Issue of the newspaper “HaMelitz” dated April 21, 1897 – a rare issue in which the official invitation by Theodor Herzl to the Jews of Europe to come and participate in the First Zionist Congress, which was to take place at the end of August 1897, was published for the first time, in which the plan of the historic congress is detailed for the first time. At that time, Herzl believed that the congress would take place in the city of Munich (see below), but subsequently its location was moved to Basel.
On the second page of the issue, under the heading: “Ezrat Sofrim – Letters from Vienna, ” the “call to action” sent by Herzl was printed, “to all the settlements of the Children of Israel in Austria and Germany and the other countries of the West, to those near and far, ” and beneath it appears the signature of Dr. Theodor Herzl, and these are his words: “On the fifth, sixth, and twenty-seventh days of the month of August 1897, they shall gather in the city of Munich from all the lands of Western Europe. The purpose of this assembly is to draw their hearts closer, to clarify their differing views, and to pave a single path for all their actions…”. Within these words it is clearly evident that Herzl’s intention in the Congress was to create something entirely new that had never existed before – a highly influential assembly that would change the course of Jewish history. Herzl details who the speakers at the assembly would be and the subjects they would address, with he himself speaking on “the Jewish Question and the assembly of the ministers of the great states in the coming days.” Herzl emphasizes in his words that the purpose of the Congress is: “ And all those who stand from afar shall see and know that the Zionist idea is not a dream, that it has substance and that it has a future and hope.” Herzl further adds that for decades many assemblies had been held among Israel “to deliberate, to innovate, or to repair breaches, ” yet all those assemblies brought no real tidings, whereas the planned assembly “in the city of Munich in the coming month of August will bring great blessing to the national cause.” By combining and refining the thoughts of the Lovers of Zion with their differing views, Herzl sought to unite them all under the idea of the “State of the Jews, ” to set aside all disputes and unite toward a shared destiny in one Hebrew state that would encompass all the different streams.
Herzl emphasizes in his words that his intention in the Congress is to unite the different streams under the idea of the “State of the Jews” specifically in the Land of Israel: “There are many in Western Europe who swear by the banner of the ‘State of the Jews, ’ but it is all the same to them whether it be to the east of the great sea or in the deserts of Argentina. There are those who desire Zion, and they shall be called ‘Zionists, ’ but they are not national… There are also nationalists who reject the Zionist idea, for whom the past suffices and who do not believe in a future better than these days… and they regard the idea of settlement with contempt…”. Herzl sought to unite them all under one vision that would harness the national resources of the Jewish people specifically in the Land of Israel.
Within his words, Herzl appeals to those in control of the “Halukka” funds not to prevent the representatives from coming to the Congress through various threats of cutting off funds, and emphasizes how difficult the challenges are in uniting all the different streams under the Zionist idea: “And these few words I have said, of course, not to diminish the value of the assembly, but rather to show the difficult struggle that lies before us, not only from without but also from within. Not only from the front but also from behind. Many more days will pass before we succeed in removing these stumbling blocks from our path.”
The First World Zionist Congress was the first large gathering of delegates of the Zionist movement and the first of the World Zionist Congresses. The Congress was held in Basel, Switzerland, from August 29 to 31, 1897 – 1–3 Elul 5657. The initiator of the Congress and its leader was Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl. Following the publication of his book “The State of the Jews, ” and due to the failure of his attempts to enlist wealthy Jews to realize the Zionist idea, Herzl decided to convene the first historic assembly in order to mobilize Jewish public opinion throughout Europe for the realization of the Zionist idea. The Congress was intended to create a framework that would concentrate supporters of Herzl’s plans and serve as a basis for expanding the Zionist movement from Hibbat Zion into an organized political Zionist movement. In doing so, Herzl laid the foundation for all the political systems of the Zionist movement. Herzl preferred to hold the Congress in Zurich, Switzerland, in order to emphasize the neutral political character of the assembly. However, the representatives from Russia on the preparatory committee were deterred by the idea of holding it in Switzerland, since this liberal country served as a refuge for radical Russian revolutionaries, and the Russian representatives feared that the Congress would be associated with revolutionary activity. Therefore, Herzl agreed to the proposal to hold the Congress in Munich, Germany, which was then the cultural center of the German-speaking world and located at a railway junction with Eastern Europe, from where most of the delegates were expected to arrive, and he even began organizing the Congress in Munich. However, after the invitations had already been sent and published in the Hebrew press, the Jewish community in Munich feared that such a congress might undermine the declared ideology of most German Jews, who saw themselves as “Germans of the Mosaic faith.” The Jews of Munich argued that holding the Congress in their city endangered their security, as the Zionist assembly was based on the concept that there exists a Jewish people seeking a homeland, and its convening in Munich might cast doubt on their loyalty to their country. They even expressed their opposition in the general press in Munich, which ultimately led Herzl to decide to move the Congress to Switzerland, however, to Basel rather than Zurich, in consideration of the position of the Russian representatives, less than two months before the Congress took place. Invitations to participate in the Congress were sent from Vienna to Jewish figures and organizations. In the Hebrew version of the invitation, Herzl signed as “Head of the Committee for the Preparation of the Zionist Congress.”
4 pages. Complete issue. 35 cm. Good condition.
