ZIONISM MOVEMENT AND THE HOLOCAUST

WORDS TO KNOW  Zionism – movement to form a Jewish state in Israel  Holocaust – mass murder of Jews and other prisoners by the Germans in World War II  Holy Land – place where Biblical events occurred  Concentration Camps - places where Jewish prisoners were confined  Palestinians – Arabs in Palestine (present day Israel  Refugees – people fleeing from a land

HISTORY OF ANTI-SEMITISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST 770 B.C.E – The Romans conquered Palestine and required Jews to worship Roman Gods. DDeath of Jesus Christ and the establishment of Christianity as an official religion LLaws were passed that prevented people from eating with, working with, or mixing with Jews. JJews were forbidden to run for office and participate in government.

ISRAEL’S ANCIENT HISTORY – FROM KINGDOM TO DESTRUCTION AND EXILE The First Temple built  1000 BC - Israel’s tribes became a monarchy (According to the bible: Kings Saul, David and Salomon). First Temple built  925 BC - Partition of ancient Israel into the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel  722 BC - Assyrians invaded northern kingdom – The end of the Kingdom of Israel. Part of the population was deported to the eastern frontier of Assyrian. many people fled south to Judah who became much more populated

 587 BCE Judah fell to the Babylonians, Temple destroyed, Main Babylonian exile begins. Large part of the population of Judah (the upper and the middle class was deported) to Babylon. Part of the Jewish population fled to Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia – the beginning of the Jewish Diaspora  537 BCE After the overthrow of Babylonia by the Persian Empire, in the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great gave the Jews a permission to return to their native land. A post exiled Jewish community was established in Judah comprised of 125,000 to 130,000 souls  516 BCE Second temple built

 331 BCE - Defeat of The Persian Empire by Alexander the Great. Judah part of the new empire  323 BCE – Death of Alexander. The division of the empire between Alexander’s generals  BCE – Judah part of the Seleucid Empire (established by Seleucus, one of the Generals) attempts to impose the Greek culture (Hellenization) on the Jews instead of Judaism

 63 BCE - The Roman Empire enforced its rule on Judah made it a Roman province  CE- Jewish Revolt against the Roman Empire. The destruction of the Second Temple. It is estimated that over 100,000 Jews were killed, and nearly 100,000 were taken to Rome as slaves. Many Jews fled to countries around the Mediterranean  the Bar-Kochba revolt began led by Simon bar Kokhba. 135 the revolt was crushed. The end of Jewish Sovereignty.

 The Roman Suppress any remnants of Jewish Sovereignty changing the name of the whole country to Palestine.  From now on it will be referred by all its future rulers as part of Syria, called Syria-Palestine. (After Philistines mentioned In the Bible, the area inhabited by them was known as Pleshet, in cities along the coast (Gaza Ashkelon Ashdod)  (330–640 CE) - Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire) rule  (638–1099 CE) - Arab (Islamic) Caliphate rule

HISTORY OF ANTI-SEMITISM CONTINUED  The 1 st Crusades  “Baptism or Death”  Nearly 10,000 Jews died because they refused to convert  One leader vowed “to leave no single member of the Jewish race alive.”  Because of the Crusades, many Jews fled to Eastern and Central Europe.

REASONS CONTINUED…  1400s and 1500s  Jews were relegated to jobs in banking which resulted in the stereotype of them as “money-hungry.”  Blamed for various problems in the community  Forced to live in isolated “ghettos”  Artists portrayed Jews as devils and as Satan.  Over time, Jews were driven from Central Europe and settled in Poland and Russia.  In the 1800s, Jews were murdered in organized killings called pogroms.

THE BIG PICTURE Anti-Semitism followed Jewish People wherever they went!!!!

ZIONISM!!!! THE SOLUTION TO ANTI-SEMITISM

ZIONISM Zionism = From the biblical word "Zion", often used as a synonym for Jerusalem and the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael).  Encyclopedia Britannica : A Jewish nationalist movement that has had as its goal the creation and support of a Jewish national state in Palestine, the ancient homeland of the Jews  The Basel Program ( program determined by the first Zionist Congress in Basel in August 1897) : Zionism strive to create for the Jewish people a home in Palestine secured by public law.

HERZL AFTER THE FIRST CONGRESS “Were I to sum up the Basel Congress in a word which I shall guard against pronouncing publicly, it would be this: At Basel, I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today, I would be answered by universal laughter. Perhaps in 5 years, certainly in 50 everyone will know it ” “ Herzl ” s Diary ”, 3 September 1897

THEODOR HERZL  By 1897 Theodor Herzl's book The Jewish State spread like wildfire throughout the Jewish world and Herzl became the most recognizable leader of the Zionist movement when he presided over the first international Zionist Congress.

NATION AND NATIONALISM ► Nation : a named human population ( “ The French People ”, “ British ” ) possessing a myth of common descent, common historical memories, elements of shared culture, an association with particular territory and sense of solidarity. ► Nationalism – An Ideology which requires political independence, self determination within the nation unit ’ s own territory. It holds that political and national unit should be identical. ( Anthony D. Smith, The Ethnic Origins of Nations; G. Simony, The Zionist Ideology)

ARE THE JEWS A NATION OR A RELIGIOUS/CULTURAL GROUP? “ Yom Kippur, ” 1878 Maurycy Gottlieb

ETHNO-SYMBOLIC HYPOTHESIS  Ethnicity – The mere presence of ethnic attributes such as consciousness of common origin (whether mythic or actual) religion and territory (or association with territory)

ETHNO-SYMBOLIC HYPOTHESIS  Ethnicism – A state of mind, the conversion of such attributes of ethnicity into highly ranked attributes/values

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ARGUMENTS FOR THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT  Jews could no longer live as minority in other countries  Jews could no longer expect non-Jewish governments to protect them.  Jews needed a country of their own to escape persecution.  Biblical obligation to live in the land of Israel.  The land was promised to them as the land of their roots.  Jews needed a country of their own to faithfully fulfill their religious obligations.

SYMBOLS OF THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT AND THE STATE OF ISRAEL Theodore Herzl – The visionary of the Jewish state The Menorah Ancient Seven- Armed Candelabrum The Flag of Israel

THE MENORAH ANCIENT SEVEN-ARMED CANDELABRUM. The Menorah on the Arch of Titus, Rome About 70 AD The Menorah on a Hasmonean coin from the 1st century BC

TAKING SIDES OF JEWISH HOMELAND  At the end of WWI, Britain gained Palestine.  British government limited the migration of Jews to Palestine.  Jews were angry because they helped Britain to gain Palestine.  This sentiment increased animosity between the Jewish population and the Arab population that already lived in Palestine. Eventually, the Balfour Declaration was declared. It recognized Palestine as a “Jewish” state. THE DECLARATION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL May 14, 1948

IMAGES OF THE HOLOCAUST  It is estimated that 6 million Jews were murdered during the World War II  German soldiers often looked for Jews and would treat them harsh. Many Jews were confined to concentration camps.  Many Jewish families were divided during the Holocaust. Some never saw each other again.  Symbols such as the one below represented Anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is hatred toward Jewish people.

THE RIGHT TO THE LAND THE DECLARATION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL " The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books.” “After being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it throughout their dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom.“ “Impelled by this historic and traditional attachment, Jews strove in every successive generation to re-establish themselves in their ancient homeland.”

MAIN ZIONIST ’ S ARGUMENTATIONS REGARDING THE RIGHT TO THE LAND 1. The Land of Israel is the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and National identity was shaped. 2. They were forcibly exiled from their country 3. Nevertheless while in exile they pray and did not lose faith and hope to return and to restore the sovereignty 4. Despite all manner of restrictions, and persecution and insecurity, Jews continued to maintain some presence in Palestine and Jews as groups and Individuals never ceased to return. 5. Since the destruction of the Jewish Commonwealth by Rome it became a backward province of successive empires, but never been an “indigenous statehood” and until the 20 century the Jews were the only people who regarded Palestine as their homeland

THE DIVINE PROMISE And the lord appeared unto Abram and said unto him. I am God Almighty…I will established my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout the generations for the everlasting covenant to be a God unto thee and thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee…the land of Canaan for the everlasting holding: and I will be their God (Gen 17:1 7,8)