Tzeirei Zion's file / תיק, צעירי ציון

📜 History of the Tzeirei Zion Movement in Russia, 1917–1918

This document presents a historical overview of the "Tzeirei Zion" movement in Russia during 1917 and the beginning of 1918. The text details the activity of the central committee of the movement and the organizational efforts to strengthen Zionist identity during a period of significant political change. Throughout the source, group photographs of committee members in various cities are integrated, illustrating the geographical spread of the organization. In addition, the establishment of a dedicated press system in Yiddish is described, intended to disseminate the movement’s messages among the Jewish public. The overview emphasizes the complex ideological discussions regarding relations with the World Zionist Organization and with other workers’ parties. In conclusion, the materials document the growth of young leadership that sought to combine Jewish nationalism with socialist values during those fateful years.

Political Organization and Committees of the "Tzeirei Zion" Movement

In 1917, regional and local committees of the "Tzeirei Zion" movement operated in various cities (O45-4f). In Dvinsk, the regional committee included the members Moshe Zatulovsky, Dr. Zalman ben-Avraham Gordin, Israel Marmonsky, Yitzhak Shaki, Avi Rosenhaus, Zalman ben Zvi Halperin, Rafael Rilov, and Zvi Goldberg (O45-4f). In Bobruisk, the movement’s committee included Eliyahu Dovkin, Yosef Finkel, Dr. M. Ravzin, Dr. Abba Geisinovich, Heshil Frumkin, Mrs. Ravzin, Kovnalchik, Israel Meitus, Shmuel Votkin, and Yitzhak Steinberg (O45-4f). In Slutsk, the committee included a long list of activists, among them Sholom ben-Ben-Zion Shpitskop, Eliyahu (Zindl) Alpert, Dov Shpestal, Mrs. Ashka Lev, Avraham Zatulovsky, Musia Feimer-Plamed, Liba-Yoselova Gabai, Esther-Rachel Tabakov, Tonia Harkavi-Zuckerman, Haim-Moshe Appelbaum, and Israel-No Goldberg (O45-4f).

In May 1917, a council of "Tzeirei Zion" was held in Petrograd with the participation of 25 delegates from 25 cities in Russia (O45-4f). The council discussed fundamental questions such as national policy, the question of settlement, the teaching of the Hebrew language, and relations with the "HeHalutz" movement (O45-4f). One of the central debates in the council concerned whether to transform the movement into an independent party or to leave it as a faction within the Zionist Organization (O45-4f). At the conclusion of the council, a new central committee was elected, including the members: S. Aharonov, S. Eisenstadt, Tzvia Goldberg, Eliyahu Dovkin, L. Hefetz, Eliyahu Munchik, B. Naulin, Eliyahu Rodzinsky, and Eliyahu Ris (O45-4f).

Organizational Difficulties and Shifts in the Center of Activity

Due to the Civil War in Russia, the center in Moscow encountered difficulties in its day-to-day functioning (O45-4f). As a result, the center of gravity of activity shifted to the bureau in Petrograd, which served as a temporary center (O45-4f). The center in Moscow focused on carrying out political and organizational actions, in cooperation with Joseph Trumpeldor (O45-4f).

The "HeHalutz" Movement and Training

At the beginning of 1919, a special department for "HeHalutz" affairs was established in Petrograd (O45-4f). This activity was carried out in close cooperation with Joseph Trumpeldor, who visited the bureau in Petrograd and participated in discussions on organizing the movement (O45-4f). The purpose of the department was to centralize the handling of immigration and training matters for the movement’s young members (O45-4f).

Press and Publications

Beginning on 16 June 1918, the movement started publishing in Moscow a weekly newspaper in the Yiddish language called "Erd un Frayhayt" (O45-4f). The meaning of the newspaper’s title in Hebrew translation is "Land and Freedom" (O45-4f). By 27 September 1918, seven issues of the weekly had appeared (O45-4f).

List of Terms

• Tzeirei Zion: A Zionist-socialist youth and student movement that operated in Russia and Eastern Europe (O45-4f).
• HeHalutz: A worldwide Zionist movement of young Jews who organized for immigration to the Land of Israel and agricultural labor (O45-4f).
• The regional committee: A regional leadership body coordinating the movement’s activity in several nearby localities (O45-4f).
• Erd un Frayhayt: A Yiddish title meaning "Land and Freedom", the periodical of the "Tzeirei Zion" movement published in Moscow (O45-4f).
• The Zionist Organization: The umbrella organization of the world Zionist movement (O45-4f).

List of Sources

• O45-4f : A page from a historical archive including an overview of the history of the "Tzeirei Zion" movement in Russia, photographs of local committees from 1917 in Dvinsk, Bobruisk, and Slutsk, and a report on the movement’s conferences and publications.

O45-4f

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