Shlomo Kaplansky
Encyclopedia
Shlomo Kaplansky (b. 7 March 1884 in Białystok, d. 7 December 1950 in Haifa
) was a Labour Zionist politician, who served as the Secretary of the World Union of Poalei Zion. During the 1920's he was a leading advocate of a bi-national state in Palestine
.
Kaplansky was one of the founders of Poali Zion, a Marxist-Jewish group. He was a Poali Zion delegate to the 10th Zionist Congress (Basle, August 1911) at which he raised the question of relations with the Arabs and advocated explaining to them the benefits that the Zionist enterprise could bring them. In June 1914 he argued that sharecroppers being evicted following Zionist land purchases should be given land outside Palestine. He was profoundly shaken by the First World War which lead to his opposition to notions of armed conflict in Palestine and he hoped for the realization of Zionism by peaceful means. In 1919 he envisioned that "both people in this country, Jews and Arabs, are guaranteed national autonomy on a personal basis, and will enjoy national equity of rights in municipalities and local governments" and that "the national languages of Jews and Arabs will enjoy equal status."
He became head of the World Union of Poale Zion in Vienna
and in the summer of 1920 he and David Ben Gurion were sent to set up a Poale Zion office in London
. The office was in rooms in Petticoat Lane with Moshe Sharett
working part-time translating Yiddish into English. They succeeded in becoming affiliated to the British Labour Party
under the name of 'The Jewish Socialist Labour Party', claiming membership of 3,000 - though actual membership was a few hundred. One issue that they tried to influence policy on was the northern border of Palestine which was being decided at the San Remo conference
. They hoped that it would be extended as far as the Litani River
. They had only limited success in influency Labour party Middle East policy and the office closed in March 1921.. Along with David Ben-Gurion
, he had contacts with both Labour and the Independent Labour Party
. He collaborated with the Independent Labour Party in setting up the Vienna International.
In Palestine he became a member of Ahdut HaAvoda
and attended their 3rd Congress held at Ein Harod
in May 1924. At the time the British Madate authorities were proposing the setting up of a legislative council. Kaplansky was in favour of supporting the initative. "We should come to an agreement with the Arabs, and together demand the expasion of the parliament's jurisdiction and ultimate self rule." He proposed two assemblies: one of elected representatives which would inevitably have an Arab majority; the second would have equal numbers of Jews and Arabs. He called for cooperation with the Arabs without British supervison and for the establishment of settlements all over the country with a vision of a bi-national state. Ben Gurion was strongly opposed to these proposals which he called "Kaplansky's error". He opposed negotiations with Arabs since their leadership was from the "effendi" ruling class and called for the developement of ties with an Arab working class. He wanted the separation of the two people, Arab and Jew, under British supervision with Jewish settlements in concentrations as a prelude to a Jewish State. The Congress rejected Kaplanski's proposals. Five years later Ben Gurion reversed his position on federal institutions and in 1936 he accepted the idea of negotiations with effendis.
In 1925 Kaplansky was director of the Zionist Organisation Settlement Department in Jerusalem.
In 1927 Ben Gurion called for his resignation as the Ahdut HaAvoda
representative on the Zionist Executive over the way relief was being distributed to unemployed Jews. The resignation call was rejected by the Histadrut
but Kaplansky did resign later in the year, following the Zionist Congress in Basel, September 1927. He was appointed chairman of the Histadrut economic committee.
During the 1928 discussions between Hapoel Hatzair
and Ahdut HaAvoda which led to the formation of Mapai
he threatened to resign because the manifesto was not socialist enough.
In 1929 Kaplansky returned to the Zionist Executive and was a member of the delegation from Palestine to the Jewish Labour Congress held in Berlin, 27 September, 1929.
Kaplansky was appointed as the Director of Technion in 1931. Under Kaplansky's leadership Technion was developed into a technological university of Central European type.
The 21st Zionist Congress held in Geneva
, August 1939, appointed Kaplanshy as head of a committee of enquiry into Arab-Jewish relations which reported to a conference convened in Palestine by Chaim Weizmann
in 1945.
In May 1942 Kaplansky presided over a special conference which led to the formation of the "V-League to help the Soviet Union" which raised funds for the Soviet war effort.
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
) was a Labour Zionist politician, who served as the Secretary of the World Union of Poalei Zion. During the 1920's he was a leading advocate of a bi-national state in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
Kaplansky was one of the founders of Poali Zion, a Marxist-Jewish group. He was a Poali Zion delegate to the 10th Zionist Congress (Basle, August 1911) at which he raised the question of relations with the Arabs and advocated explaining to them the benefits that the Zionist enterprise could bring them. In June 1914 he argued that sharecroppers being evicted following Zionist land purchases should be given land outside Palestine. He was profoundly shaken by the First World War which lead to his opposition to notions of armed conflict in Palestine and he hoped for the realization of Zionism by peaceful means. In 1919 he envisioned that "both people in this country, Jews and Arabs, are guaranteed national autonomy on a personal basis, and will enjoy national equity of rights in municipalities and local governments" and that "the national languages of Jews and Arabs will enjoy equal status."
He became head of the World Union of Poale Zion in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and in the summer of 1920 he and David Ben Gurion were sent to set up a Poale Zion office in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The office was in rooms in Petticoat Lane with Moshe Sharett
Moshe Sharett
Moshe Sharett on 15 October 1894, died 7 July 1965) was the second Prime Minister of Israel , serving for a little under two years between David Ben-Gurion's two terms.-Early life:...
working part-time translating Yiddish into English. They succeeded in becoming affiliated to the British Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
under the name of 'The Jewish Socialist Labour Party', claiming membership of 3,000 - though actual membership was a few hundred. One issue that they tried to influence policy on was the northern border of Palestine which was being decided at the San Remo conference
San Remo conference
The San Remo Conference was an international meeting of the post-World War I Allied Supreme Council, held in Sanremo, Italy, from 19 to 26 April 1920. It was attended by the four Principal Allied Powers of World War I who were represented by the prime ministers of Britain , France and Italy and...
. They hoped that it would be extended as far as the Litani River
Litani River
The Litani River is an important water resource in southern Lebanon. The river rises in the fertile Beqaa Valley valley, west of Baalbek, and empties into the Mediterranean Sea north of Tyre. Exceeding 140 km in length, the Litani River is the longest river in Lebanon and provides an average...
. They had only limited success in influency Labour party Middle East policy and the office closed in March 1921.. Along with David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
, he had contacts with both Labour and the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
. He collaborated with the Independent Labour Party in setting up the Vienna International.
In Palestine he became a member of Ahdut HaAvoda
Ahdut HaAvoda
Ahdut HaAvoda was the name used by a sequence of political parties that existed firstly during Mandate Palestine and later in Israel. Its original version, led by David Ben-Gurion, is one of the main ancestors of the modern-day Israeli Labor Party....
and attended their 3rd Congress held at Ein Harod
Ein Harod
Ein Harod was a kibbutz in Israel. It was located in northern Israel near Mount Gilboa. It is notable for being built near the battlefield of Ayn Jalut , a battle of huge macro-historical importance where the Mongols were defeated for the first time, in 1260.-History:The kibbutz was founded by...
in May 1924. At the time the British Madate authorities were proposing the setting up of a legislative council. Kaplansky was in favour of supporting the initative. "We should come to an agreement with the Arabs, and together demand the expasion of the parliament's jurisdiction and ultimate self rule." He proposed two assemblies: one of elected representatives which would inevitably have an Arab majority; the second would have equal numbers of Jews and Arabs. He called for cooperation with the Arabs without British supervison and for the establishment of settlements all over the country with a vision of a bi-national state. Ben Gurion was strongly opposed to these proposals which he called "Kaplansky's error". He opposed negotiations with Arabs since their leadership was from the "effendi" ruling class and called for the developement of ties with an Arab working class. He wanted the separation of the two people, Arab and Jew, under British supervision with Jewish settlements in concentrations as a prelude to a Jewish State. The Congress rejected Kaplanski's proposals. Five years later Ben Gurion reversed his position on federal institutions and in 1936 he accepted the idea of negotiations with effendis.
In 1925 Kaplansky was director of the Zionist Organisation Settlement Department in Jerusalem.
In 1927 Ben Gurion called for his resignation as the Ahdut HaAvoda
Ahdut HaAvoda
Ahdut HaAvoda was the name used by a sequence of political parties that existed firstly during Mandate Palestine and later in Israel. Its original version, led by David Ben-Gurion, is one of the main ancestors of the modern-day Israeli Labor Party....
representative on the Zionist Executive over the way relief was being distributed to unemployed Jews. The resignation call was rejected by the Histadrut
Histadrut
HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael , known as the Histadrut, is Israel's organization of trade unions. Established in December 1920 during the British Mandate for Palestine, it became one of the most powerful institutions of the State of Israel.-History:The Histadrut was founded in...
but Kaplansky did resign later in the year, following the Zionist Congress in Basel, September 1927. He was appointed chairman of the Histadrut economic committee.
During the 1928 discussions between Hapoel Hatzair
Hapoel Hatzair
Hapoel Hatzair is a Zionist group which was active in Palestine from 1905 until 1930. They were founded by A.D. Gordon, Yosef Ahronowitz, Yosef Sprinzak and followed a non-Marxist, Zionist, socialist agenda. In accordance with A.D...
and Ahdut HaAvoda which led to the formation of Mapai
Mapai
Mapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...
he threatened to resign because the manifesto was not socialist enough.
In 1929 Kaplansky returned to the Zionist Executive and was a member of the delegation from Palestine to the Jewish Labour Congress held in Berlin, 27 September, 1929.
Kaplansky was appointed as the Director of Technion in 1931. Under Kaplansky's leadership Technion was developed into a technological university of Central European type.
The 21st Zionist Congress held in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, August 1939, appointed Kaplanshy as head of a committee of enquiry into Arab-Jewish relations which reported to a conference convened in Palestine by Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann, , was a Zionist leader, President of the Zionist Organization, and the first President of the State of Israel. He was elected on 1 February 1949, and served until his death in 1952....
in 1945.
In May 1942 Kaplansky presided over a special conference which led to the formation of the "V-League to help the Soviet Union" which raised funds for the Soviet war effort.