The Zionist Imperative. An Anthology of Contemporary Thinking

The Zionist idea and the Zionist imperative have evolved over the years in response to changing circumstances in the Jewish world. The Zionist manifesto and the duies of the individual Zionist have been modified accordingly. We have come a long way since proclaiming to the world that "Zionism seeks to establish a home for the Jewish people in Palestine secured under public law" - the simple formulation of The Basle Program adopted at the First Zionist Congress in 1897. And while "securing", and "strengthening", and "consolidating" have always been part of the Zionist agenda, they have never comprised our exclusive concern. Even back in Basle, the Zionist movement took upon itself the tasks of "uniting the whole Jewry" and the "fostering of Jewish national sentiment" in addition to promoting "the settlement in Palestine of Jewish farmers, artisans, and manufacturers." The characterization of the ideal oleh has of course been broadened over the years, but the fundemental goal of "the ingathering of the Jewish people in its historic homeland" continues to be an undertaking to which w are committed, along with "the fostering of Jewish and Hebrew education and of Jewish spiritual and cultural values" and "the protection of Jewish rights everywhere" (The Jerusalem Program, 1968)