The Ashkenazi Revolution

152the biography of Bialik, were hidden and buried well, behind dozens oflayers of obfuscation and secrecy. The much loved “national poet” nevertroubled himself to tend to public matters, except to appear at certaincultural events where he was asked to appear on stage and appear as acultural pope, and except for fund-raising trips to the United States wherehe appeared in the double image as a great poet of Israel and as a businessman collecting funds for his own interests. In his behavior he sought toemphasize that he lived far from the noise and racket of daily politics andthat he was destined to be exempt from its tumult. In the days of themurder of Arlozoroff, of blessed memory, and the libel against Ahimeir,Stavsky and Rosenblatt, the cherished Jew Ben Zion Katz turned to himand requested that he join a public commission of businessmen and authorsto fight against the libel. Bialik answered him that he did not believe Jewshad murdered Arlozoroff, but he refused to join a public defensecommission, saying that he is a sick man…. This was the level ofpatriotism and concern for societal peace displayed by the “national poet”,who had enjoyed the fame of this title in the Hebrew settlement of the Landof Israel, where there was an abundance of idealism and self-sacrifice in allareas, defense, settlement and public works. In contrast to Bialik’sshameful ways in this matter we should mention, at the opposite extreme,the praiseworthy behavior of Rabbi Nathan Mileikowsky, of blessedmemory, the precious man who sacrificed all his personal concerns, spentdays and nights being at the forefront to frustrate the libel, brought generalruin upon his business and family, and in the end shortened his own life,dying before his time. In this behavior, Rabbi Mileikowsky proved that theclass of Jewish activists, that represented the typical and the famous, risesin its human level far beyond that of the Hebrew authors.To the extent that it suited him, Bialik demanded the right to be far fromthe public eye. But when it was preferable for him to take the oppositeapproach, he did not hesitate to do so. He hotly pursued Jabotinsky and inthe early 1920’s, when Bialik and Jabotinsky happened upon each other inthe United States for different fund-raising projects, he spoke evil ofJabotinsky at every opportunity. Jabotinsky even said that he got theimpression that Bialik took advantage of every meeting, with every person,