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Reminiscences of
Chaim
Weizmann
on the occasion of
his tenth yarzeit
by RICHARD LICHTHEIM
fSo much has been written about
Chaim Weizmann that it seems
presumptious to make a further
contribution to this field. In do
ing it nonetheless I find my justi-
ficaton in the fact that very few
Zionists are still alive who had
known Weizmann from their own
experience and close observation
over many years, and personal co
operation. Since I belong to those
few, I shall attempt to draw for
my readers and for myself a pic
ture of Chaim Weizmann as I
knew him. I had made his ac
quaintance as a youth; as a man
I was closely associated with him
for several years, then I fought
him for some time and finally,
in old age, I was again connected
with him by bonds of political
and personal friendship
First Recollections
My first recollection of Weiz
mann dates back to the Hanburg
Congress in 1909. True, I had
seen him already at the two pre
ceding Congresses in 1905 and
1907, but at Hamburg 1 was struck
for the first time by his remark
able appearance. It should be
mentioned that at that time Weiz
mann did not belong to the first
eschelon of Zionist leadership At
Congresses he was regarded as
member of the Russian "Lands-
mannschaft,” although he was
living in England where he had
settled in 1904 at the age of 30.
In 1913 he had been appointed
Reader in Biochemistry at the
University of Manchester, but
when the Chair for which he had
hoped fell vacant in 1914, he fail
ed to receive it. In the years prior
to World War I he had been over
shadowed by the Russian Zionist
leaders of the older generation:
Ussishkin, Sokolow, Shmaryahu
Levin, Tchlenow, Motzkin and
others. In the Western "Lands-
mannschaften” he was little
known and none too popular, and
his occasional opposition to Herzl's
views was supported by a very
small circle. In 1913 he exercised
for the i first time an important
functionYat the Zionist Congress;
he was appointed chairman of
The Southern Israelite
the "Steering Committee’ which
was charged with the task of
forming the "Smaller” and "Larg
er” Actions Committees.
Remarkable Figure
In Hamburg in 1909 he was
still one of the younger and less
influential delegates. Neverthe
less, I remember that he cut a
remarkable figure at that Con
gress: of medium size, still youth
ful, slim, he strolled about on his
long legs among the delegates,
hands in his pockets, very erect,
but with a somewhat lazy gait,
sometimes regarding the other
delegates with a somewhat mock
ing smile. With his pale complex
ion, his goatee and broad cheek
bones—in later years his resemb
lance to Lenin was frequently
pointed out—he appeared to be
long to the Russians, but with his
neat blue suit, his upright, though
somewhat careless carriage, his
self-control and calm, he was al
ready the "Englishman.” And.
indeed, these seemingly external
characteristics expressed the es
sence of his nature. He was al
ways aware, and never forgot,
that he hailed from Motele near
Pinsk and he knew and under
stood the Jewish people in East
ern Europe. However, owing to
his prolonged stay in Germany
and Switzerland he had outgrown
the narrow confines of the Jewish
townlet of Eastern Europe, had
become a European and had
finally chosen Britain as his
homeland.
Love of England
To Britain he was attached not
only as a loyal subject of His
Britannic Majesty, but also as a
sincere admirer of the British
Empire as it was then—the larg
est Commonwealth in the world,
which representecT political power
and also the ideals of parliamen
tary demorcarcy and individual
liberty In later years it was his
personal and deep-felt tragedy
that this England refused to hon
our the promise given to him in
the form of the Balfour Declara
tion.
This Russian Jew who had be
come an Englishman, personsified
two worlds which never merged
completely. He was too proud and
too honest to disown his origin:
from his early youth he felt him
self connected with his people
and therefore had become a Zion
ist, but at the same time he loved
his new homeland which had
given him freedom, the chance of
a scientific career and finally,
owing to the constellation of
World War I, also the opportunity
of making Jewish history.
It was a far cry from all this
in 1909, but nevertheless there
were indications of future develop
ments: in his outward appearance
to which he devoted great care in
later years, having gained fame
and means, he had the manners
of a man of the world, and with
his carefully chosen wardrobe he
made an elegant impression; in
his demeanour and the light irony
- some even reproached him for
cynism—in which he treated the
delegates and the problems of the
Congress, he had created a dis
tance between himself and the
body of the delegates. It is this
picture of a man keeping aloof
and standing between two worlds
who, in cool self-reliance, trusted
in his own personality, that I
have been associating with remi
niscences of Weizmann since that
Hamburg Congress of 1909.
This self-assurance and knowl
edge or presentiment of their own
still dormant faculties are the
secret of great men. They give
them the strength necessary for
extraordinary achievements, drive
them through crises and perils to
the desired goal and also fascin
ate the onlooker. What Socrates
called the "daimon” dictating
him his way, what brought a Bis
marck. a Churchill to the top of
their nations, this unconditional
faith in himself as the herald of
a great idea and the executor of
a great cause, also operated in
Weizmann and made of him the
uncontested guide of Zionist des
tiny.
During World War I
In those days before World
War I, I saw Weizmann several
times again. On the occasion of a
meeting of the Larger Actions
Committee held in Berlin in 1912
or 1913, he was my guest with
some other members of the Coun
cil. At that time I was editor of
the Central Zionist organ “Die
\yelt.” Then the war broke out.
I was in Constantinople where I
tried to defend Zionist interests,
first as deputy to Victor Jacob-
sohn and afterwards as his suc
cessor. For this purpose it was
necessary to enroll the support
of the American and German am
bassadors, because the very ex
istence of the imperilled Yishuv
was dependent on their good-will
and constant intervention. It was
fortunate for the Zionist Move
ment that Weizmann at this time
was not yet member of the Zion
ist Executive, not even President
of thq Zionist Federation of Bri
tain. It would have done harm to
the Yishuv and impeded him on
his own way if he had been so
Although he belonged to the
Larger Actions Committee that
had proclaimed the neutrality of
Zionism, he went his own way
from the very beginning of the
War and broke off all relations
with the Smaller Actions Com
mittee whose seat was in Berlin
He believed in the victory of
Britain and her Allies. Supported
only by a small circle of per
sonal friends, he started the pain
staking and wearisome work
which ultimaely led to the Bal
four Declaration. According to
his own testimony he held in
those three years (1914-1917)
some 2000 talks, interviews and
discussions with British political
leaders, journalists, representa
tives of the Foreign Office and in
fluential British Jews, before he
attained the Balfour Declaration
Personality and Favourable
Circumstances
Now what gave Weizmann. a
little known and by no means in
fluential man, the strength to
fight the official Zionist line and
to succeed? It was the “daimon"
of Socrates, the incessant urge
and driving power rooted in a
firm faith in himself. External
circumstances, too, came to his
aid: his chemical discoveries
brought him into contact with the
Minister for Munitions — Lloyd
George—who afterwards became
Prime Minister, and gained him
a reputation which he had pre
viously not enjoyed. On the other
hand, the official leadership of
Anglo-Jewry was, with few ex
ceptions, solidly against him and
in a decisive moment he encount
ered the furious opposition of the
very influentia Edwin Montagu,
the Jewish Under Secretary for
India
The secert of his success was
also largely due to his personali
ty. He conquered people because
he had himself been conquered
by his idea. Many contemporaries
have described the spell he cast
over those who came in touch
with him. Sir Harold Nicholson
wrote many years afterwards that
he had never met a man of such
dignity as Weizmann. He possess
ed a combination of many quali
ties which make a successful
statesman: high intelligence, quick
judgment, tact, a sure instinct
for mon and situations, but all
that is not enough to explain the
charm of his personality which
was capable of making such a
lasting and profound impression
on men like Balfour, Smuts and
Lloyd George. Behind his clever
arguments they felt his mystical
fajth, the belief in his people, in
his cause and in himself as her
ald of his idea. His “daimon” con
quered the men who were at that
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