The Americanization of Zionism, 1897-1948
Although much has been written about philosophical and political Zionism, Zionism in the United States prior to 1948 requires separate treatment. The early development of American Zionism not only mirrors the paradoxes and challenges that faced first and second-generation Jews adjusting to life in the United States, it also has ramifications for contemporary attitudes of American Jews toward Israel.\ \ According to Naomi Cohen, American Zionism was shaped originally by three factors: the...
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A cogent analysis of the political and cultural factors that shaped American Zionism in its early stages.
The result of Zionist activity in the United States ultimately served to modify the identity of the Jewish community. No longer merely another religious denomination, Judaism enriched by Zionism made Jews, synagogue affiliated or not, a recognizable ethnic group. . . . All told, American Jews made use of Zionism to balance their identities as Americans and Jews. There would have been an American Jewry without Zionism. . . . But Zionism even in a secularist form contributed to the cohesiveness of the community and put American Jews squarely within the larger frame of modern Jewish history.-from the Afterword
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1Ch. 1Forging an American Zionism: The Maccabaean15Ch. 2A Clash of Ideologies: Reform Judaism vs. Zionism39Ch. 3Zionism in the Public Square64Ch. 4A Modern Synagogue in Jerusalem95Ch. 5The Social worker and the Diplomat: Maurice B. Hexter and Sir John Hope Simpson113Ch. 6Jewish Immigration to Palestine: The Zionists and the State Department137Ch. 7The American Jewish Conference: A Zionist experiment at Unity and Leadership165Ch. 8Out of Step with the Times: Rabbi Louis Finkelstein of the Jewish Theological Seminary189Afterword213Notes219Index249
