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Zionism before the Holocaust
Class #2: “Zionism by any other name”Darren Kleinberg
Zionism (def.)
The political ideology that developed
in the 19th century with the goal of
creating a Jewish homeland/nation
state in the historical land of Israel.
A Jewish State…in Buffalo?MORDECAI MANUEL NOAH (1785–1851)
• U.S. editor, politician, and playwright. • Noah, who was probably the most influential Jew in the United States
in the early 19th century, • Clerk in the U.S. Treasury.• Began his political career in Philadelphia in 1808 when he supported
the Republican candidate, James Madison, for president. • In 1809 he became the editor of the City Gazette. • A war "hawk," he strongly supported the War of 1812. • In 1813 he was appointed consul at Tunis, but was recalled two years
later after he was accused of misappropriation of funds, though the charges were never proved.
• Noah became the editor of the newspaper the National Advocate in 1817, giving him access to the Tammany Society.
• He was appointed high sheriff in 1822 and two years later was elected grand sachem of Tammany.
• In 1824, Noah became the publisher of the New York National Advocate.
• In 1841, he became a judge of the Court of Sessions.• A prolific playwright; many of his plays reflected his patriotic fervor.
His plays included Fortress of Sorrento (written 1808); She Would Be a Soldier (1819); Siege of Tripoli (1820); and Marion, or the Hero of St. George (1822)
• Engaged in activities on behalf of the congregations of Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia and Shearith Israel in New York.
The plan to erect Ararat necessitated, and reflects, the powerful political Hebraism and
Biblical imagination saturating the early American republic’s public sphere. However, an
autonomous Jewish entity within the United States entailed detrimental conflicts and
tensions with the prevailing political and constitutional culture of America. 2
Upstate New York of the early republic was known as the ‘Burned-Over District,’ a
region that experienced repeated evangelizations during the early decades of the
nineteenth century, harboring and giving birth to radical movements on the fringes of
reformed Christianity, from the Millerites ad Oneida Society to the Mormons…”[b]oth
pre- and postmillenial Christians have typically been interested in the restoration of the
Jews…since that is one of the events prophesized as heralding the Second Coming.”
Consequently, contemporary Christians could interpret the prospects of the revival of the
Jewish government eschatologically, believing that it signaled the immanent building of
“a New Jerusalem and Temple of the Lord in ‘this American Land.’” 11,12
Ararat seems, then, less of an outlandish affair when understood within the religious and
social ferment associated with the Second Great Awakening. 12
“Revive, Renew, and Reestablish”: Mordecai Noah’s Ararat and the Limits of Biblical Imagination in the Early American Republic
by Eran Shalev
Territorialism
What if?...
The Yiddish Policeman’s UnionBy Michael Chabon
Page 17
The Frozen ChosenAlaskan Project Wins Wide Acclaim, Ickes Reveals; Critics Small Minority
Criticizing opposition of "certain groups" in Alaska to colonization of refugees, Secretary of Interior Harold L. Ickes declared today that the proposed settlement in the territory had received one of the most comprehensive endorsements of any major, far-reaching national development ever proposed in the United States.Approval of the plan was given by 841/2 per cent of 338 newspapers which carried editorials on the subject, Secretary Ickes said, with 7 per cent non-committal and 81/2 per cent disapproving. Of the 4,135 letters received up to Feb. 2, fewer than one-half of one per cent were critical.While continental reaction has been overwhelmingly favorable, Ickes declared, certain groups in the sparsely settled territory have voiced objection, claiming that Alaska should not be singled out for special legislation which would allow groups of American citizens and immigrants from Europe to settle there. The Chambers of Commerce of Juneau, Anchorage, Douglas and Fairbanks have taken a stand against various aspects of the plan.Pointing out that Alaska constantly requests and receives special legislation because of its special problems, Secretary Ickes said: "Much of this opposition is couched in incomprehensible phraseology. It is mainly from a handful of Alaska's 30,000 White population, which feels that its monopoly of Alaskan resources would be threatened by an increased population."On the other hand, the statement said, four of Alaska's chambers of commerce--those in Seward, Cordova, Skagway and Petersburg--have expressed belief in the feasibility of the plan and have offered every cooperation.The proposed program, which would provide for development of Alaskan resources by privately financed limited-dividend corporations under Government supervision, has attracted the attention of business people throughout the United States, Ickes said. It is expected that these would form a nucleus of business pioneers, furnishing the capital for enterprises upon which colonization would be based.
"Alaskan Project Wins Wide Acclaim, Ickes Reveals; Critics Small Minority”Jewish Telegraphic Agency 13 Feb 1940.
Birobidzhan Jewish Autonomous Oblast (Province)
The Freeland League
Israel Zangwill (1864 – 1926)•1873 - Enrolled at the Jews’ Free School (JFS).•Received a degree from the University of London in 1884 while teaching at JFS.•Published The Children of the Ghetto (1892), King of the Schnorrers (1894),and Dreamers of the Ghetto (1898).•Wrote The Melting Pot for the stage and, in 1909, had it performed for President Theodore Roosevelt.•Founded the Jewish Territorialist Organization in 1905.
In 1903 the British government offered the Zionist movement territory in the East Africa protectorate for the purpose of the establishing a Jewish colony. In 1905 the offer was formally declined…The British proposal [] caused a great deal of consternation in Zionist circles. When Theodore Herzl announced the plan at the sixth Zionist congress, a number of delegates acted as if shellshocked… Herzl, a shrewd diplomat, understood the significance of obtaining recognition for the Zionist movement from Great Britain. He believed that a British government committed to aid the Zionists would have to provide a substitute for East Africa if the territory proved unsuitable. In addition, antisemitism in Russiaculminating in the Kishinev pogrom made imperative the acquisition of a haven.
Israel Zangwill’s Jewish Territorial Organisation and the East Africa Zion, Weisbord. pp 89, 90
A much more serious and rational effort to circumvent
the resolution of the seventh congress was made by
Israel Zangwill…It was in him that the East Africa
project found its most eloquent champion…Of
necessity a new body had to be created. It took shape
in short order. Officially called the Jewish Territorial
Organization, it was often referred to as ITO. The
object of ITO, which had its headquarters in London,
was “to procure a territory upon an autonomous basis
for those Jews who cannot or will not remain in the
lands in which they presently live.”
Israel Zangwill’s Jewish Territorial Organisation and the East Africa Zion, Weisbord. pp. 91, 92
