The first Hebrew publication of the text of “The Jewish State” by Theodor Herzl, which appeared in a sequence of Ha-Tzefirah issues two weeks before the book was published. Issues 11–24, from January 12 to January 28, 1896 – parallel to the publication of excerpts from the manuscript in the Jewish Chronicle in London on January 17.
In January 1896, about a month before the first publication of Theodor Herzl’s book “The Jewish State”, which was released in German in Vienna (February 1896), the newspaper Ha-Tzefirah published the first Hebrew translation of selected chapters from the manuscript. This publication in Ha-Tzefirah is in fact the first appearance of Herzlian Zionist thought before a Hebrew-speaking audience, preceding the full book’s appearance in its German version. Some believe that Nahum Sokolow was the one who translated the excerpts presented here into Hebrew. In the Ha-Tzefirah issues, the excerpts were published under the title: “The Solution to the Jewish Question.” In the first issue, the newspaper’s editor prefaces the text by stating that, although opinions are divided regarding Herzl’s vision, the paper chose to present his words in full due to Herzl’s significance: “Dr. Herzl is a prominent and renowned writer in Viennese journalism. He has never been among the dreamers, but among the men of action, and his pen is firmly planted in the garden of the Neue Freie Presse of Vienna, where he is considered one of the leading voices on matters of state and economics.” Herzl himself wrote a foreword to the excerpts published in the paper, stating: “At the request of those who turn to me and ask that I express my opinion in this journal in a few articles, I shall attempt to do so, although it is possible that some readers will misunderstand my words, for I cannot explain all of my ideas in depth in a brief article… I know our way and our habit of mocking one another… Therefore, I direct my initial words to the Jews who are free and strong in spirit. Let them be the first to listen to my words … We Jews have dreamed this dream throughout the long night of the Middle Ages. Now the dawn has broken, and we must only wipe the sleep from our eyes and turn this dream into a proper reality… Although I am neither a prophet nor a visionary, I readily admit that I hope—and my heart is almost confident and assured—that the people of Israel will return to the stronghold and become a people in their land and in their state…”.
In his book “The Jewish State, ” Herzl outlines his vision for a productive Jewish state. He describes in great detail how he envisions the future Jewish state, even addressing matters such as the working hours that would be customary there. The manuscript, which was later published as a book, was released in Vienna and Leipzig by M. Breitenstein on February 14, 1896, about two weeks after it appeared in segments in the Ha-Tzefirah journal presented here, and approximately a year and a half before the convening of the First Zionist Congress. Upon its publication, the book caused an immense stir. Most public figures—Jews and non-Jews alike—dismissed it as nonsense, and many harshly criticized it. “No one in Vienna, ” claimed the writer Stefan Zweig, “was ever ridiculed as much as Herzl.” Yet there were also voices who understood what others did not. One of the few writers who supported Herzl was Richard Beer-Hofmann, who wrote to him: “At last, here is a man who carries Judaism not as a burden or a calamity to be passively endured, but as a legitimate heir to an ancient culture.”
13 consecutive issues, fragile paper. Small tears and minor loss to margins, not affecting the text. Good–moderate condition.
