Zionism A Political Solution
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The Jewish world has changed significantly during the past three hundred years. The transition from static life in the Eastern Europe shtetls during the 19th century, to the ownership of a Jewish state in Israel, was facilitated by some of the most perspicacious minds in Jewish history. The concept of Zionism stems from the observations of these brilliant men during some of the more difficult time periods for European Jewry. Jewish nationalism at the turn of the 20th century developed from the necessity of empowering European Jewry for both religious and security reasons. During the 18th century, Jews had begun forgetting their roots and assimilating into their host nations. Leaders like Jacob Embden and Theodore Herzl feared the loss of Jewish identity and, to counteract it, ignited the first sparks of what would later become known as Zionism. (Sicker 75) In this paper, the reasons for the development of Jewish nationalism and the resulting political changes will be discussed. Much of the Jewish unity we see today has to do directly with the existence of Israel and the empowerment it has given to Jews worldwide.
In 1807, Napoleon Bonaparte brought an Assembly of Jewish Notables and a Supreme Court Sanhedrin together to discuss the concept of Jewish identity within his realm. Napoleon believed French Jews were a nation of their own and should have separate rights, but the court decided they were equal French citizens and gave them full emancipation under Napoleonic Law...