Eliézer Ben Yehoudah

Éliézer Ben-Yéhouda (Hebrew: אֱלִיעֶזֶרבֶּן־יְהוּדָה ), born Éliézer Isaac Perelman Elianov , with Luzhky, Lithuania, on January 7th, 1858, deceased with Jerusalem on December 21st, 1922, journalist, professor. He plays a leading role in the resurrection of Hebrew, spoken language, some hundred years after the rebirth of Hebrew, literary language, at the beginning of the Haskala.

Biography

Family

His/her father is Yéhouda Leib and his mother Feyga Perelman. Both are Juif S hassidic S ( Hassidim Habad ) and speak the Yiddish.

Education

As good number of high Jewish boys in Eastern Europe at the same time that him, it will be in liaison with biblical and talmudic Hebrew during 9 years. Indeed, as of the three years age, it begins the study from the principal texts of the Hebraic liturgy which are the Torah and Mishna. Following the death of her father at the 5 years age, his/her mother entrusts her guard to her uncle David Wolfson.

After having reached the age of the religious majority ( bar mitsvah ), that is to say 13 years, his/her uncle sends it to continue religious studies in a small talmudic academy ( Yeshiva ) located at Polatsk, city of current the Bielorussia. A student whom it crosses by chance having advised to him to be registered with the small news yeshiva of the city, he becomes the pupil of the rabbi Maskilim Rav Yossi Bloïker who will secretly introduce it with the Jewish ideas of the Haskala while making him read certain judged books heretics by the orthodoxe ones. He will read inter alia Tsohar ha-Teva ( the attic window of the Arch ), Kour Oni ( Robinson Crusoé ), the Guide of Stray the of Moïse Maïmonide, Principes and bases of divine wisdom of Haïm Z. Slonimski, the Trésor of wisdom of Zvi Rabinovitch, Ahavat Tsion ( love of Sion ) of Abraham Mapu. He is detached more and more from the religion until the day when he decides total abandonment of his rabbinical studies. He is given to enter to the laic Gymnase Russian to Dünabourg, a small town of current the Latvia, in order to go later to study medicine at the university of Moscow. It is the rupture with his/her uncle and the Éliézer young person sees himself delivered to itself.

Extremely fortunately for him, a business man hassidic, Samuel Naphtali Herz Jonas, of Glubokoye adopt it. It is in this family that it meets his future wife, Deborah, oldest daughter of her new godfather. From four years older than Éliézer, she will teach him Russian, French and German.

Hardly arrived at Dünabourg, it is presented to a Jew named Vitinski, which it will regard as its second Master. Vintinski provides then for its primary education needs during one year and the assistance to be prepared at the entry in final class with the gymnasium of the city. The Master the met in contact with the ideas of the Russian Nihilism, making him discover Lavrov Pietr Illitch, Dimitri Pissarev and Nikolaï Tchernychevsky. In his autobiography, Ben-Yéhouda confesses that at that time, it breaks almost completely with his membership of the Jewish people. Only the thing which prevents it from becoming completely Russian is its attachment with the Hebraic language. It continues to read any Hebrew text which falls to him under the hand. It becomes inter alia reader of the monthly newspaper ha Shahar of Peretz Smolenskin.

In 1876, the Bulgares raise against the Othoman power .

It is with the courses of these years which it comes to the firm conviction that the Jewish people have right, like all the other people, to constitute in State-Nation some share on Earth. In an autobiography which he writes between 1917 and 1919, he explains why it is at that time, towards the 17 years age, that he lets himself invade by the ideal which is the rebirth of the Jewish people and his historical language on the ground of the ancestors, Eretz Israel. In spite of the pessimism of the Jewish authors of this time face in the future of the Hebraic language and even vis-a-vis its utility, it acquires the conviction that it is necessary to try to reconstitute, on Eretz Israel, a Jewish nation speaking Hebrew, only language common to all the Jews. But Hebrew is not any more the native tongue of any Jew since centuries. After having read Vistnik Yebroukou , Russian translation of the English novel Daniel Deronda of George Eliot, it makes the decision to go to Paris there to study medicine and to give an financial autonomy. It already projects to settle in Israel thereafter.

In 1877, at the 19 years age, it finishes its secondary studies and in 1878, it leaves Dinabourg for France.

Paris

It is in a coffee of the Latin Quarter that it makes the meeting of its third Master, a Russian journalist of the name of Tchashnikov, corresponding to the Rouski Mir . Of noble family and friend of the princess Troubetskaïa, the journalist, in forty, takes it under his wing and thanks to this meeting, Éliézer learns all the secrecies from journalism and the Parisian political world. It accompanies Tchashnikov with the debates by the National Assembly and the theater. To provide for its needs and to pay its studies, Tchashnikov gets to him work of translation of French to Russian.

It begins from the medical studies to the Université of Paris (Sorbonne). During its first winter in the city, it contracts the Tuberculose, fatal disease still today. The doctors whom he consults fear for his life and advises to him to leave France for a country where the winters are less cold. Its condition of health will force it soon to give up its medical studies, but not before to have made known its project in Paris.

When Éliézer finally goes so far as to entrust to his/her friend journalist the secrecy of his arrival in Paris, Tchashnikov the support and encourages it to make known, by the means of the newspapers, its idea of the resurrection of Hebrew on the Holy Land of the Jews.

Under the name of feather E. Ben-Yéhouda, it subjects an article entitled She' elah Lohatah ( an extreme question ) to the newspaper ha Maguid , but without success. Its article is finally published in 1879 in the newspaper ha Shahar . In this text heralding the political Zionism, it defends the thesis which Hebrew can exist only if one Jewish nation lives again on the ground of its ancestors.

Pourquoi did you conclude from there that Hebrew is a dead language, that it is unusable for arts and sciences, that it is valid only for the “subjects which touch with the existence of Israel”? If I did not believe in the redemption of the Jewish people, I would have drawn aside Hebrew like an useless obstacle. I would have admitted that the maskilim of Berlin were right to say that Hebrew had interest only like one bridge towards the Lights. Having lost the hope in the redemption, they cannot see of another utility to this language. Because, Sir, allow me to ask you what Hebrew for man can mean well who ceases being Hebrew. What does it represent moreover for him that Latin or the Greek? Why would he learn Hebrew, or why would read it his reappearing literature?

It is foolish to protest with great cries: “Let us preserve Hebrew, for fear we do not perish! ” Hebrew can be only if we revive the nation and let us bring back it to the country its ancestors. It is the only way to carry out this redemption which nothing finishes. Without this solution we are lost, lost for always.

It is hardly doubt that the Jewish religion will be able to survive, even out of foreign ground. It will change its face according to the spirit of the moment and the place, and its destiny will be that of the other religions. But the nation? The nation will be able to live only on its ground, and it is on this ground that it will renew its youth and that it will produce splendid fruits, as in the past.

Its text does not shake the men of the Haskala , who according to Yéhouda for the majority had already given up as much the religion as with the Jewish national heritage and considered the use of Hebrew only as means of supporting the integration of the Jews to the various nations of Europe. Berl Dov Bar Goldberg for example, that Yéhouda attends regularly during its stay in Paris, is not at all favorable to its national project of resurrection.

It is at Goldberg that Yéhouda meets several famous Jews such Michael Erlanger, person in charge of charitable works of the Edmond de Rothschild and writer of the socialist newspaper ha Emits (the truth), like Getzel Zelikovitch, which is made known during the Crise of Fachoda. The pronunciation séfarade of Hebrew spoken by this last had a great effect on Yéhouda which heard it for the first time.

It is in Paris which it takes the practice to converse only in Hebrew with the Jews that it meets. For the needs for its own conversations, it draws up a list of Hebrew words old and contemporary and even puts itself to invent new words to describe things and ideas which then did not have words associated in this language. In its autobiography, he affirms that milon (dictionary) is in fact the first neologism which he conceived in this adoptive language.

In 1880, it publishes two articles in the newspaper Havatzelet (the lily) of Israel Dov in order to preach the use of Hebrew like language of teaching in the schools of Jerusalem.

Its health condition worsens quickly. The doctors whom it meets prohibit him to attend the laboratories of the medical college and suggests to him leaving France for a hotter country. Believer who he will succumb soon to his disease, he will make the decision to go to Jerusalem as soon as possible. In the absence of a career of doctor, it takes part in seminars given by the Alliance universal Jew (AIU) hoping to qualify itself for a station of teaching at the school of agriculture Mikvé-Israel of Charles Netter. He is considered to be inapt for work, however Netter makes it admit at the teacher training school of the teachers of the AIU. The assyriologist Yoseph Halévi will be one of his professors.

When Yéhouda starts to spit of blood, the doctor of the teacher training school the fact of hospitalizing with the Hôpital Rothschild. At this point in time it is hospitalized that it meets Abraham Moshé Luntz, also hospitalized to him, which teaches him that the various Jewish communities already established in Israel, the ashkénazes, séfarades, Maghrebians and géorgiens, are already accustomed to speaking each other in Hebrew séfarade, only language understood of all. After two past weeks at the hospital, its doctor orders that it leaves France for a country of the South. It is the hospital which finances its voyage to Algiers where it takes again forces during wintry time. He turns over to France at the end of the winter, but remains very little of time: he decides that he must meet the owner of the ha Shahar which, contrary to him, believes possible that the Jewish people live his life of people, even in exile. He thus passes to Vienna, at the expenses of his Russian friend.

Vienna, Jaffa

Arrived at Vienna, it goes directly to the residence of Peretz Smolenskin. The woman of this one teaches him that it has not been at the house but in Russia for two months to inquire into the Pogroms which have just burst in several points of this empire. Smolenskin returns at his place some two weeks after the arrival of Yéhouda. It is then useless with this last to convince the owner of ha Shahar of anything since this one completely changed opinion.

Meanwhile, Deborah, its been engaged had joined it with the firm intention to follow it where which it goes. It starts to teach Hebrew with Deborah which like all the Jewish women of the time forever learned how to speak this language. The young couple Marie with the Cairo in Egypt. They live their weddings by exploring some cities of the Mediterranean on their way towards the Othoman Palestine. They stop with Bucharest and Constantinople. The Russian friend of Yéhouda, Tchashnikov, joined them in the course of road and they unload all three with the port of Jaffa (today Such-Aviv-Jaffa) in the month of October 1881.

With the approach of this port city, Yéhouda feels a faintness, a deep anguish, affirms it in its autobiography. He speaks even about a feeling of depression, with the sight of reality: the ground of these ancestors were already inhabited by people who felt on their premises, were citizens and had political rights there, whereas was to him a foreigner without any right. At the time to press the Holy Land, it feels only one powerful feeling of terror.

The three travellers are made invite in a Jewish inn. It is only once returned in this place and in contact with its owners, that it successful quietly to release itself from its anguish.

Jerusalem

Arrived at Jerusalem, Israel Dov offers to him to work for its newspaper Havatzelet . He becomes assistant editor association and sees himself offering wages of twenty francs per month. He makes use of this station privileged to promote the rebirth of language and the Hebraic culture in Jerusalem. Its first article, which appears on September 12th, 1881, denounces the political decisions of the AIU and invites the Jews to make without it:

As, we say as the solution recommended by Alliance against the ground cradle of our people will not save the totality of the people and it is thus vain to await from it the safety which will come only from us. It is vain to await anything of this company, with the risk to insert us in the error. Thus let us carry out ourselves what Alliance refuses! Let us organize a great association which will do what Alliance could and did not want to make.

At that time, good number of people are let gain by the Jewish nationalist project. In consequence of the first episodes of pogroms in imperial Russia, feeling safe more in their country because of their origin and their religion, not having practically more anything to lose and having lost so much already, some 10.000 people leave the territory of the Russian Empire to settle in Eretz Israel . It is the first Aliyah, which being itself of 1881 to 1903. Some organizations like the Lovers of Sion under the leadership of Brace Lilienblum and Leon Pinsker just as the Bilou of Israel Belkind sympathize with the cause of Hebrew like national language.

In spite of this context, the great project of the rebirth of Hebrew promoted by Yéhouda remains very marginal and its adhering must surmount several obstacles of size. They are ridged inter alia with several lobbys preferring that French, or German or English, three strong European languages, plays the unifying part that Yéhouda projects for Hebrew in Israel.

Conscious that it will have to compose with the presence in Jerusalem from various communities of beliefs and individuals who are of enthusiastic monk, it undertakes to tie bonds of friendship with all the influential people of Jerusalem. During its first week in the city, it meets inter alia Yéhiel Michael Pines, the delegate of the Foundation Moses Montefiore and the Russian consul Mr. Kouzibnikov.

Although discouraged from learning that hardly 30.000 Jews (some 16.000 in Jerusalem and others dispersed with Jaffa, Hebron, Safed, Tibériade, Haïfa, Saint-Jean-in Acre and Sidon) live Eretz-Israel and that they do not have almost anything in fact institutions and land goods, it is comforted owing to the fact that the Jews constitutes the majority of the population of the Holy City, more than the brought together Moslems and Christians.

At the third day of the Souccout, it has accompanied Israel Dov which returns visit to the Hakham Bachi, the rabbi Raphaël Meïr Panigel posts some for one year. Very little impressed by qualities of spirit of Meïr, it is it however by its appearance. There remains marked by the aspect and solemn, majestic and luxurious clothing of the character who contrasts with the generalized poverty of the Jews of the Holy City.

At the last day of Souccout ( Hoshanna Rabba ), it seals a pact with Pines, both being committed making exclusive use of Hebrew between them, within their hearths and in all the situations where their interlocutors understand the language. This voluntary unilinguism belongs to the strategy of propagation of Hebrew like common public language of the Jews of all nationalities in order to cement their union in a ressuscitée Hebraic nationality.

It decides to conform to all the Jewish religious rules and adopts the habits séfarades, including the means-Eastern clothing which it finds very elegant. He eats food Cacher , lets himself push the beard and carries a Tarbouch . In its autobiography, he admits that he found very difficult to conform to the religious laws because he felt hypocritical, him which was incroyant since adolescence. He gives up even his statute of Russian national and is made Turkish citizen.

In 1882, Nissim Béhar of the School of Alliance universal Jew, proposes to him to become teaching, offers that it accepts only provided that one gives him freedom to give his Hebrew courses. Nissim Béhar does not need to be convinced and accepts the condition, even if she contravenes the policy of the AIU.

It is at that time that the pioneers of the “Lovers of Sion” that are Joseph Feinberg, Z.J. Livontin, Moshé Lilienblum elect the area of Jaffa as place chief of Jewish colonization. Yéhouda and Pines are opposed and rather supported to it Jerusalem which is already a Jewish city recognized like such by the Arabs. They are convinced that the establishment of Jews in a city mainly Arab as Jaffa is dangerous for the project of national rebirth.

July 25th, 1882 (9 Av 5642), a decree of the Sultan formally prohibits to the Jews of Russia to settle in Palestine and to buy grounds there. The decree was raised only 35 years later. All the efforts of colonization had to be made at the price corruption government officials Turkish.

It is on July 31st, 1882 (15 Av 5642) which is born its first wire, Ben-Zion Ben-Yéhouda (more known under its pen name Ithamar Ben-Avi), who will become the first child of the contemporary time to grow in a family speaking only Hebrew. It is also the date of foundation of the principal Jewish colony Rishon-le-Tsion .

In 1885, it publishes a work of geography entitled Ground of Israel .

In 1888, it founds its own newspaper which it names ha Zvi (the stag).

In 1890, with David Yellin, it founds the Committee of the Hebraic language which will become later an Academy of the Hebraic language.

In 1891, his wife dies of tuberculosis after having seen several of her children dying in low age. It remarie with Hemda, the young sister of her wife, six months later.

In 1894, it is thrown in prison by the Turkish government which shows it sedition. It will be released on the intervention of the baron de Rothschild after a one year imprisonment.

In 1897, it founds the Hashkafah (Vision), a weekly magazine which becomes twice-weekly thereafter.

As from 1901, it begins an important work from pioneer in the linguist field by working out his old and modern Hebraic Dictionary language (Milon Halashon ha' ivrit ha' yshana vehakhadasha). Not only it makes an inventory of all the resources of existing Hebraic language, but it creates quantity again words to describe new realities of its time. He works with this work until the end of his life. The first volumes are published in 1910. His second wife and her Ehud son will continue will continue her work and will finish in 1959.

In 1914, it leaves Jerusalem for the United States, fleeing political persecution.

Exile in the United States

Arrived at New York in 1914, it one entitled book Until which time Hebrew was it publishes spoken?

In 1918, it publishes its autobiography entitled the dream crossed .

It returns to Jerusalem in 1919.

Return to the country

It carries out the combat so that Hebrew is recognized like language official in Palestine.

It founds Sefatenou (Our language), a company for the diffusion of Hebrew.

It belongs to the committee of preparatory for the setting-up of a Hebraic university in Jerusalem.

He dies in Jerusalem on December 21st, 1922.

Chronology

1858 - on January 7th, birth of Eliezer Yitzhak Perleman in Luzhky in Lithuania.
1862 - Moses Hess makes appear Rome and Jerusalem .
1863 - His/her father dies.
1877 - It obtains its diploma of secondary studies.
1878 - It leaves Russia for France to learn medicine there.
1879 - Its famous article entitled an extreme question ( She' elah Lohatah ) is published in the newspaper ha-Shakhar .
1880 - He marries Deborah Yonas in Cairo in Egypt.
1881 - In October, it settles in Jerusalem in Palestine with his wife.
1881 - Pogroms of mass in imperial Russia followed by the foundation of the movement of the Lovers of Sion .
1881 - It founds, with Y.M. Fines, D. Yellin, Y. Meyuhas, and A. Mazie, the company Tekhiyat Israel .
1882 - Foundation of the movement Bilou ( Beït Yaakov Léhou Vénelha ) by Israel Belkind in Ukraine.
1882 - on July 25th, birth of its first wire, Ben-Zion Ben-Yéhouda, who pronounced his first Hebrew words.
1888 - It founds a Hebraic newspaper of language which it names ha Zvi ( the stag ).
1891 - He is cofounder of the Comité of the Hebraic language ( Vaad ha-lashon ), which will become the Académie of the Hebraic language ( HaAkademia LaLashon HaIvrit ) in 1953.
1891 - His Deborah woman dies. It had contracted the terberculose of her husband.
1891 - It remarie with Hemda, the sister of Deborah.
1894 - on December 22nd, the captain Alfred Dreyfus is condemned to military degradation and the deportation with the bagne of Devil's Island in Guyana after (fraudulently) being recognized guilty of high treason by a French military tribunal.
1894 - He is shown of sedition by the government Turkish and thrown a prison. He is released one year later.
1896 - Publication of the book the Jewish State ( Der Judenstaat ) of Theodore Herzl.
1897 - on September 3rd, the world Organization Zionist is created at the time of the first congress Zionist held in Basle in Switzerland.
1898 - on January 13rd, Emile Zola publishes an open letter with the president of the Republic in the Dawn under the title “I show…! ”.
1898 - It sets up the first elementary schools and kindergartens for the young people hébréophones.
1909 - Creation of the Union for the Hebraic language and the culture ( Brit Ivrit Olamit ).
1910 - It publishes the first volume of sound old and modern Hebraic Dictionary language .
1914 - He flees Jerusalem under the blow of persecutions on behalf of the Othoman authorities and settles in New York with his family.
1914 - It one entitled book Until which time Hebrew was he publishes spoken?
1917 - on November 2nd, declaration of Balfour.
1918 - Publication of its autobiography entitled the dream crossed .
1919 - It goes back to Jerusalem with the end of the First World War.
1919 - Birth of the first Hebrew daily newspaper, the Haddashot ha Haarets .
1922 - on December 21st, he dies in Jerusalem.
1948 - Hebrew becomes a language official of the State of Israel at the sides of English and Arabic.
1953 - Foundation of the Academy of the Hebraic language.

Works

Ground of Israel , Jerusalem, 1885 (work of geography)
ha Zvi ( the stag ), Jerusalem, 1888 (weekly Hebrew newspaper transformed into a daily newspaper named ha Gold ( the light ) in 1908)
Hashkafah ( Vision ), Jerusalem, 1897 (weekly magazine)
Thesaurus of the old and modern Hebraic language , Jerusalem, 1901 (five volumes out of seventeen)
Until which time Hebrew was he spoken? , New York, 1914
the dream crossed , New York, 1918 (autobiography)

Random links: