The Heralds of Zionism as Theological Revolutionaries

In the paper

“As we know, the generation subsequent to the heralds of Zionism included the Hovevei Zion movement (Mashiach 2021), who gave rise to the First Aliya in 1882, and later on to the Zionist movement headed by Herzl emerged in the following generation, in 1896.”

What the sources say

• Supported

  The citation is attached to the identification of Hovevei Zion as the movement following the heralds of Zionism. The Abstract describes Hovevei Zion as late-19th-century societies, while “Agriculture and settling the land in the teachings of First Aliya rabbis” places the heralds earlier and describes the First Aliya as carrying their ideas into practice. The later dates and reference to Herzl are not attached to this citation. (LLM, conf=0.88)

  cites Mashiach 2021 source

In the paper

“He was one of the greatest heralds of Zionism, an adjudicator and a kabbalist (Rafael 1958-2000, Part I, pp. 447-56).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Rafael 1958-2000, Part I, pp. 447-56

In the paper

“He tried to convince Rothschild to purchase the Temple Mount.Rothschild refused.”

In the paper

“The rebbe claimed that the political-Zionist awakening is a denial of the Messianic faith.”

In the paper

“The rebbe rejected any activism, even if enacted by religious people.”

In the paper

“The redemption depends on the people of Israel, like the kabbalistic method that predicates the arousal from above upon arousal from below, meaning the settlement of the Land of Israel”

In the paper

“Once the three elements will be united the redemption will arrive.”

In the paper

“Following popular opinion, he believed that redemption depends on arousal from below that will arouse the Divinity from above.”

In the paper

“Redemption is a divine process that cannot be hastened by human action.”

In the paper

“The first stage is naturalistic, and it is predicated on human endeavors; the second is apocalyptic, and it depends on Divine will”

In the paper

“In 1836, he met with Mayer Anschel Rothschild.”

In the paper

“Nonetheless, he espoused the classical passive conception and rejected activism (Horwitz 1998).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Horwitz 1998

In the paper

“Alternately, he claimed that the arousal from below is what will stimulate the arousal from above, and then the redemption will arrive.”

In the paper

“The redemption will occur even if the people of Israel are unworthy, but it must be initiated from below.”

In the paper

“The Jewish people must consent by immigrating to the Land of Israel, purchasing land and cultivating the land.”

In the paper

“In his opinion, following the sins of Israel the triangle became separated and the Israelites were sent into exile.”

In the paper

“His disciples attested (Guttmacher 1984, p. 8) that his occupation with Kabbalah led him to a mystical method whereby the Jews, the Torah and the Divinity form a type of triangle that is fully realized in the Land of Israel.”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Guttmacher 1984, p. 8

In the paper

“R. Bibas witnessed the Greek revolt against the Ottoman authorities in 1821-1832.”

In the paper

“In his opinion, redemption is natural and slow (Shmuel 2002):”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Shmuel 2002

In the paper

“R. Kalisher began his activities to implement his ideas in the 1830s.”

In the paper

“He was also a revered rabbi who served as an Admor (a chasidic leader) in Germany, although he did not see himself as such and in Germany this was not customary.”

In the paper

“We received the information about him and his revolutionary conceptions from R. Alkalai, who met with him in 1839”

• Also stated in: § 3.3. R. Judah Bibas · plain

  “as well as from the testimony of two Scottish missionaries who spoke with him in 1839 (Bonar and M'Cheyne 1842).”

What the sources say

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  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Bonar and M'Cheyne 1842

In the paper

“Therefore, the people of Israel must immigrate to the Land of Israel and hasten the redemption.”

In the paper

“R. Kalisher understood his era as a call from heaven, it'aruta dele'ela in Kabbalistic terms, that must be matched by it'aruta diletata, arousal from below, and then the redemption will arrive.”

In the paper

“Approximately 40 years later, Herzl became aware of the book and embraced some of its ideas.”

In the paper

“He was a friend of R. Kalisher, though they each reached their insights independently.”

In the paper

“He claimed that the redemption is natural and slow, and not as many think:”

In the paper

“His writings no longer exist.”

In the paper

“R. Eliyahu Guttmacher (1796-1874) was the rabbi of Graetz, Germany.”

In the paper

“He ascribed to physical labor in the Land of Israel supreme theological meaning, and the redemption depends upon this.”

In the paper

“believed in natural redemption and human activism (ibid., Part I, pp.197-272).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites ibid., Part I, pp.197-272

In the paper

“The efforts performed as part of this awakening constitute a forcing of the Messianic era and are forbidden.”

In the paper

“R. Judah Bibas (1789-1852), the rabbi of Corfu, Greece, was one of the first heralds of Zionism, and influenced R. Alkalai (Molcho 1957;Bezalel 2008, pp. 120-34;Weiler 2015).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Molcho 1957
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  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Bezalel 2008, pp. 120-34
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  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Weiler 2015

In the paper

“Efforts must begin from below, by settling the Land of Israel and cultivating the land, and then God will complete the redemption from above.”

In the paper

“Therefore, he called for immigration to the Land of Israel and for cultivation of the land (Katz 1979, pp. 308-56;Lebel 1989).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Katz 1979, pp. 308-56
• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Lebel 1989

In the paper

“R. Friedland claimed that the redemption is natural and that it depends on the desire of the Israelites to return to the Land of Israel.”

In the paper

“In 1858 he met R. Kalisher, realized that he had found an ally, and became Kalisher's loyal assistant.”

In the paper

“He immigrated to the Land of Israel towards the end of his life.”

In the paper

“It will end when they express a desire for the land”

In the paper

“The rejection of the Land of Israel began with the sin of the twelve spies (Numbers 13-14), and for this reason the Israelites were sent into exile.”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

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  cites Numbers 13-14

In the paper

“Labor heralds redemption and acts to hasten it.”

In the paper

“He was among those who influenced Baron Rothschild and Adolf Cremieux to become involved in settling the land and even tried to engage Moses Montefiore and Emperor Napoleon III in this endeavor.”

In the paper

“One of the heralds of Zionism, he believed in a natural redemption that would begin with immigration to the Land of Israel, Torah study in the land and cultivating the land.”

In the paper

“R. Nathan Friedland (1808-1883) was a sermonizer in Taurig, Lithuania.”

In the paper

“That year he published Kos Yeshua Unehama (Cup of Salvation and Consolation) (Friedland 1858).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Friedland 1858

In the paper

“He cited his rabbi, R. Zundel of Salant, who claimed that the redemption does not depend on repentance rather on settlement of the land and its cultivation.”

In the paper

“His main book is Yosef Chen (Friedland 1878, p. 54).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Friedland 1878, p. 54

In the paper

“The clearest sign of redemption is when the Land of Israel responds to its cultivation and produces fruit.”

In the paper

“He claimed that settling the land is not complete without labor.”

In the paper

“The researchers are divided, however, on the identification of the heralds.Some locate them even earlier, in the 17th century, while others deny their very existence (Goldstein 2016, pp. 29-37).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Goldstein 2016, pp. 29-37

In the paper

“These thinkers acted upon, or at least proposed the idea of the Jews' return to the Land of Israel and establishment of a political entity therein, beginning from the 1860s.”

In the paper

“Even the Temple had descended from heaven with no human involvement.”

In the paper

“Hess' inclusion as a herald of Zionism appears to have been a later occurrence within the secular-Zionist narrative, as all the other heralds were rabbis.”

In the paper

“Nonetheless, interestingly, in the entire Bible there is no role model of a person who actually studies Torah.”

In the paper

“From now on, freedom was no longer legal, rather conscious-religious: 'There is no free man except one that involves himself in Torah learning' (Mishna, Tractate Avot, 6:2).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Mishna, Tractate Avot, 6:2

In the paper

“Hence, in my opinion, the heralds of Zionism were rabbis who generated a theological-religious revolution”

In the paper

“Then, with the political and military leadership eradicated, the Sages assumed leadership.”

In the paper

“Furthermore, the Sages preached subservience and bending oneself.No longer is a Jew encouraged to defend his honor, rather to bow his head when encountering evil people and deeds.”

In the paper

“He voiced his ideas in 1900 but I will cite him nonetheless, as his words reflect the concept of passive miraculous redemption that was dominant among the rabbis and the Jewish public in general”

In the paper

“Aside from their interpretations and recommendations, the Sages also changed the entire Jewish scale of values.In their teachings, Torah study became the supreme and exclusive value.”

In the paper

“In summary, R. Guttmacher was one of the heralds of Zionism, a theological revolutionary who believed in natural redemption, settlement of the Land of Israel and cultivating the land.”

In the paper

“This explains why the Books of the Prophets center on the conflict between monotheism and polytheism.”

In the paper

“In summary, R. Kalisher was a theological revolutionary who believed in natural redemption, human activism and practical work.”

In the paper

“The failure of the revolts brought about the political elimination of Judah, the Second Temple was destroyed, and many residents of Judah and the Diaspora were killed.”

In the paper

“but he was distinguished as a Jew by his faith in a single God.”

In the paper

“The identity of the biblical Jew is countered by the identity of the rabbinical Jew, who neither worked nor fought.”

In the paper

“However, the beginning must come from human beings, from below.”

In the paper

“Where biblical characters espoused several values and were engaged in building a life of work, war, family and more, the role models of rabbinical literature are scholars who engage in the study of Torah incessantly, day and night.”

In the paper

“This further clarifies the daring innovation undertaken by the heralds of Zionism, theological revolutionaries who called for activism, natural redemption, immigration to the Land of Israel and manual labor in the land, as well as changing the Jewish identity from rabbinical-Jewish identity back to biblical-Jewish identity.”

In the paper

“there are two Jewish identities that evolved in ancient times.One was the biblical-Jewish identity, described in the Bible; and the second was the rabbinical-Jewish identity, described in rabbinical literature from the 1st to the 6th centuries.”

In the paper

“while the historians mentioned above focused on the social-political enterprise of specific figures and therefore identified the heralds of Zionism differently and in later periods than those I shall discuss in this article.”

In the paper

“This was a man of labor who engaged particularly in farming, took part in military bouts, and maintained a family.”

In the paper

“In conclusion, R. Alkalai was one of the heralds of Zionism, a theological revolutionary who believed in natural redemption, human activism, immigration to the Land of Israel and cultivation of the land.”

In the paper

“In summary, R. Bibas was one of the heralds of Zionism, a theological revolutionary who called for natural redemption, activism, immigration to the Land of Israel, its occupation and cultivation of the land.”

In the paper

“To promote the latter type of redemption, it is necessary to immigrate to the Land of Israel and cultivate the land.”

In the paper

“The ultra-Orthodox do not believe in the value of labor as a religious value.Work, as they see it, is merely a subsistence need.”

In the paper

“In this year he also began his Zionist activity, formed contact with R. Kalisher, and suggested to cooperate in purchasing the Land of Israel from the Ottoman Empire.”

In the paper

“The rabbinical identity was the Jewish-exilic identity, and therefore when the heralds of Zionism appeared with their ideas of forming a national state, immigrating to the Land of Israel, building an army, becoming farmers and being proactive in bringing about a natural redemption, the theological revolution they preached reflected a revival of the biblical-Jewish identity.”

In the paper

“The people of Israel, to whom God generously granted the very best mental qualities, must not beg foreign nations for a few crumbs of equality from the nations, while capable of extensively enjoying their own national independence (Ibid., pp.6-7).”

What the sources say

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  cites Ibid., pp.6-7

In the paper

“In summary, R. Natonek was among the heralds of Zionism, a theological revolutionary who believed in national redemption, settling the Land of Israel and establishing a state therein.”

In the paper

“More specifically, the theological revolution initiated by the heralds of Zionism consisted, as stated, of a return to the biblical-Jewish identity, espousing as they did activism and the values of productive work.”

In the paper

“My dispersed people cannot relinquish their national revival, particularly because they are intended for a great Divine designation: just as they reveal the true God in the world, and for this purpose were deported from their land, in order to spread the light of the faith in the West, thus they were intended to display benevolence to the people of the East, by bringing them too the achievements”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Mashiach: Masa al Ha'emantzipatzya, chp.8

In the paper

“It is indeed hard to discern the direct success of the heralds, as the Jews of Eastern Europe believed in a miraculous redemption, the Jews of Western Europe believed in Emancipation, and in the Land of Israel the living conditions were harsh.”

In the paper

“He noted how he had been influenced by the Hungarian War of Independence and the other European revolutions, which stimulated him to ask: If various nations manage to become liberated and achieve independence, why isn't the Jewish people rousing itself to become liberated and achieve a state of its own?”

In the paper

“Nahum Sokolow called for a translation of Byron, and in six essays (Hatzfira 63-68, March-April 1890) compared between the different translations.”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Hatzfira 63-68, March-April 1890

In the paper

“He called for renewed Jewish settlement of the Land of Israel and the establishment of a state.”

In the paper

“R. Bibas mentioned this revolt specifically and it inspired him.”

In the paper

“Israel's Jewish population consists of three main groups: general secular Zionists, religious Zionists, and ultra-Orthodox society.”

In the paper

“where he expressed his objection to Emancipation, which in his opinion requires relinquishing the national Jewish identity and might lead to assimilation within the Hungarian nation.”

In the paper

“The biblical Jew tilled the Land of Israel and fought in and for it, and therefore had an offensive ethos.”

In the paper

“Hastings followed Kohn (Kohn 1944, chp.2), who posited three measures of Jewish nationalism: the covenant between the people and their God, a shared national memory and the concept of national Messianism.”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Kohn 1944, chp.2

In the paper

“This led to his dismissal and to criticism towards him.”

In the paper

“The construction of a nation consists of several components: literature; an ethnic group that shares a cultural identity and a language; self-consciousness; geographical territory; common faith; and a threat to the national identity.”

In the paper

“Natonek thought that redemption depends on us and therefore called for arousal of the people to take action for national revival.”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Ibid., p. 5

In the paper

“In summary, the influence of the heralds of Zionism was effected indirectly through Hovevei Zion and R. Mohilever, and directly through the Herzl family and R. Alkalai.”

In the paper

“Concerning the second stage, he wrote that it is necessary to act to realize the political-Messianic designation, which will occur when the Israelites return to their land and establish a state therein.”

In the paper

“In 1866 and 1867, he took part in meetings in Germany and Constantinople to raise support for the idea of Jewish settlement of the Land of Israel.”

In the paper

“Jacob Herzl, father of Theodor Herzl, subscribed to the newspaper, and Natonek was a frequent guest at his home.”

In the paper

“However, just as Emancipation granted hope it was also a source of disappointment, upon encountering the grave anti-Semitic manifestations proving that nothing had changed and that the Jews can rely only on themselves.”

In the paper

“The uprising joined other European uprisings, such as that in Spain in 1820, France and Poland in 1830, Austria in 1846, and Switzerland in 1847.To this was added the Springtime of Nations, a wave of national uprisings and revolutions in 1848-1849, following the American revolution in 1776 and the French in 1789.”

In the paper

“These values were strongly emphasized by the ideologues of the Zionist movement and were attributed to the heralds of Zionism (Berholtz 1994;Rafael 1958-2000, Part IV, p. 13;Winkler n.d.).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Berholtz 1994
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  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Rafael 1958-2000, Part IV, p. 13
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  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Winkler n.d.

In the paper

“The Zionist movement was founded in 1896.”

In the paper

“The latter is allegedly a modern concept, but Hastings claimed that the Bible was the first national guideline (Hastings 1997, chp.1).”

What the sources say

• ?Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Hastings 1997, chp.1 source

In the paper

“As he sees it, the Messianic designation has three stages (Frankel 1956, pp.69-70): A. Faith in the political Messianic designation.B. Realization of the political Messianic designation.C. CRealization of the prophetic Messianic designation.”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Frankel 1956, pp.69-70

In the paper

“The second sector is the religious-Zionist sector.It was influenced by the heralds of Zionism and the theological revolution, which reinstated the biblical-Jewish identity, espousing active action with regard to the redemption and the values of productive work, including of course commitment to faith and halakha.”

In the paper

“In the winter of 1850-1851, he wrote Hahitgalut Ha'elohit al yedey Moshe (On the Divine Revelation to Moses), of which only one copy remains.”

In the paper

“All these were embraced by the Zionist movement (Almog et al. 1994;Shapira 1997), however without religious faith, rather as an initial Jew who fights in his country and tills his land (Shapira 1997, pp. 217-47).”

What the sources say

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  cites Almog et al. 1994
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  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Shapira 1997

In the paper

“The heralds of Zionism were Orthodox rabbis, theological revolutionaries, who began their activity in the 1820s-1850s.”

In the paper

“Most of the rabbis and public believed in miraculous redemption and passivity, while the innovation of the theological revolutionaries was in proposing a course of activism, natural redemption, immigration to the Land of Israel, purchasing lands and cultivating the land, national-religious rather than only religious Jewish identity, and according to Rabbis Bibas and Kalisher, also establishing an”

In the paper

“The ultra-Orthodox are not part of the Zionist movement or of its vision.”

In the paper

“To clarify, two types of Jewish identity are known from ancient times: biblical-Jewish and rabbinical-Jewish.”

In the paper

“Before and after 1840, the Heralds of Zionism understood that it depends only on us.”

In the paper

“The Hungarian authorities confiscated all copies of his book.”

In the paper

“Many streets in religious-Zionist neighbourhoods are named for the heralds of Zionism as they are the founding fathers of the movement.”

In the paper

“R. Natonek believed in natural redemption, in contrast to most Hungarian rabbis.”

In the paper

“Moreover, the identity of the ultra-Orthodox is rabbinical rather than biblical and they do not believe in active action, rather in passivity.”

In the paper

“He said that the exile had caused an extinguishing of national sensations and that the concepts of the Messiah, resurrection of the dead and life in the world to be, which had originally borne national meaning, had lost their national content and received religious-spiritual meaning.”

In the paper

“In contrast to the biblical Jew, the rabbinical Jew does not work (as a religious value) and does not fight, Torah study is the supreme and only value, the ethos is defensive, and part of defensiveness is passivity (Boyarin 1997).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Boyarin 1997

In the paper

“Additionally, his grandfather, Simon Loeb, was the shofar blower in R. Alkalai's synagogue.”

In the paper

“Concerning the first stage, he wrote that it is necessary to have faith in the national dimension of Israel, as the Jewish identity is comprised of a national and a religious identity.Therefore, the people of Israel are entitled to return to the land of their forefathers.”

In the paper

“Additionally, Herzl's father was a student of R. Alkalai and helped publish his books.”

In the paper

“This sector is divided into two main parts.The first are not Zionist but cooperate with state institutions, vote in elections, and occupy political roles.The second object to the Zionist movement and the state.”

In the paper

“They are taught about at religious-Zionist schools as exemplary figures and their teachings are taught in religious-Zionist yeshivas.”

In the paper

“General Zionism was influenced by the heralds of Zionism, although as noted above it added Moses Hess as one of the heralds of Zionism as part of constructing the secular Zionist ethos, as all the heralds were rabbis.”

In the paper

“Salmon contended that R. Mohilever was influenced by R. Kalisher and the natural redemption (Salmon 2010).”

What the sources say

• ?Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  cites Salmon 2010

In the paper

“Several factors led the heralds of Zionism to the recognition that the redemption shall be natural and not miraculous and that the people should be encouraged to immigrate to the Land of Israel and cultivate the land.”

In the paper

“The first two were strongly influenced by the heralds of Zionism.”

In the paper

“More than one million copies of the book were sold and it influenced many in the US and around the world.”

In the paper

“The heralds of Zionism are wellknown figures in all religious-Zionist households.”