Speech Given to the General Assembly of the Jewish Colonization Association

[ . . . ] There is, however, a point to which I would like to draw your attention, and that is the undeniable success of our agricultural colonization, particularly our oldest effort, colonization in the Argentine Republic, an effort that owes its existence to the founder of our society.

You know how hard it was in the beginning. The problems were inherent in such a complex undertaking: to create from scratch—without the benefit of experience (for nothing comparable had been tried before), with strangers to our land who knew neither our language nor our customs, the majority not even knowing how to farm—Jewish farming communities, not just groups of Jewish farmers, but organizations with enough vitality to persevere and grow. Difficulties accrued because the first settlers left much to be desired and because of the initial confusion between pure charity and colonization proper. That there were tentative steps, mistakes made, that the undertaking seemed to evolve rather slowly, would not be surprising; that the critics did not spare us would be even less so. Our intention was to create a program that was not brilliant, but solid, the development of which was not artificially imposed, but resulted from its own vitality. And that has been our success. The settlers, after having begun by growing grains, and set back by locust swarms and the vicissitudes of weather, gradually learned to work in less unpredictable areas such as raising cattle, poultry, and alfalfa, or running dairy farms; furthermore, with experience they have improved crop production. Thus, today they are established, their livelihood assured. Whatever doubts or agricultural mishaps they faced, they drew sufficient resources from their labor, not only to sustain themselves, but also to acquit themselves of the debts they owed our society. The Moisesville Settlement is an impressive example: the past two years have been bad for raising grain, and the news at harvest time a few months ago was alarming. But thanks to more crop variety, the farmers have managed not just to flourish, but also to reimburse us an annuity of around 110,000 francs.

The economic situation varies a good deal, of course, among the colonies and even from one member of the community to another. Some have been quite prosperous. Reports to Maurice¹ tell of several farmers who have realized more than 30,000 francs in profit from their alfalfa fields. Others have been less prosperous, but generally today our colonies are thriving. The farmers live well, and the sums they reimburse us increase year to year: they reimbursed us 72,820 francs in 1900; 221,100 in 1901; 189,160 in 1902; 175,780 in 1903; 214,060 in 1904; 464,640 in 1905; and 614,900 in 1906. We shall leave aside the various forms of revenue such as lands and buildings, though they are increasing proportionately every year. The forecast for 1907 is for a still greater level of repayment. Each year the settlers also send increasing sums of money to Russia in order to help their relatives (more than 163,000 francs in 1906). They provide work for an ever greater number of Jewish farm workers, as is demonstrated in the annual report’s table of settlement populations; some make significant expenditures to improve crop yield on the lands they’re allotted. Finally, the land they’ve settled and will eventually own appreciates considerably in value, depending on the region.

Keeping pace with this material prosperity is the unconstrained development of social life. The colonies have become stable enough to administer themselves. Their inhabitants have the same origin, the same language, and the same needs, the conditions necessary for mutual understanding. We have established homogeneous groupings, which certainly complicated our task. The United States experimented with the same population group, but rather than having the farmers isolated, they were mixed in with neighboring populations; they are now gradually turning away from this system, for experience has demonstrated that it is better to create true colonies.

We can confidently give our program a stronger push, having assured the settlers’ livelihood and having banished their fears, whatever disappointments farming might bring them, of not controlling their own lives. Conditions in Argentina are extremely favorable. One can still acquire vast stretches of land. We have a stable workforce, men who have come to this country to earn a living from the land with the expectation that, after one or two years of apprenticeship in our colonies, we will judge them worthy to be established settlers. Having agreed on the method for developing these colonies, we can at least now say we are confident about their future.

Their prosperity is made easier by the general state of our country. For the past several years, Argentina has made remarkable economic advances. The land is crisscrossed by a network of railroads; trade is becoming more frequent and more important; industries, tied to agricultural production, are being created or are expanding. What more does a farmer need?

The colonies in Palestine are progressing, thanks to their founder, who has given so much to make their situation viable. The country is good, the land is fertile, and the colonists have received enough land and livestock to make them self-sufficient; we have reduced the role of our administrators so that the colonies can administer themselves and the settlers can get down to serious work. Only the country’s administrative system and the way taxes are collected stand in the way of these colonies’ progress.