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| 83 6 “Strong, Firm, and Correct Propaganda” (1886) Di nyu-yorker yidishe folkstsaytung The weekly Di nyu-yorker yidishe folkstsaytung (1886–1889) was the first radical Yiddish newspaper of consequence in the United States. The following program, a blend of socialism and what could be called proto-Jewish nationalism, appeared in the debut issue of the newspaper. Its somewhat awkward prose reflected the editors’ lack of experience with Yiddish journalism , then in its infancy. The Jewish worker, who makes good use of what little free time he has, spends a few cents on a Yiddish newspaper. What does he look for in a newspaper? What does he wish to find there? As a worker, his situation is directly connected to all workers of the world; his destiny hinges on the destiny of other workers; his future is the future of all his comrades; his hopes are the same as theirs. He sees, knows, feels that in the chain that binds the labor world together, he is a ring equal to all others , and that he is supported by the same power that holds all of the rings together. He understands that as the rings become forged more strongly, the chain becomes harder to break. He sees the chain becoming larger, heavier, and longer all the time, and, with it, the power that holds them together becomes greater and stronger. On the other side, he sees the power of capitalism, which uses all means to break the chain of labor, to break it and scatter its rings. The worker understands all too well the capitalists’ mind-set: a single person is much easier to squeeze and oppress than a unified group of people. Such divergent goals form a war in the struggle between two conflicting classes: the workers and the capitalists. The longer the war goes on, the larger and fiercer it becomes; the more the capitalists persist, the more the workers bind themselves together, clasping their hands more firmly and becoming brothers in arms. 84 | In Struggle What can result from such a war? How long can it last, when did it begin, who is becoming the victor, the winner? What is the class struggle’s current situation? What means do the workers possess? What do the leaders of the labor movement, the educated men who understand the class struggle very well, think about all of this? What do they advise? On the newspaper page, which the Jewish worker is just becoming accustomed to reading, he searches for the correct answer to all of these important questions. As a Jew, the situation of the worker is entirely different. The Jewish Question is still wide open. It separates the Jewish worker from the entire world. When it comes to The Jewish Question, the Jewish worker still has very old and large accounts to settle. In the field of struggle as workers, the Jewish worker has many allies; in the field of struggle as a Jew, he has very few. The Jewish Question is very important, and one should consider it well so as to be able to answer it. The Jewish worker can give an answer only when he becomes familiar with Jewish history. As a man, the Jewish worker has the right to know the state of contemporary education, civilization, and culture, to know about all scientific discoveries and about each step in human progress. It is also important for him to read various important and fine original stories, as well as good translations. As a part of the United States, it is very important for the Jewish worker to know the political issues in America and also know of various other peoples [. . .] and of distant countries. [. . .]1 These are the main points, which should and must be the foundation of a newspaper read by Jewish workers. When we consider the foundations upon which various American Yiddish newspapers are built, we see large holes among the stones, very many irregularities, and considerable negligence. The strength of any building depends on the strength of its foundation. A weak foundation shows that the architect has very little understanding of the art of construction. Thus, we hold that it is right and good to familiarize the Jewish public with the program and foundation of our newspaper. The program is the following: 1. The labor question, its entire evolution from beginning to the present, all steps workers in various countries have made in order to improve their situation , and all means recommended by the...

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