates that France and Great Britain will enter the War. And he forsees already that the conflict may encompass the whole world.
Already Yitzhak can see the visible effects of the War preparation in Mlynov. Russia already called up the reserves. And there is a movement of people in town and a demand for horses and wagons. The fear among Mlynov residents is very great. Yitzhak describes how groups of people congregate every day in the streets and speak about the terrible situation. Rumors swirl and the “smell of war” is in the air. When the letter carrier leaves the post office, the whole town waits with bated breath for news reported in the newspapers. Everyone person who arrives from Dubno is surrounded by people who pepper him with questions. Already they have been told they may have to evacuate. An announcement was posted in town indicating they were in a “war zone.”
Given the difficult situation, Yitzhak admits that he can’t think about his personal aspirations to make aliyah. He realizes that he can’t think about leaving his parents now and getting immigration documentation would be even more difficult.
Meanwhile Yizhak’s older brother Moshe is still in Hubyn [Pershyi] where he worked. He sent a postcard saying that he would come home after the Sabbath but given the situation Yitzhak doesn’t have much hope he will come. Speaking of postcards, Yitzhak mentions getting a postcard today from Moshe Katz who was annoyed with Yitzhak for not responding to his letter for two months. Moshe Katz is probably the young man who was born in Mlynov and who migrated to the US with his mother and two siblings in 1913. He too was a poet like Yitzhak. In the US he later became a respected Yiddish poet in American where he took the pen name Aleph Katz.
Yitzhak ends the substance of his reflection with a quote from one of the lamentations said in synagogue on this commemoration day. “How long will there be crying in Israel and mourning in Jerusalem?” Yitzhak has more to say but he ends his entry by announcing that he has to go to the prayer house for afternoon prayers (Minhah).
Read the translation of August 2, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak begins his entry describing how sad he was saying goodbye earlier the same morning to his sister Riba, her husband Mutil Litvak, and their likeable toddler, as they departed Mlynov. The War had already broken out and they are not sure they will see each other again. Military men are already in Mlynov and Yitzhak describes the confusion and fear that everyone is feeling.
As for his own dream of making aliyah, Yitzhak naturally feels it is inappropriate to think about his personal concerns at such times. “How is it possible,” he writes, “to think about one’s spiritual and normal physical existence, at a time when you worry about how to save one’s life from annihilation... yes everyone is experiencing this.”
Normally, Yitzhak would be thrilled to talk to Mr. Abraham Weitz. But when he saw Weitz earlier this week on Sunday and Tuesday, Weitz called out to him and chided him. "And what? Even now you are thinking about [going to] the Land of Israel?”… The contrast with Yitzhak’s earlier entries in June and July could not be greater. In those entries Yitzhak was focused, maybe even obsessed, trying to figure out a way to visit or see Mr. Abraham Weitz, to talk about the plans to make aliyah. Earlier this week he mentions seeing Abraham Weitz on Sunday and Tuesday and he didn’t even mention it in his diary on those days! That’s how much the War has disrupted Yitzhak’s life.
In the middle of writing, a thunderstorm arrived and rain began to fall. In a humorous aside, Yitzhak mentions interrupting his writing and heading inside. He entered the hallway of his home just as the house cat also tried to get inside out of the rain. Apparently, the cat with muddy legs ran across the pages of Yitzhak’s diary and left stains that are still visible on the pages.
Read the translation of August 5, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak returns to his diary after two days hiatus. In the intervening time, he had things to write about, but the days were hard making writing difficult. This particular morning, he woke up to learn that military men would enter the town soon. He goes on to give an update on the War. His heart is breaking seeing many families who are fleeing from further West, along the Austrian border, coming to and passing through Mlynov on wagons with women and children and laden with their household goods. The traffic was intense today as military men entered town with officers riding by on horses and canons going back and forth. Noisy automobiles and benzene smoke filled the air. Yitzhak wonders what he and his family can possibly do and where can they flee. While he is writing in his diary, a telegram arrives from his older sister Heni (Genya) who was living in another town further east where everything was still okay. She invited her family to come join her…” Yitzhak does not say more and ends his writing because he needs to go eat dinner.
Read the translation of August 8, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak didn't write in his diary for eight days due to the chaos caused by the War. This is one of the longest breaks between entries since he started in June. He explains now that he sees no reason to write about the War in general in his diary but intends to focus on the ways in which the War impinges on them directly. To that end, he muses about how dramatically his own plans and aspirations to make aliyah have been set aside. “Before the chaos in the world and everything got thrown into confusion…I sat in the corner of my world and I spun a dream of the future for myself…(oy!).”
No one speaks about peace anymore and the presence of War is physically palpable in Mlynov. There are many Russian soldiers in town though they are “not doing anything bad to anyone, on the contrary, there are many decent men among them, the town prospers from them a lot, since their need for food and other needs are great.” The soldiers, in fact, dug a stronghold, opposite the marketplace, across from the home of Yitzhak’s uncle Yosef. Though people in town are still fearful they are somewhat more acclimated to the situation. But then four wounded soldiers were brought to town. Their appearance drove home the reality of the situation, and fear spiked intensely again.
Yitzhak next turns to the theme of peace. “During a moment of peace,” Yitzhak writes, “it is not possible to know and recognize how necessary it is for human beings,” but in facing war directly, we recognize the value of peace and the exalted ideal of the great Isaiah who said, “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation nor make war anymore.”
Yithak calls out the deep discrepancy he sees in human civilization since the prophet uttered his call for peace. On the one hand, humanity is constantly progressing and civilization advancing. Cries of progress define humanity’s vision. Yet civilization creates and improves tools of destruction including “canons which have the power to mow down thousands of soldiers.” It is evident that Yitzhak is already aware of one of the defining characteristics of WWI warfare. Artillery shells were now effective than ever before. New propellants increased their range, and they were filled with recently developed high explosive, multiple shrapnel balls which were deadly to troops in the open:
Hey you wretched civilization!” Yitzhak writes. “What is your power? Where is your glory? I spit in your face! I mock you, the great men of civilization, the builders of culture!”
Yitzhak ends his entry with what he knows is wishful thinking, with the hope that the Jewish people can realize the prophecy of Isaiah, and that the Jews “will generate world peace” that will go forth from the Land of Israel. “A wonderful dream…Is it not?”
Read the translation of August 16, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak intended to return to his diary entry yesterday in the nighttime hours, but he didn’t get back to it then. He was also delayed today in his writing because his friend Ben-Tzion Gruber came to visit and stayed until evening. This was the same friend that Yitzhak walked with on his return from delivering butter to Mervits on July 29th when they were accosted by gentiles repairing the road. Since it was already late in the day, Yitzhak says he won’t continue with the themes of peace and the nature of civilization that he was writing about yesterday.
Still, Yitzhak does have time to give an update on the present situation. “This evening everyone is full of worry. The atmosphere is saturated with the smell of blood.” Yitzhak appears to mean this metaphorically, though his last entry did mention the arrival of four injured soldiers, so he could also mean it literally. Apparently, a scandal broke out in town between Israel Halperin and one of the military men. The incident, was significant enough that everyone closed their stores and fled home, though Yitzhak says he doesn’t know what it was about. The sounds of War are present now and canons can now be heard in the distance.
Read the translation of August 17, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
This is the third day in a row that Yitzhak wrote in his diary, somewhat atypical for Yitzhak. Since starting this diary in June, he has written three days in a row only once before in July (21-23). In this entry, he is mostly reflecting on the general impact of the War and on his personal dreams about the Land of Israel. He knows the present moment is just the quiet before the storm. He wonders whether it will be possible to flee and if so, where he or others could go.
In his personal life, he writes that “Obviously, I am not thinking about the Land of Israel now.” He knows it would be preposterous to do so. But he admits that in secret he still weaves a dream about aliyah. Yitzhak’s disgust for “the exile” (hagalut) continues to grow and he know how harmful it is for the Jewish people. He thus condemns those Jews who promote exile. He is quite eloquent describing the pernicious effects of the galut:
What future do they see for our people in this terrible exile (galut), even after various vigorous efforts on behalf of the people? Is it possible to build a solid foundation under our people’s feet in this terrible exile (galut)? Is it not a generation of eternal slaves, a Jewish generation that lives only for others, bitterness flows from their despicableness and [the people] stands in its contemptibility; one who plants fields of others and doesn’t benefit from its fruit, in short: in exile (galut) it is possible to raise only generations of slaves, and for all its cultural qualities it will remain in the eyes of the people like a dancing monkey fulfilling the desires of those who watch… No! Exile (galut) – for us is only a lengthy torture without end, and sometimes death is much better than that...
Towards the end of his entry, Yitzhak turns back to a more personal subject. He reflects on the purpose of his diary and admits it doesn’t fulfill one of its purposes. He is not being completely open in the diary due to prying eyes. Reading between the lines, it appears he has a love interest he doesn’t want anyone to know about. He is hopeful that he might start writing about the subject in the coming days if, God willing, life permits. In the meantime, he indicates he is expressing his feelings of love in his poems. Unfortunately, none of those poems have survived.
Read the translation of August 18, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
This is the fourth day in a row that Yitzhak has written in his diary. He is sitting at his table inside his house and although it is quiet, there was a dramatic departure of army personnel that morning and grief hangs in the air. The military men from Kiev who were stationed in Mlynov and apparently eating frequently at Yitzhak’s home left for the front this morning. Only the night before, the soldiers were visiting at his home and had been optimistic that they would not have to go to the front. They even gave instructions to his mother to prepare a meal for them for today. But shortly after they left last evening, they returned. They were trembling and speaking with difficulty. They just received word that they would be heading out that night and needed to get ready. Needless to say, Yitzhak was saddened and moved to tears and the men themselves were beside themselves at the news. Yitzhak’s heart aches for them and everyone going to war and his thoughts lead him to wonder again where is civilization and progress? It was and remains a good question. Yitzhak’s eloquent painful reflection on war is exquisite and still resonates:
And where is culture? Where is civilization? Where is the man of progress? Human development¬–where is it? Where are you? – But is your reality not thrown in doubt!...The situation is terrible, exceedingly terrible, men leave to fight with brothers, fellow human beings like them, against their will, blood touches blood... blood cries out about the terrible injustice taking place now under the sun: Where is integrity? The entire world is on the verge now of being destroyed on behalf of a conflict between rulers. And those same cruel rulers now decide to slaughter tens of thousands of people and they sit in their palaces and live lives of leisure – they will also be given the land!
Rise up God, how long will you be silent?!– – –
Read the translation of August 19, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak hasn’t written in three days when he picks up his pen again on August 23rd. This is one of his longest and most complex entries filled with allusions to the War situation and political trends in Russian politics involving the Jews at the start of the War. Yitzhak’s entry exhibits his robust understanding of the ambiguity facing Jews at WWI’s outset and his distrust of those in Russia who are suddenly making positive overtures to the Jews. He knows that fighting is expected to break out anytime along the nearby Russian border with Austria, but he hasn’t heard yet whether in fact battles have begun. In fact, what is now known as the Great Battle of Galicia between Russia and Austria began on this very day.
Yitzhak is praying that Russia will win the battle against Austria so that the danger to them in Mlynov is reduced. But he also feels ambivalent about such a prayer knowing that there are Jews fighting and living on both sides of the border. He has heard rumors already in fact that when Russian Cossacks entered the Austrian town of Brody, the Jews in town suffered the most. He knows that even if Jews don’t suffer harm, they will have to become refugees. The Jews, Yitzhak says, are like a pitcher. They “break” whether the pitcher falls on a rock or the rock falls on the pitcher.
One of the tragedies that has caught Yitzhak’s attention is the large number of Jews in the Russian army. He cites a number of reasons for this. The mobilization called up young men who were 23 years of age and closed the borders so that Jews could not flee. Another factor was the way in which Jews were rallying behind Russia, declaring their patriotism, and volunteering for the army. Yitzhak is even aware of the speech in 1914 by Naphtali Friedman, a Jewish member of the Russian Duma, declaring the patriotism of the Russian Jews.
Yithak is skeptical of the sudden change in attitude by former right-wing agitators in Russia who were previously rabid antisemites, evening mentioning several by name. So too he is not taken in by the government’s relaxing of the legal restrictions on Jewish merchants. “Any smart person,” Yitzhak writes, "can discern that all of these things just mentioned are only for the duration of the War…"
Yitzhak is dismayed when he reads in the Hebrew newspaper, HaZeman, about a Jewish writer in the Jewish Russian newspaper, Novi Voshkod, who prophesied a bright future for Jews in Russia. “It impossible to know if the writer of the article is so naïve or is brain dead.”
It is notable how current Yitzhak is on this shift in attitude in Russia. He even knows that some Jews are placing hope in a change of attitude by Vladimir] Golubev, one of the key instigators in the 1913 blood libel accusation in the “Beilis Affair.” “He too has now become our friend,” Yitzhak writes sarcastically. He continues: A little patience my friends! Wait until the war ends, please let our accursed haters remove the veils from their faces, – and see what becomes of your hope? Naïve ones! Can a black person (kushi) change the color of his skin or a tiger its stripes? On the other hand, do these “progrom instigators,” and “blood suckers,” each and every one of them [85] want our well-being? They only abuse us! For what is this servile flattery? Why should we corrupt our form more than it is now?
In wrapping up this entry, Yitzhak remarks that the summer is coming to an end while the fourth part of his diary is ending. He prays that his diary will be favored with entries that he writes someday in the Land of Israel.
Read the translation of August 23,1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak wrote three days ago. He begins reluctantly due to a lack of material. “It is impossible for me to write now about the general situation,” he writes. This may be because Yitzhak was worried about the new Russian censorship laws. On July 20, 1914, Russia promulgated the “Provisional regulations on military censorship” which focused particularly on the front lines, but also included newspaper article, telegrams and private letters. The rules were intended to prevent information about the movement of troops from falling into the wrong hands and to limit news or criticism that would undermine morale. In addition, Yitzhak makes clear that the War situation is confusing and he can’t extract anything definitive from what is going on.
Personally speaking, Yitzhak indicates his longings for the Land of Israel returned intensely. “Yikes, how much the longings for the Land of Israel attack me.” Yitzhak recalls how before the War he felt so close to achieving his objective, which now seems like a pipe dream. He quotes Judah Halevi, the Sephardic Jewish poet, physician and philosopher, “My heart is in the East [i.e., the Land of Israel] and I – am in the end in the West.”
As twilight arrives and the darkness begins to deepen, Yitzhak ends his writing. But not before sharing this final thought about his current feelings: “Many feelings still bubble up now in my heart, my heart is overflowing its banks full of love for my people and my land, and with this it hurts about the destructive exile (galut) that deforms my people, and abuses it relentlessly…”
Read the translation of August 26, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Yitzhak hasn’t written for five days, and he now feels he must tackle an entry. He doesn’t recall the details of the last five days, and we soon find out why: Many wounded and dying Russian soldiers were brought to town from a recent attack. This number far exceeds the four wounded soldiers who were brought to Mlynov on August 16th. Yitzhak feels turmoil seeing this vision of “men who were recently healthy and whole, who recently had the shining fire of life in their eyes and now are lying wounded, some fatal and some not, and some of them thrown into the ground after falling slain on the battlefield.”
“…It is difficult to hear their moans from the intense pain of their wounds,” Yitzhak writes. “Lord of the World! This blood that spills like water, for what?”
The wounded who arrived in Mlynov during this time were from one of the battles on the Eastern Front between Russia and Austria-Hungary that took place in the first phase of the War known today as the “Battle of Galicia” (August 23rd – September 11th). Ultimately, the Astro-Hungarian armies were defeated in this series of battles and Russia occupied Lemberg (now Lviv) and Eastern Galicia. But in several of these first battles, the Austro-Hungary armies were holding their own. The wounded who were brought behind the front lines to Mlynov were probably from either the Battle of Kraśnik (Aug. 23rd-25th) or the Battle of Komarów (Aug. 26–Sept. 2nd), both in which the Astro-Hungarian forces were victorious.
The turmoil from the War undermines any thought Yitzhak has about his real ambition, to make aliyah to the land of Israel. Still a protest against living exile wells up in him even more intensely now. The atmosphere he says is filled with hate towards the Jew, and accusatory tales circulate among the boorish people about the Jews. Yitzhak cites one example: Christians are accusing Jews of supporting Austria by sending a barrel full of gold to Austria hidden under salted fish. “All the Christians plow evil on you,” Yitzhak writes, and if they were able, they would “put an end to your life in a second.”
Read the translation of August 31, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
***
Yesterday, when Yitzhak awakened, he heard a noise, some running back and forth in the house and a cry of sorrow. What prompted the disturbance was the arrival of two hundred wounded soldiers who were brought to Mlynov from the battlefield across the border. The wounded were distributed among the various homes in town: the doctor’s home, the pharmacist's, even the home of the Graf (the Count), among other homes. Everyone rushed to bring them food and drinks. Yitzhak hurried to see for himself and entered the doctor’s home. The moaning of the wounded depressed him and fired up his inner protest against war and the shedding of blood. He felt a bit better at noon today when the wounded were removed from Mlynov, though Yitzhak knows the respite is likely only temporary.
Information that appeared in the newspapers today also disheartened him. He read that Turkey (another name for the Ottoman Empire) was likely to declare War against Russia soon. In fact, Turkey signed a secret agreement with Germany a month earlier on August 3rd but had not yet engaged in hostilities.
The news immediately triggered Yitzhak’s realistic worries that the involvement of Turkey would have a detrimental impact on the efforts of the settlers in the Land of Israel. The Ottoman Empire still had control over Palestine and its entrance to the War would mean that Palestine too would be drawn into the hostilities and fighting. Yitzhak worries that Turkey’s involvement will destroy the progress made reviving the land of Israel and dash the hopes of those like himself who dream of going there. Turkey would not officially enter the War until October 29, 1914.
Read the translation of September 2, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
In this entry, Yitzhak provides a short update on the War’s progress before turning his attention to his main focus, the devastating treatment of Jews in areas conquered by Russia areas and the second-class status of Jews in Russia itself.
Yitzhak notes that though Russia has been conquering place after place in Austria, Russia suffered a significant defeat against Germany and lost two military corps with thousands of men. Germany is also reportedly doing well against the other governments of France and Belgium. Surprisingly and incorrectly, Yitzhak also mentions Italy as one of the powers Germany was doing well against. At this stage of the War, Italy was still a member of the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria and was still neutral in the War and hence not involved in the fighting. Yitzhak also reiterates the expectation first mentioned on September 2nd that Turkey will soon declare war on the side of the Central Powers. People expect Bulgaria, Romania and Greece to follow soon after.
After sharing that general update, Yitzhak lambasts Russia’s military for its devastating treatment of Jewish life and property in the conquered Austrian territories. Russia’s military were joined in their abuse by the local farmers who were provisioning Russian army with food: Yitzhak writes: “the Jewish soul is also surrounded on all sides,: they kill, beat our brethren without mercy, desecrate our holy things, scattering Torah scrolls in mud, or tearing and burning [them], houses of worship ruined and burned and with them all the invaluable books in all the terrible destruction and ruin.”
Yitzhak then turns his attention back home, to the hypocrisy in Russia itself, to Russia’s treatment of the Jews, and to the Jews who stupidly continue to volunteer for War and Russia. Jews have done much to support the War, Yitzhak notes. They have provided a great deal of gold already to the War effort and have built hospitals for the wounded, regardless of their nationality or religion. Yet discrimination against Russian Jews continues. As an example, Yitzhak cites the case of a Jewish lawyer (whose name he has forgotten) who is called up for military duty and wants to bid farewell to his family, who are living in a part of Russia (Kursk) where Jews need special permission to live. The authorities turn down his request and treat him no better than a dog. All of this makes Yitzhak seethe in frustration with Russia and with the Jews who still support the War effort and with exile itself. “My spirit is not calm even for a second. I can’t find rest in seeing the situation of my people in exile, and I feel a personal duty to get up and do something for its benefit…”
“How long?!” Yitzhak asks at the end of his entry, “Until When!?”
Read the translation of September 4, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Today, Yitzhak feels called upon to write before noon, a time he doesn’t normally write. As his entry for this day unfolds, it becomes clear why. He is angry and wants to express some of it. What triggers him are the stories reaching him from the combat zone, stories that make one’s hair stand on end about the needless blood shedding and misery that the War is producing. One story he heard just today agitates him no end and was likely the cause of his early morning writing.
A soldier was passing by and he could not stop crying. When they asked him what he was crying about, he told them how he was told to bury the dead and came across a fatally wounded Jewish soldier. The wounded man grabbed his hand and pleaded not to be buried with the dead. When the soldier reported the situation to his officer, the officer came over to the wounded man. The wounded man grabbed the officer’s hand, again pleading that he not be buried. But the officer refused, “taking you from here is impossible and if you are not buried the dogs will tear you apart.” So he gave the order to the soldier to bury the wounded man. As he was burying him, the man kept shaking his head and begging with signals to leave. The soldier who told the story couldn’t stop crying while he doing so.
The story totally depressed Yitzhak, realizing there are thousands of such moments and the vast pain that is the result. He then launches into an accusation of God for allowing War that has no purpose to continue. This is his most pointed criticism in his diary to date directed towards heaven. In Yitzhak’s own words:
Oh Heavens! These many portions of blood shed that are mostly in vain, why are they? And this general, terrible tragedy that comes now to the world, what is its benefit? What profit is there in these additional wretched lives that extend into the thousands? And since these battles whose consequences are only the following: [106] terrible shedding of blood; the death of thousands of people who are innocent of any crime, an increase of misery while living, a diminution of a nation and its inhabitants, and more and more, then why don’t you free [us] from it and cancel it from the world?! Is it true that this is how it needs to be? No! It is impossible, this law [that there needs to be war] needs to change. This spilling of bloods needs to be eliminated from the world. The alternative is impossible!
Yitzhak appears to have felt that he was on the verge of blasphemy for he abruptly breaks off his writing at this point, even though he acknowledges he has more to say on the subject: “In the meantime, I’m going to end my writing, the thoughts I’m having now about all that I am writing here – a bit of which was written here, and the rest of things that I have to write about the Jews and the War, about my personal situation, etc., etc.,…”
Read the translation of September 6, 1914 or return to the top of the page.
***
Interpretations by Howard I. Schwartz
Updated: July 2024
Copyright © 2025 Howard I. Schwartz, PhD
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