Birnbaum, Nathan

Nathan Birnbaum was born May 16, 1864 in the capital of the Austrian Empire Vienna in a family of Jewish immigrants from Galicia . His father Menachem Mendl was from Ropshits , and his mother Miriam from Hungary , from that part of Carpathian Rus , which later became part of Slovakia . Miriam moved to Tarnow at an early age, where she later married Menachem Mendl. The father taught his son Torah , but he died when Nathan was only eleven years old, leaving him a small inheritance. Nathan began taking lessons from a Talmud teacher and reading newspapers in Hebrew . From newspapers, he first learned about the Jewish national movement in Eastern Europe .

Nathan's parents wanted to give him a European education and were assigned to German schools. For four years he attended elementary school, and then at the Leopoldstadt gymnasium, which was a portal to the university system of Vienna. Vienna was the center of European culture during these years, and the Jews of the city contributed a lot to this. The Austro-Hungarian Constitution lifted legal restrictions for minorities, and under the auspices of the emperor, some Jews began to consider themselves “Germans of the Mosaic religion”. Birnbaum later wrote that German culture had a great influence on him, however, unlike other Jewish peers, he never considered himself a German. Moreover, Nathan rejected assimilation and already at the age of 15-16 convinced his friends that Jews should proclaim themselves a Jewish nation with a unique history and build their future in Palestine ^[1] .

Zionist period

University and Early Zionism

In 1882, Birnbaum entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Vienna and, having completed it in 1887, became a doctor of jurisprudence. Along with legal disciplines, he also studied philosophy and oriental studies, however, he was particularly interested in issues related to the future of the Jewish people ^[2] .

In the first year of their studies, Nathan, together with his like-minded people, Reuven Biehrer and Moritz Schnyrer, founded the Jewish student organization Kadima , which set as its goal the fight against assimilation, recognition of the Jewish nation and the development of Palestine . An important role in the formation of the ideas of Kadima and its founders was played by the mentor and inspirer of the organization, Peretz Smolenskin , who had accumulated by that time rich experience in the struggle to strengthen Jewish national self-consciousness. The first editorial work of the young Birnbaum was the preparation of Kadima's handwritten newsletter ^[3] .

In 1884, Birnbaum published his first work, the essay Mania of Assimilation, which brought him fame, and was subsequently considered by many to be the first Zionist publication in Central Europe. The work was devoted to the relationship of nations and the danger to the Jewish people, which was assimilation. Like Smolenskin, the author of the essay believed that this danger can be overcome only by studying the language and history of the Jewish people and returning to the historical homeland - the Land of Israel ^[4] .

Birnbaum was the founder, publisher and editor of the German German-language auto-emancipation magazine (de: Selbst-Emancipation), the first issue of which was published in February 1885. The magazine was printed in Gothic, under the heading it was indicated that the magazine was dedicated to the national, social and political interests of the Jewish people, and below were the words of Hillel : “If not for myself, then who?” The name “Auto-emancipation” and the epigraph from Hillel were borrowed from Pinsker's pamphlet, the ideas of which, along with the ideas of Smolensk, had a significant impact on the content of early issues of the magazine. Under his name, the editor published in the journal the texts of his lectures, essays on Jewish history and introductory articles for almost every issue. He often published polemical articles under pseudonyms. At this stage, Birnbaum understood that it would be premature to raise among the German-speaking Jews the practical issues of relocation to Palestine. Therefore, he mainly tried to arouse national self-awareness among readers through publications in the magazine. For the first year and a half, he published the magazine at his own expense from an inheritance received from his father, and at some point his mother sold her store to cover the cost of publishing. However, the publication of the journal was discontinued for several years ^[5] .

After graduating from university, Birnbaum began working in a law office. However, he did not like legal practice, and his Semitic appearance did not provide stable earnings in the conditions of a growing anti-Jewish atmosphere. After 4 years of practice, he left this lesson in order to devote himself completely to journalism and Zionist activity ^[6] .

In 1890, Nathan married Rosa Corngut. In the 1890s, three sons were born to the Birnbaum family: Solomon (1891), Menachem (1893) and Uriel (1894) ^[7] .

Second Wind Auto-emancipation

In April 1890, the publication of Autoemancipation resumed. Birnbaum continued to edit the magazine, which apparently did not undergo major changes. To designate the Jewish national movement, the editor introduced a new term, “Zionism,” which soon gained widespread acceptance. The editor believed that by that time there had already been widespread support for Zionist ideas and that it was time, along with educational work, to engage in political activities. In his article, “National Character and World Citizenship,” Nathan Birnbaum proclaimed that the Jewish state would be based on the democratic principle of equality and global welfare. He also emphasized that the ideas of equality are a legacy of Judaism , and they were described by the great prophets of the Jewish people. There was another innovation in the revived Auto-Emancipation: now its editor’s strategy included transforming Zionism from a small club of enthusiasts into a mass political movement that also takes into account the interests of Eastern European Jews. Birnbaum believed that it was possible to put an end to the suffering of East European Jews by mass repatriation to Palestine, where they could successfully lead an agricultural lifestyle. The magazine was published in Vienna until 1894, after which it was published in Berlin under the name "Yiddish Folkszeitung" ^[8] .

Birnbaum is included in the leadership and takes part in the activities of Admat Yeshurun, an organization for the development of Palestine. In May 1892, he was sent on behalf of this organization to Galicia and Bukovina in order to give lectures and encourage the creation of local organizations ^{[9] [10] [11]} .

In 1893, Birnbaum published the work National Rebirth, where he summarized his Zionist views. The author claims that the creation of a Jewish center in the Land of Israel and the immigration of Jews there will solve the Jewish question and eradicate anti-Semitism everywhere, including in countries where Jews remain. The Jewish center, like other countries, will be recognized by international law, and its residents will feel like equal members of society ^{[12] [13]} .

Between 1891 and 1896, Nathan Birnbaum and the young representatives of the Hovevei Zion movement made several attempts to convene the World Zionist Congress and establish a universal Zionist organization. For example, in September 1893, representatives of various groups gathered at the Birnbaum’s apartment in Vienna for a preliminary conference and decided to organize a Zionist congress in Berlin. However, neither this decision nor other similar ideas were implemented before the organization of the First World Zionist Congress by Herzl in 1897 ^{[14] [15]} .

Together and apart from Herzl

By the time Herzl appeared in the political arena, Birnbaum had not only coined the word “Zionism”. He manages to found "Kadima" and "Auto-emancipation" and to a large extent develop the Zionist idea in the work "National Revival" and other publications and lectures. Martin Buber believes that the goals of the Zionist movement were primarily formulated by Hess , Pinsker and Birnbaum, the movement itself reached maturity in the years of the publication of Autoemansipation and the National Revival, and the path to achieving these goals was mainly developed by Herzl ^[16] . Historian Alex Bane calls Birnbaum "one of the most prominent intellectuals in the Jewish national circles of Austria and Germany" in the decade from 1885 to 1895 ^[17] . A similar opinion is held by the authors of EEE . Bein also noted: “At Nathan Birnbaum, we already find all the elements of the Zionist vision of the Jewish question and its solution” ^[18] . Having analyzed various opinions about Nathan Birnbaum, the historian Joakim Doron comes to the conclusion that Birnbaum was at the very center of the Zionist movement until Herzl came to it ^[19] . However, it should be noted that Jewish nationalism already meant for Birnbaum not only the physical resettlement of Jews in Palestine, but also the revival of genuine Jewish culture ^[20] .

Birnbaum and Herzl were almost the same age. Both of them graduated from the law faculty of the University of Vienna and after a short legal career became journalists in Vienna ^[21] . The Zionist idea came at different times: Birnbaum - from childhood, gradually; Herzl - swiftly, under the influence of the Dreyfus affair . They often had to pay for Zionist activities from their own pockets ^[22] . However, Herzl's material and social situation was much better than Birnbaum, and the charismatic personality of the author of the book The Jewish State helped him quickly win the support of the Zionist movement ^[23] . Both leaders of Zionism sought to lead the movement and solve the problems of the Jewish people, each in accordance with their vision ^[24] .

A personal acquaintance between Herzl and Birnbaum took place in February-March 1896 after Herzl published the Jewish State ^[25] . After the first meetings, their attitude towards each other was rather critical. Birnbaum believed that Herzl was an amateur in matters of Zionism and neglected the cultural values ​​of the Jewish people. Herzl believed that Birnbaum was inclined towards socialist views and engaged in Zionism in order to earn a living. However, during this period both leaders considered it appropriate to cooperate with each other ^{[26] [27] [28] [29]} .

In the summer of 1896, Birnbaum moved with his family to Berlin, where he edited the Zion magazine. In his articles, he often expresses criticism of Herzl, and in letters to him requires a report on the work being done. In turn, Herzl refuses to support Birnbaum’s candidacy for the Austrian Reichsrat . However, despite the disagreements, cooperation between them continues and Birnbaum takes part in the preparation of the Zionist Congress, initiated and organized by Herzl ^[30] .

The first World Zionist Congress was held in Basel in August 1897. Birnbaum read a report on it, “Zionism as a Cultural Movement”, in which he substantiated the idea that he needed his own country for the normal development of the national culture of the Jewish people. The speaker noted that Eastern and Western Jewry each has its own special personality, and only Eretz Yisrael can unite them. Birnbaum was elected Secretary-General established by the Congress of the World Zionist Organization ^{[31] [32]} .

After the Second World Zionist Congress, Birnbaum ceased to act as Secretary General due to ideological disagreements with Herzl, who sought to establish strict ideological and organizational discipline. In 1899, Birnbaum announced his dismissal to the Small Executive Committee of the Organization. A few years after leaving the Zionist organization, he began to adhere to a different ideology in resolving the Jewish question ^{[33] [34]} .

"Recent Trends in Jewry"

In the 1890s, Birnbaum began to use one of his most famous pseudonyms, Matias Acher . Nathan did not explain why he chose this name. Researchers suggest that the name Mattias was based on the name Mattiagu (Mattafia) Hasmoneus , the first leader of the Jewish rebellion against the Syrian Greeks, bequeathed to Judah Maccabees and his other sons to continue the uprising. Birnbaum identified himself with Mattiagu when he wrote about the Maccabees in Autoemansipation. Acher in Hebrew means "other" ^[35] .

In May 1896, Birnbaum delivered a lecture to the Kadima members entitled “Recent Trends in Jewry,” which was then published under the pseudonym Matthias Aher. In this work, using the concepts of race and nation, Birnbaum deepened the philosophical understanding of man and his national history in order to find a way to a better understanding between peoples. In those days, various kinds of racial and class theories were very popular, however, unlike many other authors, Birnbaum did not give preference to one or another national group, but revealed the causes of rivalry and hostility between them in order to find ways to overcome them ^{[36 ]} .

According to Birnbaum, the assimilation of Jews, both in more ancient times in Babylonia , Persia , Greece and Spain, and in modern times in France and Germany, was unattainable, and the desire for it was caused by a misunderstanding of the historical process of the development of nations. Unlike the founders of historical materialism , who viewed economics and the class struggle as the driving force behind historical changes, the author of The Newest Trends believes that historical events are caused by human nature and occur as a result of the unification or separation of groups of people. Nationality is based on a racial group with a historically developed peculiar culture. It does not rely on either the language or the state, the integrity of which may be violated ^[37] .

Applying the above to the Jewish people, the author came to the conclusion that the "new" Zionists were mistaken. Having set themselves only one goal - the creation of a national state, they underestimated other national priorities. This conclusion prompts Birnbaum to distinguish between "Zionism" and "Jewish nationalism", which sought to strengthen the Jewish nation ^[38] . Apparently, Birnbaum “did not feel, like Herzl, the threat of physical extermination of the Jewish people in the diaspora, did not feel that Jews live on a volcano”, but more concerned about maintaining the national spirit of his people ^[39] .

The Period of Autonomy and Yiddish

Finding a New Way

In his early works, Nathan Birnbaum expressed sympathy for the situation of Eastern European Jews, without showing particular interest in their cultural, social and political life. He knew, for example, that the Jews of Galicia have their own language, their own theater, common social interests, etc., that is, they have almost all the cultural characteristics of the nation, however, he assigned the leading role in the Zionist movement not to the Jews of Eastern Europe, but to Vienna and Berlin ^[40] .

After a deeper acquaintance with the life of the Jews of the East European diaspora, Birnbaum concludes that they are much less susceptible to assimilation than their Western counterparts. In a review of his life, he called them “living people,” and in other articles he emphasized that this part of Jewry at that time amounted to four fifths of the whole nation. Overestimating the role of Jews in Eastern Europe, Birnbaum changed his attitude to the diaspora and believed in the possibility of a Jewish renaissance not only in Eretz Yisrael, but also in some countries of dispersion ^[41] .

Birnbaum believed that the Zionist movement led by Herzl was taking an unacceptable path ^[42] , and the diplomatic activities of political Zionists could not ensure the speedy repatriation of a significant part of Jewry to Eretz Israel ^[43] . At that time, many directions of the Jewish national movement existed ^[44] , but Birnbaum sought to develop his alternative model of all-Jewish nationalism, which would be wider than Zionism and would allow the creation of centers of Jewish life not only in Palestine, but also within the Habsburg Pale of Settlement monarchy , and, possibly, in the New World ^[45] .

In 1902, Birnbaum began to use the term “movement of the Jewish Renaissance”, since Zionism became “too weak and too narrow” for him. This term was introduced a year earlier by Martin Buber in the first issue of Ost und West magazine ^[46] . Along with the organ of the Zionist movement Di Welt, the Berlin Ost und West was an important forum for discussing Jewish topics, and its permanent members included Birnbaum and Buber ^{[47] [48]} . The “Jewish Renaissance” was not so much a movement as a circle of participants with a fairly wide range of goals and interests, but they were all united by a deep desire to strengthen Jewish cultural identity ^[49] .

In articles from 1902 to 1905, Birnbaum continued to develop a model of Jewish nationalism that recognized the role of the diaspora, the Yiddish language, and other elements of a vibrant national culture. To implement the ideas of the Jewish Renaissance, it was necessary to create political parties, which, according to Birnbaum, should reflect the diversity of the national movement. That is, it was necessary to recognize both Hebrew and Yiddish, both Zion and the diaspora. During this period, the author of the term “Zionism” was guided by the rule: “the main thing is Israel (people), and then Zion (land)” (Israel comes before Zion) ^[50] .

Jewish Autonomy

In 1990, Alex Bain suggested that Nathan Birnbaum was still waiting for a biographer who could adequately reflect his life story ^[18] . In 2007, Jess Olson listed works devoted to some aspects of Birnbaum’s activities, and noted that, with the exception of two dissertations, there is not a single monograph that reveals all his multifaceted work ^[34] . After 6 years, Olson published a biography of Nathan Birnbaum, in which he not only reflected all his intellectual metamorphoses, but also found continuity and consistency in different periods of his life ^[51] . The author of the biography did not fail to note that so far only a few researchers have used the Birnbaum archive, despite the value of the materials stored in it ^[52] .

Chaim Weizmann , like Martin Buber, was of the opinion that most of the Zionist ideas were formulated before the publication of the “Jewish State” by Herzl, and his predecessors were Hess, Pinsker and Birnbaum ^[53] . Despite the high ratings of his eminent contemporaries, Birnbaum almost completely disappeared from the field of view of modern Jewish historiography ^[54] . Jess Olson explains this phenomenon by the fact that at the last stage of his life Birnbaum came to orthodoxy, in relation to which many historians experienced a certain “discomfort” ^[55] .

According to historian Shimon Dubnov , Birnbaum went through all three forms of Jewish nationalism: "political, or Zionism, spiritual and cultural, or autonomy, religious, or orthodoxy." In his memoirs, comparing these three forms, the historian gave a historical (Dubnov died in 1941) assessment of these movements. He argued that Zionism and orthodoxy subordinated the national idea to one principle: "either the kingdom of the earth or heaven." Political Zionists denied Galut (the Jewish diaspora) , and the Agudists disavowed the views of new generations. Therefore, Dubnov, a supporter of cultural autonomy, preferred this particular form of nationalism, which could “unite both old and new Jewry everywhere, in the Jewish state and outside it, in the synagogue and outside it” ^[56] .

American sociolinguist and Yiddish professor Joshua Fishman in his book Ideology, Society and Language: The Odyssey of Nathan Birnbaum (1987) writes that only a few modern Jews remember, and even less understand, the legacy of Nathan Birnbaum, despite the fact that they take advantage of certain fruits of his activity. He calls Birnbaum “one of the giants of modern Jewish thought and the founder of not one, but three modern Jewish movements (Zionism, Yiddishism and a return to orthodoxy)” ^[57] .

• Son - Solomon Asher Birnbaum ( Solomon Birnbaum , 1891-1989), Yiddish linguist and paleographer , professor at the University of London and later the University of Toronto , known for his epigraphy and textbook grammar of the southern (central) Yiddish dialect (1979 and 2015) ^{[58 ]} .
  • Grandson - Jacob Birnbaum ( Jacob Birnbaum , 1926-2014), a fighter for the rights of Soviet Jews, the founder of the organization “The struggle of students for Soviet Jews” ^{[59] [60] [61]} .
  • Grandson - Eleazar Birnbaum , professor at the University of Toronto , specialist in Middle Eastern cultures.
  • Grandson - David Birnbaum , Director of the Archives of Nathan and Solomon Birnbaum in Toronto.
• Son - Menachem Birnbaum ( Menachem Birnbaum , 1893-1944), an Austrian book illustrator and portrait painter ^[58] , died with his family during the Holocaust .
• Son - Uriel Birnbaum ( Uriel Birnbaum , 1894-1956), an Austrian artist, cartoonist, writer and poet ^[58] .

Editor and author

• “Auto-emancipation!” ( German: Selbst-Emancipation! ), 1885–1886, 1890–1893 ^[62]
• "Yiddish Volkszeitung" ( German: Jüdische Volkszeitung ), 1894-1896
• "Zion" ( German: Zion ), 1896-1897
• "Neue Zeitung" ( German: Neue Zeitung ), 1906-1907
• “Dr. Birnboim’s Weekly” ( Yiddish ד״ר בירנבוימס וואכנבלאט ), ed. 1908
• The People ( German: Das Volk ), 1910
• "Ascent" ( German: Der Aufstieg ), 1930-1932
• "Call" ( German: Der Ruf ), 1934-1937

Author

• "Zerubavel" ( German: Serubabel ), 1886-1888
• "Di Welt" ( German: Die Welt ), 1897-1914 (ceased cooperation with the magazine due to disagreements with Herzl)
• Ost und West ( German Ost und West ), 1901-1923
• "Di Freistat" ( German Die Freistatt ), 1913-1914
• "Der Jude" ( German: Der Jude ), 1916-1928

Works

• “Mania of assimilation. A word to the so-called Germans, Slavs, Hungarians, etc. Moses religion from a student of Jewish nationality ”( German Die Assimilationssucht: Ein Wort an die sogenannten Deutschen, Slaven, Magyaren usw. mosaischer Confession, von einem Studenten jüdischer Nationalität ), 1884
• "The national revival of the Jewish people in their own land" ( German: Die nationale Wiedergeburt des jüdischen Volkes in seinem Lande ), 1893 ^[63]
• The Newest Trends in Jewry ( German: Jüdische Moderne ), 1896
• “Two lectures on Zionism” ( German: Zwei Vorträge über Zionismus ), 1898
• The Third Reich of Ibsen ( German: Ibsens drittes Reich ), 1900
• “Ahad Ha-Am: The Thinker and Fighter during the Jewish Renaissance” ( German: Achad Ha-am: ein Denker und Kämpfer der jüdischen Renaissance ), 1903
• The stepson of Social Democracy ( German: Das Stiefkind der Sozialdemokratie ), 1905
• "Selected Works on the Jewish Question" ( German: Ausgewählte Schriften zur jüdischen Frage ), 1910, T. 1 , T. 2 .
• “Rights to the Jews of Eastern Europe!” ( German: Den Ostjuden Ihr Recht! ), 1915
• “Time to Act” ( Heb. עת לעשות ), ed. 1917 ^[64]
• “God's people” ( German: Gottes Volk ), 1918 ^[65]
• “From Freethinking to Faith” ( German: Vom Freigeist zum Gläubigen ), 1918 ^[66]
• “In exile with the Jews” (אין גלות בײַ ייִדן - in goles ba idn , 1919)
• “About eternity. Jewish Essays ”( German: Um die Ewigkeit; Jüdische Essays ), 1920
• “Serving the Promised” ( German: Im Dienste der Verheissung ), 1927

Journalism and reports

• “Anti-Semites, Assimilated Jews, Jews with National Identity” ( German: Antisemiten, Assimilanten, Nationaljuden ), 1885
• “National character and world citizenship” ( German: Volksthum und Weltbürgerthum ), 1890
• “Jewish national aspirations - setting goals” ( German: Die Ziele der jüdisch-nationalen Bestrebungen ), 1890
• "Jewish jargon" ( German: Der jüdische Jargon ), 1890
• The New Deal ( German: Der neue Cours ), 1891
• "Principles of Zionism" ( German Die Principien des Zionismus ), 1892
• "Political Zionism" ( German: Politischer Zionismus ), 1892
• “What to do?” ( German: Was tun? ), 1894
• The Zionist Movement ( German: Die Zionistische Bewegung ), 1895
• "Zionism" ( German: Der Zionismus ), 1896
• “Towards the Munich Congress” ( German: Zum Müncher Kongresse ), 1897
• “Zionism as a Cultural Movement” ( German: Der Zionismus als Kulturbewegung ), 1897
• “Yiddish-speaking Jews and their scene” ( German: Die jüdisch sprechenden Juden und ihre Bühne , under the pseudonym Pantarei), 1901
• "Hebrew and Hebrew (Hebrew and Yiddish)" ( German: Hebräisch und Jüdisch ), 1902
• The Jewish Renaissance Movement ( German: Die jüdische Renaissance-Bewegung ), 1902
• The Jewish Movement ( German Die jüdische Bewegung ), 1903
• "Problems of the Culture of Western European Jewry" ( German: Das Westjüdische Kulturproblem ), 1904
• “Tasks of East European Jews” ( German: Ostjüdishe Aufgaben ), 1905
• Jewish Autonomy ( German: Jüdische Autonomie ), 1906
• "National Autonomy" ( German: Nationale Autonomie ), 1907
• "Americanism and the Jews" ( German: Der Americanismus und die Juden ), 1909

• Jess Olson Nathan Birnbaum and the new era in Jewish history: the architect of Zionism, Yiddishism and orthodoxy. = Nathan Birnbaum and Jewish Modernity: Architect of Zionism, Yiddishism, and Orthodoxy. - Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2013 .-- ISBN 978-0-8047-7873-2 .
• Robert Whistrich . 12. Metamorphoses with Nathan Birnbaum // Jews of Vienna in the era of Franz Joseph (Eng.) = The Jews of Vienna in the Age of Franz Joseph. - New York: Oxford University Press , 1989. - S. 381-420. - ISBN 0-19-710070-8 .
• Joachim Doron. Zionist thoughts and views of Nathan Birnbaum (Hebrew) . - Israel: Hassifria Hatsionit, 1988. - ISBN 965-319-001-6 .
• Robert Whistrich . 5. The strange odyssey of Nathan Birnbaum // Laboratory for the destruction of the world: Germans and Jews in Central Europe (English) = Laboratory for World Destruction: Germans and Jews in Central Europe. - Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2007 .-- S. 118-153. - ISBN 0-8032-1134-1 .
• Joshua A. Fishman. Yiddish: return to life. = Yiddish: Turning to Life. - Stanford, California: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 1991 .-- S. 161-171, 239-254. - ISBN 1-55619-111-1 .
• Emanuel Goldsmith. 4. Nathan Birnbaum // Modern Yiddish Culture: A History of the Language Recognition Movement = Modern Yiddish Culture: The Story of the Yiddish Language Movement. - New York: Fordham University Press, 1997 .-- S. 99-119. - ISBN 0-8282-1695-0 .
• Joseph Frenkel. Matthias Acher's Fight for the “Crown of Zion” = Mathias Acher's Fight for the "Crown of Zion" // Jewish Social Studies. - Indiana University Press, 1954. - T. 16 , No. 2 . - S. 115-134 .

• Zinberg S. L. Birnbaum, Nathan // Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron . - SPb. , 1908-1913.
• Birnbaum Nathan - article from the Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia
• Joshua Shains. Birnbaum, Nathan (English) (neopr.) . Website en: The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe . Date of treatment July 25, 2013.
• Dov Sadan. Tshuvian knight (neopr.) . The site "Jews and Jewry - Hasidus in Russian" (05/07/2010). Date of treatment September 11, 2013.
• Zvi Kaplan. The path of Nathan Birnbaum (neopr.) . The site "Jews and Jewry - Hasidus in Russian" (05/07/2010). Date of treatment September 11, 2013.
• Special supplement to the 50th anniversary of the death of Nathan Birnbaum (Yiddish) . Monthly Dos Yiddish Worth , April 1987, No. 268, pp. 1-3, 11-35 (neopr.) . Website en: HebrewBooks.org . Date of treatment August 3, 2013.
• Alex Bane From Hibat Zion to Zionism, Parts 1-11 (Hebrew) (Neopr.) . MATAH site - Virtual library. Date of treatment September 11, 2013.
• Nathan Birnbaum. “An Overview of My Life” // Collection of selected works of Birnbaum “Am Hash-Shem” (Hebrew) (neopr.) . Website en: HebrewBooks.org . Date of treatment August 3, 2013.
• Solomon Birnbaum. “My father, blessed is his memory” // Collection of selected works of Birnbaum “Am Hash-Shem” (Hebrew) (neopr.) . Website en: HebrewBooks.org . Date of treatment August 19, 2013.