Return to the Promised Land.. Jacek Surzyn

and Herzl opted for Zionism due to the misery of political and economic life of Jews, Hess seeks in Palestine the salvation for the culture and Messianic spirit of the Jewry. This difference in the Zionist viewpoint will deepen in later time and crystallize in acute antagonism between political Zionism of Herzl and spiritual (or philosophical) one of Ahad Haam.”¹⁰² In Hess’ idea, we may see the germ of the future great discussion as part of the Zionist movement, although we should be careful in perceiving Hess as a supporter of only cultural restoration of Jews. This plan seems to be a real assumption of certain conditions necessary to carry out Jews’ spiritual revival, not only for purely cultural purposes but also for enhancing ←70 | 71→patriotic awareness necessary to build a strong modern nation. Hess seems to be the protagonist of Herzl, so Zineman is wrong in opposing the two thinkers so strongly. The author is definitely right in the quoted fragment as he refers to the motivations of Hess and Herzl (and also Pinsker). In the case of Hess, the primary element is the Messianic idea of national restoration, and in the case of the other two, the most important are economic and political reality connected with the observation of the poor position of Jews, both in terms of politics and economy. Hess’ concept remains a beautiful idea, somewhat unrelated to the reality of Jewish life, although in the near future it may in a way affect that reality.

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