These are personal letters written by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and his second wife, Hemda, who dated their letters according to the number of years that had passed since the 1917 Balfour Declaration.
The first of these letters, shown on the left, was written by Eliezer Ben- Yehuda on behalf of the Vaad HaLashon HaIvrit (Hebrew Language Committee), the organisation he established to promote the study of Hebrew. In addition to the correct calendar date (1919), Ben-Yehuda also wrote that it was the second year since the Balfour Declaration.
The second letter is a personal letter of Hemda Ben- Yehuda. Her letter was written in 1940, during World War II, but she dated it as twenty-three years since the Declaration.
Both letters demonstrate the fervent belief at the time in the significance of the Balfour Declaration. While this might have been expected from the Ben-Yehuda family (who were at the forefront of the Zionist movement), these letters are by no means the only example of such enthusiasm.
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Eliezer Ben-Yehuda - Eliezer Ben-Yehuda moved to Palestine in 1881 and accepted a position as a teacher, insisting on Hebrew as the language of instruction. He soon became convinced of the need to recreate the Hebrew language and was responsible for founding the Vaad HaLashon HaIvrit (Hebrew Language Committee) and disseminating lists of words and pronunciation guides to the press, including plant names, clothing, food, furniture, and geography. Once the British had gained control over Palestine, the committee began negotiations over the acknowledgement of Hebrew as an official language. The committee, with Ben-Yehuda as its driving force, ensured that Hebrew became the national language of the Yishuv and its institutions.
Hemda Ben-Yehuda - Hemda Ben-Yehuda married Eliezer after her older sister, Devora, his first wife, had died of tuberculosis. Hemda immigrated to Israel in 1892 and devoted herself to assisting her husband in the mission to revive the Hebrew language. A journalist and writer in her own right, she wrote in her diary about the responsibility for reviving the Hebrew language:
"I was utterly shocked at the unbearably heavy burden which the reviver of language placed upon my shoulders. He did not ask for my consent but for a vow, which I gave. Ben-Yehuda’s personality was so compelling that I did not dare to doubt my own ability.”
