Monday Mar 24

Attended the Banquet at the
Astor in honor of Weitzman. for
the K.H.

Another source of joy.

Very seldom have I heard such
an outpour of idealism at
one meeting.

About $160,000 has been
raised at this gathering.

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Matt's Notes

Papa's been sort of a Chaim Weizmann groupie over the last couple of days, first seeing him at the Cooper Union and now following him to the Hotel Astor, a grand and gorgeous Times Square spot we've discussed earlier.



It seems to have been a choice venue for high-profile Zionist fundraising activities. Last time Papa was there he saw the influential Rabbi Joseph Silverman throw his previously-withheld support behind the cause, and now another all-star lineup of American Zionists (including Silverman) showed up on behalf of Keren Hayesod. (At a recent visit to the New York Historical Society, I saw a pamphlet describing one of the Astor's key attractions, a gallery that featured Native American artifacts and busts of various tribesman. It struck me as well-meaning but rather exploitative; I wonder what Papa made of it, or if Weizmann and company hung around in there.)

In any event, it's good to see Papa feeling joyful and idealistic after a long string of lonely, anxious days. (I say this partly out of self-interest, too -- the more I work on this project, the more I think my own moods are starting to mirror Papa's.)

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References for this post

• Here's the New York Times coverage of the Weizmann speech.