Historic Report of 26 pages "Not for Publication" by David Ben-Gurion Moscow, 1923

Historic Report of 26 pages "Not for Publication" by David Ben-Gurion Moscow, 1923

"I discovered other 'blemishes': That we are concerned with the future of the entire Hebrew people, that we are fighting for the revival of the Hebrew language, that for us the Land of Israel is sacred, that we consider only our needs and our independent movement ..."

Intriguing secret report by David Ben-Gurion, to the Vaad HaPoel of the Histadrut General Labor Union in the Land of Israel, from his journey the the agricultural exhibition in Moscow. Moscow, 14 Tishrei / Oct. 24, 1923.

Background: In 1923, the Histadrut sent David Ben-Gurion and Meir Rothberg to represent it at the agricultural exhibition in Moscow. They set out to Constantinople and then sailed to Odessa, arriving on Aug. 26, 1923. They continued to Moscow by train from there. They were exposed to places where pogroms had taken place against the Jews while on their way. The Land-of-Israel booth at the agricultural exhibition was very successful. This "Not for Publication" report was sent during the three-month visit, to the Vaad HaPoal administration via a messenger with diplomatic immunity.

Specifications: 26 leaves, paper. 22x18 cm. Long report, entirely handwritten and signed by him. "Not for Publication" is inscribed on the first leaf, and the date the letter was received: 1 Cheshvan 1923. Mostly in Hebrew. Erasures and corrections.

Content of the report: David Ben-Gurion wrote freely, with the knowledge that the report was not being sent via mail which would be censored, rather it would be smuggled via a reliable person with diplomatic immunity. At the beginning, Ben-Gurion described his journey to Moscow by way of Odessa and Russian Jewry's great interest in what was happening in the Land of Israel. He described the interest and great enthusiasm of the visitors to the exhibition, including Jews, farmers and professors. The exhibition constituted a Land-of-Israel propaganda center. Following participation in the exhibition, Ben-Gurion had the opportunity to try to legally establish HeChalutz activity in Soviet Russia, and he placed hope in the movement being a central impetus for all Zionist work in Soviet Russia. Participation in the exhibition, according to Ben-Gurion, held the key to extensive work in Russia. Ben-Gurion was concerned for the future of Russian Jews. He refused to forgo them or despair of them, he admitted that "We made a big mistake in the assumption that there is no possibility for Russia to substantially assist with the Land-of-Israel work," and he estimates, "Russian Jewry can again be a leading power to build the Land of Israel, both with its strength and with its resources." He would have liked to look into the possibility of opening a branch of Bank HaPoalim in Russia, if there would have been a legal way of doing so. He criticized Jews of Russian origin who attacked the Soviet police and thereby endangered all of Russian Jewry and strengthened the Yevsektzia in their satanical battle with Zionism. He was imbued with the recognition that that the exhibition provided a limited-time opportunity for their activities in Russia, and "each day that goes by without activity is an irrevocable loss," and set an important goal for the Zionist movement to find a way to get to the public opinion of the Russian government. Ben-Gurion continued, detailing the urgent activities which must be implemented in order to recover Baron Ginzburg's library to its legal owners - the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and pointed out that he would request of professor Einstein, who was about to arrive in Moscow over the next few days, to undertake this important matter. "I may leave here completely empty-handed, but it will have been worthwhile, and will be worthwhile even if there are no outstanding and concrete results." At the conclusion of his letter, he requested that they send their response as well as a number of issues of Hebrew newspapers, and he asked that copies of this letter be sent to Kaplonsky and to Moshe Sartuk, and that the content of the letter be brought to the attention of the Zionist administration in Jerusalem.

Condition: Fine. Fold marks, aging stains. There are tiny folds and stains on the edges of some of the leaves, which occasionally blemish a a number of letters.