I rely upon Canada to do its share with increased devotion

“I rely upon Canada to do its share with increased devotion.”

These words could be uttered today by the leader of any Canadian Jewish organization. They could also be the words that each of us say daily knowing the major needs in Israel and in our local communities.

In fact, these are the words of Menachem Ussishkin in his greeting to the delegates of the Canadian Zionist Convention which opened in Toronto on January 20, 1935.  He was referring to the redemption of the Emek Hefer region which was a $1 million project that Canadian Jewry undertook in 1927.  See https://thecjn.ca/arts-culture/treasure-trove-salutes-the-jewish-canadian-woman-who-made-the-first-remembrance-day-poppies/.

Ussishkin (1863-1941) was referred to as the “grand old man” of the Zionist movement. Trained in Moscow as a technical engineer, he was one of the founders of the BILU movement whose goal was the establishment of agricultural settlements in Palestine (BILU is an acronym for Beit Ya’akov Lekhu Venelkha- House of Jacob, let us go [up]” from Isaiah 2:5).  He was the secretary of the First Zionist Congress in 1897, and a leader against the plan presented at the Sixth Zionist Congress in 1903 for a Jewish homeland in Uganda (which is actually modern day Kenya).

He immigrated to Palestine in 1919 and served as the President of the Jewish National Fund from 1923 until his death in 1941.  During his presidency the land owned by the JNF increased from 22,000 to 561,000 dunams.  He was instrumental in the founding of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, served on its Board of Trustees and Executive Committee and is buried at the botanical gardens at the Mount Scopus campus.

For 60 years no Zionist or Jewish national activity took place in which Ussishkin had not participated and on which he had not left his own unique stamp.  Fittingly, in 1941 the JNF issued this stamp in his memory.

Although Ussishkin has been gone for over 80 years, his message to Canadian Jewry still resonates.  We need to commit ourselves to continue to do our share for Israel and for our Jewish life here in Canada “with increased devotion”.

For more treasures from the Herzl and Zionism Collection of David Matlow which appears weekly in the Canadian Jewish News see https://herzlcollection.com/treasure-trove