Theodor Herzl: biography, ideas. Theodor Herzl, Jewish public and political figure: biography, books, memory Theodor Herzl Jabotinsky and others

01:35 pm - Theodor Herzl.

Film premiere in New York
IT IS NO DREAM: THE LIFE OF THEODOR HERZL
at Quad Cinemas...

It is difficult to watch historical and biographical films, especially those dedicated to a person who was born 150 years ago. It is difficult to overcome inertia and answer the question of why I need this. But sit in front of the screen, and you will be amazed at how relevant the film is, addressed to us - those who left the USSR, Russia and other “CIS countries” due to the “fifth point”. “The Jewish question still exists,” the announcer says in an even voice, and Russia appears on the screen, Russian fascists with their palms raised in a Nazi salute, followed by Ahmadinejad... “The attack on Jews continues in the press and on the streets, the number of attacks is growing” ... The announcer's voice sounds, and Moscow is in the frame. A wall covered in blue letters. “Die, Jews” - written in German. Below is “Sieg Heil”. On the right is a drawing: a gallows with a magendovid dangling from a noose. And all the way down, finally, on native language: “Shit yourself, Jews” - original spelling.

Make no mistake - it was NOT Russian filmmakers who walked the streets of the country. American. The voice-over announcer continues in the same even voice: “But they cannot exterminate us. There is no other nation on earth that would accept so much suffering...”
And only now does the date appear - these words were written in 1895 by the founder of Zionism, Theodor Herzl. A new American documentary tells the story of him. “This is not a dream” is the title of the painting. Or maybe “This is not a dream” - translate as you prefer “It is not a dream”. Second line: “The Life of Theodor Herzl.”

1901 Theodor Herzl in Basel, where the Fifth Zionist Congress took place

This is the first movie in a hundred years (!!!) about a man whose name should be known to all Jews living in Israel and beyond.

This May marks the 152nd anniversary of the birth of T. Herzl. Of course, it is more convenient to celebrate this holiday in Israel. The name of Theodor Herzl is one of the symbols of Israel. Every Israeli city has streets and boulevards named after him. In Jerusalem there is a mountain named after him, where his ashes rest, and not far from the grave there is his museum. The 20th of Tammuz, the day of Herzl's death, is declared a national day of his remembrance. Researchers read his books, and ordinary Jews live in the country that he dreamed of in 1895, sitting in anti-Semitic Paris as a correspondent for the newspaper Hôtel de Castille, where he wrote the famous lines of his utopian novel about the future country “Der Judenstaat”: “We are the people , one people. A Jewish state is the need of the whole world. Therefore, it will arise."

But even in Israel they feel that the personality of the founder of the World Zionist Organization is not appreciated. There is not a single feature film about him. There is no actor who could play this beautiful, bright dreamer to whom we all owe where we are today. The current tape runs for more than two hours. For documentary film that's a lot. But there is no other way when the first attempt is made, with pedantry that excludes the possibility of perverted interpretation, to explore the birth and formation of the idea of an independent state in the mind of ONE person. The authors restore the circumstances of the place and time in which a century and a half ago, in the center of prosperous Europe, a boy was born and raised, for whom the life of his people became more important than his own life.

Herzl was born in Budapest. IN prosperous family from educated parents who adopted German culture. While Theodore’s grandfather still led a religious life, his father’s attitude towards Judaism was formal. Herzl's mother Janet Diamant, the daughter of a successful merchant, received a good secular education. By the time the boy was born, the family had left the ghetto and were equal among equals: German-speaking, wealthy, religiously “enlightened.” And he would have been a good Magyar and forgotten his Jewish origin, but thanks to the anti-Semites: he was quickly reminded who he was.

As soon as he started studying at the gymnasium, he encountered anti-Semites. So much so that his mother transferred him to the Budapest Evangelical Gymnasium, the majority of whose students were Jews. He studied French, English, music, as any cultured German should, but also wrote and published reviews of books and plays in one of the Budapest newspapers. Herzl's parents supported his literary aspirations, demanding one thing - that he graduate from the Faculty of Law of the University of Vienna. Studying E. Dühring's anti-Semitic essay “On the Jewish Question” traumatized him, but he could not leave the university. I had to be patient. But he left the Student Society - in protest against anti-Semitic antics. And having received a doctorate legal sciences and after working as a clerk in the courts of Vienna and Salzburg, he learned that “Being a Jew, I could never take the post of judge. Therefore, I parted with both Salzburg and jurisprudence at the same time,” as he wrote in his diary.

Beginning in 1885, Herzl devoted himself to literature: he wrote plays, feuilletons, and stories. His plays were performed on the stages of Vienna, Berlin, Prague and other theater capitals of Europe and were such a resounding success that for some time he had a reputation as one of the leading Austrian playwrights. Next - marriage to a wealthy woman who could never become his friend and share his views, but gave birth to three children. Hans, Paulina and Margaret (known as Trude)

Having received the post of Paris correspondent of the Vienna Neue Freie Presse in 1891, which he perceives as “a springboard from which one can jump high.” But it is in France that he encounters a level of anti-Semitism that he cannot bear and from which there is nowhere to escape. First, the publicist Drumont reproaches international Jewry for the country’s troubles, calls for the expropriation of Jewish capital, and on this wave becomes the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Libre Parole” - a mouthpiece for attacks on Jews.

Next came an anti-Semitic play in a French theater, the death of an officer who was called a “Jew” and challenged the offender to a duel, anti-Semitic demonstrations, slanderous trials.

Herzl is looking for ways to solve the “Jewish question.” In his diary of that time, he writes that he intends to challenge and shoot himself to a duel with the leaders of anti-Semitism, among whom were Georg von Schönerer, Karl Lueger and the Prince of Liechtenstein himself. He dreams of winning and making a speech against anti-Semitism in court.

Another path that seems fruitful to him is the mass baptism of Jews. Herzl dreams of an audience with the Pope.

But living life turns out to be richer: the conviction of Alfred Dreyfus on December 22, 1894 interrupts his dreams. Herzl is convinced of Dreyfus's innocence: “A Jew who began his path of honor as an officer of the general staff cannot commit such a crime... As a consequence of long-term civil dishonor, Jews often have a pathological desire for honor; and a Jewish officer in this sense sets himself a special standard,” he writes in his diary.

Crowds in the streets demand the death of Dreyfus, and then - “Death to the Jews!” Herzl cannot believe that all this is happening in France a hundred years after the Declaration of Human Rights. “The achievements of the Great Revolution have been undone,” writes Herzl, and his article is not published. The call “Death to the Jews!” on the streets of Paris convinces him that the only solution to the Jewish question is the creation of an independent Jewish state.

In 1895, he wrote down in his diary what he needed: “A country in which we can live with a hooked nose, a black or red beard... and at the same time we will not be an object of ridicule. A country where we can eventually live as free people on our own land. A country where we, like others, will be respected for our great and good deeds, where we will live in peace with the whole world.”

This reveals the main goal of Theodor Herzl’s life. He rushes to leading Jewish philanthropists, creates the World Zionist Organization, convenes the First World Zionist Congress and opens new era in the history of the Jewish people.

The film is based on historical documents, forgotten facts, detailed diary entries of Herzl, manuscripts of his articles, books, philosophical and journalistic treatises. But the main merit of the authors is in the way this intense intellectual activity of the young thinker is presented, how immersed in the details and details of his everyday life, in which there are parents and the family into which he was born, then the family that he built himself. The authors touch sensitively on the topic of dramatic married life. Beautiful mansions in different cities of Europe do not allow the philistine consciousness to imagine what kind of trouble was hidden behind the heavy curtains in the high windows...
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Rare group photos of the first Zionist congresses fascinate and force you to peer for a long time into the faces of those - the first - who sailed to Europe from Ukraine and Moldova, who decided to break the tradition of their fathers and stop waiting for the Messiah...

Herzl begins work on the book “The Jewish State.” “Ideas in my soul were chasing one after another. A whole human life is not enough to accomplish all this...” Herzl sets out a program of action and titles the book “The Experience of a Modern Solution of the Jewish Question” (Der Judenstaat), which was published in Vienna on February 14, 1896. It is translated from German into Hebrew, English, French, Russian and Romanian. For the first time, Herzl clearly argued that the Jewish question should be resolved not by emigration from one diaspora country to another or by assimilation, but by the creation of an independent Jewish state. The political solution to the Jewish question, in his opinion, must be agreed upon with the great powers. The mass relocation of Jews to the Jewish State will be carried out in accordance with a charter openly recognizing their right to settlement and international guarantees. This will be an organized exodus of the Jewish masses of Europe into an independent Jewish state. Herzl believed that the formation of such a state should be carried out according to a pre-thought-out plan. The Jewish state must be imbued with the spirit social progress, freedom and equality. To implement this plan, Herzl considered it necessary to create two bodies: the “Jewish Society” as the official representative of the Jewish people, and the “Jewish Company” to manage finances and construction. The necessary funds were supposed to be obtained with the assistance of Jewish bankers, and only in case of their refusal was an appeal to the broad Jewish masses to follow.

At the World Zionist Congress in 1897 in Basel, he was elected president of the World Zionist Organization. And in 1899 he created the “Jewish Colonization Society” with the aim of purchasing land in Palestine, which was then part of Ottoman Empire. Incredible newsreel footage allows you to see cities, countries, leaders - kings, prime ministers, kings, with whom the restless dreamer is negotiating.

In 1900, Herzl wrote and published Philosophical Stories. IN utopian novel in the German "Altneuland", Herzl creates an idealistic picture of the future Jewish state. He created a sketch of the political and social system of the future Jewish state in Palestine, making only one mistake: Herzl believed that the Arabs of Palestine would be happy with Jewish settlers...

Long, furious arguments and fights with opponents more than once brought Herzl to heart attacks. One day this coincided with pneumonia... To a friend who came to visit him, Herzl said: “The bell is tolling for me. I am not a coward, and I can calmly face death, especially since I did not waste the last years of my life. I think I served my people well.”

These were his last words. On July 3, 1904, Herzl passed away. In his will, he asked to be buried in Vienna next to his father, but only until the Jewish people decided to transfer his remains to the Land of Israel. On August 14, 1949, shortly after the creation of the State of Israel, by decision of the government of the Jewish state, Herzl's remains were transported from Austria to Jerusalem, where his ashes now rest on the mountain that bears his name. Alas, the fate of Herzl’s own children was tragic: the eldest daughter Paulina committed suicide in 1930 in Bordeaux, France, her son Hans shot himself at her grave, and the youngest Margaret died in 1943 in the Nazi Terezin camp.

And this film would have been historical and biographical about something that has sunk and disappeared - whether a person or a deed, if not for short filming of today's Russia.
Perestroika and open borders created an incredible phenomenon, which we who left, thanks to Herzl, do not know about: anti-Semitic slogans in Rus' are now written in three languages. This is where the film begins, which I highly recommend watching, with “Shit yourself, you Jews!” written in large letters in white paint all over the wall. Only we can read it in America without translation.
And it will immediately turn out that there is no past - everything is happening this minute - while we are watching a film here - in America. The new fascists diligently paint old slogans on the walls of houses.
We are being driven and driven again.
Thank you, Mr. Herzl, we have somewhere to go.

Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) - writer and journalist, founder of Zionism. A native of Austria-Hungary. He developed a plan for the revival of the Jewish state and the settlement of Palestine by the Jewish people. On his initiative, the 1st Zionist Congress was convened, at which the creation of the World Zionist Organization was announced.

Theodor Herzl was born on May 2, 1860, in Budapest into an assimilated family that observed Jewish traditions. He studied in a real gymnasium. In 1878 he entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Vienna. In 1884, Theodor received his doctorate in law and worked for some time in the courts of Vienna and Salzburg. His mother, Jeanette Herzl, introduced her son to German culture and language. Since childhood, the future writer had a penchant for literature and wrote poetry. While studying at the gymnasium, he published reviews of books and plays in one of the Budapest newspapers. Offended by the anti-Semitic explanations of the teacher, he dropped out of the real gymnasium.

A nation is a historical community of people, united by the presence of a common enemy.

Herzl Theodor

In 1878, after the death of his nineteen-year-old sister from typhoid fever, the Herzlei family moved from Budapest to Vienna, where Theodor entered the law faculty of the University of Vienna. Not far from them lived the great short story writer Arthur Schnitzler and Gustav Mahler, the future conductor and one of the most outstanding composers of the century.

During his student years, Herzl was almost not interested in the Jewish question (like Freud, Schnitzler and Mahler, he initially took active pro-German positions), but he was deeply impressed by the anti-Semitic book of the German philosopher Eugen Dühring “On the Jewish Question” (1881). He was also greatly influenced by the election of Karl Luger as mayor of Vienna. This charismatic anti-Semite inspired the young painter Adolf Hitler, whose miserable existence in Vienna a few years later shaped his lust for power and hatred of Jews (the Austrian psychiatrist and psychologist, the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud recognized the power of such dark forces in the human subconscious, and his discoveries led to the creation of modern psychoanalytic therapy.)

In 1881, he became a member of the German student society Albia, but already in 1883 he left it in protest against the anti-Semitic statements of its members. In 1884 he received the degree of Doctor of Law and worked for some time in the courts of Vienna and Salzburg. In 1898, in his autobiographical notes, he noted: “Being a Jew, I would never have been able to take the post of judge. Therefore, I parted ways with Salzburg and with jurisprudence at the same time.”

Since 1885, Theodor Herzl devoted himself exclusively literary activity. He wrote a number of plays, feuilletons and philosophical stories. Some of his plays were a stunning success on the stages of Austrian theaters, and for some time the writer was considered one of the leading Austrian playwrights. The plays took place on the stages of Vienna, Berlin, Prague and other theater capitals of Europe.

In 1889, Herzl married Julie Naschauer (1868-1907), but family life didn’t work out, because the wife did not understand and did not share her husband’s views. The fate of Herzl's children was tragic. Eldest daughter Paulina (1890-1930) committed suicide, as did her son Hans (1891-1930), who converted to Christianity in 1906, and after the death of his sister, shot himself at her grave in Bordeaux (France). Youngest daughter Margaret (known as Trude; 1893-1943) died in the Nazi concentration camp Terezin.

From October 1891 to July 1895, Herzl worked in Paris as a correspondent for the influential liberal Viennese newspaper Neue Freie Presse, in which he published, among other things, notes on parliamentary life in France. Theodore published his views on politics in a small book, “The Bourbon Palace” (the building where the French Chamber of Deputies was located). In political circles in Paris, Herzl repeatedly heard anti-Semitic speeches and statements. His views on the solution to the Jewish question gradually changed, which is noticeable already in his play “Ghetto” (1894), later renamed “New Ghetto”.

At that time, as they said, the future leader of Zionism was a dude, a dandy from the boulevard, who loved listening to the operas of Richard Wagner, dressing fashionably, gossiping in cafes and strolling along the avenue. He was what a gentleman at the end of the century should have been - sporting a neatly trimmed beard, writing fashionable plays, dull advertisements for tourists and feuilletons, enjoying the idle joys of a young man in peacetime Vienna.

Herzel's worldview in views and in life took place in 1894, under the influence of the Dreyfus affair (this coincided with the wonderful time of famous people: Toulouse-Lautrec, Claude Debussy, Charles Baudelaire and Sarah Bernhardt). Shouts of “Death to the Jews!” were heard on the streets of Paris. finally and irrevocably convinced him that the only solution to the Jewish question was the creation of an independent Jewish state. Therefore, in June 1895, Herzl turned to Baron Maurice de Hirsch for support. However, the meeting did not bring results. In those days, Theodore began writing a diary and making the first drafts for the book “The Jewish State.” In his diary he wrote: “Ideas in my soul were chasing one after another. A whole human life is not enough to accomplish all this...”

Theodor Herzl outlined his program in the book “The Jewish State. The Experience of a Modern Solution of the Jewish Question" (Der Judenstaat), which was published in Vienna on February 14, 1896. In the same year, its translations from German into Hebrew, English, French, Russian and Romanian were published. In this book, Herzl emphasized that the Jewish question should not be resolved by emigration from one Diaspora country to another or by assimilation, but by the creation of an independent Jewish state. The political solution to the Jewish question, in his opinion, must be agreed upon with the great powers. The mass relocation of Jews to the Jewish State will be carried out in accordance with a charter openly recognizing their right to settlement and international guarantees. This will be an organized exodus of the Jewish masses of Europe into an independent Jewish state.

Herzl believed that the formation of such a state should be carried out according to a pre-thought-out plan. The Jewish state must be imbued with the spirit of social progress (for example, the establishment of a seven-hour working day), freedom (everyone can practice his faith or remain an unbeliever) and equality (other nationalities have equal rights with Jews). To implement this plan, T. Herzl was convinced that it was necessary to create two bodies - political and economic: the “Jewish Society” as the official representative of the Jewish people and the “Jewish Company” to manage finances and concrete construction. The necessary funds were supposed to be obtained with the assistance of Jewish bankers, and only in case of their refusal was there to be an appeal to the broad Jewish masses.”

Theodor Herzl in 1901 on the balcony of the hotel “Les Trois Rois” (Basel) during the next Zionist Congress, together with Oscar Marmorek and Max Nordau, organized the World Zionist Congress (from August 26 to 29, 1897) in Basel and was elected president of the World Zionist Organization " The Basel Program adopted there was the basis for numerous negotiations (including with the German Emperor Wilhelm II and the Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid II) with the goal of creating a “home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. Although Herzl's efforts were unsuccessful at that time, his work created the preconditions for the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. In 1897, Herzl published the play "The New Ghetto" and created "Die Welt", a monthly journal of the Zionist movement, in Vienna.

In 1899, Theodor Herzl created the Jewish Colonization Society with the goal of purchasing land in Palestine, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. Great Britain offered Herzl, as a representative of the World Zionist Organization, land in British East Africa(part of the territory of modern Kenya called Uganda; not to be confused with the modern state of Uganda) to organize a Jewish state there (the so-called Uganda plan). Herzl himself was ready to accept this proposal, but other activists of the movement, including those very close to Herzl, opposed this. The Ugandan plans failed because most Zionists saw only Palestine as possible territory for a Jewish state; in addition, representatives of Congress considered the territory proposed by the British Secretary of the Colonies Joseph Chamberlain as unsuitable for settlement.

In 1900, Herzl published Philosophical Stories. In the utopian novel he wrote in German, Altneuland (Old New Land, 1902, later translated into Hebrew by Nachum Sokolov), Theodor Herzl created an idealistic picture of the future Jewish state. Here he formulated a sketch of the political and social system of the Jewish state in Palestine. He did not foresee Arab-Jewish conflicts and took the view that the Arabs living in Palestine would happily welcome new Jewish settlers. Translated into Hebrew, the novel was called Tel Aviv (that is, “spring hill,” the name of the biblical settlement); the name of the future city of Tel Aviv was inspired by Herzl's novel.

Fierce battles with opponents, in addition to the intense struggle for the Zionist cause, led to an exacerbation of the heart disease from which Herzl suffered. His illness was complicated by pneumonia. To his friend who came to visit him, Herzl said: “Why are we fooling ourselves? The bell is tolling for me. I am not a coward, and I can calmly face death, especially since I did not waste the last years of my life. I think I served my people well.” These were his last words. His condition soon worsened, and on July 3, 1904, Herzl died in Edlach, Austria.

In his will, Herzl asked to be buried in Vienna next to his father until the Jewish people transferred his remains to the Land of Israel. Thousands upon thousands of supporters from all over Europe came to Vienna for his funeral. The Viennese were shocked by the emotional responsiveness of the Jews to his death, for they remembered him only as a writer with bizarre nationalist ideals. The remains of the Zionist leader were brought from Austria to Jerusalem on August 14, 1949, shortly after the creation of the State of Israel. Nowadays, the ashes of the herald of the Jewish state rest on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, and the Herzl Museum was built not far from his grave.

The day of Herzl's death according to the Jewish calendar, the 20th day of the month of Tammuz is celebrated in Israel as a national day of his memory.

The State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948, slightly later than the date predicted by Theodor Herzl after the 1st Zionist Congress.

Theodor Herzl - quotes

A nation is a historical community of people, united by the presence of a common enemy.

Rich people can make you famous; but only the poor can make you a hero.

Money is a good and pleasant thing, but people spoil it.

February 5th, 2015 , 08:05 am

Mulhouse, hometown of Alfred Dreyfus. Wall painting "Famous residents of the city"

Dreiländereck, an area in the upper reaches of the Rhine where the borders of three countries meet: Germany, France and Switzerland, can rightly be called the starting point of that powerful movement that resulted in the founding of the State of Israel.
It all started with the fact that French city Mulhouse, from which you can easily reach and, in 1859 a boy was born into the family of a wealthy Jewish manufacturer. He bore the name Alfred and the surname Dreyfus, typical of the Jews of Alsace. France was the first European country, which gave Jews equal rights, and Alfred Dreyfus, an assimilated Jew, made a wonderful military career: Gifted, hardworking, full of healthy ambition, he quickly rose to the rank of artillery captain.

Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Wall painting "Famous inhabitants of the city" in Mulhouse

Synagogue in Mulhouse, which Alfred Dreyfus most likely visited

Dreyfus was on the general staff in the French capital when a tragic turn occurred in his fate. In September 1894, a certain letter was discovered to the German military attache, informing the addressee that he had been sent secret documents about the armament of the French army. The letter's author's handwriting was allegedly similar to Dreyfus's. Soon Dreyfus, the only Jew on the general staff of the French army, was arrested on crudely trumped-up charges of treason and espionage for Germany, while the real spy successfully escaped suspicion.

Alfred Dreyfus before and after his demotion (the buttons on the uniform are cut off and the epaulettes are torn off)

Civil execution of Dreyfus, drawing in Le Petit Journal, January 13, 1895.

This is how the famous “Dreyfus Affair” arose, the progress of which was closely followed by the whole of Europe. France was swept by a wave of anti-Semitism, the newspapers were full of anti-Semitic caricatures: “Traitor-Jew Dreyfus”, “Rich Jews want to hush up the Dreyfus affair” read the headlines. The outcome of the trial was predetermined: the military court found Dreyfus guilty and sentenced him to demotion and lifelong exile to French Guiana, on Devil's Island (a rock two miles long and half a mile wide, the only inhabitants of which were the prisoner and the soldiers guarding him).

Dreyfus on Devil's Island, drawing in Le Petit Journal

On January 5, 1895, on the Champ de Mars in Paris, Dreyfus was demoted and the so-called “civil execution” took place: the sword was broken over his head, and military orders were torn from his chest. The enraged crowd called for the death of Dreyfus, but not Dreyfus the “traitor,” but Dreyfus the Jew. Shouts of “Death to the Jews!” came from thousands of throats. During this entire monstrous scene, the condemned man loudly declared his innocence and sent his last farewell to “dear France.” Neither then nor later (and we will return to the further fate of Dreyfus) did he understand that his crime was only that he was a Jew.
But one of the many representatives of the press who gathered that day on the Champ de Mars - the Parisian correspondent of the large Viennese newspaper Neue Freie Presse - understood a lot. This correspondent was in many ways similar to the convict: almost the same age as Dreyfus (Herzl was born in 1860), he was also an assimilated Jew, a native of Austria-Hungary, who made successful career, but not military, but journalistic. His name was Theodor Herzl.

Theodor Herzl

In his youth, Theodor Herzl believed that the best way to eliminate anti-Semitism was the assimilation of Jews and their integration into Christian society. But clashes with reality undermined his faith in the saving power of assimilation. So in 1884, Herzl received a doctorate in law and worked for some time in the courts of Vienna and Salzburg, but, being a Jew, he could not take the post of judge. For this reason, Herzl parted with jurisprudence, took up journalism and became the Paris correspondent for a Viennese newspaper. As the journalist Herzl increasingly heard anti-Semitic speeches and statements in political circles in Paris, his views on solving the Jewish question through assimilation gradually changed. The decisive event that shook Herzl to the core and radically changed his life was the civil execution of Alfred Dreyfus, which he witnessed. He stopped believing that anti-Semitism was a passing phenomenon: “I am sure that they will not leave us alone,” and saw only one way out of their impasse - the creation of a Jewish state.

Hotel Drei Könige am Rhein ( "Les Trois Rois") in Basel,
where participants of the 1st Zionist Congress lived

On February 14, 1896, a year after that memorable morning on the Champs de Mars, Herzl’s book “The Jewish State. Experience of a modern solution to the Jewish question”, in which he outlined his program. In the same year, translations of the book from German into Hebrew, English, French, Russian and Romanian were published. And a year and a half after the book was published, from August 9 to August 31, 1897, the 1st Zionist Congress took place in Basel.

Memorial plaque on the casino building in Basel commemorating the 1st Zionist Congress

Initially, it was planned to hold the congress in Germany, in Munich, but this turned out to be impossible due to the opposition of the Orthodox community of the city: German Jews, fearing that open support for the Zionist movement would complicate their lives, did their best to obstruct Herzl’s endeavors. Then he chose Swiss Basel, located on the border with Germany, to host the congress. So the center of the Zionist movement became a city located just a few tens of kilometers from Mulhouse, the birthplace of the unfortunate Dreyfus. The “geographical circle” has closed.
The venue for the congress was the old Casino (built in 1824), now a concert hall, located next to Historical Museum at Barfüsserplatz. In memory of this event, a memorial plaque was installed on the building. The congress participants lived in the hotel "Drei Könige am Rhein" or "Les Trois Rois" in French. Today this hotel on the banks of the Rhine, near the old Mittlere Brücke bridge, is one of the best in the city.

Theodor Herzl on hotel balcony "Drei Könige am Rhein" in Basel . Old postcard, 1901

The congress was attended by 204 delegates from 17 countries and was chaired by Theodor Herzl. “In Basel I created a Jewish state,” he wrote in his diary. - If I said this today, I would be laughed at. Perhaps in five years, and certainly in fifty years, everyone will see it for themselves.” In his opening speech, Herzl formulated the basic principles of political Zionism and briefly defined main task Congress - "to lay the cornerstone of a house that will become a refuge for the Jewish people." First official program The Zionist organization adopted at the congress was called the “Basel Program”. From 1898 to 1946 Basel was the site of Zionist congresses nine more times, more often than any other city. Now it will not surprise you that there is a “rechov Basel” - Basel Street - in many Israeli cities.

Theodor Herzl on a hotel balcony "Drei Könige am Rhein" in Basel. 1901

Herzl delivers a speech at the opening of the Sixth Zionist Congress in Basel. 1903

The hard work undermined Theodor Herzl's health. He died on June 3, 1904 from heart disease. Herzl bequeathed to transfer his ashes to the country of Israel - Eretz Israel, after the Jewish state appeared on the world map. In 1948, the State of Israel was created, and the wish of the founder of Zionism was fulfilled: the 23rd Zionist Congress inaugurated in August 1951 at the tomb of Theodor Herzl on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. From the time of the 1st Basel Congress in 1897 until the creation of Israel, about 50 years passed, as Herzl predicted. The day of Herzl's death, Kaf Tammuz (the 20th day of the month of Tammuz) in the Jewish calendar, is celebrated in Israel as a national day of his remembrance.

Theodor Herzl's grave on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
The tombstone has one word "Herzl" written on it.

While the Zionist movement was gaining strength in Europe, a new twist took place in the Dreyfus affair. Mathieu Dreyfus, the brother of the condemned man, convinced of Alfred's innocence, began campaigning for a revision of the trial of 1894, but all his attempts failed: society seemed to completely cease to be interested in this trial, even anti-Semites no longer spoke about it. However, on November 15, 1897, Mathieu Dreyfus submitted a statement to the Minister of War alleging that he was a spy, i.e. the true author of the letter for which his brother was convicted was none other than General Staff Major Esterhazy. Mathieu Dreyfus asked for additional investigation into this case. From that moment on, passions began to boil around the “Dreyfus Affair” again: anti-Semites began to spread rumors about a Jewish syndicate that intended to compromise the General Staff; Major Esterhazy was spoken of only as a victim of a Jewish conspiracy. Pogromists were rampant throughout the country.

Caricature by Karan d'Asha "Family Dinner", February 14, 1898
"Let's not talk about the Dreyfus affair!"
Below: “They still talked about him...”

The trial, held on January 11, 1898, unanimously acquitted Major Esterhazy. Most of the French greeted this unjust decision with a sense of satisfaction; Esterhazy's supporters, in a fit of delight, carried him out of the courtroom in their arms. But Dreyfus also had fearless defenders: January 13, 1898. in the newspaper "L" Aurore "an open letter from the writer Emile Zola "I accuse" appeared, addressed to the President of the French Republic Felix Faure. The writer accused the General Staff, military ministers, generals, officers, and finally, both military courts of having deliberately They killed the innocent Dreyfus, whom they hated, in order to shield the criminal Esterhazy.

Edouard Manet. Portrait of Emile Zola . 1868

Zola ended his bold speech with the words: “I am waiting” (for his trial for libel). Indeed, Dreyfus's opponents brought charges against the writer of insulting the entire army and the military court. Despite support both within France (writers A. France, R. Rolland, E. Goncourt; future Prime Minister J. Clemenceau) and outside it (in Russia, for example, A. Chekhov came out in defense of Zola), Zola was put on trial. On February 23, 1898, the jury found Emile Zola guilty “of libeling a military tribunal” and sentenced him to a year in prison and a 3,000 franc fine. The writer was forced to urgently leave for England.

Anti-Semitic demonstration in Paris

Meanwhile, new, even stronger, anti-Semitic protests began in France: in Nantes, a crowd forced a postmaster named Dreyfus to resign from his service; in many cities, Jewish shops were robbed and destroyed, and blood was shed in the French colony of Algeria. Thinking people The whole world was shocked that such a thing could take place in enlightened France, and that hatred of Jews determined the behavior of a large part of French society. Many probably remember Alexandra Brushtein’s book “The Road Goes Away,” which describes how the Russian intelligentsia took to heart what was happening in distant France.

Writer Anatole France defends Dreyfus

At the same time, such an explosion of anti-Semitism, accompanied by scenes that France has not seen since late XVIII century, opened the eyes of the most far-sighted politicians of the republic, and the defenders of Dreyfus, who began to be called Dreyfusards, became more and more every day. Differences in views on the Dreyfus affair separated yesterday's friends and like-minded people and brought discord into families. Particularly important was the leader’s switch to the side of the Dreyfusards socialist party Jean Jaurès, who with extraordinary energy took up agitation against the “military and clerical dictatorship”, linked the fate of Dreyfus with the fate of the French Republic itself. The Dreyfusards, following Jaurès, organized numerous rallies in the country, but the “street” still belonged to Dreyfus’s opponents, who called those who doubted his guilt traitors who had sold themselves to the Jews.

Trial in Rennes

After a change of cabinet, the Dreyfus case was again taken up for consideration, and on August 7, 1899, a new trial began in Rennes. Dreyfus entered the crowded courtroom... Almost five years spent on Devil's Island alone (the overseers were forbidden to talk to him) and severe hardships, as well as tropical fever, took their toll. Forty years old, he looked like an old man, was completely gray and barely understood what was happening. Cut off from the whole world, he alone knew nothing about the “Dreyfus Affair” from the moment of his expulsion. By a majority vote (5:2), the judges sentenced Dreyfus to another guilty verdict, however, taking into account the discovered “mitigating circumstances”, his term of imprisonment was reduced to 10 years. Broken by troubles, Dreyfus, by agreement with the court, refused to appeal (for which many supporters condemned him), after which the President of the Republic E. Loubet, on the proposal of the government, pardoned him.

Dreyfus (right) among officers after rehabilitation

Once free, Dreyfus took up his pen and wrote two books about his experiences: Letters from an Innocent Man (1899) and memoirs Five Years of My Life (1901). However, we will look in vain in Dreyfus’s writings for an understanding of the root causes of the troubles that happened to him. As Clemenceau aptly put it, Dreyfus was the only person who never understood the “Dreyfus affair.”
In 1903, Dreyfus nevertheless demanded a new investigation, which ended in July 1906 with his complete acquittal. The Court of Appeal declared that the evidence against Dreyfus was completely unfounded and that no further trial was necessary to exonerate him. Alfred Dreyfus was declared innocent and reinstated. He briefly returned to the army, received the rank of major, and soon resigned. However, the scandalous “case” was not forgotten: in 1908, at the ceremony of transferring the ashes of Emile Zola to the Pantheon, Dreyfus was wounded by shots from an anti-Dreyfusard journalist. During World War I, Dreyfus again served valiantly in the French army and ended the war with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Despite the trials that befell him, Alfred Dreyfus lived a fairly long life: he died in 1935, outliving his peer Theodor Herzl by more than 30 years.

The last photograph of Alfred Dreyfus. 1935

Today's France honors its faithful son Alfred Dreyfus. There is a monument to him in Paris: an officer in the uniform of the French army of the late 19th century. gives a salute with a fragment of a saber (remember that Dreyfus’s saber was broken during his symbolic “civil execution”). At first, the monument stood in a small square on Raspail Boulevard, later it was moved to the courtyard of the Jewish Museum. There is an opinion that the ashes of Dreyfus should be transferred to the Pantheon, where the outstanding sons of France rest: after all, Dreyfus was a great patriot of his country, who did not lose faith in it even in extreme circumstances.

Monument to Alfred Dreyfus in the courtyard of the Jewish Museum in Paris

The Jewish world has its own view of the personality of Alfred Dreyfus. There is no doubt that the Dreyfus Affair was one of the most important factors that led to the emergence of the Zionist movement: it clearly showed that assimilation is not a defense against anti-Semitism. And yet, when one hears that it was the unfortunate Dreyfus who was the true father of Zionism, it is difficult to agree with this: Dreyfus was just a victim of history, while its hero, one of those who determines its course, was the founder of Zionism, Theodore Herzl.

A family that is not alien, however, to Jewish traditions. His mother, Jeanette Herzl (nee Diamond), introduced her son to German culture and language.

Since childhood, he had a penchant for literature, wrote poetry, and created a student literary club. While in high school, he published reviews of books and plays in one of the Budapest newspapers. Sensitive to manifestations of anti-Semitism, Herzl left the real gymnasium, offended by the anti-Semitic explanations of the teacher.

In 1889, Herzl married Julie Naschauer (1868-1907). Their married life did not work out, because the wife did not understand and did not share Herzl’s views.

From October 1891 to July 1895, Herzl worked as a correspondent in Paris for the influential liberal Viennese newspaper Neue Freie Presse. In it he published, among other things, notes on parliamentary life in France. Herzl outlined his views on politics in a small book, “The Bourbon Palace” (the building where the French Chamber of Deputies was located). In political circles in Paris, Herzl repeatedly heard anti-Semitic speeches and statements. His views on the solution to the Jewish question gradually changed, which is noticeable already in his play “Ghetto” (1894), later renamed “New Ghetto”.

A sharp turn in Herzl's views and life occurred in 1894 under the influence of the Dreyfus affair. The cries of “Death to the Jews!” heard on the streets of Paris finally convinced him that the only solution to the Jewish question was the creation of an independent Jewish state.

In June 1895, Herzl turned to Baron Maurice de Hirsch for support. However, the meeting did not bring results. In those days, Herzl began to write a diary and make the first sketches for the book “The Jewish State”. In his diary, Herzl wrote: “ Ideas in my soul were chasing one after another. An entire human life is not enough to accomplish all this...».

Herzl outlined his program in a book he called “The Jewish State. Experience of a modern solution to the Jewish question"(Der Judenstaat), which was published in Vienna on February 14, 1896. In the same year, her translations from German into Hebrew, English, French, Russian and Romanian were published.

Most Western European Jews questioned Herzl's premises and rejected his plan, and only a few prominent Jewish figures took his side (M. Nordau, I. Zangwiel). But many members of the Hovevei Zion movement in Eastern Europe and Zionist-minded Jewish students in Austria, Germany and other countries (mostly from Eastern Europe) received Herzl's ideas with great enthusiasm and called on him to lead groups willing to devote themselves to the implementation of this plan.

Communication with them convinced Herzl that for the Jewish masses the idea of a Jewish state was inseparable from Eretz Israel. This is how the movement became Zionist. Having headed it, Herzl launched energetic political activities. To spread the ideas of Zionism, Herzl founded, edited and financed a weekly newspaper in German, Die Welt, the first issue of which was published on June 4, 1897.

On August 29–31, 1897, the 1st Zionist Congress took place in Basel.

He adopted the program of the Zionist movement (Basel Program) and founded the World Zionist Organization, of which Herzl was elected president, who remained in this post until his death.

In those days Herzl wrote:

For the first time in the history of the Jewish Diaspora, Herzl created a worldwide representation of the Jewish people, gave new content to the Jew’s belonging to his nation, thus returning many circles of assimilated Jews to Judaism. He made the main goal of national activity not the alleviation of the suffering of the Jewish people, but the improvement of the situation of Jews in a particular country and the resolution of the Jewish problem on a global scale.

Herzl's aristocracy, his calmness and self-control aroused admiration and sometimes reverence not only among his followers, but also among such opponents of his political concept as Ahad Ha-Am, who, after the 1st Zionist Congress, wrote that Herzl embodied at the turn of the 19th V. and 20th century the greatness of the prophets of ancient Israel. The Jewish masses of Europe saw in him a “royal tribune” called upon to return the people to the greatness of antiquity. In the eyes of non-Jews, the appearance of Herzl destroyed the stereotype of the Jew, which had been created for centuries in the Christian and Muslim world. Therefore, the rulers of the powers - the Turkish Sultan, the German Kaiser, nobles and ministers, the Pope - accepted the young Viennese journalist as a recognized representative of the entire Jewish people, despite the fact that he did not and could not have any powers and almost no public support. The World Zionist Organization he created was at first a small minority among the Jewish people.

In 1900 Herzl published " Philosophical stories" In his utopian novel in German “ Altneuland"("Old new land”, in the Russian translation “Country of Renaissance” 1902, later it was translated into Hebrew by Nahum Sokolov). Translated into Hebrew, the novel was called Tel Aviv(that is, "spring hill", the name of the biblical settlement); the name of the future city of Tel Aviv was inspired by Herzl's novel. The epigraph to the book: “If you want, it won’t be a fairy tale” - became the slogan of the entire Zionist movement.

Active political activity, fierce battles with opponents, in addition to the intense struggle for the cause of Zionism, led to an exacerbation of the heart disease from which Herzl suffered. His illness was complicated by pneumonia. To his friend who came to visit him, Herzl said: “ Why are we fooling ourselves?.. The bell is tolling for me. I am not a coward, and I can calmly face death, especially since I did not waste the last years of my life. I think I served my people well" These were his last words. His condition soon worsened, and Herzl died on July 3, 1904.

In his will, Herzl asked to be buried in Vienna next to his father until the Jewish people transferred his remains to the Land of Israel. Herzl's remains were carried from Austria to Jerusalem on the first El Al flight on August 14, 1949, shortly after the creation of the State of Israel. Nowadays, the ashes of the herald of the Jewish state rest on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, and the Herzl Museum was built not far from his grave. The day of Herzl's death according to the Jewish calendar, the 20th day of the month of Tammuz is celebrated in Israel as a national day of his memory.

The fate of Herzl's children was tragic. The eldest daughter Paulina (1890-1930) committed suicide, as did her son Hans (1891-1930), who converted to Christianity in 1906, and after the death of his sister, he shot himself at her grave in Bordeaux (France). Youngest daughter Margaret (known as Trude; 1893-1943) died in the Nazi Terezin concentration camp.

The State of Israel was proclaimed in May 1948, only slightly later than the date predicted by Herzl after the 1st Zionist Congress.

Herzl, Theodor T. Herzl.

Founder and leader of the Zionist movement

Herzl's activities as the founder and leader of the Zionist movement lasted less than ten years, but already during his lifetime his personality became legendary. He combined the features of a prophet and a political leader, a dreamer and a prudent administrator, a romantic writer and a sober practitioner, a refined feuilletonist and a persistent fighter for the implementation of his ideas. Herzl notes in his diary that while working on the book “The Jewish State,” he heard the rustling of mysterious wings, which did not prevent him from developing a detailed plan for the creation and activities of the “Jewish Society” and the “Jewish Financial Company.”

In the utopian novel " Altneuland"("Old New Land", in Russian translation "Land of Renaissance") Herzl wrote a sketch of the political and social system of the Jewish state in Palestine. Deeply believing in the correctness and feasibility of his ideals, he ignored the ridicule of others and, despite incredible difficulties, firmly followed the intended path. The very appearance of Herzl on the political arena produced a revolutionary shift in the national self-awareness of the Jewish people, which, in turn, stimulated an increased sense of self-esteem and self-respect in every Jew.

Baron Edmond de Rothschild also refused to support Herzl, believing that it would be impossible to organize the Jewish masses to implement the plans of Zionism. This refusal and, in particular, its motivation prompted Herzl to begin creating a representative office for the entire Jewish people.

In March 1897, a preliminary conference with representatives of the Hovevei Zion societies of Germany, Austria and Galicia accepted Herzl's proposal to convene a General Zionist Congress.

After the 2nd Zionist Congress, with the help of the Grand Duke of Baden, Herzl managed to arouse the sympathy of the German Emperor Wilhelm II for the plans of Zionism. In September 1898, Herzl was informed that during his upcoming visit to Palestine, Wilhelm II was ready to meet him in Constantinople, on the way to the Middle East, and in Jerusalem. At a reception in Constantinople, Herzl outlined his program to Wilhelm, then sailed to Eretz Israel.

Upon his arrival in Jaffa, Herzl decided to visit the Jewish agricultural settlements in Palestine. Jerusalem made an indelible impression on Herzl.

The official meeting with Wilhelm took place on November 2, 1898 at the emperor’s tent camp on the outskirts of Jerusalem. However, the outcome of the meeting was unsuccessful, as were Herzl's subsequent negotiations with the Turkish government.

An audience with Sultan Abdülhamid II (May 17, 1901), arranged through the mediation of Professor A. Vambery, meetings with representatives of the Turkish government in February and July 1902 remained inconclusive. Herzl could not make concrete proposals regarding the financial assistance that Türkiye needed, and the Turks did not agree to any concessions on the issue of Jewish settlement of Palestine.

All this forced Herzl to change his orientation and seek support for the plans of Zionism from Great Britain, the importance of which for the implementation of Zionist goals was obvious to Herzl from the very beginning of his political activity. At the beginning of June 1902, Herzl was invited to London to participate in the work of a commission on the issue of immigration of foreigners (mainly Jews) to England. Herzl stated that the need to immediately alleviate the desperate situation of the Jewish people forces the Zionist movement, without abandoning its program (the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine), to consider other possibilities.

Herzl proposed the creation of an independent Jewish settlement in Cyprus or the Sinai Peninsula (see El-Arish), which were then under British protectorate and in close proximity to Palestine. This plan was not accepted.

In the process of negotiations (1903) British government put forward a proposal for an autonomous Jewish settlement in East Africa (the protectorate of Uganda). Influenced by reports of the Kishinev pogrom (1903; see Kishinev) and the plight of the Jews of Eastern Europe, Herzl found it possible to negotiate with the British government even about Uganda, while continuing the struggle for Jewish settlement in Palestine. On August 5, 1903, Herzl went to Russia to try to alleviate the situation of Russian Jews and gain Russian support in negotiations with Turkey about Palestine.

Herzl met twice with the Minister of the Interior V. Plehwe, who promised that the Russian government would support the Zionists in their negotiations with the Sultan, and with the Minister of Finance S. Witte, with whom he discussed the issue of the activities of the Zionist Bank in Russia.

On 14 August 1903, while Herzl was still in Russia, the British government announced its support for a plan for an independent Jewish colony in Uganda (led by a Jewish governor and under British supreme authority). With the approval of the Zionist Executive Committee, Herzl submitted this plan (see Uganda Plan) to the 6th Zionist Congress (Basel, 23–28 August 1903).

Despite Herzl's categorical statement that the plan did not abolish the ultimate goals of Zionism, it aroused fierce resistance from some of the congress delegates, especially from Russia, who perceived it as a betrayal of the basic idea of the Zionist movement. Herzl managed to prevent a split in the Zionist movement. At this meeting of the congress, he solemnly proclaimed: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, forget me, my right hand.”

Nevertheless, for several months after the congress, a fierce struggle continued in the Zionist press and at mass meetings over the Uganda plan. On April 11–12, 1904, Herzl convened an enlarged meeting of the Executive Committee of the Zionist Organization, at which, after heated debates, he managed to refute accusations of betrayal of the ideals of Zionism and regulate relations with the opposition.

Herzl also faced the opposition of young Zionists, mainly from Russia (H. Weizmann, J. Bernstein-Kogan, L. Motzkin), who reproached him for neglecting cultural activities and insufficient attention to the current settlement work in Palestine (see Democratic faction). For its part, Ahad Ha'am accused Herzl of not making any efforts to revive Jewish culture, and his Jewish state did not have a national Jewish identity.

Inspired by the idea of a Jewish state, Herzl, through the power of his logic and conviction, was able to assure many that anti-Semitism is not only a terrible evil for Jews, but also a serious illness that will not cease to plague European society until the Jewish people have their own corner on earth , where he could again create spiritual values and enrich, as in the past, the culture of the whole world.

The State of Israel was proclaimed in May 1948, only a few months later than the date Herzl had predicted.

Herzl did not foresee Arab-Jewish conflicts and took the view that the Arabs living in Palestine would happily welcome new Jewish settlers.

Notes

Sources

KEE, volume 2, col. 100–106
Review of Theodor Herzl’s book “The Jewish State: Experience of a Modern Solution to the Jewish Question.”
Rabbi Uri Amos Sherki. "About Zionism". Part one - "Herzl"

Theodor Herzl is an Austrian-born writer and journalist.

Biography

Theodor Herzl grew up in Budapest in an assimilated family, not alien, however. His mother, Jeanette Herzl (nee Diamond), introduced her son to German culture and language. Since childhood, Theodor Herzl had a penchant for literature and wrote poetry. While in high school, he published reviews of books and plays in one of the Budapest newspapers. Offended by the teacher's anti-Semitic explanations, Herzl left the real gymnasium.

In 1878, the family moved from Budapest to Vienna, where Herzl entered the law faculty of the University of Vienna. During his student years, Herzl had little interest in the Jewish question, however, he was deeply impressed by E. Dühring’s anti-Semitic book “On the Jewish Question” (1881).

In 1881, he became a member of the German student society Albia, but already in 1883 he left it in protest against the anti-Semitic statements of its members.

In 1884, Herzl received his doctorate in law and worked for some time in the courts of Vienna and Salzburg. In his autobiographical notes (1898) he wrote:

“Being a Jew, I could never take the post of judge. Therefore, I parted ways with Salzburg and with jurisprudence at the same time.”

Since 1885, Herzl devoted himself entirely to literary activities. He wrote a number of plays, feuilletons and philosophical stories. Some of his plays were successful on the stages of Austrian theaters.

In 1889, Herzl married Julie Naschauer (1868-1907). Their married life, however, did not work out because the wife did not understand and did not share Herzl’s views.

Herzl outlined his views on politics in a small book, “The Bourbon Palace” (the building where the French Chamber of Deputies was located).

In political circles in Paris, Herzl repeatedly heard anti-Semitic speeches and statements. His views on the solution to the Jewish question gradually changed, which is noticeable already in his play “Ghetto” (1894), later renamed “New Ghetto”.

In June 1895, Herzl turned to Baron Maurice de Hirsch for support. However, the meeting did not bring results. In those days, Herzl began writing a diary and making the first drafts for the book “The Jewish State.” In his diary, Herzl wrote:

“Ideas in my soul were chasing one after another. An entire human life is not enough to accomplish all this..."

Herzl outlined his program in a book he called “The Jewish State. The Experience of a Modern Solution of the Jewish Question" (Der Judenstaat), which was published in Vienna on February 14, 1896. In the same year, its translations from German into Hebrew, English, French, Russian and Romanian were published.

In his book, Herzl emphasizes that the Jewish question should not be resolved by emigration from one Diaspora country to another or by assimilation, but by the creation of an independent Jewish state. The political solution to the Jewish question, in his opinion, must be agreed upon with the great powers. The mass relocation of Jews to the Jewish State will be carried out in accordance with a charter openly recognizing their right to settlement and international guarantees. This will be an organized exodus of the Jewish masses of Europe into an independent Jewish state.

To implement this plan, Herzl considered it necessary to create two bodies - political and economic: the “Jewish Society” as the official representative of the Jewish people and the “Jewish Company” to manage finances and concrete construction. The necessary funds were supposed to be obtained with the assistance of Jewish bankers, and only in case of their refusal was an appeal to the broad Jewish masses to follow.

Together with Oskar Marmorek and Max Nordau, Herzl organized (26 to 29 August 1897) in Basel and was elected president of the "".