Theodor Herzl

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Theodor Herzl is notably credited with being the father of modern day Zionism, an ideology that ultimately led to the establishment of a national homeland for Jews in Palestine. The concept of a national homeland for the Jewish people was by no means a new idea conceived in Herzl’s time, in fact the idea of return to Zion is predated to biblical times. For over two millennia the Jewish people had persevered through an overwhelming amount of adversity, bouncing from one catastrophic disturbance to the next. Ironically these tragic episodes in Jewish history are what helped stimulate an unshakable social bond unlike any other in the world. So why does Herzl have the distinction of being the patriarch of “Modern Day Zionism”? More importantly why did he succeed where so many before him failed? It is known that Herzl thoroughly understood the prevailing political sentiments of the period, and cleverly yet relentlessly utilized what ever means were available to him in order to promote the case for his vision of a Zionist state in a way his predecessors were unable to. Most of Herzl’s thoughts were based on keen observation and understanding of politics and law. For the most part he felt that while his predecessors were genuinely compassionate in seeking a possible solution for the ‘Jewish Problem’, he noted that they focused primarily on particular segments of Jewish society (religious, the poor, the oppressed etc…) instead of the whole inclusive. At no time does Herzl publically point a finger at the failure of others but stresses the importance of observing and learning from past mistakes. Undoubtedly Theodor Herzl was greatly influenced by many Zionist thinkers whose ideas he incorporated into his vision of the Jewish State. Two pr...

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Works Cited

"Achad Ha'am: Jewish State and Jewish Problem 1897." Achad Ha'am. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2013. .
"First Zionist Congress: Basel 29 - 31 August 1897." First Zionist Congress: Basel 29 - 31 August 1897. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2013. .
"The Full Wiki." First Zionist Congress -. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. .
"LIBRARY OF MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILES." The Controversial Files. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2013. .
"Zionist Congress: First to Twelfth Zionist Congress." First to Twelfth Zionist Congress (1897-1921). N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. .

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