מאזנים שלפני מאזנים

This study describes a Hebrew-language literary journal titled Moznaim—a Non-partisan Biweekly, published in Antwerp, Belgium, and edited by Yosef Yirmeyahu Glas and board member Yom-Tov Lewinsky. Its subtitle was “Devoted to Life and Literature.” The journal ceased publication after two issues, the first appearing on December 1, 1926, and the second later that same month. It should be noted that Moznaim was not a particularly important journal. Its significance lies mainly in its place of publication, as a journal in the Hebrew language.This literary journal should not be confused with Moznaim, the journal of the Hebrew Writers Association, which made its debut on March 15, 1929, and is published to this day. Whoever gave the name Moznaim to the Writers Association journal almost certainly did not know about the Moznaim that preceded it in Antwerp.The history of Hebrew literary journals shows that short-lived journals outnumber long-lived ones by far, and should undoubtedly be restored to the map of Hebrew literature and literary journals. The main significance of these “short-lived” journals lies in their role as incubators for budding young writers. In fact, Hebrew journals in the Diaspora were established wherever a group of writers gathered, sketching the map of Hebrew culture among the Jewish people.Earlier, Antwerp was a place where one would least expect to see a Hebrew literary journal. However, after the Bolshevik Revolution and the flight of Jews to western Europe, including Antwerp, the community grew and its traditional Haredi-religious complexion changed. The city became the seat of a Hebrew nationalist, and even Zionist Jewish center, a place well suited to the publication of a Hebrew journal.Informative articles that took up approximately one-quarter of each edition of the journal are the most significant part of the publication, as they make it a locally-oriented one. The journal’s purpose was to give voice to the extensive secular,nationalist activity in Hebrew and Yiddish that was taking place in Antwerp, in communities throughout the Jewish world, and in Eretz Yisrael. It also contains harsh criticism of community institutions, particularly, the “partisan” ones.The study reviews the contents of both editions, examines the editors’ and contributors’ biographies, and concludes by describing the scant responses to the journal’s reception, which demonstrate that Moznaim never really resonated, and that silence was its lot.