Promised Lands: American Zionism
A Cincinnati Museum Center and Online Exhibit
Prepared by Jonathan Golden

When the Founding Fathers of the United States were debating the design for the seal of the United States, one proposal was to depict the Biblical story of the crossing of the Red Sea. Just as the Israelites had traversed a mighty waterway in their journey from slavery to freedom in a promised land, the American patriots saw themselves as experiencing a similar journey by crossing the Atlantic from the Old World to a new one. With the emergence of the modern Zionism movement in the late 19th century, American Jews, living in the promised land of the United States, wrestled with their relationship to the Land of Israel as a haven and home, possibly for themselves but more significantly for their European Jewish brethren.

American Zionism has raised some central questions about American Jewish identity. First, modern Jews had to dispel charges of dual loyalties, i.e. they could be faithful American citizens and retain an attachment to the Land of Israel. The issue of dual loyalties raised the great question of modern Jewish identity: did being Jewish mean that one belonged to a religion, race, nation, or ethnic group? In 1885, as part of its Pittsburgh Platform, the American Reform movement answered the question definitively: "we consider ourselves no longer a nation, but a religious community, and therefore expect neither a return to Palestine, nor a sacrificial worship under the sons of Aaron, nor the restoration of any of the laws concerning the Jewish state."

Not all of American Jewry shared the sentiments of the Pittsburgh Platform. Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, was one of the most articulate spokesmen of the congruency between American patriotism and American Zionism. Drawing upon his Progressive politics, Brandeis explained how aiding the Zionist cause was a natural expression of one's American identity: "Indeed, loyalty to America demands rather that each American Jew become a Zionist. For only through the ennobling effect of its strivings can we develop the best that is in us and give to this country the full benefit of our great inheritance." American Jews followed Brandeis's call to support a Jewish homeland through their generous support of Zionist causes. Through their contributions to organizations such as the Jewish National Fund and United Jewish Appeal, American Jews helped to make the Zionist dream a reality. From the earliest communities to the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, American contributions and leadership were central to the success of the Zionist enterprise.

Just as the American Jewish community helped to build the Jewish state, Israel, in turn, bolstered and strengthened American Jewish identity. Israel served as a source of pride and provided new incentives for Jews to reconnect to their roots by learning Hebrew, visiting Israel, and donating to Jewish causes.

The American Zionism exhibit displays in living color the three themes expressed above:

Theme #1: How did American Jews negotiate their loyalty to America and the Land of Israel?

Theme #2: How did American Jews contribute to the establishment of a Jewish homeland?

Theme #3: How did the Jewish homeland impact American Jewish identity?

PRE-EXHIBIT ACTIVITIES

Before visiting the exhibit, students should discuss the three themes mentioned above. The following is a list of ways to grapple with these themes. These activities can be done in isolation or in any combination:

1. Through classroom conversation, students should compare and contrast Israel Independence Day celebrations with those of other ethnic groups and nationalities in the United States (St. Patrick's Day parades for the Irish American community, Columbus Day celebrations for the Italian American community, etc.). What do these celebrations suggest about the relationship between one's homeland, ethnic identity, and American identity? How are the identities similar or different? What is the significance of rooting for a soccer team or Olympic athlete from a country of one's ethnic or national origin?

2. The "Holy Land" section of the National Museum of American Jewish History http://www.nmajh.org/exhibitions/holyland/index.htm would be helpful to students as part of the conversation of ways in which American Jews expressed their Zionism

3. A great way to grapple with the themes is to watch the movie Exodus. The movie captures many of the themes of American Zionism described above. Also, one might watch excerpts from the movie The Chosen that address the debate over Zionism in the mid-twentieth century.

4. The best piece on all of the themes is Louis Brandeis's "The Jewish Problem and How to Solve It." It can be found in The Zionist Idea edited by Arthur Hertzberg.

5. A central issue of American Zionism was the U.S. recognition of the State of Israel. Key documents related to this topic can be found at the Truman Library web site:

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/israel/large/docs.php

EXHIBIT ACTIVITIES

1. Students should read excerpts on Zionism from the Pittsburgh and Columbus Platforms of the Reform movement. Why did the Reform movement take an anti-Zionist stance in 1885? How can you explain their shift by 1937?

2. Students should read Albert Einstein's letter on Zionism. They should discuss his notion of how Zionism saves Jews from despair.

3. Students should analyze the UJA poster and JNF certificate. What is the role of these organizations in the Zionist movement? What are the images presented? How do they suggest that Zionism will transform Jews?

POST-EXHIBIT ACTIVITIES

1. Students could meet with a representative from an American Zionist organization to see how that organization grapples with the 3 themes presented.

2. Students could visit Jewish sites in Cincinnati that feature the Israel flag or other Zionist symbols. What messages are sent by the placement of those symbols? How do they relate to the themes of the American Zionist movement?

3. Students could do a web search on American Zionism, paying particular attention to the images on the web. How do these images compare to the images in the exhibit?

4. Students could do an art project in which they design their own Zionist posters or posters related to ethnicities connected to them. These posters could reflect the interplay between one's American and one's ethnic identity.

5. Students could organize a multicultural festival in which they celebrate connections between their American and ethnic identities. The festival could include art, music, dance, food, poetry, and more!