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IVAN FRANKO AND THEODOR HERZL 241TRANSLATIONThe Jewish StateThe current sensation of the publishing market is Dr. Theodor Herzl's pamphlet,Der Judenstaat, Versuch einer modernen Lösung der Judenfrage. To betruthful, the idea presented by Dr. Herzl is not a new one. The creation oftheir own Jewish state is the eternal dream of the Jews. Especially in ourtime — a time of emancipation of the Jews, a time of unrestrained capitalism,of the expansion of technology that serves this same capitalism and pushesagainst the limits of the horizons of mankind — the idea of the restoration of aJewish state is echoed very often. George Eliot, the distinguished Englishnovelist, proclaimed this idea loudly and with great enthusiasm and talent inher famous book, Daniel Deronda. In our country the idea was brought up andexplained at length ten years ago by A. Nossig. The whole Zionist movement,which has fervent followers in our country, mainly among the Jewish youth, isa reflection of this idea. Dr. Herzl brings up the same idea with no lessenthusiasm than his predecessors, but at the same time he makes an effort toset this project on firm ground, to give it an appearance of practicability, andeven to clear the way for its fulfillment.A good fellow, decent through and through. An idealist of the kind thatfollows God's commandments. And to such people, as we know, the worldbelongs, because if they cannot conquer the real world, they easily create anew one and govern it according to their own fancy. Dr. Herzl is imbued withmodern ideas, but he applies the elements of present-day knowledge to hisown purposes. In his opinion, for instance, the views hitherto expressed bysocial economists that labor constitutes the foundation for civilization arewrong. Labor, in Dr. Herzl's opinion, is something conservative, stagnating.Miracles are made solely by the enterprising spirit, and only venture pusheslabor forward, bringing a flowof economic riches. Venture is civilization itself.With these words one can summarize Dr. Herzl's historical device. And if it isso, then a nation bestowed with a special gift for venture is civilization's mostpowerful factor, is indeed its real pioneer, who deserves to and can lead itsmarch. Jews are such a nation.Regrettably, until now, historical circumstances have not developed so as toallow the Jews to occupy the place in this march that is their due. Dispersedamong foreign nations, working together with them, feeling themselves to besons of different fatherlands, the Jews in many places have lost the belief intheir own national distinctness and yielded to the currents of assimilation.This, however, has not saved them from hatred and assaults, has not preventedthe increase of antisemitism. Antisemitism is nowadays a commonslogan. In some countries it is loud and blatant, in others silent, latent inpeasant huts. Folk proverbs and tales breathe antisemitic spirit. The equality