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DAINOW, ẒEBI HIRSCH B. ZEËB WOLF (known as the Slutzker Maggid):
By: Herman Rosenthal, Peter Wiernik
Russian preacher; born at Slutzk, government of Minsk, in 1832; died in London March 6, 1877. He possessed oratorical ability of a high order, and inspired the progressive element of the Russian Jewry through his exhortations in behalf of secular knowledge and his glorification of industry, patriotism, and progress. In him the modern Russo-Jewish "haskalah" (progressive movement) found its orator; and its great exponents, like Gordon, Smolenskin, and theirfriends and followers—who up to that time had received from the pulpit nothing but condemnation and censure—recognized in Dainow a powerful ally, and at first encouraged him in every possible way. But he aggravated, rather than allayed, the fear of the conservative classes that he was not in accord with them on some religious questions; and by discarding the traditional dress and manners of the "maggid" he aroused suspicion and also opposition in certain quarters. The support and encouragement that he received from the government officials augmented the hostility, and this fact misled Dainow to believe that he was persecuted by fanatics and had to suffer for the sake of the principles which he wished to enforce on his audiences. Judah Loeb GORDON, who understood the Russian Jews and their needs much better than Dainow did, made light of these imaginary persecutions, and warned Dainow against the evils that would result from a complaint to the authorities against his opponents. The violent attack on his antagonists in general, and particularly on the Jews of Byelostok and on A. B. Gottlober—which Dainow published in " Ha-Shaḥar," v. 329-347—gives a good idea of the condition of his mind. The reply to that attack (ib. pp. 601-605) contains a good description of Dainow and his methods at that time.
In 1874 he left Russia forever, and settled in London, where he became preacher in a congregation of Russian and Polish Jews, and also lecturer on Haggadah at the En Jacob synagogue. Even in his letters from London he complained continuously of opposition and persecution, giving vent to grievances that were as imaginary as those he had suffered in his native land, if not more so. All contemporary accounts agree that he was highly respected and well treated in London, where his oratorical powers were recognized even by the English rabbis. His premature death in March, 1877, was universally regretted; and his funeral was probably the most imposing that a Russian Jew had ever had in the British capital.
Besides the article mentioned, there is only one publication bearing Dainow's name. It is a pamphlet named "Kebod ha-Melek" (Glory of the King, Odessa, 1869), and contains a sermon, delivered by Dainow in Odessa, eulogizing Czar Alexander II. It appeared also in a Russian translation.
Bibliography:
J. L. Gordon, Iggerot, Nos. 60, 62, 77, 79, 97, 98, 101, 107, 108, 111, Warsaw, 1894:
Ha-Maggid, v. 20, Nos. 8, 11, 13;
Jewish Chronicle, March 9, 1877.
DAINOW, ẒEVI HIRSCH BEN ZE'EV WOLF (1832–1877), Russian preacher known as "the Maggid of Slutsk" after his native town Slutsk, in the district of Minsk. Dainow was regarded in his time as "the preacher of the Haskalah." He preached in favor of a combination of Torah with Haskalah and in popular Yiddish rebuked his compatriots for their estrangement from manual labor and stressed the need for reform in education, advocating that the ḥeder be abolished and Jewish children study in government schools. Dainow was widely known for his personal integrity; he was fearless in his preaching, favoring no one, not even the maskilim, though he regarded himself as close to them. This attitude and his criticism of the leaders of the old school roused against him widespread opposition, particularly in religious circles, and in many places the doors of the synagogue were closed to him. In his articles in the periodicals Ha-Maggid and Ha-Mattif, Dainow described the troubles and persecutions that were his lot. For a time Dainow was active throughout Russia on behalf of "The Society for the Promotion of Culture Among Jews of Russia." The Haskalah writers, including J.L. *Gordon, supported him and corresponded with him. The unremitting hostility of his opponents compelled him to leave Russia, and in 1874 he moved to London where he continued – as advised by J.L. Gordon – his role as preacher to the communities of Russian and Polish immigrants until his death. In London he was at first harassed by Chief Rabbi N.M. *Adler, but later was reconciled with him as the chief rabbi became convinced of his integrity. Dainow also founded a Hebrew school in London. One of his sermons, entitled Kevod Melekh in honor of Czar Alexander II, was published in 1869; he left other works in manuscript.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
J.M. Rosenthal, Toledot Ḥevrat Marbei Haskalah be-Yisrael be-Ereẓ Rusyah, 1 (1885), 69f.; 2 (1890), 207f; J.L. Gordon, Iggerot (1894), nos. 60, 62, 77, 78, 97, 98, 101, 107, 108, 111; J. Meisl, Haskalah. Geschichte der Aufklaerungsbewegung unter den Juden in Russland (1919), 174; J. Lipschitz, Zikhron Ya'akov, 2 (1927), 62–64, 194; Citron, in: Hadoar, 9–10 (1930–31), 60f., 75–77; S.J. Gliksberg, Ha-Derashah be-Yisrael (1940), 427; Pinkas Slutsk u-Venoteha (1962), 100, 307f.
The Jewish Chronicle March 15,1877
The Late Russian Magid.
We know nothing of the antecedents of the man who by his eloquence could fascinate thousands of his countrymen who hung on his lips and listened to his exhortations. We only know that a power whether for good or for evil has been withdrawn from the community. We have in our midst hundreds of Poles and Russians who understand no other language save their native jargon through which alone they could be persuaded and moved. The late Magid knew how to strike a chord in their hearts which vibrated through their frames; and this is enough for us to mourn his loss. Something should be done by way of spiritual instruction for these strangers on our shores which form the reserve from which one day the gaps in our ranks may be filled. It is of no use addressing them in a lauguage which they do not understand or telling them to join the native community as long as they are not acclimatized and cannot enter into our views as little as we can into theirs. The loss of the Magid will no doubt be deeply felt by those over whose emotional nature he had so much power.
The Late Rev. H. Dainow
An impressive ceremony consequent upon the death of the Russian Magid, the Rev. Hirsch Dainow took place on Sunday afternoon last at the German Synagogue, Sandy's Row. At the request of the Warden, the Rev. A. L. Green delivered an address in honour of the deceased. Mr. Green took his text the tenth verse of the twenty-second chapter of Jeremiah, "Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native land." Referring to abject condition of the Jews in Russia, The speaker asked why a teacher whose lessons were so much needed in his own country should have... (missing last line?)
Chapter Movement Of Protest And Improvement; page 105
The short-lived agitation was probably unintelligible to the Jewish community, whose journal was probably bona fide in stigmatizing the Hebrew Socialist Society as a 'missionary trick' to lure the Jewish poor away from Judaism. However, once the communal leadership realized that socialism was really being propagated among the East End Jews, Hirsch Dainow (1833-1877), a recently arrived Maggid of some note,* was set to work to combat it. Dainow's task was brief, for Liebermann quit London at the end of 1876, and his Society disappeared. Some members scattered to the Provinces, others remained in London, and a few returned to the Russia revolutionary movement.
* Zvi Hirsch Dainow (1833-1877), the Maggid of Slutsk, was well known as a preacher of the Jewish Enlightenment in Russia. He settled in London in 1876 after having been hounded out of Russia by his opponents. By the end of that year he was able to deliver an English speech. See Jewish Encyclopedia, s.v. Dainow, Zvi Hirsch; Address Delivered by the Russian Maggid (The Rev. H. Dainow), at a general meeting of the Maggid Society... December 30, 1876. London, Wertheimer, Lea & Co., 1877; information from his descendants.
Consider the brief tempest occasioned by the arrival to London of Rabbi Hirsch Dainow, known as the Polish Magid. Defying an order by the Chief Rabbi that he not be permitted to speak "except under ecclesiastical sanction," the charismatic rabbi spoke and drew a large crowd. The scene was repeated for several weeks, the number of listeners growing with each renewed prohibition against the rabbi's public lectures. "On Sabbath last, the crowd of auditors was so great intervention of two constables was required and they had difficulty in expressing the unruly ardour of the throng, who pressed forward in the hope of gaining access to Zetland Hall." Soon a fund was established to bring Rabbi Dainow and his family to London permanently. No sooner in London, however, than the Polish Magid died of pleurisy at age 45.
The Nature of Judeophobia by Gustavo D. Perednik
But the party went on. Jewish literature and press throve, mainly in Hebrew and in Yiddish, and also in Russian. Zevi Dainow published a Hebrew sermon in honor of the Czar and Lev Levanda called the Jews to “wake up under the scepter of Alexander II” - until the party was abruptly disrupted
Slutsk and Vicinity Memorial Book Translation of Pinkas Slutsk u-benoteha
Portraits
Mordchai Lipa Goren, New York
Translated from Yiddish by Judie Ostroff Goldstein
Dainov, Tsvi Hirsh
(1832 - 21 Adar 1877)
[Tsvi Hirsh Dainov] was born in Slutsk and was a prominent man known by the name "The Slutsk Maggid" [preacher]. He was one of the first modern Yiddish orators to use simple Yiddish, without the traditional melody, without gesticulations and without frightening people with hell. With the strength of his words, he would make a great impression on his listeners. Inspired by the ideals of Haskalah [enlightenment movement], he described for the people the humiliating economic and spiritual condition of the masses. He spoke out against false pride, against idlers, about the government's need to help fight poverty, the necessity of education and the need to send [Jewish] children to public schools.
The members of the Haskalah movement sent him out on their behalf to Jewish towns and villages to give speeches to the people. His strength of expression against fanaticism and superstition, such as not being too rigorous in interpreting the law and keeping certain commandments, made the Orthodox Jews come out against him.
He also had a lot of enemies among the older generation. The Russian administration (to which he would turn for help) protected him.
In many towns people had closed the doors of the besmedresh [15] to him. "Hamagid" and "Hamelitz" [Jewish newspapers] would often publish laments about the persecution that he endured from the opponents of Haskalah. Thanks to the endeavors of his friend YL'G, the community "Ein Jankov" invited Dainov as an orator in 1874. These were Russian-Polish Jews in London where he was very popular and well liked, even by the leader of the Jewish community, Rabbi Nathan Adler.
Characteristic of his relationship with the Yiddish language; in one of his letters to the "Chevra Mfitze Haskolah" in 1873, he drew the society's attention to the need to publish Jewish books, through which one could have a an effect on the Jewish masses. He told them how useful the Yiddish writings of Michal Gordon, Linetsky, Axenfeld and others were. Dainov left a lot of manuscripts.
Y.L. Gordon's letters to Maggid Reb Zvi Dainow of Slutsk
Y.L. Gordon's letters to Maggid Reb Zvi Dainov of Slutsk testify to the mental distress, persecutions and great suffering to which Maggid Dainov was subjected. Ninety years ago, Dainov advocated to Haskalah and love for Zion. On the recommendation of Y.L. Gordon and his advice, he settled in London and was somewhat relieved.
The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Haskalah Movement in Russia, by Jacob S. Raisin; page 246
The waves of the Renaissance and the Reformation sweeping over Russian Jewry reached even the sacred precincts of the synagogues, the batte midrashim, and the yeshibot. The Tree of Life College in Volozhin became a foster-home of Haskalah. The rendezvous of the brightest Russo-Jewish youths, it was the centre in which grew science and culture, and whence they were disseminated far and wide over the Pale. Hebrew, German, and Russian were surreptitiously studied and taught. Buckle and Spencer, Turgenief and Tolstoi were secretly passed from hand to hand, and read and studied with avidity. Some students advocated openly the transformation of the yeshibah into a rabbinical seminary on the order of the Berlin Hochschule. The new learning found an ardent supporter in Zebi Hirsh Dainov, "the Slutsker Maggid" (1832-1877), who preached Russification and Reformation from the pulpits of the synagogues, and whom the Society for the Promotion of Haskalah employed as its mouthpiece among the less advanced.(17) In the existing reform synagogues, in Riga, Odessa, Warsaw, and Vilna, and even in more conservative communities, sermons began to be preached in Russian. Solomon Zalkind Minor, who lectured in German, acquired a reputation as a preacher in Russian since his election to the rabbinate of Minsk (1860). He was called "the Jellinek of Russia" by the Maskilim.(18) Aaron Elijah Pumpyansky began to preach in Russian at Ponevezh, in Kovno (1861). Germanization at last gave way to Russification. Even in Odessa, where German culture predominated during the reign of Nicholas I, it was found necessary, for the sake of the younger generation, to elect, as associate to the German Doctor Schwabacher, Doctor Solomon Mandelkern to preach in Russian. Similar changes were made in other communities. In the Polish provinces the Reformation was making even greater strides. There the Jews, whether reform, like Doctor Marcus Jastrow, or orthodox like Rabbi Berish Meisels, identified themselves with the Poles, and participated in their cultural and political aspirations, which were frequently antagonistic to Russification. A society which called itself Poles of the Mosaic Persuasion was organized in Warsaw, an organ of extreme liberalism was founded in the weekly Israelita, and, with the election of Isaac Kramsztyk to the rabbinate, German was replaced (1852) by the native Polish as the language of the pulpit.
Footnote 17: Rosenthal, op. cit., p. 70; Gordon, Iggerot, nos. 60-62; Ha-Meliz, xx, nos. 8, 11, 13.
Footnote 18: Voskhod, 1900, v.; Sefer ha-Shanah, ii. 288-290.
OzTorah - Hermann Gollancz & the title of rabbi in British Jewry
Yet in his last years Adler was not unscathed. A particular issue was the status of immigrant rabbis and maggidim (preachers). Adler decreed that anyone who wished to exercise religious functions needed his sanction. When the “Polish Maggid” (the nickname later changed to “Russian Maggid”), Zvi Hirsch Dainow, began to function in the East End of London in 1874, Adler insisted that he place himself under the rabbinate’s authority. Dainow objected, and the “Jewish World” (10 July, 1874) observed, “It is surprising with what pertinacity this gentleman defies the charge of the Rev. the Chief Rabbi that he not be permitted to preach under ecclesiastical sanction… The Maggid is represented to us as being a man of portly and noble presence, a king among men, eloquent, impressive in his didactic teachings, and a person of the greatest intelligence and mental capacity. His influence among his countrymen is extraordinary.”
Then the paper changed its tune and said, “The action of the Chief Rabbi with respect to this individual appears to us inexplicable. It has aroused among Poles of the East End of London a large amount of antagonism…” It must be said that Dainow had been a controversial figure in Russia, where it was alleged that under the guise of a maggid he had been promoting untraditional doctrines. Adler eventually relented to some extent and allowed Dainow to preach, though not in synagogues under his direct control. However, the misgivings were not universal. Some of the official ministers were impressed by Dainow’s oratory, several of the anglicised lay leaders contributed to his upkeep, and the Maggid’s death in London in 1877 was deeply mourned.
Zichron Yaakow by Rabbi Lipschutz of Kovno (English Translation)
Description by Ilan Shtayer via Jonathan Eshkeri"
It is about the 'Magid' and not his. Someone who knew him and became his groupie or assistant and was close to him.
He tells about his special style of sermons that brought events and cases from the reality of the listeners and he did not go back to the Sages and the issues without relating it to the lives of the listeners.
He, the writer, criticizes the 'Magid' who does not have any general and scientific education and he himself discovered this when he brought him such an article and realized that he understood nothing.
He claims that the 'Magid' was frivolous and went astray after - Yehuda Leib Gordon (Zionist) and he managed to attract him with promises out of a desire to take advantage of his preaching talent.
At the end, he says that the 'Magid' repented, left the 13th and his path and returned to demand in an orthodox way...
He even managed to marry his daughter off to Hirschbein again (a butcher and examiner) from London.
In short, he sums up his life as someone who fell but returned in complete repentance.
It is difficult to learn much about him from this article because he is a man who does not write history, rather it is a spiritual religious obituary.
This article describes the historical character of the nearly forgotten Russian itinerant preacher, Zvi Hirsch Dainow (1832–1877), the Maggid of Slutsk, and follows the broader dispute he awakened, and its impact on Jewish politics in the last decade of his life. The exceptional activity of Dainow, both as a popular preacher and as a vocal agitator for Haskalah reached its peak in the years 1867–1877. His defection to the camp of Enlightenment, along with his ongoing preaching in the popular Jewish language, Yiddish, and exposure to wider audiences, constituted a challenge to those associated with anti-Enlightenment circles. Dainow was indeed a moderate Maskil in his worldview. He believed in the essentiality of religious belief and observance, Jewish solidarity and the centrality of the Hebrew language, while at the same time maintaining his belief in the need for educational and economic reform. As the conflict with his opposition continued and attacks on him increased, he also became more and more anti-clerical. These attacks against him revealed the sense of threat of the conservative group, which operated on the intellectual vanguard against the Haskala calls for a reformation within Judaism. In 1874, Dainow left Russia, eventually finding a permanent position with the Jewish-Russian community in London. He settled there with his family and delivered sermons. The tensions that characterized the Jewish communities in the Russian settler districts were translated to the places where Russian Jewish immigrants moved in Western Europe. Both conservatives and Maskilim found themselves together, and initially the differences between the original communities continued to show. Political reality, however, was now different and the reality of life in this new setting with everyone, including the more devout, living together, inevitably dulled the sting of the old controversy and ultimately allowed Dainow to integrate into the local British community. This position led him, eventually, to participate in an international Jewish philanthropic effort, which indirectly impacted on Russian Jews. He died three years later, young, and at the height of his career
Dictionary of Jewish Biography
Dainow, Tzevi Hirsch [Maggid of Slutsk] (1832- 77) Russian preacher. He was born in Slutsk. He advocated combining Torah with the haskalah, and upheld the efficacy of manual labour and the need for educational reform. He was active on behalf of the Society for the Promotion of Culture Among the Jews of Russia. Due to opposition to his views, he emigrated to England and settled in London, where he preached to Russian and Polish immigrants.
JCR-UK - Jewish Communities & Records
Rabbi Hirsch (Zvi) Dainow
(c.1831 - 6 March 1877)
Rabbi Hirsch Dainow was born in Slutsk, Russia and, in light of his considerable charisma and oratorical powers, became known as the Slutsk Magid. He came to London in 1874 and was closely associated with the Chevrat Ain Ya'akov, Zetland Hall, Mansell Street. He was the brother of Rabbi Israel Dainow. (Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History, pp.193/4.)
Tzebi Hirsch Dainow (d. 1877) was the first of the modern type of maggid, which soon developed into that of the "national," or "Zionistic," maggid.
Hebrewbooks.org
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pagefeed/hebrewbooks_org_44173_84.pdf
“Rabbi Hirsch Dayanov, the Maggid, a righteous and great scholar, my honored brother, stayed as a guest with me in the winter of 5626 (1866). The Maggid was filled with excitement and amazement when he witnessed Gilvan, a remarkable spectacle, during his stay in Dayanov. He had never seen such a theatrical performance in his life. Of course, my honorable brother from Slutsk—Dayanov—was greatly moved by this outstanding vision of the Baal Shem’s wonders, the divine forces.
In his sermons, he expressed great enthusiasm about this, and the Maggid also drew him very close to his teachings. From the immense spiritual delight he felt, he was deeply satisfied.
After staying in the same inn in Dayanov, he traveled on to Kovno. On my return from Dayanov, I stayed at the same inn and met with the innkeeper. A month later, following my advice, my brother came closer to me. He was also joyful, and on the 9th of Tevet, he immediately went to Kidan. On the day of his arrival in Kidan, he maintained his practice of staying only in inns owned by wealthy people. Since then, the Maggid determined never to appear in a location without a proper host. After being served in the inn, he did not step even a single foot outside without guidance from a trustworthy individual.”
http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pagefeed/hebrewbooks_org_2593_51.pdf
This article describes the historical character of the nearly forgotten Russian itinerant preacher, Zvi Hirsch Dainow (1832–1877), the Maggid of Slutsk, and follows the broader dispute he awakened, and its impact on Jewish politics in the last decade of his life. The exceptional activity of Dainow, both as a popular preacher and as a vocal agitator for Haskalah reached its peak in the years 1867–1877. His defection to the camp of Enlightenment, along with his ongoing preaching in the popular Jewish language, Yiddish, and exposure to wider audiences, constituted a challenge to those associated with anti-Enlightenment circles. Dainow was indeed a moderate Maskil in his worldview. He believed in the essentiality of religious belief and observance, Jewish solidarity and the centrality of the Hebrew language, while at the same time maintaining his belief in the need for educational and economic reform. As the conflict with his opposition continued and attacks on him increased, he also became more and more anti-clerical. These attacks against him revealed the sense of threat of the conservative group, which operated on the intellectual vanguard against the Haskala calls for a reformation within Judaism. In 1874, Dainow left Russia, eventually finding a permanent position with the Jewish-Russian community in London. He settled there with his family and delivered sermons. The tensions that characterized the Jewish communities in the Russian settler districts were translated to the places where Russian Jewish immigrants moved in Western Europe. Both conservatives and Maskilim found themselves together, and initially the differences between the original communities continued to show. Political reality, however, was now different and the reality of life in this new setting with everyone, including the more devout, living together, inevitably dulled the sting of the old controversy and ultimately allowed Dainow to integrate into the local British community. This position led him, eventually, to participate in an international Jewish philanthropic effort, which indirectly impacted on Russian Jews. He died three years later, young, and at the height of his career
Hebrew Standard of Australasia (Sydney, NSW) In Australian Newspapers
Google Books
Honor King \ Kevod melekh (English Translation)
It is a pamphlet named "Kebod ha-Melek" (Glory of the King, Odessa, 1869), and contains a sermon, delivered by Dainow in Odessa, eulogizing Czar Alexander II.
Igrot Yehuda Leib Gudgan : From the year 1858 to 1890
Ozar Yisrael - A Hebrew Encyclopedia
Igrot Yehuda Leib Gardan : (from the year 1858 to 1892)
The Road to Modern Jewish Politics
The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History
The Modest Genius: Reb Aisel Harif, page 77
Bibliotheca Anglo-judaica: A Bibliographical Guide to Anglo-Jewish History - Page 129
The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History ..., Volume 4 Page 412-413
The Jewish immigrant in England, 1870-1914 - Page 105
Modern British Jewry By Geoffrey Alderman
The Jewish Encyclopedia: Leon-Moravia - Page 254
The Jews of Britain, 1656 to 2000 - Page 177
The Bible echo, ed. by W. Kellaway - Page 256
The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia - Volume 7 - Page 272
The Jewish Victorian: Genealogical Information from the Jewish Newspapers, 1871-1880 - page 108 and 236
TIKTINSKY, CHAIM YEHUDA LEIB
(Rosh Yeshivath Mir, 1824-99). Letter Signed, in Hebrew, with stamp, written to Tzvi Hirsch Dainow (Maggid of Slutzk and later in London, author of Kevod Melech, 1832-77). Plus signature of his son R. Samuel Tiktinsky (d. 1883), and additional five autograph lines signed again by R. Samuel, Tope corner torn (not affecting text). One page.
Dainow, Tzvi Hirsch (Maggid of Slutzk). Kevod Melech [sermon extolling the virtues of, along with the obligation to honor: "Our compassionate King, Czar Alexander II.”] With addendum entitled Oz VeYeshuath Melech, an oration delivered on April 4th 1866, the day the Czar survived an assassination attempt. pp. 47. Ex-library, dampstained. Modern boards. 8vo. Odessa: M.A. Belinson 1869
Dainow, Tzvi Hirsch (Maggid of Slutzk). Kevod Melech [sermon extolling the virtues of, along with the obligation to honor, "our compassionate King, Czar Alexander II”]. With addendum entitled Oz vi-Yeshuath Melech, an oration delivered on April 4th 1866, the day the Czar survived an assasination attempt pp. 47. Ex-library, dampstained. Modern boards. 8vo. Odessa: M.A. Belinson 1869
Kedem
On the inner side of the front cover is a dedication in the author's hand: "To the rabbi, the magnificent speaker… Zvi Hirsch Dainow… a souvenir of love from his admiring and respecting friend, S.J. Abramowitch" (Hebrew).
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