David Matlow with a Herzl Collection/Project Update on JM in the AM

Well, David Matlau says that a conversation about Herzel will probably make me feel better. I hope he's right. I never thought we'd be using Herzel for medicinal purposes. One of our favorite guest is in fact David Matlau. He's with us live via telephone. Has an update on the world's largest Herzel collection. Hard to believe, right folks? Well, we saw with our own eyes. We visited Toronto, Canada, and saw saw 99% of his collection. We visited New York City when his um Herzel material became a museum exhibit. Honestly, it's pretty remarkable. David Matlau, a pleasure to welcome you back to JM and the AM. >> Thank you very much. And and it is Herzel magic. So, I hope it does make you feel better this conversation. It can't hurt. >> I app that's true. It can't hurt. And as you know, he uh he certainly spurred on some positive situations in modern Jewish history. What did you say, David? >> Uh, well, Herzel Herzel is magic. He he was the visionary of the state of Israel, which of course all of your listeners know, right? And through his his his dedication, his ingenuity, his effort uh were the beneficiaries of the state of Israel that he envisioned. >> Pretty amazing. And all this, of course, uh, before the state was founded, Herzel did not live to actually see the state, but his remains are obviously on Mount Herzel in Jerusalem, a place we've become all too familiar with over the last two years with the number of amazing young soldiers that we've lost in the most recent war. David Matlau is with us. So, you always seem to have something new to share with us, whether it's an event, whether it's a specific item or items or something you came across that even surprised you. Uh, even, you know, being the world's largest Herzel collector for the last many decades, what has happened in early 2026 to catch David Matlau's attention? >> Well, I I go on the premise that the world needs more Herzel. It it needs more understanding of what Herzel did, who he was, and what he envisioned. And at a time where where people are detractors just have a a total misunderstanding, perhaps maliciously of Israel and its origins. It's important to talk about and learn about Herzel. So, uh there's there's four things. Um I uh 2026 is only 8 days old, but there's four new things that I wanted to share with your listeners. Yeah. >> One is that I have an exhibit, a new exhibit which is at the Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto and it's called Herzel Hope Home. And uh I took two themes of Herzel's work. hope the hatifra it's the state of Israel is is so wrapped up in hope that the national anthem is called the hope and also home this is a this the state of Israel he envisioned is our home and during the period of time when when there were the hostages in Gaz and of course I know there's one yet to be returned and his his remains should be returned very quickly we talked about bringing them home >> and um also So the exhibit's running till the end of February, but I was asked by Rabbi Splansky to um include in the exhibit things that might be relevant for Lag Bare that's coming up early next month and Shabbatira. So in terms of homes, >> Lmer Bulmer is not till May. >> Tishbat, >> sorry, get my holidays mixed up. Uh I get my acronyms mixed up. Sorry, it's Subishot. Um, and it's about about trees and and one of the ways that the Jewish people reflected their desire to build the the homeland was in the planting of trees through the Kieran Cayama Jewish National Fund and and others. And in fact, Herzeland's one visit to Israel in 1898 planted a tree in Matzah outside Jerusalem. And in the first world war, the Turks cut it down and um Zionist youth groups went to the site of the tree, picked up the cones from the cut down tree, took the seeds out of those cones, and planted new trees from the seeds of Herzel's tree all around Erit Israel, which is a tremendous metaphor for ourselves. Now, we take what's been destroyed and we rebuild and rebuild even more than it was before. So that's my exhibit in Toronto. I also have a traveling exhibit which in 2025 was in Henderson, Nevada at near Tamid and just uh was in Little Rock, Arkansas at Synagogue Aguat Aim. And if any of your listeners um are are part of a synagogue or JCC which would like the exhibit to come to their town in in 2026 that please please reach me. I'm findable. And one of the uh two other things that I've been working on is there for your listeners in New York, they may know about the Hatika sticker collective, which is peppering or pasting stickers throughout New York City and it's expanded across North America because we have it in Toronto too. Taking iconic images, Zionist iconic images because there is a very rich visual arts tradition in Zionism. uh Arthur Jik uh Budco Ian Lillian and repurposing those images for the messages of today. So I have been providing images from my collection to the sticker campaign in the Hatika collective and one of the notions is essentially to create an ambient Zionist museum through stickers around New York City and other cities to learn about Zionism while you're looking at lamposts or in bus shelters or on your hydro bowls. Um and a and the last thing is I have started something on social media called Herzel break. There is a great popularity of sports memorabilia opening old packages of baseball cards live in front of a camera to see if there's a Mickey Mantel in there or Canada Wayne Gretzky rookie card. So, a Herzel break is when I open a newly received uh unopened package of Zionist memorabilia that I've ordered from an auction or purchase and I open it live in front of a camera. So, you can find on on Tik Tok, Instagram or Facebook and it's it's just a way to bring the message of and uh Jewish sovereignty in the Jewish homeland. My last turtle break last week has been viewed more than 16,000 times and and many of them in in the Arab world surprisingly. So hopefully it's a message of uh it always ends with a message of hope and peace uh but also explaining >> hurtful Zionism and and the uh the intention behind the enterprise of having Jewish safety, Jewish freedom, Jewish sovereignty. >> Pretty amazing. And but and and it's only January 8th. >> Am I spelling this correctly? I'm trying to install it into my Instagram uh uh repertoire. Am I spelling it correctly? Well, how would you do the Herzel break? >> Well, you you would search me, David Madlo. >> Got it. or in on on Tik Tok I'm Marjave um and or Herzelbreak one word on on Facebook and they will and they will come up and of course I have my weekly column treasure troves in in the Canadian Jewish news which I also post on Instagram and Facebook weekly they come out on Sunday. >> All right, we just followed you on Instagram so hopefully we'll be uh privy to those amazing videos. Sounds really really cool. By the way, anybody out there who would like to explore the traveling exhibit and having it come from Toronto to your hometown, just email us. We'll put you in touch with David Matlau.com. Again, nomagle.com. I assume Henderson had a larger Jewish population than Little Rock. Am I right, David? Uh they did, but but um Rabbi Miller in Little Rock, he just wrote me yesterday to say how significant it was to the Little Rock community, the Little Little Little Rock community to have um a rehearsal there and and frankly and and I wrote it back saying I really don't know how much of an impact all these uh initiatives have, but I heard directly from him. There were a number of weeks of talking about Zionism and quite moving to see it. There are many uh many communities of course with with Jewish populations that just don't have the privilege of seeing anything about our Zionist history. So that's one of my missions is to bring it to to smaller communities. Um, I obviously New York, I was thrilled to have my e exhibit um at the museum there last year, but I'm also thrilled to to have it go anywhere that we really need to focus and be reminded or teach for the first time who Herzel was, what Zionism means. There's so much to learn and so much to be inspired by. >> And the most uh interesting unusual piece of Herzel merchandise, I always go with the Herzel socks. David, but I mean that's Pay already, right? That we mentioned that a million times. Tell us tell us something that we'd be shocked. Uh actually is a piece of merchandise that has been hurted. >> So I haven't done this, but I'm very I'm very thrilled to have seen whenever someone sees Herzel anywhere, they they send it to me, whether they're touring through Europe or see it online. And I it's the highest form of compliment that someone sees Herzel and thinks of me. But somebody uh uh somebody uh a gentleman named Adam Titlebomb who lives in Cincinnati. His company is Level Three Industries is manufacturing Herzel hats. So with the socks you can be head to toe in Herzel. >> Tell him I want to order one of those. That's fantastic. I love it. And finally, David, I know I'm sure I've asked you this before, but I need your perspective. It's 77 years now into the existence of the state of Israel. Herzel obviously left us many years before that. He had a dream, a vision, what he thought would become a reality, and he was right. And of course, there's been ups and downs. There hasn't been a year that has not been a challenging year for the Jewish people in Israel. We know that, especially as we look at what's happened over the last couple of years. Do you ever do you ever sit back and just think about what he would say and how he would feel if he saw the state of Israel in 2026? I'm asked that question a lot. It it's both it's the greatest success that he envisioned. Israel of course is is a miracle. The 9 million plus Jews living there, the the economy and the the culture and the democracy for better for worse. Um that that's there. But he would be disappointed I believe that the conflict continues. >> Wow. Um and and he he he envisioned and he probably was right that that the creation of the he called the new society in Noand the Jewish state would be good for everybody and um and it it still can be but ultimately my takeaway from Herzel is if you were standing in Herzel's shoes in 1896 when he wrote the yuden staff that the idea of a Jewish state being created within 50 years was preposterous was so unlikely to occur and it happened. And I believe the creation of the state of Israel is um less likely to have occurred, and of course it did, than ultimately the state of Israel finding a way to live in peace with all its neighbors, which is what Herzel wanted, which was the founders of the state of Israel wanted, which I'm sure all of us want. That's it. if the state of Israel is possible. Herel teaches me that ultimately somehow by people way smarter than me, the all of the issues can be resolved. not today and maybe in 20 years or another 77 years, but they can all be resolved and Herzo's ultimate vision of a state of Israel and the Jewish people living in safety and freedom and in peace can be realized and and me talking about Herzel and sharing it in the various ways that I have uh talked about um in this conversation are ways to keep that hope alive. We cannot despair even in the most difficult of times. Wonderful, David. Really amazing. Anybody wants to get in touch with David Matlau, especially if you'd like to pursue having the traveling exhibit of Herzel come to your neighborhood anywhere around this globe, uh, be in touch with us. Be more than happy to connect you to David Nomsele.com. And, uh, make sure to continue to share this amazing vision of Theodore Herzel with the world. Uh, David Matlau has taken it to an extreme and we are ever thankful that he has. David, God bless you. be well and thanks so much for sharing all of this today >> and thanks so much and to you and all your listeners be well and have a very good day. Thank you so much, David Matla. Thursday morning, you're listening to JM in the AM