#2: The Beginnings of Modern Jewish Nationalism, 1807-1895

Building the Impossible Dream: The History of Zionism

Not long after the Napoleon-inspired Sanhedrin had declared the end of Jewish nationalism, small but growing numbers of Jews around the world embarked on three separate efforts that laid the foundation for creating a modern state in the ancient homeland: reviving Hebrew as a language for addressing contemporary issues and for daily living; developing the case for the idea of re-establishing a Jewish state in the land of Israel; and bringing about the settling of the land by Jewish pioneers. This episode describes these activities and the figures who led them from the early 19th century until the middle of its final decade.

Supplemental Materials:

• "How America's Idealism Drained Its Jews of Their Resilience" by Daniel Gordis.
• "How a Founding Socialist Inspired Karl Marx, and Then Went on to Herald the State of Israel" by Asael Abelman.