A MEMORABLE MILESTONE IN ISRAEL’S HISTORY
Merely a few days passed since the Jewish world and also the non-Jewish world celebrated the 125th anniversary of the first Zionist Congress, the birth of modern Zionism.
The relevance of this monumental event must be viewed in the context of today’s situation in the land of Israel, the Jewish people’s return to their homeland after 2,000 years of exile, and the world view (weltanschauung) of Israel’s existence, and the Jewish people’s place on the world stage.
WHAT DO HERZL AND CILR’S BENZIMRA HAVE IN COMMON? ARTICLE BY CILR’S GEOFF CLARFIELD: “WHAT WOULD HERZL HAVE US READ TODAY?", TIMES OF ISRAEL, SEP 4, 2022
"I believe that if Herzl were alive today, he would lament the fact that Jews and Israelis in and outside of the land of Israel are largely unaware that Israel’s land rights are guaranteed and have been guaranteed by international law for almost a century. If Herzl were alive today, he would not only take credit for his own remarkable pamphlet but exhort us to read something similar. And what could that book be?
I asked Goldi Steiner co-founder of Canadians for Israel’s Legal Rights. She told me, “I think Herzl would have recommended that we read the late Salomon Benzimra’s book, The Jewish People’s Right to the Land of Israel.” For this quote please scroll down for the full article which is available here.
To best illustrate the paradox in which the Jewish people find themselves today, we bring you a clear example, republishing some snippets from an article written by the eminent political analyst, Arlene Kushner’s following article:
DOES IT HAVE TO BE THIS TOUGH? By Arlene Kushner’s Blog August 30, 2022
“While here in Israel there is always much to contend with, at the moment, …..confronting a preponderance of problems of considerable proportions. They require vigilance and determined responses It is imperative, however, ….not to become discouraged by the scope of [the] challenges….. a crunch time of some major issues, …it is critical to consider them with unflinching honesty within the context of these differing views…..
Again and again….internationally, Israel is held to a different standard than other nations…. {FOR EXAMPLE} the observance of “Nakba” Day, which coincides with Israeli Independence Day. Nakba means catastrophe.
Consider:….how remote and impossible the founding of a Jewish State seemed 125 years ago. No one could have predicted that there would not only be a state for the Jewish people, but that it would be a state of incredible, unimagined accomplishment.
It is time for {the entire world} to remember this, and to move forward, intent on protecting and strengthening Israel, the nation-state of the Jewish People.
The founding of a political movement to establish a modern state based on the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their historical homeland". For the full article Read here.
FRIENDS, COLLABORATORS AND ALLIES OF CILR CELEBRATING AND/PARTICIPATING IN THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION OF THE FIRST JEWISH CONGRESS
First and foremost we salute Mort Klein ZOA’s National President
Mr. Klein and ZOA were honoured at the gala celebration in front of 1,200 guests, with an award for decades of outstanding years of efforts helping and defending Israel and the Jewish people..
What is little known by most, is the fact that ZOA known previously as "American Zionists", participated in the first Zionist Congress in 1897 delete dot in Basel..
Additionally, days earlier, Mr. Klein was awarded another great honour the “Herzl Aliyah” award – the very same given to Dr. Theodor Herzl at the Great Synagogue in Basel exactly 125 years ago, For the full coverage, read here.
NEXT, WE RECOGNIZE THE OUTSTANDING WORK OF EUROPEAN COALITION FOR ISRAEL-EC4I, A CHRISTIAN NGO, FOUNDED BY TOMAS SANDELL.
125 YEARS AFTER THE FIRST ZIONIST CONGRESS Article in The Times of Israel, Aug 25,2022 By Tomas Sandell
“When Theodor Herzl presented his Zionist vision 125 years ago this weekend in Basel, Switzerland the Christian world was divided. In most Christian circles, Jews were still considered “wandering Jews, cursed by God for not having accepted their Messiah”, whereas for others they were the “true Israelites of the Bible, loved by God because of the Patriarchs.” In one camp, Jews experienced disgust and animosity, in the other, an almost over-enthusiastic embrace. As history shows, it was partly thanks to the support of this latter group, mainly Evangelical Protestants, that the Zionist project took off. Still, those Christians who are highly critical of the Jewish state have not disappeared. They remain as vocal as ever….”
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE HAS BEEN SHARED WITH US BY NURIT GREENGER, PUBLICIST AND A LONGTIME LOYAL FRIEND AND ALLY OF CILR.
In Basel, Herzl's Zionist Covenant Got Renewed Authored by: Omer Lachmanovitch Aug 30, 2022
***Nurit’s Note: The Jewish People must remember Herzl's message that has characterized him for over 125 years of the Zionism he gave birth to: the ability to rise above narrow-mindedness and low-level interests, and put a vision into action. Zionism, a la Herzl, strives for moral and spiritual perfection for the Jewish people. This is the contract he signed, and this is the contract that has been continuously ratified for the past 125 years.
"At Basel, I founded the Jewish state. "The foundation of the state was already laid in the people's desire for a homeland." ~ Binyamin Ze'ev Theodor Herzl
This article below is but an abridged version of the original, reflecting CILR’s views.
“The current congress differed from the first in that over the years Israeli culture … [must develop] . The need for a vision…. for survival.
So, if only one insight emerged from the discussion panels, the cocktails and the many meetings held this week in Basel, it is that the Jewish People must remember Herzl's message that has characterized him for over 125 years of Zionism: the ability to rise above narrow-mindedness and low-level interests, and put a vision into action. Zionism, a la Herzl, strives for moral and spiritual perfection for the Jewish people. This is the contract he signed, and this is the contract that has been continuously ratified for the past 125 years.”