The
Jewish tragedy of our age lies in the fact that the Jewish people
is scattered and splintered. The individual Jews nowadays is isolated
as such and suffers as a result of this isolation. This suffering
has become a tragedy. How is it possible to find a solution for
this tragic situation other than by establishing a home of our own?
The man who realized that with unusual clarity was Theodor Herzl.
What
Herzl saw was simplicity in itself, yet no one had realized it before
him. Only a small group of people had concentrated around him. He
realized that the Jewish people alone is capable of creating the
movement that would break through that individual isolation.
With
the healthy instinct of a political genius, Herzl felt that that
could be achieved through the rebuilding of Eretz Israel. Almost
all opposed Herzl, in the fear that the idea might prove injurious
to their status in the countries of their domicile - possibly might
lead to a complete loss of status. Herzl, who knew that that was
not the case, entered upon that onerous task which proved to be
impossible from the political point of view, with a small group
of faithful followers. Nowadays we have come to realize that Herzl
had set them on the road to redemption. We must recognize that with
all our hearts and express our deep admiration of his memory.