Ideology and Reality: The American Hebrew Movement in Its Inception-in Search of Identity (Essay)

Histadruth Ivrith--the Hebrew Language and Culture Association of America--was founded in New York in June, 1916. An announcement in the Hebrew weekly Hatoren heralded the birth of the organized Hebrew movement in America. (1) Its founding was preceded by years of cultural and literary effort by various associations of Hebraists and a few writers and editors in the United States. (2) Prior to this, a number of unsuccessful attempts had been made to unify the various Hebrew societies under a single umbrella. (3) There had also been various attempts to establish in Europe a worldwide Hebrew movement. (4) The ground was now ready for establishing a national Hebrew organization in America. The founding of the Hebrew organization came as the result of complex societal, cultural, and political developments that took place in America and in world Jewry. Although a detailed analysis of these developments is beyond the boundaries of this article, it is worthwhile to cite briefly some of these changes. These include the strengthening of the Zionist movement in America and concurrently the recognition that the center of world Jewry was already passing from Europe to the United States. (5) Undoubtedly, the presence of various Zionist leaders and well-known Hebrew writers in America--on the heels of the war--contributed to the establishment of the Hebrew movement at this juncture.