(Also ‘Ivri anokhi), weekly Hebrew publication, issued between 1865 and 1890. In order to avoid the difficulty of obtaining a license for a weekly publication, the editors employed the common tactic of alternating the title each week between Ha-‘Ivri (The Hebrew) and ‘Ivri anokhi (I Am a Hebrew) as if they were two different biweeklies, which would not face the same licensing restrictions. The journal appeared in 26 annual volumes, and was published mainly in Lwów. Volumes 3 through 6 were published in Brody.
Barukh Verber (Werber; 1810–1876) edited the first 12 volumes of ‘Ivri anokhi / Ha-‘Ivri, while his son, Ya‘akov Verber (1859–1890), edited the remaining 14. In his introduction to the first publication, Barukh Verber stressed that his goal was to promote the use of the Hebrew language. ‘Ivri anokhi / Ha-‘Ivri made its mark on Jewish life, primarily as a regional paper in Galicia, and was issued at a time when the center of the Haskalah movement shifted from Galicia to Russia.
‘Ivri anokhi / Ha-‘Ivri was involved in disputes with several other publications, including Ha-Mevaser, Ha-Melits, Ha-Levanon, and Maḥazike ha-dat. Many of those disputes were over religious issues, with ‘Ivri anokhi / Ha-‘Ivri taking a rather militant stand against Orthodoxy. The paper was loyal to Haskalah positions and was strongly opposed to the rabbis and leaders of the Hasidic movement. As ‘Ivri anokhi / Ha-‘Ivri was itself influenced by Ha-Magid, the first Hebrew weekly, it tended to reflect a moderate outlook.
After 1881, several contributors from Warsaw and its vicinity, such as Eli‘ezer Yitsḥak Shapira and David Frishman, joined the publication. Following the emergence of the Ḥibat Tsiyon movement, the journal included debates over the issue of resettling the Land of Israel. The editors generally opposed the ideas of Ḥibat Tsiyon, although they did occasionally provide a platform for Zionist supporters. As part of this discussion, Ya‘akov Verber published letters that portrayed life in Palestine negatively. At the end of 1885, he reiterated the objectives of the Haskalah while stressing the future of Jews in the countries to which they had been dispersed.
‘Ivri anokhi / Ha-‘Ivri published works by many prominent Jewish authors of the period, including Mikhah Yosef Berdyczewski, Mordekhai David Brandstetter, Ayzik Meyer Dik, Avraham Mosheh Lunz, Shelomoh Mandelkern, Natan Note Samuely, David Frishman, Yom Tov Lipmann Zunz, Yehoshu‘a Heshel Schorr, and others.
Menuḥah Gilbo‘a, Leksikon ha-‘itonut ha-‘Ivrit: Ba-Me’ot ha-shemoneh ‘esreh veha-tesha‘ ‘esreh (Tel Aviv, 1992), pp. 213–220.
Translated from Hebrew by Rami Hann