Zionism

Extract

[...] Ahad Ha'am, in contrast to Borochov's almost exclusive political agenda, is credited as the founder of Cultural Zionism (Zionism-Israel). Born Asher Ginzberg in 1856, he was an ardent writer concerning Zionism and fervent supporter of Leon Pinsker's ideas. Working with the Hovevei Tzion (lovers of Zion) movement, Ginzberg helped to achieve a first wave of immigration settlement to Palestine (Zionism-Israel). Lacking in practical means and without support, a large portion of these first settlements failed. Ginzberg differed from Pinsker and other Zionist leaders in that he did not believe it wise to seek a sovereign state in Palestine before the Jewish people were ready. [...]

[...] earned a law degree from the University of Vienna. He went on to work as a playwright, a writer, and a journalist (Jewish Virtual Library). Encounters at the University of Vienna and later during his career brought Herzl face to face with anti-Semitism. First regarding the problem as social in nature, Herzl wrote a play titled, Ghetto”, that he hoped would lead to debate, discussion, and tolerance. Later on, Herzl came to the conclusion that anti- Semitism was fixed in society and the only solution was for the Jews to inhabit their own country. [...]

[...] At a time when assimilationists pushed for integration with Russian society as the future of the Jews, Pinsker suggested the idea of a separate Jewish state. Pinsker first tried unsuccessfully to organize a national movement for a Jewish state in Europe, before returning to Russia. His famous essay, Selbstemanzipation (Auto-Emancipation), caught attention in Russia and he became the leader of circle of Zion study groups (Zionism-Israel). Leon Pinsker's motivation to form a sovereign Jewish state was to protect the Jewish people from violence and anti-Semitism. [...]