Pioneers of Religious Zionism by Raymond Goldwater

Author:Raymond Goldwater
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Urim Publications
Published: 2020-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Mohliver’s message was received with great warmth and he was appointed one of the movement’s four representatives in Russia. Herzl wrote to Mohliver, expressing the hope that he would accept the appointment.

At the same time, it must be said that in some respects Mohliver was divorced from reality. Since the majority of the Chovevei Zion delegates were secular, it was unrealistic to ask them to observe religious law. Also, the requirement that Chovevei Zion members must believe that the development of Eretz Israel was one of the greatest mitzvot ignored the fact that a majority of the conference participants were secular and the fact that belief cannot be commanded.

Finally, the suggestion of setting up a national fund eventually bore fruit in the founding of the Jewish National Fund and the Keren ha-Yesod.

Several days before Mohliver’s death in 1891, Herzl asked him to publish his views on the proposed Jewish Colonial Bank. This he did, and the letter was circulated amongst the delegates to the Second Zionist Conference in 1898 “as the will of Rabbi Samuel Mohliver.” In this document he expressed his approval of the establishment of the bank, but stipulated two conditions:

It must place settlement in Eretz Israel as the first priority and a large part of the funds at its disposal must be used for that purpose.

Utmost care must be taken to protect the basis of the national rebirth, the Torah.

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