Trevor Hier
November 10, 2014
Judaic Studies / Morah Miriam
Zionism Assignment Essay
Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg was born on August 18, 1856 in Kiev, Ukraine. Known primarily by his Hebrew name Ahad Ha’am, he was a writer and one of the people at the forefront of Zionist thinking. He is one of the most prolific Zionist philosophers, as evidenced by one of his most famous quotes; he strived for “a Jewish state and not merely a state of Jews.” Ha’am was born in a small town near Kiev called Skvyra in the heart of Imperial Russia. He parents were Hasidic and relatively wealthy. When he turned eight years old, he began to teach himself to read Russian in secret. His father then sent him to heder until he turned twelve. As he grew, he became a critic of Orthodox Judaism but was loyal to his Jewish roots.…show more content… He penned his first article in 1889. It’s primary tenant was to criticize political Zionism. It was called Lo ze haderekh and it appeared in the periodical HaMelitz. In the article, Ha’am wrote that the Land of Israel was not bale to absorb a majority of the Jewish Diaspora, let alone all of it. Ma’am also argued that creating a home in Zion was not the key to solving the “Jewish Problem.” The physical conditions in Israel would also discourage people making Aliyah, as the land wasn't fertile or well settled. The ideas put forth in the article became and springboard for Bnai Moshe, a group that Ha’am proudly founded later that year. B’nai Moshe worked mainly to improve Hebrew education and help in the creation of Jewish settlements. Ma’am then became the editor of Hashiloah (a Hebrew periodical) in 1896. He was successful in holding this position for 6 years. In 1903, he stepped down as editor, deciding he wanted to return to the business
