Theodor HerzlThe Birth of a Dream

Visions alone grip the souls of men. And anyone who has no use for them may be an excellent, worthy, sober-

minded person, but he will not be a leader of men, and no trace of him will remain.-Theodor Herzl

Theodore Herzl 1860 - 1903

• Father of modern political Zionism

• Raised in a wealthy, secular home in Vienna• Educated in the spirit of the German-Jewish

Enlightenment

• Received a basic Jewish education, but had little personal connection to Judaism

Early Life

• When 18 years old family moved to Vienna• 1884 - Doctor of law - University of Vienna. • Later a writer, playwright journalist. • Paris correspondent of liberal Vienna

newspaper, Neue Freie Presse• Moved to Paris • Convinced that the solution to anti-Semitism was

for Jews to blend in with Christian society

Consider This

• Raised in the home of assimilated Jews, Herzl has been compared to Moses, who was raised by Pharaoh's daughter. Why it might be advantageous for a leader to be something of an outsider?

The Turning Point

• As a reporter, Herzl covered the Dreyfus trial.• Alfred Dreyfus, an assimilated Jew, was a captain in

the French army. He was accused of selling military secrets to the Germans.

• Despite scanty evidence and no motive, Dreyfus was found guilty and sentenced to life in jail.

The Trial Continued

• Further investigation demonstrated that another man was guilty, but rather than admit the mistake, the army created more evidence against Dreyfus and refused to release him.

• 12 years later, and after a second trial again pronounced him guilty, Dreyfus was finally proclaimed innocent.

Consequences of the Trial

• The trial split French society, some people supporting Dreyfus, others convinced he was guilty.

• Anti-Semitism in France increased. Jewish stores were looted, Jews beat up.

Genesis of Zionism

• Shouting Paris mobs - "Death to the Jews".

• Herzl - only one solution:

• Mass immigration of Jews to their own land

• Dreyfus case was the genesis of political Zionism.

Herzl’s Response

• “The Dreyfus case contains more than a miscarriage of justice; it contains the wish of the vast majority in France to damn one Jew and through him all Jews….Where? In France, In republican, modern, civilized France, one hundred years after the Declaration of the Rights of Man.”

Anti-Semitism continues

• Anti-Semitism began to “see” the Jews as a race, rather than a religion!!

• Before 1914 anti-Semitism was most oppressive in eastern Europe

• early 1890s, Karl Lueger-mayor of Vienna from 1897 to 1910

• Christian Socialists…vs. Jews

• Herzl will turn away from German nationalism to his plan!

The Plan

• Believes Jews need their own homeland to be safe from Anti-Semitism.

• 1896 published The Jewish State

• Called for establishment of independent Jewish nation.

• Herzl also calls for the establishment of a Zionist Congress

The First Zionist Congress• A Jewish group of individuals from different

European countries.• The first Zionist Congress met in Basel,

Switzerland in 1897. • Goals to create a Jewish home in Palestine.

Jews Came From All Over

What Did They Do?

• The Congress agreed to meet annually

• Established the Jewish National Fund (JNF)

• Built alliances between Jews from different countries

• Met with politicians

• Idea of a Jewish homeland grew in popularity and acceptance.

Uganda 6th Zionist Congress

• 6th Zionist Congress (1903)

• British offered Herzl Uganda as a possible site for a Jewish homeland

• Congress divided

• Some supported idea, others strongly condemned it.

• Congress established a committee to consider the possibility.

The Opposition

• Jews presented a number of arguments opposing Herzl’s ideas.– Assimilated Jews believed that having a

Jewish state would cause Christians to view Jews who lived in the diaspora with mistrust.

– Orthodox Jews claimed that only the messiah could establish a Jewish state.

Still More Opposition

– Reform Jews believed Jews had a responsibility to teach ethics and fight anti-semitism in the diaspora.

– Other Jews argued it was unrealistic to think it would be possible to obtain the political and monetary support necessary

??? Consider This… ???

• There were several arguments presented against the establishment of a Jewish state. Summarize one of them, describe who supported it, and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses.

Just the beginning

• “At Basel I created the Jewish State. In five years, perhaps, and certainly in fifty, everyone will see it.”

• The Jewish state was created in 1948, 49 years after the first Zionist Congress

Herzl continued to fight for a Jewish state until his death in 1904.

“The Expulsion of the Jews from Russia” pg. 773