Abstract

The first generation of the Jewish emancipation in the 19th century made a considerable contribution to European culture and science. Quite a few of these newly emancipated Jews became prominent leaders in the rising socialist movement. One of these was Moses Hess, the “father of German socialism” and a hailed proto-Zionist. In 1862 Hess published his most famous book, Rome and Jerusalem, which in our century has become a Zionist classic. Contrary to his earlier opinions Hess now gave expression to his opposition to Jewish assimilation and proposed a rebirth of the Jewish nation. The Jewish national question, Hess claimed, could only be solved by creating a socialist Jewish state in Palestine. The nationalistic riots in socialist countries today show that Hess was right when he stressed the importance of nationalities. The bankruptcy of Marxist socialism, so widely admitted today, will perhaps raise interest in the humanistic socialism of Moses Hess.