9 Key Questions About Theodor Herzl’s “The Jewish State,” February 14, 1896CIE+
Nine questions guide key understandings about Theodor Herzl’s “The Jewish State.”
From biblical times to the present, Jews and Judaism have had an unbroken connection to Zion, a reference to Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, derived from the hill at the heart of Jerusalem. Zionism was and remains the Jewish quest to have and sustain a Jewish state in Jews’ ancient land. Zionism is Jewish nationalism.
The Key Curated Essentials for Zionism and Other Jewish History
Israel’s Declaration of Independence, 1948
The Declaration recounts the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, the birth of Zionism and U.N. recognition of a Jewish state’s legitimacy. It also promises that the state will be a democracy for all its citizens.
Explainer: What Is Zionism?
From biblical times to the present, Jews and Judaism have had an unbroken connection to Zion, a reference to Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, derived from the hill at the heart of Jerusalem. Zionism…
Explainer: The New Yishuv, an IntroductionCIE+
April 14, 2025 The period of the New Yishuv lasted from the last 40 years of Ottoman rule in Palestine through the British Mandate until the establishment of Israel in 1948. It saw the growth…
Ken Stein, Zionism’s Overarching Concept: Seek and Preserve Jewish Self-DeterminationCIE+
להיות עם חופשי בארצנו Zionism’s two part history, Early History to 1897 and Zionism 1898 to 1948 Where has Zionism succeeded? What remains incomplete or unfinished? Finished or well-shaped results of Zionism Unfinished results…
Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism, Then and NowCIE+
By Scott Abramson, May 2024 Introduction — A Unique Hatred If the Bible nearly 3,000 years ago described the Jews as “a people who shall dwell alone,” Jewish history has since validated this as prophecy….
How Did the Zionists Create the State of Israel?
Delve into the roots of Jewish peoplehood and the pivotal moments in Jewish history that led to the rebirth of Israel in 1948. Explore how precarious Diaspora life and outbursts of violent antisemitism catalyzed Jewish self-determination. Examine how Jewish leaders employed compromise, perseverance and adaptation in interactions with the Ottomans, British, and Arabs to overcome challenges, and so much more.
The Sephardim: Making the State, Politics and Culture, Professor Yaron Ayalon (39:54)CIE+
In a 40-minute video recorded June 14, 2021, Dr. Yaron Ayalon of the College of Charleston and Rich Walter of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta delve into the history and the political and cultural…
Vladimir Jabotinsky, “The Iron Wall,” 1923CIE+
Ze’ev Jabotinsky argues that peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Jews in Palestine is impossible until Zionists demonstrate through strength that they are an irreversible presence in the Land of Israel.
David Ben-Gurion, Guideline for Zionist Policy, 1941CIE+
Jewish Agency head David Ben-Gurion emphasizes that a Jewish state will be a place for all, including Arabs, and calls for Jews to be better educated about the elements of a state.
1950-1951 Israel Year Book, “The Zionist Movement”CIE+
Celebrating the creation and survival of the State of Israel, the yearbook provides a thorough history of the Zionist movement from the First Zionist Congress in 1897 to independence in 1948.
History of Zionism From the Earliest Times to the Formation of Zionism — Jewish Encyclopedia, 1906CIE+
The text of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia entry on Zionism from its biblical origins to the death of Theodor Herzl in 1904.
Glossaries, Personalities, and Terms on Zionism and Modern IsraelCIE+
Glossaries This section offers easy access to names, events, and terms associated with modern Israeli history. Terms listed were used successfully by students for understanding context in learning about modern Israel and the Middle East….
Zionism and Israel: From the Tanakh to 1948
Zionism and Israel: From the Tanakh to 1948 explores the foundations of the centrality of the Land of Israel to the Jewish people and how the relationship between the people and the land evolved over time. Activities and background information are provided to help learners explore the growth of the Jewish Diaspora, the evolving relationship between the people and the Land and the origins of the Zionist movement. Following the First Zionist Congress in 1897, Zionism and Israel: From the Tanakh to 1948 shifts to explore how the Basle Declaration and subsequent documents guided the movement’s actions towards its vision for a Jewish State. The material concludes with an exercise on Israel’s Declaration of Independence.
Land and Jewish Nationhood: The Making of the Jewish State (video, 49:18)CIE+
Rabbi Michael Berger, a professor in Emory University’s religion department, and CIE President Ken Stein, an Emory emeritus professor, trace 3,000 years of Jewish connection to the Land of Israel and the strategies that prepared…
Era I: Jewish Peoplehood to 1897
From the biblical covenants, Jews bound themselves to the belief in one G-d, an unbreakable tie to the Land of Israel. From its inception, Jewish identity was wrapped around the mutual commitments between G-d and the people. Judaism became the foundation for Christianity and Islam.
Era II: Zionism to Israel, 1898 to 1948
From 1898 to 1948, Zionism evolved from an idea to a concrete reality: the actual establishment of the Jewish state, Israel. Slowly, a few immigrating Jews created facts by linking people to the land. For half a century, fortuity and fortitude made the Zionist undertaking a reality. They exhibited pragmatism and gradually constructed a nucleus for a state. Through perseverance Zionists empowered themselves.
An Annotated Bibliography of Basic Books on Zionism, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict
If one wants to start from scratch or build on an already sophisticated knowledge base about Zionism, modern Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict, we believe that the books in English here have significant value. While…
Stories of Israel’s Founders and the Declaration of Independence (31:47)CIE+
May 7, 2023 In a 32-minute presentation recorded during the second hour of our special two-hour Israel@75 webinar and Teen Israel Leadership Institute session May 7, 2023, Adina Karpuj, a podcast producer for Israel Story who lives in Jerusalem, talks…
The Declaration of IndependenceCIE+
Explore the foundational text of the State of Israel.
Shlomo Avineri, “Zionism as a National Liberation Movement,” Jerusalem QuarterlyCIE+
Winter 1979 By Shlomo Avineri “Zionism as a National Liberation Movement,” Jerusalem Quarterly 10 (Winter 1979): pp. 133-144. At the root of Zionism lies a paradox. On the one hand, there is no doubt about…
Jewish Peoplehood, Zionism and State Building (33:10)CIE+
Recorded March 20, 2022, this 33-minute presentation by Center for Israel Education President Ken Stein addresses how teachers’ decisions on when in history to begin the story of Israel alter what students learn about Zionism, the State of Israel and the Jewish people’s connection to the land.
David Ben-Gurion’s “Vision and Redemption,” 1958
Ben-Gurion elegantly connects modern Israel from messianic redemption to Zionism, building the country through labor and immigration, with dual needs to remain actively linked to the Jewish diaspora and Jewish values through education.
Interview With Israeli Prime Minister-Elect Menachem Begin, ABC News’ “Issues and Answers,” May 1977CIE+
Prime Minister-elect Begin rebukes President Carter’s assertion that Israel will need to withdraw from almost all the lands Israel secured in the June 1967 war, especially Jerusalem and the West Bank. Begin is adamant opposed to dealing with the PLO. Begin refuses to relinquish Israeli decision-making to US preferences or dictates. These fundamental policy disagreements will remain unresolved between Begin and Carter for the duration of Carter’s presidency, and years after.
Amos Oz, “The Whole Reckoning Is Not Over Yet,” 2018
Novelist Amos Oz’s final speech provides a summation of a lifetime of insights into Israeli society and a vision for what Zionism has yet to accomplish.
Why learning about Israel mattersCIE+
Whether you are Jewish or non-Jewish, knowing and familiarizing yourself with the history and future of Israel is about knowing your unique origins.
1951 U.N. Report, “The Situation of Jews in Moslem Countries”
This report submitted to the United Nations at the end of 1951 notes that “some one million Jews have become the victims of accelerated antiSemitism” since 1948 in the Muslim countries of the Arab League and North Africa, “communities which have existed for thousands of years.” The report analyzes the situation for Jews overall and explains restrictions and oppressive measures country by country.
Prime Minister Begin’s Knesset Address During Sadat’s Visit, November 1977
Begin welcomes Sadat’s bold initiative, seeking an end to the conflict with other Arab states through negotiated treaties. Begin invites other Arab leaders to negotiate as Sadat was doing.
Mufti Rejects Majority-Arab Palestinian State, 1939CIE+
Mufti opposes Arab majority state in ten years contrary to wishes of a dozen key other Palestinian leaders. Mufti wants no Jewish political presence in Palestine whatsoever.
How Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin Viewed the 1993 Oslo Accords — A Collection in His Own WordsCIE+
In September 2023, thirty years after the historic signing of the Oslo Accords, there is occasion to review Prime Minister Rabin’s understanding of them. I assembled this collection years ago from Daily Reports- Near East and South Asia, 1993-1995. Two short items about Rabin’s views are also found or linked here. Rabin provided a summary of his views of the Accords in a Knesset speech in October 5, 1995. Some of Rabin’s reasons for signing the Accords are also provided in Yehuda Avner’s The Prime Ministers.
Mixed Muslim and Arab Views and Actions Toward Jews, Zionism and Israel, 1920s-PresentCIE+
For more than a century, Arab and Muslim leaders have expressed hatred for Jews, Zionism and Israel, although some have pointed internally for the failures of the Palestinian Arab national movement.
Ken Stein, “One Hundred Years of Social Change: The Creation of the Palestinian Refugee Problem”CIE+
Kenneth W. Stein, “One Hundred Years of Social Change: The Creation of the Palestinian Refugee Problem,” in Laurence Silberstein (ed.), New Perspectives on Israeli History: The Early Years of the State, New York University Press,…
First Zionist Congress, Hebrew Language Newspaper ReportingCIE+
Three European journalists provide firsthand accounts of the First Zionist Congress and its delegates.
“The Jewish State” by Theodor Herzl, 1896
Eventual founding leader of the World Zionist Organization Theodor Herzl says a Jewish state is need in response to antisemitism.
More Curated Essentials for Zionism and Other Jewish History
Era I: Jewish Peoplehood to 1897
July 5, 2023
From the biblical covenants, Jews bound themselves to the belief in one G-d, an unbreakable tie to the Land of Israel. From its inception, Jewish identity was wrapped around the mutual commitments between G-d and the people. Judaism became the foundation for Christianity and Islam.
Era II: Zionism to Israel, 1898 to 1948
July 5, 2023
From 1898 to 1948, Zionism evolved from an idea to a concrete reality: the actual establishment of the Jewish state, Israel. Slowly, a few immigrating Jews created facts by linking people to the land. For half a century, fortuity and fortitude made the Zionist undertaking a reality. They exhibited pragmatism and gradually constructed a nucleus for a state. Through perseverance Zionists empowered themselves.
Biblical CovenantsCIE+
16th to 8th Century B.C.E.
G-d promises Jews a great nation in return for observance of belief and practice of laws.
Liturgical References to Zion and JerusalemCIE+
Biblical Era Through 20th Century
The Hebrew Bible, Prophetic Books, the Talmud, the daily prayer book, and ancient Jewish texts reinforce Judaism’s relationship to G-d and Eretz Yisrael.
Maps: Forming a Nucleus for the Jewish State, 1882-1947 (Linking People to the Land) — Aliyah/Aliyot
1882-1947
With 20 maps and prose, trace the progression of Jewish physical and demographic growth toward state building from 1882 to 1948 (25,000 to 600,000), with two-thirds in place by 1940.
“The Jewish State” by Theodor Herzl, 1896
February 14, 1896
Eventual founding leader of the World Zionist Organization Theodor Herzl says a Jewish state is need in response to antisemitism.
Land and Jewish Nationhood: The Making of the Jewish State (video, 49:18)CIE+
December 22, 2022
Rabbi Michael Berger, a professor in Emory University’s religion department, and CIE President Ken Stein, an Emory emeritus professor, trace 3,000 years of Jewish connection to the Land of Israel and the strategies that prepared...
Max Nordau Addresses First Zionist Congress, 1897CIE+
August 29, 1897
Max Nordau's impassioned speech summarizes the unique Jewish identity of belief, Torah, ritual and community. With those central elements as a people, their state of impoverishment and wretched physical insecurity, he argues, are vital for rebuilding the Jewish national territory.
Balfour Declaration, 1917
November 2, 1917
The British Foreign Ministry promises to work toward a Jewish national home in Palestine with no harm to non-Jewish populations or to Jews living elsewhere who might want to support a Jewish home.
Jewish Peoplehood, Zionism and State Building (33:10)CIE+
March 20, 2022
Recorded March 20, 2022, this 33-minute presentation by Center for Israel Education President Ken Stein addresses how teachers’ decisions on when in history to begin the story of Israel alter what students learn about Zionism, the State of Israel and the Jewish people’s connection to the land.
League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, 1922
July 24, 1922
International legitimacy is granted to establish a Jewish National Home in Palestine. Rules for its establishment clearly give Jews in Palestine distinct advantages over the local Arab population.
Jewish Agency’s Margalith Identifies Arab Peasant Displacement From Arab Landlord Sales to Jewish Buyers, 1930CIE+
February 5, 1930
Two letters detail how Arab peasants are sometimes swindled out of their lands by Arab land brokers and effendis, noting economic harm to them, and how they learn to avoid landlords and sell directly to Jewish buyers. Intra-Arab communal tension rises.
1931-1949: Arab Land Sales to Jews — Palestine Arab Press, British Reports and Zionist AccountsCIE+
1931-1949
Palestinian Arabs' own words, backed by the observations of British and Zionist officials, show that their awareness that their own people were helping the Zionist causes through land sales, often displacing Arab peasants.
Systematic Agricultural Colonization in Palestine, 1933CIE+
August 21, 1933
A report presented at the 18th Zionist Congress looks at the present and future of Jewish agricultural settlement and expansion in Mandatory Palestine, including the export market.
David Ben-Gurion’s Secret Remarks on “Arab Perceptions of Zionism,” 1937CIE+
January 7, 1937
Ben-Gurion recognized that Arab opposition to Zionism is a national feeling and that Palestinian Arab leadership had done little to help the majority impoverished peasant population.
Political Significance of JNF Land Purchase, 1937CIE+
December 31, 1937
With more Arab sale offers than funds for purchases, Zionist leaders decide on strategic priorities and designate areas around Haifa, Jerusalem-Jaffa road, and the Galilee near headwaters of the
Jordan River.
Peel Commission Report, Excerpts From the Findings and Recommendations of the Royal Commission, 1937
July 7, 1937
After outbreak of communal violence, the British investigatory committee suggests partition of Palestine, seeking to create two states for two peoples.
Secret Intelligence on Arab Leaders Meeting in Damascus, 1938CIE+
September 30, 1938
This document was secured at the Central Zionist Archives in Jerusalem. Less than a year before Hitler invaded Poland, Arab leaders with an interest in Palestine are starkly disappointed that the the German government did not go to war against the Zionists in Palestine. The same leaders give the Zionist national builders high marks for their perseverance against terrorist bands in the Palestinian countryside. They worry that unless Arab states come to the Palestinians’ assistance, Palestine will be lost to the Zionists. A remarkable assessment for Palestinian Arab leaders and their supporters.
David Ben-Gurion, Guideline for Zionist Policy, 1941CIE+
March 23, 1941
Jewish Agency head David Ben-Gurion emphasizes that a Jewish state will be a place for all, including Arabs, and calls for Jews to be better educated about the elements of a state.
The Biltmore Program, 1942CIE+
May 11, 1942
In New York, urging American (Jewish) support, Ben-Gurion proclaims the eventual establishment of a Jewish state.
Jewish Request at End of WWII: Let My People Go (to Palestine)! Moshe Sharett, 1945CIE+
May 13, 1945
Moshe Sharett urges the British and Americans to open Palestine to unimpeded Jewish immigration from Europe.
Origins of Israeli Democracy: Jewish Political Culture and Pre-State PracticeCIE+
June 9, 2023
Neither Israel’s political culture nor Israel’s democracy based on Jewish self determination simply materialized on May 15, 1948. A connection exists from Jewish self-rule in the Diaspora to Zionist political autonomy during the Yishuv and to contemporary Israeli political culture. Likewise, the origins of Israeli democracy are found in the hundreds of years of Jewish Diasporas transitioning into the Zionist movement to the state; from aliyot before the Palestine Mandate to 1948 and since. Components of Israeli political culture...
Shlomo Avineri – “Democracy in Israel: Past, Present, and Future”CIE+
January 22, 2021
Hosted by the Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at UCLA All rights reserved to Professor Avineri and the Nazarian Center Transcribed by the Center for Israel Education, Atlanta, Ga. January 15, 2021. Transcript Dov...
UNGA (Palestine Partition) Resolution 181, 1947
November 29, 1947
The UN recommended establishing Arab and Jewish states in Palestine, with an international regime for Jerusalem. Zionists were jubilant; Arab states and the Palestinians were indignant and rejected two state solution. No Arab state is established, Israel is in 1948
Yigal Allon, Lessons From the War of Independence, 1952CIE+
1952
With crisp analysis, Haganah Commander Yigal Allon, later a Prime Minister of Israel attributes Israel's successes to multiple factors including the absence of a centralized Arab command, limited Arab military training, underestimating the potential fighting capabilities of local Arabs, and Israel's success in integrating its citizens into the war effort.
Memorandum on the Administration of Palestine, June 1947CIE+
June 1947
Published by the British Administration of Palestine, this summary emphasizes attempts at impartiality in governing the Mandate. It notes that in 1922, the Jewish community already possessed 'national' characteristics, while the Arab community’s composition was sociologically and economically divided and to a large degree impoverished by the war.
Israel’s Declaration of Independence, 1948
May 14, 1948
The Declaration recounts the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, the birth of Zionism and U.N. recognition of a Jewish state’s legitimacy. It also promises that the state will be a democracy for all its citizens.
1950-1951 Israel Year Book, “The Zionist Movement”CIE+
1951
Celebrating the creation and survival of the State of Israel, the yearbook provides a thorough history of the Zionist movement from the First Zionist Congress in 1897 to independence in 1948.
Israel’s Law of Return, 1950
July 5, 1950
Jews worldwide are given the right to come to Israel and become citizens.
David Ben-Gurion, “Jewish Survival,” 1953CIE+
November 1, 1953
Israel's first prime minister was a prolific writer. In this excerpt of a 50-page document, he notes that the Jewish nation’s DNA included relentless challenges marked by dispersal, ostracism and hatred by many people. Despite these adversities, Israel’s establishment symbolizes a remarkable victory against all odds — a culmination of the Jewish people’s tenacity and unyielding spirit. The state and Zionism were not remotely close to being finished, nor having succeeded in the quest for the Jewish people’s normalization.
Prime Minister Eshkol Statement to Knesset at Conclusion of June 1967 WarCIE+
June 12, 1967
Two days after the conclusion of the June 1967 War, Eshkol, recounts the series of events that led to war, the war itself and the immediate aftermath. He reaches out to Arab states for peace seeking a path to peace with her belligerent neighbors. A week later, Israel will quietly messages Cairo and Damascus through the US, hat Israel seeks an end to the conflict. No answers are received.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, 1967: Framework for Arab-Israeli Negotiations
November 22, 1967
Resolution 242 calls for Israeli withdrawal from unspecified captured territories in return for the right of all states to live in peace. It does not call for a full withdrawal. It is the basis for treaties with Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994) and for PLO recognition of Israel (1993).
UNGA Resolution 3379: Zionism Is Racism, 1975
November 10, 1975
Led by USSR and Arab states, Zionism is labeled as racist; the resolution is revoked in 1991.
Israel’s Basic Laws, 1958-2018
February 12, 1958-July 19, 2018
With no constitution, citizen rights and government responsibilities are stated in 14 laws. The Judiciary is covered in the Seventh Basic Law, February 1984.
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty, 1979
March 26, 1979
Signed sixteen months after Sadat’s visit to Jerusalem, it calls for establishment of diplomatic relations, staged Israeli withdrawal from Sinai, and American security arrangements to support the bilateral treaty.
Oslo Accords (Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Agreements), Israel and PLO, 1993
September 13, 1993
Negotiated through the Norwegians, the Oslo Accords call for limited Palestinian rule in some of the territories but do not call for a Palestinian state or an end to settlements.
Abraham Accords: US, UAE, Israel, Bahrain Recognition Agreements, 2020
September 15, 2020
Quietly pursued in the past, long-standing strategic ties between Israel and Gulf states have become public. Building on the historic Joint Agreement signed between Israel and the UAE in August 2020, the Abraham Accords serve as a framework for normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain.
