Baruch Meir continued his practical support of Zionism at home.
Charizman:
In 1908 the Russian police watched every person suspected of political Zionist activity. The central committee in Vilna wanted to have a secret convention of two chapters --Lublin and Shedlitz-- and only Mezritch accepted the challenge to host it. That was all thanks to Baruch Meir who headed this convention.
Mr. Sludski was secretary of that convention and he admired Baruch Meir's inspirational speech. He told Charizman that at the end of the convention, it was suggested to Baruch Meir to go on a mission to Vilna to convince the kharedim of the importance of active Zionism. Baruch Meir agreed on condition that they do not sign any contract with him because he did not want any payment for his activity.
Sludski described him as “a man of religion: Whatever he put his mind to do – became a religion to him".
In 1909, Baruch Meir writes:
I was chosen as a delegate to the 9th congress of Khovevey Zion in Hamburg.
He set off on December 12th to attend the congress that started December 26th and lasted for three days.
When he returned from Hamburg, a search was conducted in his house and he was almost arrested by the Russians. This did not deter him.
On Thursday, Shvat, the police came to my house by the order of the Polkovnik Gendarme [high officer] and conducted a search and took all my papers and all the pamphlets that have to do with Zionism and all my aktzyes [securities] and caused me fear and much aggravation.
A Local Kibbutz
In 1913 he founded a sort of Kibbutz in Mezritch. He attracted important scholars from Brest, even from among the followers of R’ Haim Solovetchik, with whom he had bitter debates. Others joined from Poland and Lithuania and he collected the means to maintain the institute until it was closed when WW1 broke out.
With all his Zionist activity, Baruch Meir did not neglect Torah-study.
Charizman writes that Yosef Dov Rozenblum, Baruch Meir’s son, told that until 1912 Baruch Meir taught groups that he himself gathered.
At 5 o’clock in the morning he taught a group of craftsmen Tehilim [Psalms] with his own commentary. Then he taught the second group Ein Yaakov and then a third group – Shulkhan Arukh [by Rambam]. He treated his students as friends.
Zeal for Hebrew in Eretz Israel
On the way to the Hamburg Congress (1909) as a delegate, he stopped in Berlin:
I also wanted to attend the cultural convention in Berlin especially about Hebrew as a spoken language… On the train I met other delegates and was happy being in their company…I attended the discussions about the spoken Hebrew… I saw there the greatest scholars and authors of Hebrew literature of this generation...a committee was chosen to organize all the lovers of Hebrew all over the world and will arrange a convention in Eretz Israel.
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..Zeal for revival of Hebrew and Hebrew literature in Eretz Israel...
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Charizman notes that Baruch Meir wrote a book with the title: Sefer HaShana (The Year Book) of two volumes and 721 pages, concerning Rules of Sabbath and Jewish Holidays. Charizman must have seen the book to describe it. Unfortunately, this book has not been located, but there is a mention of it in the diary:
I started, on Adar 5686 [February/March 1926] to transcribe my manuscripts, written in the jargon [i.e.,Yiddish], into Leshon HaKodesh [the holy tongue, Hebrew]; Namely the 5 volumes of the Sefer Hashana. God willing I will complete [the task] successfully.
