The Ashkenazi Revolution

160doctrine with his body, but serves as a representative and as a mouthpiece.In this stage the great skepticism, for which he was known until his death,ruled over him. He saw the world he had created destroyed before his eyes.The symbolisms of Hebrew labor, independent labor and the economy oflaborers were not enough to form a social foundation that would last. Theywere only a temporary foundation, and Beryl Katzenelson’s temporary staywith the Kinneret group testified to this. Only a total connection with themasses, and a firm decision to save them and bring them toheaven wouldbe enough to form a permanent social foundation. During these dark days,Beryl Katzenelson attempted to renew the cords of solidarity betweenhimself and the masses of Eastern Europe, but this attempt was destined tofail from the beginning. The great builder of the labor group died askeptical and disappointed man. He knew that his path was a path ofdecline and that the years he spent among the people of Bobruisk, spokeYiddish with them, and dreamed of saving them, were the best years of hislife.4In the process of his independent ideological revisionism, which gave birthto the “From the Elite to the People” diversion, Ben-Gurion freed himselffrom subservience to the New Hebrew Literature. It is likely that thisliberation preceded all other revisions. It is likely that even at a very earlyperiod Ben-Gurion noticed the poverty of this literature and turned to othersources. When Ben-Gurion openly expressed his opinion, in his letter toMoshe Shamir (“Davar”, October 1, 1960) the literary cult trembled andwas shaken. It realized that its rule over the Ashkenazi People, the rule itwon when Ahad ha’Am and Bialik caused Herzl’s failure, was in danger.It was immediately announced, in the strongholds of the literary mob, aboutthe situation of “The Base” and their heavy cannons began firing at thelegal government of the State of Israel over the fact that its leader had hadthe nerve to insult Hebrew Literature, which saw itself as the supreme rulerwhose blessings were required for everything in the country.