Exploring Herzl's Diary

The importance of Theodor Herzl to the modern history of the Jewish people cannot be overestimated.  In his diary entry of September 3, 1897, he predicted that he will have created a Jewish State in 50 years, which actually happened with the U.N. Partition for the Palestine Mandate on November 29, 1947. Statehood was declared on May 14, 1948.  Unfortunately, Herzl died in 1904 and did not see the results of his vision.

In using this excerpt from Herzl's diary, consider utilizing the following questions with your learners:

• How could Herzl be so confident that a Jewish State would be established fifty years in the future?  What do you think motivated this confidence?
• What is Herzl suggesting when he writes that territory is only the "concrete base" for the creation of a state?  What does Herzl believe is the real force behind creating a Jewish State?
• What is the importance Herzl places on creating a National Assembly?

This excerpt (download by selecting the View Resources button) is from Volume 5 of Herzl's eighteen diaries.  A digital version of all of Herzl's diaries, with translation into English, will be available for the first time begining in the upcoming months. The Jewish Educator Portal will share this resource when it becomes available.

This is a project of the Central Zionist Archive with the support of funders including Jewishhistory.com.