Books on Israel, Volume I

Zionism in Context

Zionism in Context Mattityahu Mintz David Vital, Zionism::The Fomwtive Years, (Vol. II), (London: Oxford University Press, 1982). At first glance this would appear to be yet another book dealing with the history of the Zionist movement. I say "at first glance" because in essence before us it is a new exposition, fascinating and instructive, of the work and achievements of Zionism, from the closing of the first Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897 to the Helsingsfors Conference of Russian Zionists in 1906. The book is revealing not only in its utilization of new sources, but also in its conception that interweaves the events and shapes a picture of the period. On the documentary level, the reliance on Turkish sources - exposing the reasons for Turkey's refusal of the Zionist movement's aspirations - is undoubtedly revealing. We may further assume that the author will delight us in this respect in the next volume of his work. Also revealing is his in-depth examination of Ahad-Ha-am's concepts, and the development of Ahad Ha-am's polemical conflict with Herzl and the prevailing tendency in the movement. Similarly, I find Vital's description of the thought of Rabbi Isaac Jacob Reines, and its implications for understanding Reines' fluctuating position during the Uganda controversy, to be most constructive and enlightening. Furthermore, Vital's treatment of the theoretical debate between religious Jewish Orthodoxy and the primarily secular Zionist movement, or, in other words, the struggle between the theological and the historical conceptions of the Jewish people, albeit not new, is one of the brilliant chapters of the book. Anyone wanting to refresh his observations of contemporary polemics and schisms preoccupying the Jewish population of modem Israel is shown how to trace the roots of the problem, to bring its theoretical and historical context into focus, and to put it in its proper perspective. An analysis of the Russian Okhrana's report on Zionism from 1903 is also given here, not in terms of what the Czar's Intelligence Services knew or did not know about Zionism - a question that many historians have adopted - but rather in terms of the Russian autocracy's evaluation of and anxiety over the power of the organized Jewish public. In this regard. special emphasis is given to the description of Herzl's trip to Russia, including the elaborate considerations which occupied him. As we know, historians have rarely dealt with the subject, deterred by the controversy provoked by the trip in the Jewish public in general and among the Russian Zionists in particular. But from our modern perspective on the evolutionary path taken by organized Jewish nationalism, Herzl's trip assumes a significance that goes beyond the political and tactical aspects identified as important in his own day. Vital not only reconstructs the focal points of discussion between Herzl and Plehve - and he knows precisely where to put the emphasis - but also Mattiyahu Mintz is a Professor at Tel-Aviv University. Among other works, he is the author of Haver veYariv: Yitzhak Tabenkin beMifieget Poalei-Zion /905-/9/2 [Comrade and Rival: Yitzhak Tabenkin in the Poalei-Zion Party. /905-/9/21. (Hakibbutz Hamcuhad: Tel-Aviv, 1986). 23 Zionism in Context sharpens our understanding of the fundamental issues involv,ed in the struggle between the swiftly consolidating Jewish population, and the Russian Czarist establishment. Vital's account of Herzl's hurried and constrained trip to Vilna is another valuable contribution. The trip, in spite of the restrictions imposed upon Herzl, convincingly demonstrates how anchored the Zionist myth was among Russian Jewry. Yet it appears to me the book is deficient in a number of respects, especially concerning the broader Russian context. For example, the author does not discern, in my opinion, the direct connection between the ideological constructs prevalent among the Russian Zionists, including the Hovevei Zion [Lovers of Zion], and those cherished by the Russian intelligentsia and various literary and scientific circles at the time. As I see it, an understanding of the world of the Russian Hoveve Zion - their understanding of economics, their ideas on the "tranformation" or "healing" of the Jews, and the way they envisioned populating Eretz-Israel - is impossible without first understanding contemporary Russian social and political thought, particularly Russian Romanticism and Narodnikism [populismJ. Both of these movements sought to strengthen the agricultural-economic fabric of the country, and thereby allow it to playa dominant role in shaping a new Russia. Russia's salvation and improvement in the life of Russian...