"Mourning over the Death of Matityahu Herzl of Blessed Memory" a special issue of the "Hashkafah" newspaper edited by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, after the death of Theodor Herzl. On the thirtieth day of his passing.
"...He is dead, G-d in Heaven, he is dead, he is dead! This great leader this national hero, this head of the Hebrew people is dead! The man who created the Congress, the Treasure; the man who gathered an entire people under his flag; the man who already said to establish the state - this man is dead! And we cannot express even a single word to utter the pain of the heart. Tears burst from our eyes; our thin cheeks became white, our poor hearts began to beat, to beat, so much, so much... And like real madmen, so we ran in the streets, we walked before us, always before us, we breathed the wind, we raised our hands and lowered them again. G-d he is dead! He! He! He is dead!" From the article by editor Eliezer Ben-Yehuda at the beginning of the issue. In his article, Ben-Yehuda bitterly mourns Herzl's passing and writes about him that "there has not been one like him among us for hundreds and hundreds of years", and adds that Herzl's death is nothing less than "a new Kishinev, perhaps more terrible...because in the first brave men fell victim for the people, and this time the very commander of the army fell!"..., there is also an article by Alter Widberg about the eulogies delivered for Herzl in Eretz Israel, and more.
In the issue's headline, Ben-Yehuda chose Herzl's nickname "Matityahu" and not his Hebrew name "Benjamin Ze'ev" or the foreign "Theodor". The origin of the name "Matityahu" by which Herzl was called is in the summer of 1903. That year, Herzl made a quick visit to Vilna where a huge crowd of Jews was waiting for him, and a ceremony was held at the "Great Charity House" on German Street in Vilna. During that visit, Herzl was presented with a certificate signed on parchment titled "To Matityahu son of Jacob Dr. Herzl, the Lord is with you mighty hero, etc.". The people of Vilna saw Herzl as a pioneer and trailblazer, dedicated to his people and willing to pay a price, like Matityahu the Hasmonean in his time. The Zionist movement remembered Herzl with great honor and respect, but did not adopt the name "Matityahu". In Ahad Ha'am's eulogy for the hero of the nation who died in the issue before us, he deliberately chose the name "Matityahu", as one of the Russian police officers reacted to the crowd gathered at that meeting in Vilna before Herzl's arrival: "You already have a king but no land yet!".
[9] pages. Complete issue with the "Addition" page for the issue. Good condition. Loose spine reinforced with adhesive tape.
