Zionism, which officially began at the World Zionist Congress held in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897, was the last nationalist movement to appear in nineteenth-century Europe. It was also the most ambitious. Jews had not had their own state since 586 B.C.E., when the Kingdom of Judah in Palestine had been conquered by the Babylonians, and from the time of their expulsion from their homeland by the Romans in the first century C.E., they had come to live in communities scattered across the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. During the many centuries of their dispersal Jews held fast to the dream of returning to their homeland in Palestine, the Land of Zion, which according to Hebrew Scriptures, was theirs by virtue of their covenant with God. This pious hope, expressed in traditional Jewish prayers and religious writings, in the twentieth century became a highly organized political movement that in 1949 resulted in the foundation of the modern state of Israel (but more on that in Season 5).Zionism originated in Europe, where in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries many discriminatory laws against Jews were lifted and Jews gained the freedom to participate fully in their nation’s economic, political, and cultural life. Old anti-Jewish prejudices were difficult to eradicate, however, and in an atmosphere of rapid social change, growing nationalism, new racial theories, and simple jealousy of the many successful Jewish physicians, businessmen, journalists, and academics, anti-Semitism intensified in the late 1800s. In France, the trial, conviction, and ultimate exoneration of the Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus for treason dragged on from 1894 to 1906 and revealed the depths of anti-Jewish feeling in what was supposedly Europe’s most tolerant and liberal state. German politicians routinely attacked the Jews, and in 1895 voters in Vienna elected Karl Lüger, an outspoken anti-Semite, as their mayor. Russia’s tsarist government issued new anti-Jewish laws, and to divert attention away from its own failures, encouraged mob attacks (pogroms) on Jewish communities in Russia itself and in Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania, three regions that were part of its empire and the home of the vast majority of Europe’s Jews.
The founder of Zionism, Theodor Herzl, was born into the family of a wealthy businessman in Budapest in 1860. At age eighteen he and his family moved to Vienna, where he attended the University of Vienna and earned his doctorate in law. Spurning a legal career, he spent several years writing plays and fiction before accepting a job as a correspondent for the Neue Freie Presse, a Viennese newspaper. Although not deeply religious, during the 1880s Herzl became increasingly troubled by growing signs of anti-Semitism in Europe, and in the 1890s he became convinced by the Dreyfus affair and the election of Lüger that Jews had no future unless they had a state of their own outside of Europe. After publishing Der Judenstaat (The Jews’ State or as it is also translated The Jewish State) in 1896, he organized the first World Zionist Congress in Basel (you can read excerpts from that document by clicking here). Until his death in 1904 he worked tirelessly to strengthen Zionism by lecturing, organizing, writing books and articles, and seeking the support of wealthy philanthropists and important political leaders. In 1949, forty-five years after his death, his remains were flown from Vienna to Jerusalem, where they were reburied in the new state of Israel.
After you have read the excerpts from Herzl’s document, I would like you all to reflect on and discuss the following: Herzl states at the outset that the Jews “are a people, one people.” In his view why have the Jews maintained this unity despite living in communities scattered across several continents? According to Herzl, what are the concrete signs of continuing anti-Semitism in late-nineteenth-century Europe? How does Herzl explain the persistence of anti-Semitism? According to Herzl, why are “staying put” and “assimilation” not viable options for Europe’s Jews? According to Herzl, why is a Jewish state the only means for the Jews to escape their predicament in Europe? What role does religion play in Herzl’s arguments? What role, according to Herzl, should it play in the future Jewish state? Your thoughts…
42 comments:
That document was very interesting. It was sad reading the section about the different ani-semitism acts in the various areas. Russia..to austria...to Germany ect. While I was reading it I noticed how much easier it was for me to understand than normal. And I think it's because this document could still be applied to our society today, sadly. Especially this quote,
For deep down within the feelings of peoples
there are old prejudices anchored against us. If
you want evidence, you only need to listen where
the people express themselves simply and truthfully:
folktales and proverbs are antisemitic. . . .
===================================
Oh and quick question(s) regarding all this crazy revolution stuff.
I know for the French revolution that it had a dramatic political revolution because it went from absolute monarchy to republic to empire to monarchy to republic (?)
But as far as socially?? I know that despite the Declaration of Rights of Man and the Citizen and the freedom of slaves....there was still unequality?
I guess my question is socially is the french revolution more like the american revolution than the Haitian revolution?
Also the Latin American independence.....politically did most of them become republics???
Herzl seems to think the reason for their unity is because they are persecuted. When a group of people are threatened they come together. He thinks that the Jews are too proud to assimilate into the other cultures so they need their own state. He doesn't seem to be very religious at all and he wants seperation of church and state in the new Jewish state.
yeah miss beck, france really seesaws for a while, however, the social changes were quite significant for MEN... for women, not so much. sadly the story of women in the west is a repeating story until the 20th century, expect no real changes in season 4. and yes, in the end, all of your latin american gov'ts will be republics
the proof that anti-semitism is continuing is all of the hateful things that are being done towards the jewish people. the pograms in russia, the lack of equality in france, and the overall ill treatment in germany are being done to the people because their jewish, which is obviously anti-semitism.
the jewish people could remain unified even though they were scattered across europe because they weren't counted as part of the particular country they were in. the people treated them like inferiors and counted them as different, thus having them continue to apart of the jewish people, rather than russian, french, german, etc. herzl even mentioned that many of the jewish people had tried to be patriotic, but the countries wouldn't acknowledge it.
and of course prill talked about in his lecture how when turmoil was there, nationalism was bigger. the jewish people were all facing prejudice, thus uniting them, almost like a common enemy.
obviously herzl was right about there being problems if the jewish people stayed in europe. i don't think i need to say what ended up happening.
old prejudices were continuing to stick around in europe, even in some countries things were supposed to get better for jewish people. this can be seen by how there were works of literature of literature with an archetypal jewish villain, like the merchant of venice by william shakespeare. even in oliver twist by charles dickens, the character of fagin was referred to as "the jew," and contained certain stereotypes, though dickens did take out most mention of fagin being jewish by 1869. either way this just shows how jewish people were percieved in the media.
When you first look at it you may find it odd that Jews are being discriminated against by Christians since they both worship the same God, but you can kinda of see why because the Jewish religion contradicts the Christian doctrine directly with their views on Jesus. Plus, having any sizable population of Jews in your country during this time does not really go along with the nationalism of the time period where as having a common religion would strengthen nationalism.
excellent insight venick... thanks for adding those literary insights...
thanks prill, but were the ellipses supposed to mean anything?
bad blog comment habit... sorry...
When reading this document Herzl says that the Jews are being attacked more and more daily by the people and the parliment etc. He also says that Jews are the same as any other people, and that in a time where there is chaos the people try to unite in order to go against the problem. Its sad that the Jews never have a stable home and are always the persectued minority...
yeah it was interesting! it makes sense, like, when antisemitism was really big they still stood together and made the religion stronger. but i agree with Herzl, they're united BECAUSE they're threatened.
I don't understand why Jews are eventually forced to leave Europe when they are members of society like everyone else and contribute to society. If countries are starting to lean more to nationalism than religion then why is everyone hating on the jews. I think that the Jews had no choice but to attemp to set up a Jewish Jerusalem again.
I need to get one thing straight.... Why were the jews disliked in the first place?
well for the reasons i mentioned in the summary during the 19th century... but again, keep in mind they're a religious minority and ethnic minority no matter where they are (dangerous b/c when things go wrong, jews are often used as a scapegoat in europe, when things are going right, there's the jealousy factor)... and then there's the religious issue that is pretty simple, europeans are going to continue to hurl blame at them for the death of jesus... when you think about it, there's only one religion in history that blames another religion for the death of their messiah, savior (and some would even claim God)... interesting
This document was really interesting in that i could understand what they were talking about mabey because i have a little more knowledge about it than i do the other documents. But this is a terrible thing that still ( i think) goes on today whether we realize it or not. I just can't understand why we can't all make emends. I kinda understand how it started but im confused on why people still dislike the jews ( at least some people)?
But this whole going it blindsided tomorrow is freaking me out i don't know where to start if you know what i mean. I just hope that i'm studying that " good stuff".
How does religion come up if the main focus is nationalism. I still think its very unnecessary. Whatever. Im glad its not like that now. Not saying I'm jewish, I just wouldnt want to live in all the hate.
He thinks they remain one people because they are not accepted into other societies and are persecuted. He says attacks on Jews are getting more and more frequent. He says they cant stay put because even if laws were passed to protect Jews, the citizens wouldnt pay attention to them. He says they cant assimilate into other cultures because people wont forget their prejudices and leave them alone. I think he believes that they shouldnt have a king, but just listen to faith or w/e.
I found this document much easier to understand then earlier documents, probably because it's written closer to out time period. It was much easier to get through than normal and he even uses the word sarcastic!!
According to herzl the jews cannot just stay where they are because they will continue to be mistreated and abused.
they have to move and create their own country if they want to become a respected people again, they will not totally die out if they stay but they will continue to struggle and be ridiculed. He thinks that religion should not be a part of the new jewish government.
I think Herzl states that the jews a one people becasue they are all one different, proud religon, and one minority that is getting treated as one group. They live scaterred out becasue they all tend to keep migrating all around to try to get away from the persicution but never are able to unite with each other to try and make a state because they are always scared, from everyone hating them. Also with anti-semitism on the rise, signs of which include folktale and stories including anti-semitism, it doesn't seem like it's going to get better anytime soon for them.
Hey Prill,
I'm sick today but I'll prob be able to go tommorrow...like 83.7% sure. Anyway, can you give me all the info like times, rides, and moneys for meals? THANKS!
because we're going to athens we'll have to meet at 6:30 am... not sure on the meals, just bring a reasonable amount of money.
It is so sad to think about after this guy realizes that they need to make there own state, in the 1930s and 1940s is going to be a mass slaughter of Jews. Its only like 40 years after his death. So is that why people followed Hitler's actions, because the people were antisemitic themselves already? i never realized it before. I use to think it was just some spontaneous decision he made because he had the idea of the perfect person. (blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin)
Anyways I am curious about one thing. Herzl says that the process of moving will be a gradual process and he says the poor will go first in order to build up the land with infrastructure and farms. But how exactly does he think they are going to get the money or equipment to build it up? Does he plan on getting the upper class to pay for it? Overall, its a shame that people can feel so much hate for people that arnt like them even if these people didn't do anything to them. Some of the things sounds familiar, like how the blacks were treated in the United States.
I think that it is amazing that, though for years they’ve been the most prosecuted religion, they still exist today. To me, that’s real dedication. It seems they’ve shrouded themselves in the idea that though they may be persecuted in this life, the next will reward them for their suffering. The feeling of togetherness, that at least the writer felt, also seems like it would be hard to keep through their tough times. And that’s what makes it, seemingly, all the more precious.
In this document, Herzl talks about how Jewish people become more united under all of this hate. Religion then isn't necessarily the only common thing uniting them, but that they are all shunned as well. "Outsiders" will pair with other "outsiders" on top of their religious commonalities. It makes sense to me how when other countries are constantly trying to force Jews out that they'd need a place to go to. "Away with the Jews" was one of the quotes that Herzl came up with in this document which makes him question, "where to go?"
In this document, Herzl explains how Jewish people are constantly being shut out from other countries because of religious difference and how this manages to make them united and stronger as a group of religious people. Not only are they united under one religion, but they are also united because the share another commonality which is the fact that they're considered to be "outsiders". Herzl makes a good point when he mentions how other countries and people are saying "Away with the Jews!" If everyone is telling them to go "away," you're going to have to find an "away" to go to. With all the hate going on, it makes sense that they would want their own state to avoid getting shunned and kicked out by other religious people and such.
Herzl believes that it is the sacrifices that the Jews have made that keep them unified. He says that they are very enthusiastic and patriotic, in vain. He says that they work very hard to help their country in the fields of science and arts, in vain. They are trying so hard to fit in and making so many sacrifices to be accepted by their home country even though they shouldn't have to. He knows that staying in Europe is not a good idea because he cannot have the Jewish people perish. He knows that their forefathers have worked to hard to let their dreams of a homeland go.
You mentioned Dryfus in your summary, but you simply stated his name but did not tie it to the court case that bares his name, Anti-Semetism seems illogiccal in my mind, I mean we've all probably cracked jew joke here or there, well maybe not you Prill, but it just seems to be something that has become rooted into parts of our culture
Its completely unfair that the jews were discriminated so much just for practicing their faith. The document states that even when they are in their homeland, they are decried as foreign. And the hate treatment they received in different countries such as Germany and Russia were just cruel.
Herzl believes if they come altogether, they can create their own state. he believes they are all united not just because of their religion, but because of the suffering they endured as jews.
Why is it, Mr. Prill, that throughout history, the Jews get the blunt end of the stick. There are plenty of other religions out there to blame; why not one of them? Why not Christianity, or Buddhism, or Hinduism, or Islam? I just don't see why of all people, it's the Jews that get blamed for any problem any another society.
Christianity is very similar to Judaism. Jews didn't start any problems with others.
The Jews are considered as 'one people' by non-Jews because every individual Jew was(and some still are, sadly) treated as if they represented the whole group, and the group was viewed as "bad". They weren't treated as an individual with their own feelings and personality. The Jews saw themselves as 'one people' b/c they are/were willing to sacrifice persecution to keep their identities and beliefs as Jews, unifying them wherever they were.
I also find it very intersting and sad that Herzl basically predicted the Holocaust (ok, maybe not the Holocaust exactly, but he knew something bad would happen if they didn't leave soon) before it ever happened...
It is sad he is doing this out of desperation. Mr. Prill can I ask you something? Why did he die so early? Was it an illness that he had or assasination of anti-semnites?
aw this stuff is sorta sad! But really interesting because we don't hear about this much. I think that the true unifying factor for the Jews, and this is sad to say this, but that they were persecuted so badly and were so much worse than most other people. They all sorta had a common enemy, and apparently a common goal of retreaving a Jewish state. One thing i liked that he said was the "faith will hold us together, science will make us free". He says he needs EVERYONE to complete this, and that not one man but an idea will work. I just thought this one was really interesting and different.
This is sad to see that all these people are getting attacked and killed by other countries just because they become successful and make others jealous. The people are just persecuted just becasue and they don't really have a home for themselves and it says how that having their old home of Palestine would be historic but sadly they can't.
this document is cool. it was easy to read compared to the other document. but anyways jewish people still stayed unified somewhat even though they were scattered all over europe because they have not got palistine back yet.
I really liked reading this document..i really never knew that the jews were persecuted like that before, i just thought it came up when hitler came..but wow..thats sad..nationality led to this i guess, cause people wanted people of their nationality to be ahead in thir country....
Anti-Semetism has been present since late BCE (300-200BCE?). i still do not understand why everyone picked THEM to hate, but it still happens today. Herzl shows major insight and foreshadows what happens later when he is talking about the presence of the Jewish persons in Europe. He says the extermination is eminent if they stay, or at least don't find a one place to call their country. this foreshadows the Holocaust during WW2, and it is just like now, how they are constantly fighting over Israel, the disputed holy land.
Herzl thinks that the unity factor of the Jews was having to go through tough times and hatred, as well as of course a very strong past that keeps them going, giving hope. It usually takes devastating events to bring people closer together. So the more hate and resentment there was, the more compelled the Jews felt to come together. Proof of anti-Semitism in Europe was shown in the cruel mistreatment of Jews in France, Russia, and Germany. He talked about how Jews would be faced with major beatings, even some leading to death. They can't stay put because it'll lead to more hate, obviously. Assimilation isn't a good idea either because Jewish past history is too great and cannot be forgotten. If they merge into the culture of the Europeans, they might lose their past and future dreams. A Jewish state is the only escape because, as he said, the Jews are a people and have power. With power, you can build and need a state. In the future, the Jewish state is to be neutral. They will keep their religious culture and if needed, they will help those around.
The guy who wrote this, sounded like he wanted to round of his people. He makes it as depressing as possible to make them understand the problem going about. He probably didn't want to leave by himself to Jerusalem, because he probably killed there by himself, so he got support from his fellow Jews. At least, that's what I think.
I must say that the Jewish identity was very strong to keep them going up to this point. the jewish faith needed a sense of togetherness, and a place to call their own. even after they pay their loyalty and labor to home countries that they have lived in for centuries, they still, for some reason, do not derive the respect that they deserve. i personally see herzl's view of jewish unity as being the desire to always be united again. that is the drive that kept them as a faith, their wanting to be unite again in their rightful homeland.
He considers them "one people" because they have all been percecuted against, more painfully than many other kinds of people, but that their suffering puts them in their own category, together, which they cannot break from within or else they will all be lost. He absolutly does not want the Jews to lose all they have, and therefore want to create their own state, so they can be persecuted against no longer. It seems that everyone hates the Jewish people... why? When they have problems themselves, they are horrible to the Jews, blame the Jews, attention off us and on the Jews! Why??! agh.
to me it seems like nobody likes the jews durin this time and people want them out of there country.. i agree with cody about how its strange that christians are against them whenever they basically worship and do the same things
This document was extremly fascinating.. i had no clue that a ton of people were against the jews... or that it started this far back in time
I think that its unfortunate that the jews didn't really have anything to call their own throughtout history. Still today, they are fighting for what they have finally gained.
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