A letter handwritten and signed by "Ahad Ha'am", Asher Zvi Ginsberg, to Joseph Klausner. [Tbilisi], November 1903. Hebrew and a little Russian.
In 1903, "Ahad Ha'am" resigned his position as editor of "HaShilo'ach", the most important Hebrew journal of the time, and was replaced by the young editor Joseph Klausner. The "shift change" occurred after a prolonged struggle between "Ahad Ha'am" and writers of the younger generation, and symbolized the beginning of a new era in Hebrew literature. This letter was sent in November 1903 – after "Ahad Ha'am" resigned and before he was replaced by Klausner and it contains an interesting documentation of this period in Hebrew literature.
"Ahad Ha'am" refers in the letter to the intention to appoint the journalist Ben Zion Katz as the editor of "HaShilo'ach" ("He is an 'idler' and he will lack subtlety. Such will be the editor of "HaShilo'ach"?); to the question of appointing Klausner himself as editor; to the Hebrew encyclopedia he unsuccessfully planned to publish – "Otzar HaYehudim"; and also describes the Jews of the Caucasus, where he was staying when he wrote the letter: "You cannot imagine what Judaism in the Caucasus is. There are good and honest people here, who want to be Jews, to be national, Zionists etc. But the 'ignorance' is so great, that there is not even one person who can show them the way" (Hebrew).
Written on Ahad Ha'am's official stationery, with his address in Odessa.
Enclosed is the original envelope in which the letter was sent.
[2] pp (a leaf folded in half), approx. 21.5 cm. Good condition. Stains and minor creases. Horizontal fold line.