The celebration took place on Sunday, November 27th, in the private house of Mr. Barnett.  Those who had assembled were many, in fact, there were present representatives of every shade and section of Jewish communal life in Palestine.  Thus there came along Rabbis of all the various congregations, various Jewish communal workers, heads of colonies, teachers, business men and workpeople and even beggars who came to enjoy the material blessings of this great national festivity.

Mr. Joseph Lipshitz opened the proceedings by explaining the importance of this great red letter day for Mr. Barnett and then called upon Rabbi Auerbach of Jerusalem who had come specially to take part in this celebration.  Rabbi Auerbach delivered a long Talmudical dissertation in which he recited the great merits of the jubilant.  He compared Z. Barnett to a king, because he based himself on a Talmudic statement concerning Omri which asserts that he who builds a little town or village is worthy to be called a king.  The learned Rabbi also emphasised the importance of acquiring land in Palestine by many pithy remarks.  Then spoke the Rabbis:  Joseph Ha-levi, Shneiur Lenskin, Joseph Arwatz and Joseph Rabbi.  All these testified to the great qualities of their host, who besides being a great idealist was also a very practical man too.

After the Rabbis, Mr. S. Nissim, chief of the colony of Petah-Tikvah spoke.  He narrated in a very realistic and eloquent way how that pioneer Zorach Barnett came fifty years ago to build up the ruins of the land and how he bought up the land of Petah-Tikvah, which was now a flourishing colony, but which was then a howling desert wilderness, such as only insane men could ever think of converting this into an habitation of men.  At the present day, thousands of pioneers are flocking to the land, but they are only a continuation of the pioneering of Z. Barnett and his stalwart companions.  The speaker concluded by blessing the jubilant that he should survive to see thousands of Jewish Colonies in Palestine and tens of thousands of pioneers flocking here from every part of the world.

Mr. I. Adler, chief representative of the Council at Jaffe, also spoke on this great member of the Jewish community at Jaffe.  Such men are really a blessing to the whole of Israel; they are not only Banim (sons) of the Jewish people, but also Bonim (builders).

Many were the letters and telegrams of congratulation received on this occasion from various ranks of Jewish representatives in Palestine.  The private secretary of Sir Herbert Samuel wrote:  “I am commanded by His Excellency, the High Commissioner, to acknowledge your invitation to partake in your celebration of the 27th inst.  His Excellency, is, however, restrained from accepting this invitation owing to the various duties which occupy him at present.  He sends you his blessing and hopes that all your ambitions will be realised with, the greatest success.”