The times., 1901-04-07

the other hand, Zionism is optimistic in
believing that real help for the Jews can
only come from within their own body:
and that the Jewish question will only
be solved when the Jews return to that
point in their history whence they set
out on their wanderings, and again found
a permanent home to which all the per-
secuted can flee and from which light
will go forth to every nook and corner
of Jewry II does not hope that all Jews
will return to Palestine. but it believes
that only in a national centre can the
centrifugal force be found which will
hold the Jews together in the various
countries of their sojourn.
When Theodore Herzl a litterateur i'm
Vienna, published in 1897 his pamphlet on
the Jewish State he little imagined that il
would call forth an echo in every coun-
try In which the Jews were scattered
He was not the first to attempt this solu-
tion of the problem, Far-seeing Russian
Jews before him had many years previous
to that propounded this method of deal
ing with the question and it had been
practically the assumption upon which
the Judaism of the past had been built
the hope of a return and in cutting out
from the prayer-book all mention of Pal
estine and the restoration. broke one of
the strongest links which bound the Ju-
daism of today with that of the past, and
cast aside great ideal. the realization
of which had been a light to the feet of
the Jews since the destruction of the
Temple. The idea of Mission" has
taken its place, the preaching of pure
Monotheism
The Zionist congresses (which have now
been held during four successive years.
have found the platform, so often sought
for in vain during the nineteenth cen
tury, upon which all jews. regardless of
theological opinions and of economic the
ories, can stand. They represent the old
unity of Israel; for Orthodox, ConServa-
tive. Reform, and even the purely racial
Jew are to be found there as well as in
the Zionist societies which have grown up
in every Jewish community, whether in
Europe or in Africa, in North or in South
America, even in the distant Philippines
The Orthodox Jew must be, by his very
profession, a Zionist; but he often doubts
whether the plan as formulated by DR.
Herzl is feasible, and holds himself aloof
waiting for the realization of his hopes
at the hands of others, or for some super
natural sign of divine assistance. The
very fact that the Jewish opponents of
Zionism (and they are the only opponents
it has) come from various parts of the
Jewish camp is in itself proof of the
above statement. The Orthodox complain
that some of the leaders of the movement
are not sufficiently Jewish; the Reform,
that some are too Jewish That this OD-
position is exceedingly strong cannot be
denied. The demand made that the Jew
should assert himself first and foremost
as a Jew has been distastefu to many
who were soaring in the mystic hazes of
Universalism, or who had hoped to get
out of Judaism, as it were. by the back
door. without being seen by the world at
large
But even in those circles which do not
formally affiliate with Zionism. or who at
times even oppose it, there has of late
years been very strong revival of Jew
ish feeling and a movement toward a
stronger expression of that feeling Ger
many is honeycombed with societies for
the study of Jewish literature: the He
brew language has been revived, notably
in Russia. not only as a form Of literary
expression. but also as "A vehicle of social
intercourse; France has it's Society Of
Jewish Studies; America and England
have their Jewish Historical Societies.