Social and Historical Developments - Zionism

Question 1

Since when had Israel’s land been fought over?

Answer 1

The Abrahamic Covenant

Question 2

When did Jews return to the holy land?

Answer 2

In Exodus - ‘mass exit’

Question 3

Why were Jews thrown out again?

Answer 3

Temple destroyed in 70 CE, causing the diaspora

Question 4

What was the impact of WWI?

Answer 4

Palestine was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, this was defeated by Britain in WWI which took control over Palestine

Question 5

What was the impact of WWI?

Answer 5

Palestine was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, this was defeated by Britain in WWII which took control over Palestine

Question 6

What and when was the Balfour Declaration?

Answer 6

1917, A letter which represents the first political recognition of Zionist aims, by a great power

Question 7

What is the modern history of Israel?

Answer 7

• many jews and been moving to Palestine
• due to pogroms
• 1939 the Final Solution
• 1949 Britain gave the power over Israel to the UN

Question 8

What did the UN decide to do with Israel?

Answer 8

Debated dividing it into two countries:
- Arabs said no
- Jews accepted and American President supported the new state

Question 9

When was the declaration of Israel?

Answer 9

May 1948

Question 10

What is Israel like today?

Answer 10

• Palestinians forced into Gaza Strip and West Bank
• Gaza strip run by political group called ‘HAMAS’ who want the Jews out

Question 11

Who was Leon Pinsker?

Answer 11

‘Autoemancipation’ - argued that liberating could only occur via the establishment of a Jewish homeland

Question 12

Who was Theodore Herzl?

Answer 12

‘The Jewish State’ - emancipation was an illusion, there needs to be a homeland established in Palestine

Question 13

What was the Dreyfus Affair?

Answer 13

1894, accused of passing French military secrets, singled out because he was Jewish and falsely accused, the real trainer was found in 1906

Question 14

What is ‘Zion’?

Answer 14

A biblical name for Jerusalem

Question 15

What is Aliyah?

Answer 15

The concept of making a return to the promise land - immigration

Question 16

What is ‘Zionism’?

Answer 16

A political term

Question 17

Where is Zionism in the Torah?

Answer 17

• exodus: freed from slavery in Egypt, received the Torah, return to the promised land
• genesis: abrahamic covenant, given the promised land and represented by Brit Millah
• passover: the Seder ends with ‘may we be in Jerusalem’

Question 18

What is religious Zionism?

Answer 18

The attempt to return to Zion on religious grounds, restore the land of Israel

Question 19

What is secular Zionism?

Answer 19

Many believe Israel to be a political necessity to escape the bursts of anti-semitism

Question 20

Who was Theodore Herzl?

Answer 20

Born into an assimilated family, he was the journalist on the Dreyfus affair, and afterwards became a Zionist

Even though Jews may seek to integrate into societies, they’ll never be treated as equals

Question 21

What did Ben Yehuda do?

Answer 21

He emphasises the revival of the Hebrew Language - new settlers were determined to create a society based on the revival of Hebrew language and culture

Hebrew in the school - the younger generation to be only taught in Hebrew

Hebrew in the home - speak to all Jews in Hebrew

Question 22

What are the Kibbutz?

Answer 22

A socialist settlement unique to Israel

Question 23

What did the Kibbutz do?

Answer 23

• farming communities emerged to forge a new way of life
• developing darling communities which took the form of ‘Kibbutzim’
• based on the principle of joint property

Question 24

What was the First Zionist Conference, 1897?

Answer 24

Herzl convened the meeting - it set out the goals of the Zionist movement

Question 25

What were the aims of the Zionist movement?

Answer 25

(1) settlement in Eretz Israel
(2) organisation of Jewry in accordance with the laws
(3) strengthening a Jewish national sentiment
(4) steps towards obtaining consent of government

Question 26

Who is Rabbi Alkalai?

Answer 26

(19th C) An Orthodox Rabbi

Believed that the coming of the Messiah would be hastened by the move to Israel - not supported by Orthodox Rabbis

Encouraged national unity and attempted to reconcile the split between reform and orthodox

Question 27

Who is Rabbi Kalischer?

Answer 27

(19th C) Orthodox Rabbi

Opponent to reform

Many believe that Jews should wait for the Messiah before returning to Israel, Kalischer opposed this

Question 28

What is the Mizrachi movement?

Answer 28

• the religious wing of the Zionist movement
• wanted to secure the future of Jewish people through study of the Torah, observance of the Mitzvah and return to the holy land

Question 29

What was Einstein’s view on Zionism?

Answer 29

• like Spinoza, he did not believe in a personal God
• rejected nationalism
• experience of anti-Semitism convinced him the Jews needed a homeland in Palestine
• invite to be the President of Israel in 1952

Question 30

What is the motto of the Mizrachi movement?

Answer 30

‘the land of Israel to the people of Israel according to the law of Israel’

Question 31

What is the ‘Law of Return’?

Answer 31

In 1950 - by the Israeli Parliament, it gave the Jews those of Jewish ancestry and their spouses the right to migrate and settle in Israel with citizenships

Question 32

What is Political Zionism? (Theodore Herzl)

Answer 32

The Jewish problem’s essence was not individual but national

Question 33

What is the Jewish Question?

Answer 33

An international, political question

Question 34

What did Herzl picture the future of the jewish State?

Answer 34

A socialist Utopia

Question 35

What is practical zionism? (Leon Pinsker)

Answer 35

The practical means of gaining zionist goals

Question 36

What was ‘Habit Zion’?

Answer 36

A pre-exciting movement in the 1880s that was reviving the Jewish land

Question 37

What was the Second Aliyah?

Answer 37

Members of this who settled in Palestine would build modern towns and establish the first industrial enterprise

Question 38

Who advocates for religious zionism?

Answer 38

Abraham Cook

Question 39

Who is Abraham Cook?

Answer 39

A man of halakhah and believe that waiting 7 years for the promised land was impractical and unsustainable

The return to Israel would mark the end of a world-wide darkness (since the Diaspora)

Involved in the Balfour declaration

Question 40

What is cultural zionism?

Answer 40

The creation in Eretz Israel of a Jewish cultural centre would act to reinforce Jewish life and in the diaspora

Question 41

What did Asher Ginsburg believe?

Answer 41

At the centre, there would be a new Jewish national identity based in ethics and values

He criticised Herzl for his schemes - warned about the failure of Herzl

Question 42

What is the Haredi position?

Answer 42

• concerned secularism will replace Jewish faith
• views Jewish nationality as unique and not based on a culture or language
• duty of the pious Jews to pray for Zion
• forbidden to accelerate the Messianic age
• only 10% of Jews in Israel are Haredi

Question 43

What is Neturei Karta?

Answer 43

A group of Orthodox Jews who reject the new political ideology of Zion, the true Israel can only be established once the Messiah arrives

Question 44

What is Rashi’s commentary on Zion?

Answer 44

Jews are required to wait for heavenly redemption, this is distinct from the realm of humans,t wherefore any Jewish state that is not Messianic represents a denial of the divine wisdom

Question 45

How can Song of SOngs be interpreted as disagreeing with Zionism?

Answer 45

“oh daughters od Jerusalem […] the love before it is desired”

Question 46

What is Neturei Karta’s main argument against Zion?

Answer 46

• Jews should not rebel against the non-Jews who gave them a sanctuary
• to not i=emmigrate en mass to Israel
• Talmudic evidence that it is too early

Question 46

What is Neturei Karta’s main argument against Zion?

Answer 46

• Jews should not rebel against the non-Jews who gave them a sanctuary
• to not i=emmigrate en mass to Israel
• Talmudic evidence that it is too early