The duality of legacies: Degania’s world and Trumpeldor’s way

ABSTRACT

Degania and Tel Hai were woven together as microcosms of the aspirations, failures, wishes, and yearnings for Jewish resurrection and independence in Palestine. I investigate the ways in which the connections, tensions, and residues that linked and separated Degania and Tel Hai were gradually braided into one – including their reflections and symbolizations in the realia of the Yishuv generally and in its socialist sector particularly. By contemplating these issues it is possible to observe the worlds of values and politics that guided the actions of the Zionist Labor Movement in Palestine during the first half of the twentieth century.

KEYWORDS:

• Degania
• Josef Trumpeldor
• Tel Hai
• Jewish Yishuv
• Zionist Labor Movement
• Second Aliya
• Arthur Ruppin

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Arthur Ruppin to Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir editorial board after Josef Bussel death, Ha-Po’el Ha-Tz’air, September 5, 1919.

2. Josef Bussel to Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir editorial board, Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, August 11, 1911. Degania lies between the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) and the Jordan River.

3. Laskov, Trumpeldor, 33–63.

4. See, Halpern and Reinharz, Zionism, 145–171; Gorny, “Ha-yishuv ha-hadash,” 427–456.

5. Goldstein and Shavit, “Yoseph Trumpeldor,” Kivunim, 9–21; Wagner and Kafkafi, Shoresh, 12–55.

6. Shapira, Land and Power, 98–109.

7. Zur, Lo be-avim, 35–36.

8. Shapira, Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, 212.

9. Dayan, Story of My Life, 22.

10. Shapira, Ha-ma’avak ha-nikhzav, 18–19.

11. Ruppin, “A General Colonization Policy,” 42.

12. “Majdal,” Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, October, 20, 1912.

13. Laskov, Trumpeldor, 74–79; David Tzirkin, “Mi-levate’a shel komuna ahat” [The Misgivings of a Commune], Mibifnim, February 1947.

14. “Mi-veidat poalei ha-Galil” [From the Galilee Workers’ Conference],” Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, March, 20, 1914.

15. Letter Trumpeldor to his Colleagues, November 24, 1913, In Me-hayei Yosef Trumpeldor, 112.

16. “Chronica: Mitzpe,” [Chronicle: mitzpe], Ha’ahdut, April 24, 1914; Diary Work of Degania, 1914, Degania A Archive.

17. “Kvutzat ha-tzirim shel Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir” [Group Representatives of Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir], Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, September 26, 1913.

18. “Ha-meha’a keneged hahlatat ha-koreturiyum” [The Protest against the Board of Trustees Decision], Ha-Herut, November 20, 1913.

19. From Jeremaih 51:5.

20. Letter from Trumpeldor to his Colleagues, December 12, 1913, In Me-hayei Yosef Trumpeldor, 113.

21. Laskov, Trumpeldor, 82–85.

22. Yosef Trumpeldor, “Degania,” Ba-Ma’ale, February 23, 1945 (emphasis in the original). First published in the Young Zionists organization of Petrograd Journal, November 22, 1917.

23. Lea Lichtental, “Od ale le-zikhro” [Another Leaf in his Memory], Dvar Ha-Po’elet, March 11, 1937.

24. Yitzhak Tabenkin, “Yud alef be-adar” [Adar 11], Mi-Bifnim, March 1928.

25. See, Shapira, Berl, 37–67.

26. Muki Zur, “Yosef Bussel,” In Ha-aliya ha-shniya: ishim, 44.

27. Dayan, Im hatzi yovel, 223–225.

28. L. (Israel Bloch), “Me-ha-havot” [From the Farms], Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, February 7, 1913.

29. Trumpeldor, “Degania,” Ba-Ma’ale, February 23, 1945.

30. Malkin, Eliahu Golomb, 75.

31. Ibid., 58–59, 75. Moshe Dayan was Chief of staff of the IDF (1953–1958), and Israeli Defense Minister (1967–1974).

32. Yosef Trumpeldor, “Ha-halutz, mahuto ve-teudato,” 19.

33. Yosef Aharonovitch, “Bifnei ha-me’ora’ot” [Confronting the Events], Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, October 20, 1914.

34. Ibid.; “Tzorekh ha-sha’a” [The Present Need], Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, January 1, 1915. Yaacov Rabinovitch, “Klapei ha-kategoria” [Toward the Category], ibid., February 12, 1915.

35. Dayan, Al gdot, 189–190; Reshit, 60–62.

36. Dayan, Al gdot, 190; Minutes, Histadrut Executive, June 13, 1945, The Lavon Institute for Labor Movement Research, Tel Aviv.

37. Katznlson-Nesher, Ah ve-ahot, 68–69.

38. Katznlson-Nesher, In Anshei ha-aliya ha-shniya, Vol. 1, 246.

39. Dayan, Al gdot, 190.

40. Laskov, Trumpeldor, 89.

41. A note by Ze’ev Jabotinsky, March 9, 1915, Jabotinsky Institute in Israel, Tel Aviv; Letter Jabotinsky to Zeev Gluskin, March 4, 1915, In Jabotinsky, Igrot, Vol. 2, 20.

42. Letter from Trumpeldor, May 6, 1915, In Me-hayei Yosef Trumpeldor, 116.

43. Trumpeldor, diary, June 13, 1917, In Me-hayei Yosef Trumpeldor, 304.

44. Letter Jabotinsky to Lloyd George, April 29, 1917, Jabotinsky, Igrot, Vol. 2, 135.

45. Letter Bussel to Ruppin, March 26, 1918, Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, July 18, 1920.

46. Zur, Lo be-avim, 45–46.

47. Z. Jabotinsky, “Nahagei ha-pradim” [Mule Corps], Haaretz, December 2, 1919.

48. Hayuta [Bussel], “Hayav,” 26–29.

49. “Yosef Bussel,” Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, August, 21, 1919.

50. Ibid.

51. Agmon, Sadot adumim, 244–255.

52. Tanhum Tanpilov, “Le-kinneret (le-zekher haverebu Yosef)” [To Kinneret (In Memory of our Commrade Yosef), Ba-avoda ve-bahaim, July 28, 1938.

53. Yosef Haim Brenner, “Tziyunim” [Marks], Ha-Adama, September 1919.

54. “Mi-galil ha-tahton” [From the Lower Galilee], Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, February, 13, 1920; “Ha-shavua” [This Week], ibid.

55. Ibid.; “La-mishmar” [To the Guard], Kuntres, January, 9, 1920.

56. Agmon, Sadot adumim, 292–296; “He’arat orekh” [Editors’ Note] Parashat Tel Hai, 104.

57. Yehuda Almog, “Ta’arikhim be-toldot Trumpeldor” [Dates in the History of Trumpeldor], Yad Tabenkin Archive, Ramat Gan, 5-6-2-9.

58. Shapira, Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, 287–310.

59. Ibid., 226–227.

60. Minutes, Tenth Assembly of the Temporary Committee of Jews in Palestine, February, 24–25, 1920, In Parashat Tel Hai, 251–256. Eliezer Shohat was among the nine founders of Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir party in 1905, one of the little group that founded Umm Juni a year before Degania, and one of the founders of the first Moshav, Nahalal.

61. Letter Jabotinsky to Bela and Nina Berlin, March 2, 1920, Jabotinsky, Igrot, Vol. 3, 121.

62. “Al kvareinu ha-hadashim” [On Our New Graves], Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, March 12, 1920; Kuntres, March 12, 1920.

63. “Ha-moatza ha-haklait shel Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir be-Kinneret,” [The Agricultural Council of Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir in Kinneret], Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, July 4, 1919; Yaacov Berkovitsh, “Hona’a atzmit” [Self Deception], ibid., January 18, 1921.

64. “Ba-tziyonut: yaar Hertzel” [In Zionism: Herzl Forest], Ha-Olam, July 17, 1913.

65. N., “Zikaron” [Memory], Kuntres, March 19, 1920.

66. “Le-zikhro” [In his Memory], Ha-Po’el Ha-Tza’ir, July 18, 1920.

67. Ibid.

68. MD (Davar’s editorial board), “Degania,” Davar, October 20, 1930.

69. MB (Moshe Beilinson), “Ha-preda me-ha-natziv” [The Farewell from the Commissioner], Davar, June 30, 1925.

70. See, Elyada, “Trumpeldor, Sarah Aaronsohn,” 318–349.

71. “Hegia ha-sha’a” [The Time has Come], Davar, October 8, 1950.

72. “Shloshim shana le-degania” [Degania’s Thirtieth Anniversary], Davar, December 17, 1940.

73. Ba-sa’ar be-yom sufa.

74. Inbari, Ha-tank.

75. Deganiati, “Al ha-tiyulim ha-amami’im” [On Popular Tours], Davar, May 29, 1932.

76. Minutes, Israeli Government, December 11, 1960, Israel State Archives, ISA-PMO-GovernmentMeeting-0002eel.

77. Minutes, Mapai Central Committee, December 1, 1960, Labor Party Archive, 2–023-1960-79; David Ben-Gurion, “Hagigim: le-anshei Degania” [Thoughts: To the People of Degania], Davar, January 27, 1961.

78. Oz, “Deot al ha-matzav,” 93–95.

79. Halamish, “Tel Hai ba-masekhet,” 362–364.

80. Zalman Rubashov, “Im tzlalei giborei Tel Hai” [With the Shadow of the Heroes of Tel Hai], July 14, 1943, Minutes of The Fiftieth Histadrut Council, Tel Aviv 1944; Kafkafi, “Ha-halutziut ha-leumit,” 125–126.

81. Yehudit Elkana, “Mi-Degania le-Nahalal” [From Degania to Nahalal], Dvar Ha-Po’elet, October 28, 1936.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Meir Chazan

Meir Chazan is Associate Professor in the Department of Jewish History at Tel Aviv University. He is the co-editor (with Dr. Uri Cohen) of Weizmann the Leader of Zionism, which was published by Zalman Shazar Center in 2016.