Benjamin Feigenbaum

Benjamin Feigenbaum (August 12, 1860 – November 10, 1932) was a Polish born Yiddish socialist, newspaper editor, translator, and satirist. Feigenbaum was an associate editor of the Yiddish language papers The Forward, its predecessor Di Arbeter Tsaytung, and the literary monthly Di Tsukunft   and a pioneer of the Socialist Party of America.

During Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur in 1899, Feigenbaum famously said in alternative event "If there is a God and if he is Almighty as the clergy claims he is, I give him just two minutes’ time to kill me on the spot, so that he may prove his existence!" after two minutes he declared "See! There is no God!". Afterwards he announced a location for the workers to eat instead of fasting, as traditionally done during Yom Kippur.

Early life 
Benjamin Feigenbaum was born to a prominent Chassidic family in Warsaw, Poland. He went to Yeshivah, but became a free-thinker. According to a colleague, Israel Joshua Singer, Feigenbaum's "conversion" to secularism happened when his teacher, the Gerer rebbe, discovered that Feigenbaum was not wearing tsitsit, a ritual garb. The rebbe beat him as a punishment.

Later on, he moved to Belgium; there he attended his first socialist protest in Antwerp in 1884. On December 25, 1886, his wife Matilda (Kaminsky) Feigenbaum gave birth to their son William Morris Feigenbaum. He a total of 2 daughters and 2 sons named Kanin, R. Ganetkin, William and Henry.

Career 

As a young socialist in 1887, Feigenbaum considered starting a socialist Yiddish newspaper. To his delight, he discovered the London-based Arbeter Fraynd recently started. He wrote them immediately. Towards the end of 1888, Feigenbaum moved to London, UK with his wife, to join their editorial board.

In 1891, Feigenbaum immigrated to New York, to work on New York's first Yiddish-language socialist newspaper, Di Arbeter Tsaytung (The Workman's Paper). He co-founded the Workmen's Circle, serving as its first General-Secretary. In New York, Feigenbaum developed a relationship with Bolesław Miklaszewski, a representative of the London affiliate of the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) called the Union of Polish Socialists Abroad (ZZSP). After vetting Feigenbaum's circles to ensure they did not have "a gravitational pull" to Russia, ZZSP announced creation of "Jewish Socialist Post from America to Poland" in 1896, to publish and disseminate Yiddish socialist literature.

Police retaliation 
Feigenbaum was arrested during a brawl with the police on October 29, 1892 , shortly after giving a speech in Philadelphia. He was charged with inciting to riot, assaulting an officer and breaching the peace after allegedly hitting an officer with his cane. He was held on $600 bail. In Providence he was charged with inciting to riot, which were later dismissed by a Judge during trial in a higher court. In January, 1905, Providence police received a tip that an "anarchist provocateur" was scheduled to speak. Police surrounded the designated venue, disabling gas and cited lack of permit for as reason for shutting it down. The sponsors of the lecture, the Providence branch of Workmen's Circle obtained permits and scheduled another venue for Feigenbaum to speak at. If Hyman Goldsmith, a Yiddish speaking undercover police patrolman heard Feigenbaum mention anything about “Emma Goldmanism” or “bomb throwing” the hall would be cleared immediately by other undercover police in crowd. Instead, Feigenbaum orated for two hours and 15 minutes about the compatibility of religion and socialism, in contrast with his earlier recitals. The police were ridiculed the following day by The Daily Journal, The Evening Bulletin, and The Providence Telegram.

Criticism of zionism and religion 

Feigenbaum was highly critical of Zionism and the usage of biblical scriptures to promoting socialist spiritualization. In his Yiddish article, 'Materialism in Judaism or Religion and Life' (1896), Feigenbaum criticized using the Bible as 'propaganda'. If Jeremiah did not know Marx, then it was disingenuous to claim that Marxism is part of a prophetic tradition. In 'Vi Kumt a yid tsu sotsyialismus'''  (How does a Jew come to socialism?) Feigenbaum writes "Yes, brothers, socialism is redemption for us, the Jews. Socialism will rescue all the unfortunate people, Jews as well, and give them equal rights...Socialism's victory would spell the only effective defeat of the forces of anti-Semitism". He further maintains that he met socialist Gentiles who ridded themselves of anti-Semitism upon discovering socialism. The enemy is the capitalist, whether Gentile or Jewish; and the Jewish poor are his friend.

Feigenbaum rejected Zionism as utopian and urged Jews to reject notion of Goles'' as exile from Palestine, but rather state of persecution, from which socialism can redeem them.

Death
Feigenbaum died on the morning of November 10, 1932 in the Home for Incurables in New York. He had been ill for the previous ten years, the last three of which he was paralyzed. Funeral services were held in Forward Hall, on November 13, 1932. Feigenbaum is currently buried in the Workmen’s Circle section of Mount Carmel Cemetery, in Queens, New York.

Written works

Authored

Translated

See also 

 Yiddish literature
 Yiddishist movement
 History of the socialist movement in the United States
 Jewish views and involvement in US politics

References

External links 

 Yiddish Book Center links to published works by Feigenbaum, Benjamin

Category:1860 births
Category:1932 deaths
Category:American Marxists
Category:American memoirists
Category:19th-century American novelists
Category:American political writers
Category:American newspaper editors
Category:American newspaper founders
Category:Jewish-American history
Category:Yiddish-language journalists
Category:Jewish socialists
Category:19th-century male writers
Category:20th-century male writers
Category:Critics of religions
Category:Jewish activists
Category:Jewish American writers
Category:Jewish atheists
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Category:Polish atheists