Theodor Herzl - writer, journalist, founder of political Zionism. His name is the main symbol of modern Israel, as well as all Jewish history. Theodore created the World Zionist Organization. His name is given to many boulevards and streets in Israeli cities. This article will describe a short biography of the writer.
Childhood
Theodor Herzl was born in Budapest in 1860. The boy grew up in an assimilated family, which Jewish traditions were not alien to. Moreover, Theodora’s grandfather was a Jew and studied under Rabbi Alkalay Yehuda. The boy’s mother and father especially respected Jewish customs. Although young Herzl went through the Bar Mitzvah and circumcision ceremonies, his commitment to Judaism was rather superficial. He knew neither the language nor the elementary customs of Israel.
Study
Theodor Herzl from a young age loved to read literature and compose poetry. While studying at the gymnasium, the boy published his reviews of plays and books in a Budapest newspaper. Soon, Theodore left the gymnasium, offended by the teacher’s anti-Semitic explanations.
In 1878, the Herzley family moved to Vienna, where the young man entered the university for law. Six years later, Theodor received his doctorate and worked for some time in the courts of Salzburg and in the Austrian capital. But soon the future writer tied up with jurisprudence.
Literary and journalistic activities
Since 1885, Theodor Herzl, whose quotes are still used by many Israelis, was engaged exclusively in writing. He composed a number of philosophical stories and plays. In the early 1890s, the young man earned a reputation in Europe as a brilliant journalist. Theodore's strengths were short essays and feuilleton. At that time, anti-Semitism was the only Jewish topic he touched. Nevertheless, he defended in Europe a number of famous people of this nationality who converted to Catholicism. Herzl hoped that this would push other Jews to mass conversion and lead to the end of anti-Semitism. But then he came to the conclusion: such "euthanasia" has neither moral nor practical meaning.
Dreyfus affair
Herzl, whose life story is known to any Jew, soon became a follower of Zionism. The reason for this was the case of Alfred Dreyfus. The latter was publicly subjected to the “civil execution” rite: they tore the orders from their uniforms and broke their sword. Theodore attended this ceremony and was struck by the cries of the French crowd. She called for the death of Dreyfus.
Jewish state
The reconstruction of the Jewish state - Herzl caught fire with this very thought. Writer's ideas required support. And he went to look for her with Baron de Hirsch and the Rothschilds - the richest Jews of the planet. However, this turned out to be a futile undertaking. But Theodore did not abandon his idea and wrote a pamphlet "The Jewish State" containing 63 pages. There, he explained in detail why it is possible to create it, and told how to do it.
The development of Zionism
About ten years passed between the humiliation of Dreyfus and the death of the writer. During this period, Theodore managed to establish all the main structures of the Zionist movement. In 1897, the first congress of this community was held in Basel. Every year the number of its members increased exponentially. Jews saw in Zionism a real political movement that could solve their problems.
During the first year of his activity, Theodore tried to enlist the support of the Turkish Sultan (Eretz Yisrael was under his rule). But the long negotiations were unsuccessful. After that, Herzl decided to pay attention to the more far-sighted England. In 1917, when Theodore was already 13 years old, this country literally wrested control of Eretz Israel from the hands of Turkey. And then England issued the Balfour Declaration, which supported the idea of creating a Jewish state on this Israeli land.
Theodor Herzl about Russia
The hero of this article visited our country in 1903. In all the Jewish places, Theodore was greeted like a messiah. Herzl also met with Russian officials and tried to convince them to put pressure on the Sultan so that the contractual company of the writer in Palestine would be successful. Herzl made the greatest impression on Pleva (Minister of Foreign Affairs). Perhaps Theodore’s most famous statement about our country is: “To conquer the world, you need to conquer Russia.” Here are some more popular quotes: “Money is a good and pleasant thing, only people spoil it”, “The rich can make you famous; but only the poor can make you a hero ”,“ A nation is a historical community of people, which is united by the presence of a common enemy. ”
Personal life
Herzl and his family had to pay a very high price for their fascination with Zionism. In 1889, Theodore married Julia Nashauer. But, being a man obsessed, he paid her very little attention. In the family, the spouse had people with mental illness. This affected the fate of the children of Theodore. Paulina (eldest daughter) died due to drug use. Son Hans committed suicide on the day of his sister's funeral. The youngest daughter of Labor spent almost all her life in hospitals, and ended her in one of the Nazi concentration camps. But she managed to give birth to a son. In 1946, Herzl's only grandson committed suicide. Thus, the writer did not have any heirs.
Disease
In addition to the intense struggle for Zionism, Theodor Herzl, whose biography was presented above, participated in fierce verbal fights with opponents. This led to an exacerbation of his heart disease. The situation was complicated by pneumonia. Soon the writer's condition worsened, and he died in July 1904 in Edlah (Austria).
The funeral
In the will, Theodor Herzl asked to be buried next to his father in Vienna. And as soon as the Jewish people have the opportunity, let their body be transferred to Israeli land. The remains of Theodore were transported only in August 1949. Now the writer's ashes rest in Jerusalem on Mount Herzl. The day of the death of the founder of Zionism is celebrated on the 20th day of the month Tammuz.