Joseph Gedaliah Klausner (1874-1958), was a Jewish historian and professor of Hebrew Literature who wrote more than sixty books on history, philosophy, and education; edited many anthologies; contributed to several encyclopedias; and served as the chief editor of the Encyclopedia Hebraica. His works include his magnum opus, a five-volume history of the Second Temple; twelve volumes on Plato; and the six-volume History of Modern Hebrew Literature, a seminal study of the history of Hebrew literature during the Haskalah (the so-called Jewish “Enlightenment”) that is still considered the definitive work in the field. Throughout his work, he manifested an enviable grasp of the Talmud and Midrashic literature and, although he was not a strictly Orthodox Jew, he observed Shabbat and kashrut.
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Perhaps his most renowned works, however, and the books upon which his international reputation was built, were Jesus of Nazareth (1922) and its sequel From Jesus to Paul, the first comprehensive books on this subject written in Hebrew by a modern Jewish scholar in Eretz Yisrael. In these masterworks, he draws upon his broad knowledge of Jewish sources, particularly rabbinic sources, to argue that Jesus never intended to found a new faith but, rather, he was simply a proud Jew who was trying to “reform” Judaism and who died as a devout Jew. Taking full account of the social, political, religious and psychological factors involved in the Jewish repudiation of Jesus’ teachings, he proves that, contrary to the broadly accepted paradigm, Western culture has its roots in Jewish, not Christian, culture.
Klausner voiced his philosophical outlook in Yahadut V’enoshiyut (“Judaism and Humanism,” 1905), in which he presented ancient Judaism as a perfect combination of national uniqueness, a direct relationship with the world, and a keen yearning for a messianic redemption that would see the triumph of justice in the world. He argued that Zionism was the ideal philosophy and methodology for achieving a Jewish national rebirth in Eretz Yisrael, which would soon be followed by the redemption of all humanity.
Photo of First Committee on the Hebrew Language. Seated, from right to left: Eliezer Ben Yehuda, Klausner, David Yellin, Eliezer Meir Lifshitz.
A keen Hebrew linguist, Klausner became the youngest member of Sefatenu Ittanu, a society dedicated to the revival of spoken Hebrew whose members communicated only in Hebrew, and he succeeded Achad Ha-am as editor of Ha-Shilo’ah, a Hebrew literary monthly. He believed that when Zionism succeeds in normalizing Jewish life, Hebrew writers would become capable of producing works of literate genius; as such, as a means to fulfill his vision of national revival, he devoted himself to encouraging Hebrew writers to compose works that blended Judaism with humanism. One of the great champions of the modernization of the Hebrew language and literature, he was a fervent supporter of the expansion of Hebrew and its use as a living language, both through the revival of words from the ancient sources and through the creation of new words. Accordingly, he essentially disregarded important Yiddish works because of his near-obsessive focus on the Hebrew language and, in particular, he believed that Hebrew must play an active role in educating Jewish youth.
Born in Olkeniki near Vilna, Klausner left Lithuania with his family in 1885 in response to rising antisemitism in Poland and they settled in Odessa, where he attended a yeshiva and studied both Talmudic and secular subjects. He became involved with the circle of the political intelligentsia in Odessa, where he met and befriended Jabotinsky, became active in the Chibat Tzion movement, became a leader of the Russian Zionist political activists along with Jabotinsky and Menachem Ussishkin, and attended the First Zionist Congress and nearly every subsequent Congress until the eleventh (1913).
In 1897, Klausner went to Germany to study Semitic languages, history, and philosophy at Heidelberg University, after which he became a Jewish history lecturer at the modern yeshiva in Odessa. In 1902, he succeeded Achad Ha-am as editor of Ha-Shilo’ah, a Hebrew literary monthly, which he would continue to edit when it was revived in Eretz Yisrael (1921-1926). After the Russian Revolution in February 1917, he was invited to lecture at Odessa University and, in 1919, he helped to organize the shipload of Jewish immigrants from Odessa to Eretz Yisrael, which effectively launched the Third Aliyah. Following the Bolshevik Revolution that October, however, he made aliyah to Eretz Yisrael where, as a passionate supporter of Jabotinsky and the Revisionists, he quickly became a fixture in the highly-charged political atmosphere of the Yishuv.
Settling in Jerusalem (1919), Klausner played an active role in the Va’ad ha-Lashon (later, the Academy of Hebrew Language). When the Hebrew University was established in Jerusalem, he was keenly disappointed that he was not selected to serve as the chair of Jewish history – because his views were considered too secular and, perhaps, because of his fervent Revisionism and dedication to Jabotinsky. (However, he later accepted an appointment as the University’s Hebrew literature chair (1925) and in 1944, almost two decades later, he was appointed chair of the History of the Second Temple.) He had numerous disagreements with Weizmann to the point that he ran against him as the Beitar candidate in Israel’s first presidential election in 1949 (he lost). He was nominated for president following Weizmann’s death in 1949, but he declined the nomination in favor of Yitzchak Ben Zvi.
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Given both Jabotinsky’s and Klausner’s mutual interest in advancing Jewish education, this 26 Adar (March 24) 1914 Jabotinsky correspondence to Klausner, in which he discusses his detailed plans for an education system in Eretz Yisrael – with an emphasis on Chochmat Yisrael and Jewish studies – is of great historical interest:
Forgive me for the “weird look” of my letter – I must write in the car of the train of the big city of Vitebsk. [Note: Marc Chagall is the most famous native son of Vitebsk, a city in Belarus.] I could not find even a single page of writing paper in the palace of the station. I am very sorry that we will not meet – first, because I must discuss many important matters with you, second because I want to turn to you with a request as follows:
We intend to publish an anthology dedicated to University matters, [p. 2] that is, an anthology to be used for public dissemination in a balebatish manner [i.e., communicated in the language of the common man]. The plan that we made up included these subjects: (a) Introduction – the value of a high school in the renaissance of a nation. (b) The history of the idea of a Hebrew high school, (c) Aesthetics, limitations, etc. because we were wandering outside Eretz Yisrael. (d) Advantage of the East to establish the high school for Jews (in Israel). (e) What is the general price for the high school and, specifically, the cost of paying staff for each subject? (f) Management of the University and faculties. (g) The question of which language will be the language of instruction.
Most of the text of this plan has been compiled. [p.3] Therefore, I assigned the work to some young people, who will work under my supervision. However, there are some parts in this plan that are naturally completely different and will not be written except by experts. The most important one is the sixth section that is dedicated to the organization of the University, how to organize studies in every department, and will be done properly to meet the special needs of the Jewish nation? Surely, the most important core of this complicated question is arrangingthe philosophyfaculty, “phil” in Laaz (i.e., the vernacular).
[p. 4] What space do we have to apportion for the language of the East, its history, the various nations in its zone – especially what place Hebrew subjects take in this faculty? It looks like, particularly with this faculty, everything that is called the Wisdom of Judaism, in the broadest understanding of the term, must be included – and as to all these important questions, you are the only person who can write about them. Therefore, I decided to turn to you with a request that you will come to the assistance of our idea and write the article for the anthology that will be dedicated to the philosophy department and spiritual ideas in general, but particularly Chochmat Hayahdut (Jewish wisdom).
[p. 5] I do not have to add much to this request when I am turning to a person whose idea of the University is as close to his heart as the closeness of a mother to a daughter.
Two notes: (1) We must hurry. I hope to receive your written materials by the end of March. (2) The amount of the honorarium you will determine yourself.
Since the anthology is intended for public dissemination, it must, in the service of intelligence and richness, appear in Russian, but I am trying very hard to find an [p.6] opportunity to publish in Hebrew. Still, the Russian text will appear first. Therefore, it would be good if you would be kind enough to try to write your essay in Russian; but, of course, it depends on your wishes.
I hereby bless you with blessings of Zion, and I express to you my thanks in advance.
Please give my blessings to your lady [i.e., his wife, Zipora].
With feelings of honor and friendship blessing
V[ladimir] Jabotinsky
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Exhibited here is Klausner’s handwritten 13 Av 1941 correspondence to composer Gavriel Gard, in which he writes that he only now received Grad’s request and would be pleased to meet with him at his Talpiot home aside Jerusalem “this coming Monday, the 18th of Av (August 11) at 3:00 p.m.” An ardent Zionist, the Lithuanian-born Grad composed and performed Jewish music in Berlin, where he founded the Jewish Chamber Trio; founded and directed a school for Jewish classical music in Kovno; and, after making aliyah in 1924, he founded the Benhatov Conservatory and continued to compose musical pieces, including putting many of the poems of Bialik to music. His writings include documenting events in the life of the Zionist yishuv and the Jewish people, including the 1929 Arab Riots and the Arab Revolt, as discussed below.
As a leading ideologist of the Revisionist Party (and later the Cherut party), Klausner edited the monthly Beitar during 1932-1933 and he was vociferous, both in speech and in writing, in support of the ideals of the right-wing nationalists. On July 24, 1929, he established the Pro-Wailing Wall Committee to represent Jewish rights at the Western Wall. The Committee created a program of political activities organized and promoted by Jabotinsky and his Revisionist Zionists in a loose coalition with religious Zionists and Zionist youth groups; interestingly, almost certainly at the urging of the Religious Zionists, its efforts included creating a mechitzah, a partition separating men and women, at the Wall. The following month members of Betar and other Revisionist Zionist activists marched to the Western Wall and claimed it as their own, precipitating the 1929 Palestine Riots in which Klausner’s house in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem was destroyed.
In this June 17, 1929 correspondence on his Jerusalem letterhead, Jabotinsky writes to Klausner (in Hebrew) about meeting to discuss Klausner’s plans regarding the establishment of the Pro-Western Wall Committee:
Jabotinsky’s letter to Klausner regarding plans for the Pro-Western Wall Committee.
I would like to see you about something important and urgent. I am free tomorrow from 12 morning to 4.30 p.m. I could come to you, but it would be more comfortable if we could meet in the city, wherever you want. Please write; or, if you are not at home, please call tomorrow morning (after 10) to the number 23.
The temporary vacuum caused by the absence of the British High Commissioner, Sir John Chancellor, and of the Zionist leadership, who were attending the 16th Zionist Congress in Zurich, facilitated the ability of the Pro–Wailing Wall Committee to pursue a more radical agenda during the run up to Tisha B’Av – the day of mourning and remembrance commemorating the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple – which fell on August 15, 1929 that year. Responding to criticism from the establishment, who feared that incitement of the youth would lead to “accidents” of no “practical utility,” Klausner’s Committee wrote in the pages of Doar HaYom that “We cannot trust any more the actions of existing institutions in this matter, and it was decided to take separate action.” In an article in the pages of The Palestine Weekly on the same day, Klausner wrote: “But what about the Jews, cannot they too throw stones, have they not hands or even fists? What did Shakespeare say through his Shylock? ‘Hath not a Jew eyes… if you wrong us, shall we not revenge… ’”
During The Nine Days (a period of semi-mourning leading up to Tisha B’Av), Klausner published a public appeal:
Ye Jews, and national Jews in all parts of the world! Wake up and unite! Do not keep silent or rest in peace until the entire Wall has been restored to us! Form yourselves into pro-Wailing Wall societies! Hold meetings of protest! Go and demonstrate before the British Consuls in all countries on behalf of the Wall! Submit protests memorials to them! Explain to the Jewish masses and to the young generation what has been and what is the Kotel to Israel in the past and at present! Explain to the righteous and the pious among the nations of the world what is the national insult which we have suffered at the hands of the British officials without justice or right! Move heaven and earth at the unspeakable and unprecedented injustice and oppression which tends to rob a live nation of the last of its relics and its “poor man’s lamb.” Those of us who are here will not rest until that relic which has always been ours, which had been sealed with the blood of scores of thousands of our children through two millennia and which has absorbed the tears of Israel for two thousand years, has been restored to us. Come to our help by co-operating in this just struggle for the Wall and triumph is sure to come.
Jerusalem, during the Nine Days of Mourning. 5689.
Pro–Wailing Wall Committee.
In an August 18, 1947 report to the United Nations, the Ad Hoc Committee on the Palestinian Question from the United Kingdom Delegation characterized Klausner’s comments as “impertinent:”
At about this time the Jews protested against building operations which were being carried out, within the Haram area but overlooking the pavement in front of the Wailing Wall, and against other innovations in the neighborhood of the Wall. These were followed by the formation of a “Pro-Wailing Wall community,” under the presidency of a distinguished Jewish scholar, and by intemperate articles in the press of the Revisionists (the nationalist right wing of the Zionist movement).
Klausner’s appeals were followed by a protest meeting organized by the World Federation of Hebrew Youth which was addressed by Revisionists and religious Zionists from Mizrachi and which was supported by Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. At the meeting – held in Tel Aviv on the eve of Tisha B’Av and, according to British intelligence, was attended by 6,000 people – four resolutions were adopted, and the Chief Rabbinate and Klausner’s Committee were urged to continue the political struggle for the Wall.
On Tisha B’Av, Revisionist youth leader Jeremiah Halpern and some three hundred Revisionist Betar youths who were members of the Pro-Western Wall Commission marched to the Kotel, where they demonstrated in the Muslim Maghribi district in front of the house of the Mufti, raising the Zionist flag, singing Hatikvah, and proclaiming “The Wall is ours.” Two days later, in raised tensions caused by a 2,000-strong Muslim counter-demonstration after Friday prayers the day before, a Jewish youth, Avraham Mizrahi, was murdered and the violence escalated into the infamous 1929 Palestine riots. The infamous Shaw Commission later identified the demonstration by Revisionist youth on August 15th as the primary proximate cause of the Arab riots:
45. In our opinion the immediate causes of the outbreak were:
(a) The long series of incidents connected with the Wailing Wall which began on the Jewish Day of Atonement in September, 1928, and ended with the Moslem demonstration on the 16th of August, 1929. These must be regarded as a whole, but the incident among them which in our view most contributed to the outbreak was the Jewish demonstration at the Wailing Wall on the 15th of August, 1929. Next in importance we put the activities of the Society for the Protection of the Moslem Holy Places and, in a less degree, of the Pro-Wailing Wall Committee.
For his efforts – alongside massive destruction and bloody loss of life throughout Eretz Yisrael, as discussed above – Klausner’s house in Jerusalem was destroyed.
Streets were named for Klausner in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. First, a street in Talpiot was named for him and, in an incident evidencing classic Jewish humor, when his neighbor and lifelong nemesis, Shai Agnon, complained to a friend, “Can you believe that I am living on Klausner Street?” the friend replied, “Would you rather Klausner was living on Agnon Street?” Second, Bet Hatfusot, the Museum of the Jewish People, is located on the campus of Tel Aviv University on Klausner Street.
