The Ashkenazi Revolution

97melt from believing a wondrous thing such as this, which is higher thannature” (“The Advisor”, 1882, 43, Orinovsky, Ibid. page 247).Yehuda Leib Gordon’s flesh did not tremble in his response to “The Autoemancipation”.Again, he had no concrete plan of action as did the Loversof Zion, except the “sound of the trumpet” alone. However, the poet isquick to bury the nascent idea and to roll a boulder over its grave as hewraps it in funerary shrouds and negates it with lofty analogies and flowerylanguage. This time, Yehuda Leib Gordon is revealed not as one whodoubts, as he showed himself earlier, but as one who is sure of himself. Heknows that the Jewish population of Eastern Europe, that is to sayAshkenaz, which was one of the most active and talented in this generation,is naught but “the dead of the world” and that it is doubtful if they will be“awakened”. In truth, it is clear to Yehuda Leib Gordon that “the dead”will not arise, and the question rhetorical for the answer is certainlynegative. But he is quick to add that he is not ready to have faith in “awondrous thing such as this, which is higher than nature.”Yet, behind all the folly and deception in the words of Yehuda LeibGordon there exists, and is recognizable, the question of the underlyingpurpose and meaning of the writing of his publications throughout his life.These publications, of poem and poem, for what did they come and whatwas their purpose? A publicist is an author who calls for a specific actionand if he does not call for action, he is not a publicist but rather he falls intoa different category of writing or he does not write at all. However,Yehuda Leib Gordon wrote publications his entire creative career, and laternegated his words and concluded, with his responses to Pinsker’s words,with complete denial, and with tactical mysticism, in his response to theslogan of the Lovers of Zion. If this is the case, for what purpose did hewrite? The answer is clear: His writings were to serve himself and toensure himself a place in the Hall of Fame of the Jewish public. Thewritings of Yehuda Leib Gordon were, in principle, personal writingswrapped in the cloak of public service.