Collisions

Abstract

Sometime during winter 1938–1939, while Berlin was still in the process of writing Karl Marx, he was invited to a meeting of the Friends of the Hebrew University, which took place in the luxurious apartment of Rebecca and Israel Sieff. The Sieffs were Anglo-Jewish philanthropists and Zionists: Israel Sieff was the brother-in-law of Simon Marks, the famous Jewish businessman who gave his name to the retail chain Marks & Spencer, and of the Manchester Zionist activist Harry Sacher. It was a close-knit circle, united by family ties, and also by their admiration of Chaim Weizmann, the president of the World Zionist Organization. And it was during this meeting that Berlin was given his first opportunity to meet Chaim Weizmann in person. ¹