Scholar examines myths about Herzl

Georges Yitshak Weisz, Theodor Herzl: A New Reading, Gefen Publishing House, (c) 2013, ISBN: 9789652295873, 295 pages including appendices and index.

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO–This is both biography and historiography of the Zionist leader Theodor Herzl.  Through an examination of what previous historians have said about Herzl, Weisz provides readers with highlights of Herzl’s life while correcting some of the most common misconceptions about the man who helped turn Zionism into an international movement.

Two misconceptions that often go hand-in-hand might be summarized by the following sentence:  “Theodor Herzl was a secular Jew who developed the idea of Zionism in reaction to covering the persecution of Alfred Dreyfus, the French Jewish officer accused of spying for Germany.”

Bit by bit, quotation by quotation, Weisz shows that Herzl was writing about a homeland for the Jews prior to the Dreyfus case.  He also shows that Herzl had a bar mitzvah, was conversant with Jewish ritual, and believed that before one could be a successful Zionist, one needed to incorporate Judaism into one’s life.

In an interesting discussion, Weisz draws parallels between Herzl and Moses, as two leaders who led Jews out of the Diaspora toward Israel, without actually getting there themselves.  He also distinguishes Herzl from Shabbatai Zevi, the false messiah with whom Herzl’s critics were quick to compare him.

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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com