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TUDIES rg the summer of 1894 he made at a financial loss' Thus, the ical scene at a time when Dru,ing to promote the sale of his

FEDERATION A NOTE ON "THE SOCIALIST OF SALONIKI''

re Parole, p. l?5. Suarez,Briand, vol' i' ouuenirs (Paris 1929) p. 150-51;Gu6rin' 7; Libre Parole lllnstree, January 6ent was 3 percent, in 1894 l'5 percent' percent, in 1898 6 Percent' and in 1899

Bv AsRAHeu BrNnnoYe

or nothing of Saloniki' of which little The Jewish labor movement to the readers world at large' was introduced was known in the Jewish o f t h i s j o u r n a l i n l g 4 5 ' l l n s o f a r a s t h e a v a i l a b lthe o SocialisteFederation es urcesp rmitted' ti tnt foliticat role of Ioshua Starr's ,"'u", of which a movement, in the leadership ionstitutes a valuable study of series of details may be f1"i9 t: *t I took a prominent p"tt' itl'tht' March a Greek nervsPaPer(Tokhydtomos' 35 articles, which appeared in of socialism in Greece deal with the history 4-April 8, l93l), ""a-*nitn ,i. second of these two decades the socialist from lg0g to lg2g. o"r^lrrg branch of the tiitt on a new basis' as the local Fed.eration continuei my " I was associated as founder until Greek Socialist Party, with which grouP' in 1924 by the controlling communist .-p"itf"" to discuss the place of the FederaIn my articles I made no attemPt to describe tn" local Jewish community' nor tion in the framewJ-oi that organization _sponsored' ;olitics,"which various activities ,";l;;-.i work' and the cultural functions social The co-operative movement' the are no less interesting than its political the r.J"r",ion associated with has yet to be told' and I hope to record. All this fot*' " story' which the meantime' there are a few points take it up on a future occasion' In by Starr' on which I offer in connection with the sketch contributed some observations'
1 Starr, J.,"The 32t-36. in ;nwnu socIAL sruDrEs'vol' vii (1945) Socialist Federation of Saloniki"'

69

70

JEwrsH socIAL STUDIES

THE SOCIALII

of (l) Beginning in l9l0 Alberto Arditti was one of the militants figures, but was not presithe Feieration and among its most popular lyc6e dent, for there was no such officer. Arditti was a graduate of the and a pupil of Joseph maintained by the Alliance Isradlite universelle, Nehama.IconsiderhisentryintotheFederation(1910)amongmy most important Personal achievements; he joined only.after -repeated in the efforts made by me. In addition to taking the most active role co-operative movement, Arditti was the link for a grouP of intellectuals, and wfriitr included David Recanati (E. Rod), rvho joined earlier' same time' Starting as an employe in in at the Joseph Hazan who came "^ u.rrirr.r, firm, Arditti soon became an independent merchant, one of viewthe most important in saloniki, but never abandoned his liberal point. He met his death at Auschwitz' (2) Shortly after joining, Joseph lF.azan became second secretary' in l9ll. and succeededme as secretary-generalwhen I went into exile spirit Hazan was one of the founders of the Federation and the leading Hazan was a dissident who attemPted to in the co-operative movement. and launch a more moderate organization than the socialist Federation, as a Practical alternative. He then devoted himself to the cloPerative too died at Auschwitz. Ferrer case (3) At the time of the Protest meeting regarding -the Haason' a tailor (190d);the central figure *", ,,ot Hazan but Abraham had little by trade, and a natiie of strumnitsa (Macedonia). Hasson from education and rvas under the influence of the socialist emigrds to coland Bulgaria; hence, his opposition to the federative principle' joint the Freemasons' I was personally also opposed to a labo"ration with meetingwiththeFreemasons,butforotherreasons;Iadvocateda influence of the ,.purutl socialist meeting with a view to promoting the Federation'Confinedtoleabyillness,however,Ihadtoyieldtothose whofavoredajointmeeting'andAlbertoDassaspokeforthefederation. DassawasamemberoftheintellectualgfouP,whichfoundedtheLabor immiSrated to League, forerunner of the Federation; he subsequently Bulgarian socialists Fr"ice. Through Hassan rhe secrarianism of certain lengthy disaffected some members of the Federation and provoked cussions. my early (4) It is necessaryto correct some tnisconcePtions regarding "converted" to socialism in y.urr.' i am a native of Saloniki, and became
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Bulgaria, joining the "narro' into the "liberals" (or democ I became one of the liberal I I retained great resp3ct for t garia, my original mentors. I my work in Saloniki, partict bitter animosity among the cr among their local compatriot: from being a "conservative," I and by my understanding of I as Giannios, who moved fror and Stefanos Papadopoulos, ra never forgave me for my indt taking ethnic differencesinto

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The effectivenessof the I tion was exemplified in the (l9ll), which met at Salonik represented the Greek Jews endorsed the recognition of lc basis of socialist activity in delegatessupported this prinr garians born in Turkey, and t.

In 1907-1908 was teach I lution of 1908 I became a pr service as a Iabor organizer. J later to abandon the study of between my course and that ol also studied la'rv at Istanbul, I After some years as a printer, I gaining the experience I need Federation (1909-ll and l9l tunate in having gained for t tors as David Haguel (died (escaped from Auschrvitz), f Haguel (immigrated to Franc secretary), Haim Benroubi (n youth organization and in ot.

)IES

THE, SOCIALIST FEDERATION

OF SALONIKI

7I

$ras one of the militants of figures, but rvas not presiwas a graduate of the lycee ;elle, and a pupil of .foseph leration (1910) among my joined only after repeated the most active role in the for a group of intellectuals, , rvho joined earlier, and . Starting as an employe in .ependent merchant, onc of rbandoned his liberal viewn became second secretary, I rvent into exile in l9ll. rtion and the leading spirit dissident who attempted to he Socialist Federation, and a practical alternative. He ; regalding the Ferrer case t Abraham Haason, a tailor :edonia). Hasson had little the socialist emigrds from ative principle, and to colrally also opposed to a joint rer reasons: I advocated a moting the influence of the :ver, I had to yield to those ;saspoke for the Federation. r, which founded the Labor ubsequently immigrated to ' certain Bulgarian socialists and provoked lengthy disceptions regarding my early "converted" to socialism in

Bulgaria, joining the "narrow" wing. In 1907, when this group split into the "liberals" (or democrats)and the "conservatives" (or centrists), admit that I became one of the liberal militants. I must, nevertheless, I retained great resp3ct for the "conservative" socialist leaders of Bulgaria, my original mentors. At the same time the independent spirit of my rvork in Saloniki, particularly among the Je*'ish rvorkers, aroused bitter animosity among the conservativesocialistso[ Bulgaria, as well as among their local compatriots and the Greek socialistsin Istanbul. Far from being a "conservative,"I rvasguided only by my socialistconsciencc and by my understanding of local conditions. The "conservatives,"such as Giannios, rvho moved from the Turkish capital to Athens in 1910, and Stefanos Papadopoulos, who came to the former city from Bulgaria, never forgave me for my independent attitude nor for my insistence on taking ethnic differences into consideration. The effectiveness the principle embodied in the Socialist Federaof tion was exemplified in the Socialist Conference of European Turkey (l9ll), which met at Saloniki. Papadopoulos,if I rernernber correctly, represented the Greek Jews of Istanbul, and the discussion indirectly endorsed the recognition of local circumstances and ethnic groups as the basis of socialist activity in Turkey. The Serb, Turkish and Jewisir delegates supported this principle, rvhich rvas also accepted by the Bulgarians born in Turkey, and the Greeks were not absoiutely opposed. In 1907-1908 was teaching in a Jewish school. Follorving the revoI lution of 1908 I became a printer rvith a vierv to preparing myself for service as a labor organizer. It rvas the same motive wirich impelled me later to abandon the study of larv. Years later I observed the similarity between my courseand that of IsaacBen-Zvi and David Ben-Gurion, who also studied larv at Istanbul, and were guest speakers at tire Federation. After some yearsas a printer, I was a tobacco worker for nvo years, thereby gaining the experience I needed as first and last secretary-generalof the Federation (1909-ll and l9l7 and thereafter). I consider myself fortunate in having gained for the socialist cause such valuable collaborators as David Haguel (died at Auschwitz), A. Dassa, David Menache (escaped from Auschwitz), D. Recanate, A. Arditti, J. Hazan, Haim Haguel (immigrated to France), Jacques Amariglio (succeededHazan as secretary),Haim Benroubi (now at Athens), and others. In the socialist youth organization and in other branches contributions rvere made by

72

STUDIES JEwISH socrAl

Amon' Moise Yona' Sabetay Levy' Samuel Samuel Saadi Levy, Samuel Auschwitz' several of whom died at Modiano, and other *;;k;;t' of the Federation not for the (5) The way was prepared ^flundinS Ut a "di'cle of Social Studies"' grouP 9Y' onlv bv the Bulgarian Jotiti't latter made its political debut ft*t' which I organized ";;;;;t 11t

i""*o"-*-';:Ti;?***,ff iecame sociarist f ll;f'"T':i:3J""*!'ff the rater

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p"padopoulos' t ':t"t-1^1e army of Federation. as stated"if i"r*J'for purely personal reasons' Ptlitl*J but and Mahmud shevket P";;;;i"t Bulgarian utta ct"it socialists' l'ititi"a'Uy and I was necessity "t"uo'ut"iy These-critics overlookedthe even by a Serb, ro' tf atlision' which r it o'at' to play the role- for for legalizin, 'n, "uttl ;;;;;y no socialistorganrza' There was' moreover'as yet was preparing*y':f' myself' and I had perwith which.to associate tion in European '*kty have been feelingsand plans' ll:::lt force to be guideduf *y'pt"onal

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iJug'"'*ni't'

Publicationsof The Amerit bY' Philadelphia.Published

ji; iT j:::*i# lin* *"'* l;::T::'P:=' lT'I ;lff': had have to suPPort d'-o"'t would
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ih" Yo,rng Turks This, of course' d;:;;;-*;an

Cyrus Adler, an organize pointed out in his Presidenti utr"ady established the "whatr " come, he said, to attemPt the American Jeut tions of The presented at the fortY-second of the SocietY, in 1940, 1942

i*r"v, "u'ry the Sultan's ;;i"tJ

abrogation of the constitution' illusions as to that I laborJ under any

the late Dr. Adler's admonitio the "whats" of American Jew mainly in unraveling the Jewi society in order to describe th

YoungTurks' ,t"-ioii,i."r regimeof the

This is not intended to d' question arises, when does th tion-the studY of "whY"-bt engrossed in ferreting out mc of history.

'a

An examPle of the comP to George Washington" (P' I scholar. The onlY aPParent r( was that one of the three mes to transport $250,000 from Massachusetts haPPened to t inconsequential from the vier is told. The journeY itself is