The First Zionist Congress:

Comparison of Contemporary Reports and Modern Accounts

Brent Cooper

University of British Columbia

March 14, 2008

1
On August 31st, 1897, the First Zionist Congress concluded in Basel, Switzerland, under the

auspices of the secular Jew Theodor Herzl. Its purpose was to establish a Jewish state in

Palestine. Today the realization of this dream is called Israel and it is one of the most contentious

places on Earth. Then, as now, there was great controversy over the motives and means of this

movement. Nevertheless, Zionism was pursued under the influence of a handful of demagogues

who thrived on the fears and passions of oppressed Jews. Textual evidence supports the idea that

the congress polarized the Jewish community into those who supported Herzl’s vision of

Zionism and everyone else. The only matter that is not in dispute is what actually took place.

Contemporary and historical accounts scarcely differ. However, the tone of discourse in 1897

portrays an appeal to reason that has since been silenced by modern analysis. The significance of

this event was not that it represented a hope for Jewish emancipation, but rather the official

politicization of a passive religious movement almost two millennia old.

Valuable historical insight can be gained into the minds of the time by reviewing a 1897 London

Times correspondence between two prominent Jews: Mr. Simon and Mr. Gaster. Mr. Simon, a

respected figure in English Judaism, contended that Jews were rightly home wherever they were

born and rejected Gaster’s literal interpretation of Jewish prophecy.1 Mr. Gaster, arguing

fervently, erroneously painted Simon’s arguments as a denial of the suffering of the Jews and

hastily concluded that whatever this Zionist movement amounted to was ‘God’s will’ and should

continue.2 Naturally, Simon was correct in his assertion that the Jews should fight for their

emancipation wherever they are, just as they had successfully done in London.3 Modern accounts

1
The London Times. September 4, 1897
2
Gaster, M. "The Zionist Congress." The London Times, September 1, 1897.
3
Simon, Oswald John. "The Zionist Congress." The London Times, Sept. 3, 1897.

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emphasize the same argument as Simon but in a slightly different form, citing the ‘Protest

Rabbis’ contention that Judaism obliges its followers to serve the nation (state) it is born unto.4

Simon’s cosmopolitan view is marginalized in modern analysis because in this case it is more

constructive to emphasize political arguments rather than philosophical arguments. When Simon

labeled the Zionist movement unorthodox, Gaster simply replied that Simon knew nothing of

orthodoxy.5 But speaking volumes in favor of Mr. Simon’s stance, the high authority of Jewish

orthodoxy in Britain, Dr. Adler, called the congress “an egregious blunder.”6 This example of

polarization is downplayed in historical accounts. Instead, the focus lies on the internal

contradictions of Zionism and the subsequent resolution of those problems. Case in point, this

first congress deliberated on the organizational structure, purpose, and logistics of legally

securing Palestine, and was declared a success afterwards.7 Modern commentary states how

Herzl intentionally made the plan for the congress vague but the direction clear. This is precisely

the reason that no outside objections are validated in the congress or in historical accounts about

the congress; it is implicit that everyone there is already committed to a Jewish state in some

form.

In contemporary times commentators did not see the issue as politicized. However, modern

analysis observes that it was politicized long before anybody knew it. It was well known at the

time that Theodor Herzl’s ambitions were racially and politically motivated as opposed to

religiously.8 This did not stop moderate Zionists from supporting him, or even fundamentalists

4
Haumann, Heiko, and Peter Haber. The First Zionist Congress in 1897, pp. 144-145
5
Simon, Oswald John. "The Zionist Congress." The London Times, Sept. 3, 1897.
6
The London Times. September 4, 1897
7
Haumann, The First Zionist Congress in 1897, pp. 146-147
8
Sicherman , H. Theodor Herzl: An Appreciation. Foreign Policy Research Institute.

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from joining the cause. Others like the ‘Protest Rabbis’, exclaimed this was in contradiction to

Jewish scripture and was morally wrong.9 The stated reason for the movement was for the

protection of the Jewish people from persecution whether it was based on race or religion.10

Conversely, modern accounts recollect that Herzl was not personally exposed to a lot of anti-

semitism.11 Furthermore, Herzl’s lack of knowledge about Judaism dismayed many devotees.12

Herzl’s motives are evident in hindsight by studying the stratagems he used. For starters, the

architects of the movement did not only seek young recruits to give an aura of vitality, but Herzl

himself “envisioned middle-class Jewish youth as the vanguard of Zionism.”13 Large efforts were

undertaken to ‘Zionize’ the atmosphere in Basel; they drank Jewish wine, sang Jewish songs, and

exalted Jewish symbols and heroes.14 One modern author praises the solidarity and ritualism;

Herzl’s colleagues planned the event to manifest camaraderie through “total immersion in a

national Jewish world.”15 The First Zionist Congress was a microcosm of the culture they hoped

to transplant to the Promised Land.16

What the modern analysis fails to observe, and the contemporary views grasp, is that this

congregation was nothing short of anti-Gentile and would serve to exacerbate racial tensions,

among other problems.17 The London Times had substantiated Simon’s clairvoyance but it was

already too late; the Zionists would proceed without the support of a majority from international

Jewry. To this effect, one modern author observes the contradiction between how “Zionism

9
Haumann, Heiko, and Peter Haber. The First Zionist Congress in 1897, p. 147
10
Ibid., p. 148
11
Sicherman , H. Theodor Herzl
12
Ibid.
13
Berkowitz, Michael. Zionist Culture and West European Jewry Before the First World War, p. 11
14
Ibid., p.38
15
Ibid., p.38
16
Ibid., p.8
17
The London Times. September 4, 1897

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already styled itself as a government in exile…” and displayed “extra-territorial Zionist culture

[that] affirmed that Zion could exist anywhere that Jews gathered in peace.”18 The author notes

that this incongruity continued to characterize the debate however also drew attention away from

the fact that the legitimate hope for the emancipation of the Jewish people was being undermined

by a desperate political campaign.19 Rather than let the movement grow on its own merit, it was

driven by Herzl’s ego. Well known in historical records, and perhaps only speculated by Simon

and his contemporaries, Herzl wrote in his diary after the congress: “In Basel I founded the

Jewish State.”20 He was speaking prematurely of course, but his assertion would eventually come

true.

Unfortunately revisiting the First Zionist Congress does little to end the strife in the present day

Jewish ‘homeland,’ but it offers us a glimpse into how these religious movements quickly

become politicized and can act as a caveat to future nationalist ambitions. Likewise, from a

sensible 111 year old letter to the editor of the London Times, the ignored voice of reason echoes

across time. Alas, Herzl died just after the Sixth Zionist Congress, perhaps galvanizing the

Zionists to further action, for history has shown us time and time again that no voice speaks

louder and with more conviction than that of the followers of a venerated dead man. Generally,

historians record this event with strict objectivity, but it is perhaps those affected by it most that

remember it incorrectly. So listen carefully, lest we forget that not only did the majority of Jews

not want this, but that a minority wanted it more.

18
Berkowitz, Michael. Zionist Culture and West European Jewry Before the First World War, p. 39
19
Ibid., p. 39
20
Haumann, Heiko, and Peter Haber. The First Zionist Congress in 1897, p. 148

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 Bibliography

Berkowitz, Michael. Zionist Culture and West European Jewry Before the First World War..
New York: University of Cambridge, 1993.

Gaster, M. "The Zionist Congress." The London Times, September 1, 1897. Proquest Historical
Databases (accessed March 1, 2008).

Haumann, Heiko, and Peter Haber. The First Zionist Congress in 1897: Causes, Significance,
Topicality. New York: Karger, 1997.

Sicherman , H. Theodor Herzl: An Appreciation. Foreign Policy Research Institute. (1997,

August 28). Retrieved March 1, 2008, from
http://www.fpri.org/enotes/middleeastafrica.19970828.sicherman.herzlappreciation.html

Simon, Oswald John. "The Zionist Congress." The London Times, Aug. 30, 1897. Proquest
Historical Databases (accessed March 1, 2008).

Simon, Oswald John. "The Zionist Congress." The London Times, Sept. 3, 1897. Proquest
Historical Databases (accessed March 1, 2008).

The London Times. September 4, 1897. "no title [editorial]". Proquest Historical Databases
(accessed March 1, 2008).