Political Zionism

1897 The First Zionist Congress Theodor Herzl – The Jewish State, 1896 – Alteneuland, 1902 „The persecutions were social and economic. Jewish merchants were boycotted, Jewish workingmen starved out, Jewish professional men proscribed [...]. The blood libel was revived; and at the same time the Jews were accused of poisoning the press, as in the Middle Ages they had been accused of poisoning the wells. As workingmen the Jews were hated by their Christian fellows for undercutting the wage standards. As businessmen they were dubbed profiteers. Whether Jews were rich or poor or middle-class, they were hated just the same.“

1897 The First Zionist Congress Max Nordau – „The western Jew has bread but man does not live on bread alone.“ – Emancipation put an end to Jewish national identity – that needs to recreated through zionism – Judenstaat, 1896: Jews are a nation, not merely a religious group

1897 The First Zionist Congress Basel Est. WZO – effective political institution

Cultural Zionism: Ahad Ha am „The Truth from Eretz Israel“ Necessity of cultural and spiritual renascence in the Diaspora prior to aliya Necessity to confront the Arab problem „The Jewish State and the Jewish Problem“

Synthetic Zionism: Chaim Weizman Diplomacy+ colonization+ education (culture) 1917 Balfour Declaration 1920 Prezindent of the WZO st president of Israel= honor

Socialist Zionism Nachman Syrkin – Antisemitism is produced by economy crisis – Wants to reconcile socialism and Jewish nationalism – Zionism is in its nature socialist – aims to create a NEW SOCIETY

Socialist Zionism Poalei Zion (Workers of Zion) Ber Borochov – Immigration to Palestine: active creation of a NEW SOCIETY Marxist Zionist Party - World Union – split in 1920 L – Jew. Communist Part R – non marxist – soc.dem. – merged with socialists led by David ben Gurion Hapoel Hatzair (The Young Worker) Aharon David Gordon – „religion of labor“ Labor Zionist party

Socialist Zionism Poalei Zion (Workers of Zion) Marxist Zionist Party – 1920 merged with socialists led by David ben Gurion Hapoel Hatzair (The Young Worker) Labor Zionist party Merged in 1930 = MAPAI : Land of Israel Workers Party

Socialist Zionism David Ben Gurion – 1930´s : Labor Zionism becomes dominant in the WZO (x Synthetic Zionism of Weizman) – Proclaims independence if Israel on May – 1st Prime Minister – SOCIALIST ZIONISM= REDEMPTION OF AM ISRAEL – Vital importance of social & economic infrastructure: Istrael can be self-supporting

Socialist Zionism David Ben Gurion – Outbreak of WWII – views changed : Israel will always need support – Rejected positionsof the extreme left and extreme right towards the Britain: „Let us fight against Hitler as if we have no differences with the British, and let us continue our political struggle against Britain as if there were no war against Hitler.“

Socialist Zionism David Ben Gurion – After 1948 similarly on the USA and Israel: „American assistance to Israel is the outcome of the sympathy of the American people toward us, and only we shall know how to maintain relations of friendship and trust between ourselves and the American people will be able to rely, more or less, on the support of the American government. [...] Let us not fool ourselves in thinking that America ever identified of will ever identify in the future with the State of Israel“.

Revisionist Zionism JabotinskiIrgun, Stern Gang