History of Zionism, 1600-1918, Vol. 1 (of 2) — John Shaqi
History of Zionism, 1600-1918, Vol. 1 (of 2)Sokolow, Nahum
History
History of Zionism, 1600-1918, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Sokolow, Nahum
Jews -- Restoration; Zionism -- History
1. The Spiritual Character of Judaism.
2. The so-called Mission of the Jews.
3. The Progress of Modern Civilization.
4. The Duty of Patriotism, and
5. The Problem of Equality of Rights for the Jews.
The slightest examination of these objections shows that they are
partly based on misunderstanding, and partly mere verbal criticism,
which in no way affects the essence of Zionism.
1. It would be absurd to suppose that Zionism denies the spiritual or
universal character of Judaism. Zionism does not worship “tribalism.”
Far from it. Jewish religious doctrines are of value to the whole
world, and their ethics undoubtedly tend to unite humanity. This is a
truth so evident as to need no confirmation. But Jews are not ghosts;
they are human beings, and they have to look upon Judaism in a human
sense. And the human sense is that Jews, notwithstanding the spiritual
character of their teachings, are, like any other ethnic group, a
species of the _genus homo_, a distinct people united by their origin
and by their common history. “God,” said Mazzini, “has written one
line of His thought upon each people, and consequently each is to
bring its gifts into the market-place of the world’s good.” In this
sense Zionists are Nationalists: they look forward to the gradual and
ultimate triumph of all national types, including their own. There is
no reason for humanity to deny this natural right to the oldest nation
of the world, and no justification for the Jews themselves to commit a
sort of national hari-kari because of the spirituality of Judaism.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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