Ha-Meliz

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Ha-Meliẓ was the oldest Hebrew newspaper in Russia. It was founded by Alexander Zederbaum, in Odessa, in 1860, as a weekly, and was transferred to St. Petersburg in 1871.

Its publication was several times suspended for lack of support or by order of the authorities; but it was always revived by the resource and energy of Zederbaum. Ha-Meliẓ began to appear daily in 1886; it was the only Hebrew daily paper published in the Russian capital. Leon Rabinowitz succeeded Zederbaum in 1893 as the editor.

Ha-Meliẓ was a representative of the progressive or haskalah movement, and even so severe a critic as Kowner admitted that "it has been more useful to the Jews than have the other Hebrew newspapers" ("Ḥeḳer Dabar," pp. 52 et seq., Warsaw, 1866). While it not so literary or scientific as some of its contemporaries, it usually had more news and debatess of interest, and was consequently more popular.

J. A. Goldenblum was for many years associated with Zederbaum in its publication. A. S. Friedberg and J. L. Gordon were the best known of its associate editors. Almost every prominent Hebrew writer of its times contributed to it.

"Ḳohelet" (St. Petersburg, 1881), "Migdonot" (ib. 1883), "Meliẓ Aḥad Minni Elef" (on the occasion of the appearance of No. 1,000; ib. 1884), "Leḳeṭ Amarim" (ib. 1889), and "Arba'ah Ma'amarim" (ib. 1893) are collections of literary and scientific articles which appeared as supplements to "Ha-Meliẓ" in Zederbaum's time. "Ha-Yeḳeb"(ib. 1894), "Ha-Osem" and "Ha-Gat" (ib. 1897), and "Ha-Gan" (ib. 1899) are similar publications issued by Zederbaum's successor.