The Ashkenazi Revolution

164at that time was worth, in today’s currency, fifty times as much. Thus the“poor” Bialik demanded a monthly salary of 2,500 Israeli Liras of the year1963 in order to devote himself to his beloved work. And good heavens –“There was no man, and no institution, that would fund…” (By the way, Ionce happened to mention to a certain Jew, who was an arbiter betweenBialik and a development company concerning a plot that Bialik hadpurchased from it, Bialik’s relationship to Yiddish. The Jew related to mehow, in this arbitration they all spoke Hebrew. Suddenly, Bialik switchedto Yiddish. The two others, who were present, the man from thedevelopment company and the arbiter, were surprised and asked: “Why isthis?” Bialik answered them: “A man is required to speak in the languagehe thinks in”. From this story we see that the “poor” Bialik had, in additionto other articles of property, also this lot, or lots). I shall continue to quoteShin Shalom:Shaul Tchernichovsky, of blessed memory, died in a rented room on a noisyand dusty street.This is also a national tragedy. Shaul Tchernichovsky lived in a rentedroom. About 90 percent of the members of the settlement in those days,when public buildings were not as common as they are today, lived inrented apartments. And so what does it matter? According to Shin Shalomit would have been fitting for Shaul Tchernichovsky to live in a privatemansion. And if these conditions do not exist, then all those who are notauthors are criminals. I shall continue to quote Shin Shalom:David Shimoni, of blessed memory, orchestrated his revolution from thenoisy classrooms of the gymnasium in order to earn a pension that wouldallow him to work creatively in a calm environment in his old age, andwhen he reached the pension he had waited for, he collapsed like aMarathon runner whose breath leaves him at the threshold of victory.The author David Shimoni had a respectable position at the gymnasium,and such positions were few at the gymnasium in those days; they were the