Zionism/The Origin of Modern Zionism

by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

§9. The Origin of Modern Zionism

Already in 1862, Moses Hess, one of the early leaders of the Social Democratic movement in Germany, wrote a book, Rom und Jerusalem, in which he discussed the Jewish problem. Persecution of the Jew throughout the world had convinced him that Jews were likely to remain strangers wherever they dwelt, that emancipation was difficult to reconcile with Jewish national feeling, and that a Jewish Nationality was the only solution of the problem. But the views of Hess fell upon deaf ears among Western Jewry; and emancipation still appeared to them the preferable solution.

Dr. Leon Pinsker of Odessa, in a pamphlet, Auto-Emancipation, published in 1882 and translated into Hebrew and most of the European languages, urged that Jews must help themselves. Writing under the stress of the Russian pogroms he declared that 'neither miracles from above, nor the kindness of Gentiles, nor the progress of nationalism would solve the Jewish problem. They could only become a living nation by beginning to live as a nation and strive for the realization of their national aspirations. ... A home must be found for oppressed Jews, especially Russian Jews.' His chief disciple, the well-known Hebrew writer and philosopher, Asher Ginzberg, known as 'Ahad Ha'am' ('one of the people'), has, since 1889, suggested a rather more idealistic solution. Palestine, as a home for Jews, must also be a new moral centre for spiritual inspiration and guidance. His views have been adopted by large numbers of the Zionists themselves; and, indeed, he would probably now describe himself as a Zionist, though he does not see eye to eye with the bulk of the modern leaders of Zionism.

The Russian movement, 'Chovevi Zion' ('Lovers of Zion'), was undoubtedly inspired by Pinsker and Ginzberg, and gathered momentum and force in Odessa and southern Russia and the pale of Jewish settlement, whence it spread to western Europe.

In England it acquired considerable importance by reason of the position of its adherents and the enthusiasm of its chief, Col. A. E. Goldsmid. Its constitution was drafted by E. N. Adler and settled by the Right Hon. Arthur Cohen, Q.C., a nephew of Sir Moses Montefiore. Its objects were expressed to be:

(a) To foster the national ideal in Israel.

(b) To promote colonization of Palestine and neighbouring territories by Jews, by establishing new colonies, or assisting those already established.

(c) To diffuse the knowledge of Hebrew as a living language.

(d) To further the moral and material status of Israel.

Its organization took a somewhat military form, being governed by 'Head-quarters Tent' and various Local Tents in the metropolis, provinces, and colonies. The Head-quarters Tent was presided over by a Chief and each Local Tent by a Commander. For some years it published a quarterly magazine, Palestine, edited by Dr. S. A. Hirsch. In 1892 it began to purchase land in Palestine; but its international action was in the hands of a Central Committee at Paris, a Committee in Odessa, and an office at Jaffa for the purchase and sale of land and negotiation with the Turkish authorities for facilitating Jewish colonization. 'Chovevi Zion', though in the year 1897 it was administering half a dozen colonies, building agricultural dwellings, subsidizing and assisting libraries and schools, never achieved more than a succés d'estime. Still, it undoubtedly paved the way for modern Zionism; and Herzl could not have achieved his phenomenal success if these 'Lovers of Zion' had not prepared the soil.

Meantime two individual Jews had, by their reasoned munificence, achieved far more than Montefiore in turning their co-religionists to agriculture. Baron Maurice Hirsch (1831–96) founded the Jewish Colonization Association (commonly known as 'Ica'), and endowed it with over ten millions sterling. Its original object was to relieve the oppressed Jews—primarily those of Russia and Rumania by encouraging emigration to its colonies in the Argentine, Brazil, Canada, and the United States. The Baron, however, did not favour Palestine as a field for colonization, because he feared that Russia would become the predominant power there. Baron Edmond de Rothschild has for the last thirty years unostentatiously, but on a scientific basis, also devoted millions to the establishment of agricultural colonies exclusively in Palestine, and especially for viticulture, and he had succeeded before the war in putting his colonies on a self-supporting basis. The 'Ica' is administered by delegates of the Anglo-Jewish Association, the Alliance Israelite of Paris, and Jews of Frankfort, Berlin, and Brussels. A few years ago it undertook for Rothschild the management of his Palestine colonies, so that, although not a Zionist organization, it has great interests in the Holy Land.