upThe book "Auto-Emancipation" by Pinsker, 1882
''Auto-Emancipation'' (''Selbstemanzipation'') is a pamphlet written in German by
Russian-Polish Jewish doctor and activist
Leo Pinsker in 1882. It is considered a founding document of modern
Jewish nationalism
* Zionism, seeking territorial concentration of all Jews in the Land of Israel
* Jewish Territorialism, seeking territorial concentration in any land possible
* Jewish Autonomism, seeking an ethnic-cultural autonomy for the Jews of Eastern Europe
* ...
, especially
Zionism
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
.
Pinsker discussed the origins of
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
and argued for Jewish self-rule and the development of a Jewish national consciousness. He wrote that Jews would never be the social equals of non-Jews until they had a state of their own. He called on Jewish leaders to convene and address the problem. In the pamphlet, he describes anti-Jewish attacks as a psychosis, a pathological disorder and an irrational phobia.
Pinsker had originally been an assimilationist, calling for greater respect of human rights for Jews in Russia. However, following massive
anti-Jewish riots in
Tsarist Russia in 1881, and a visit to Western Europe in the first half of 1882, his views changed. That year he published the essay anonymously in
German. Pinsker's new perspective also led to his involvement in the development of the Jewish nationalist group
Hovevei Zion
Hovevei Zion ( he, חובבי ציון, lit. '' hose who areLovers of Zion''), also known as Hibbat Zion ( he, חיבת ציון), refers to a variety of organizations which were founded in 1881 in response to the Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russ ...
, which he chaired.
The essay itself inspired the group, and Jews throughout Europe, and was a landmark in the development of
Zionism
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
and the Jewish State. The pamphlet was published on January 1, 1882.
Quotes
"The great ideas of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries have not passed by our people without leaving a mark. We feel not only as Jews; we feel as men. As men, we, too, wish to live like other men and be a nation like the others…"
Not Normal, Azure Magazine
/ref>
See also
* Jewish emancipation
Jewish emancipation was the process in various nations in Europe of eliminating Jewish disabilities, e.g. Jewish quotas, to which European Jews were then subject, and the recognition of Jews as entitled to equality and citizenship rights. It in ...
* Isaac Rülf
Isaac (Yitzhak) Rülf (February 10, 1831 – September 18, 1902) was a Jewish teacher, journalist and philosopher. He became widely known for his aid work and as a prominent early Zionist.
Rülf was born in Rauischholzhausen, Hesse, Germany ...
References
{{Jewish-hist-stub
Books about Zionism
Pamphlets
1882 non-fiction books
German-language literature
Pre-1948 Zionist documents
