The Complete Diaries of Theodor Herzl (Volumes 1 - 5) [2]

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The Complete Dianes

of Theodor Herzl

The Complete Diaries of HERZL

THEODOR

Edited by

Raphael Pata Translated by

HARRY ZOHN

VOLUME II

H E R Z L PRESS AND New York

THOMAS

YOSELOFF

London

© 1960 b y T h e Theodor Herzl Foundati on, Inc.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 60-8594 Thomas Yoseloff, Publisher 1 1 East 36th Street New York 16, N . Y.

Thomas Yoseloff Lid. 1 2 8 New Bond Street London W. 1 , England

Print ed i n the

United States of America

Contents Volume 11

Book Four

July

22,

18g6-June

10,

1897

433

Book Five June

11,

1897-October 5,

1898

Book Six

October 5 , 1898-April

2 1 , 1899

561

Book Four Begun o n July 21, 1896 On the way t o Carlsbad

July

22,

Carlsbad

Newlinski was waiting for me with the following information: 1) T h e Prince of Bulgana will receive me here. 2) T h e Turkish ambassador i n Vienna categorically denies the news about Jewish colonists being persecuted i n Palestine. 3) Jewish circles are intriguing against me i n Yildiz Kiosk. I , for m y part, told h i m about m y trip. I said I seemed t o myself like an officer who goes into battle with raw recruits and has t o stand behind them with a gun t o keep them from running

away. I called the attitude of Edmond Rothschild i n particular dis turbing, because the entire combination now depended on him. However, I said, i t was by n o means a foregone conclusion that

in the end he would n o t go along with us after all. Newlinski said that this news discouraged him for the first time in this matter. He had not known that my troops were that bad.

July

22,

Carlsbad

I am telegraphing t o Edmond Rothschild:®

The Turkish ambassador a t Vienna writes: “You can deny categorically the false news item, evidently

fabricated with malicious intent, that the Turkish authorities have expelled existing Jewish colonists or refused t o admit new

ones.” However, | have learned that someone has tried

to

in-

trigue against me a t Yildiz Kiosk. I f i t was one of your overzealous underlings, he has made you seriously responsible. I hope

this is not so; we must understand each other. Theodor Herzl

Hotel Ertherzog Karl ®

In French in the original

485

436 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR HERZL July

§]

This morning I had breakfast with Newlinski in the Postho garden. Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria and his pany occupied 3

table not far from ours. I noticed that I was being pointed ou t o him. Then he sent over Fiirth who had previously said thy j; was doubtful whether the Prince would receive me today at 4), Fiirth told me the Prince would talk t o me in the arbor-waj later.

We now watched for his rising. When he left, Newlinskj Fiirth, and 1 hurried after h i m . H e was waiting behind some shrubbery. T e n steps away from h i m I took off my hat, and he advanced t w o paces toward me There actually was n o introduction. H e gave me his hand, and I immediately began t o present the Jewish cause. We walked up

and down as | talked. His retinue kept a t a respectful distance. Occasionally, visitors t o the spa would gape a t us. At one point the Prince impatiently stamped his foot when t w o people had stopped nearby and were listening, and he made a motion with his umbrella as i f t o strike, saying, “ I t is scandalous the way one is bothered here. And the Christians are even worse than the

Jews.” (Those t w o were obviously Jews.) I expounded my project for him with laconic brevity. He was quickly gripped. “ I t is a magnificent idea,” he said; “no one has ever talked t o me about the Jewish Question this way. But | have often thought about what you say. Actually, | was

raised by Jews. I spent my youth with Baron Hirsch. So | know the whole background; people often reproach me for being half a Jew. Your idea has my full sympathy—but what can I do for i?” “ I s h o u l d l i k e t o ask Y o u r Royal Highness t o prepare the

Czar for my plan and, i f possible, t o obtain an audience for me. “That is very dificult,” he said doubtfully; “ i t is a m a u which involves religion. As i t is, I don’t stand i n well with the orthodox. There are delicate matters i n that area i n which |

T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

437

often have t o subordinate my convictions t o political necessity.”

As he said this, he drew himself u p and looked down

at

me i n

a truly grand manner w i t h his head thrown back. B u t most of

the time he stood i n front of me, leaning on his umbrella and bending slightly forward. When | took one step back so as t o stand more respectfully, he immediately moved forward, even

stepped o n

m y foot, and said: “Pardon m e ! ”

This way I always saw his fine, slightly obese face with the pointed beard, the long nose, and the intelligent, bright eyes

close before me. H e stated repeatedly that he was a friend of the Jews, and was pleased when I told h i m that the Sultan and the Grand Duke of Baden were, too. “The Grand Duke,” 1 exclaimed, “is the Good Old K i n g o u t of a fairy-tale. H e is only afraid t h a t his participation i n my plan could be considered anti-Semitic. I t will therefore be my task t o explain t o the world, particularly t o the Jews, that i t 1s not a question o f expulsion, b u t an act of kindness o n the part of the

potentates.” H e nodded his satisfaction and promised me his full support, on condition t h a t this be kept secret. I n Russia, he said, a t most, Grand Duke Wladimir might be interested i n the matter. A l l others speak of the Jews as though they were n o t human. | should send him, the Prince, my book i n German, Russian, and English.

He said he would disseminate it. He also gave me permission report t o h i m from time t o time how the project was going. H e dismissed me very benevolently; and later Newlinski told me that he had expressly promised his participation i n our project and that 1 could certainly c o u n t o n him. to

July

22

Went walking with Newlinski i n the afternoon. We discussed o u r next move. Bismarck’s cooperation could not

be counted o n

for the time being. Bismarck had wold Sidney Whitman he al-

498 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR Hggy ready knew m y book; Chrysander, his secretary, had o)q him the contents. Bismarck regards m y draft as melancholy fantay Later Whitman went t o Herbert Bismarck a n d asked him 1 jp, fluence the old Prince. Herbert promised t o d o so.

(Newlinski also read me the letter which Bismarck addrege t o the Sultan about the Cretan, Armenian, and Syrian incideny Very interesting. Bismarck advises him n o t t o be afraid of Eng. land, whose power is dissipated a l l over the world, and 1 work with Russia. All the latter wanted was the passage of Warshipy through the Bosporus. Bismarck considers the Sultan's presen situation as not dangerous, and speaks i n a very scornful ume about the Cretans.) Since we cannot c o u n t o n Bismarck n o w , we must have the invitation t o the Jews suggested t o the Sultan from some other

quarter. T o counter the Jewish intrigues—it is incredible—in Yilda

Kiosk, we decided on the following: Newlinski is going to write t o Izzet that the Jews who have been agitating against me may have no personal interests—although this, too, would be coo ceivable—but do have t w o kinds of disinterested misgivings. In the first place, they are afraid that anti-Semitism would be » tensified in their present places of residence i f the call t o migra ta todthe Jews. In the second place, they are worried were i s s u e we would have an unmanageable mass influx of penniless jem

on our hands in Palestine. For these reasons, the Jewish ong nators of these intrigues may want t o thwart our project from the start. However, Izzet should not let them rob him of his coo

fidence in me. Newlinski feels that right now i t would still be possible, eva easily possible, t o ruin the whole thing a t Yildiz Kiosk. If oY opponents knew how matters stand at present, they could do ©

with ease. This makes me reflect that i t is evidence of Newlinshi® decency and his confidence i n me i f he does not go over to ® wealthy opponents.

T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

439

July 24, Gmunden I n m y rude telegram t o Edmond Rothschild there was a grammatical error: ‘‘si ce serait [ i f i t were]” instead o f ‘ s i c’était [if

i t was.]”

From Rothschild’s negative attitude 1 m u s t salvage everything possible. I n particular, his N o m u s t aid me t o get a Yes from the

German Kaiser. Sent Newlinski 500 francs for Sidney Whitman's unsuccessful

trip. The thought keeps recurring how little gratitude the Jews will

show me for the giant service 1 am performing them. I f today I simply dropped the project, i t would surely remain undone and would n o t materialize for decades—and even then only through the utilization of my ideas.

Letter t o Zadoc Kahn, Aussee, July 26, 1896:

Reverend Sir: I have regretted very, very much that you had left Paris before I ammived. I t is our cause which may have suffered the greatest

harm from this, for

it

was an important

moment.

ous, good counsel you might have been able

to

Through sernibring about a

different tum. I am writing you in German, which you do understand, because | write French too slowly and poorly. As it is, the Jewish cause is making great claim on my energies, what with the growing extent of the movement. Here, in brief and in the strictest confidence, are the facts. |

have been t o Constantinople and there have obtained results which actually surprised even myself. The Sultan took cognizance of my plan “Palestine for the Jews!”; and even though he resists the idea of a simple sale, he did treat me with distinction i n various ways and gave me t o understand that the deal could be made

#40 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR HEgy i f a suitable formu la is found . I l s’agit de sauver l e ; apparences [i

is a m a t t e r of saving face]. From the Sultan's circle the following proposition was advanced: T h e Sultan ( o u l d ceremoniously jp.

vite the Jews t o return t o their historic homeland, t o establish themselves there autonomously as vassals of the I urkish Empire, and i n return pay h i m a t r i b u t e (on the basis of

which he

could then raise a loan).

With this result 1 went t o London, where Sir S. Montagu and others promised m e t h e i r adherence o n three conditions: 1) the consent of the Great Powers, 2) the accession of the Hirsch Fund

gs) the accession of Edmond Rothschild.

The first condition I hope t o be able

t o meet

because two

reigning princes have already held o u t the prospect of their ad to me. So I went t o Paris and spoke with Edmond Rothschild

I told him as well as the other gentlemen clearly what it was all about. 1 requested that h e join the cause conditionally, i.e. he should participate i n i t only when i t was signed, sealed, and de livered. I told him that he need n o t appear, t h a t | would arrange everything with the Sultan and the other governments. But soon as the plan was t o be put i n t o effect, he as well as Montagu

and the others should take over from me. So that not even the shadow of a doubt could rest upon me that 1 w a n t t o unite all our forces only in order t o snatch the leadership for myself, | pledged myself t o withdraw completely as soon as this commutice for action has been formed. I n return for these gentlemen's word of honor t o make my goal their goal I wanted t o give my word of honor henceforth not t o interfere in anything. Then they could direct the movement to the best of their knowledge and coo

of science, since 1 had confidence i n those who have been friends Zion up t o now. They could, above all, work in secret, and at 207 given time make public only as much as would be necessary—48 short, they could organize and channel the great movement set

sibly. I believe that this was an honest proposal which attested to m7 good intentions and m y absolute selflessness, and that | did o t

thereby make any immoderate demand.

T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

441

Unfortunately, Edmond R . would n o t or could n o t understand me. H e replied that even i f all diplomatic premises were correct and i f we obtained Palestine, he considered the matter impracticable, because the masses of the poor Jews would swarm into Palestine in an unmanageable fashion, and i t would be impossible to give them employment o r sustenance there.

You have read my pamphlet about the Jewish State. You know in what great—even superfluous—detail I described the organization of the masses which is t o precede the migration. I t is possible t o reject my detailed proposals; but in any case, the principle that the emigrants m u s t be organized when they depart and n o t just when they arrive is a workable one. N o one will be enrolled without the proper papers— passport, etc. These are simple problems of administration and pose n o greater problem than other tasks of a state. I f , then, this is a disinterested reservation o n Edmond Rothschild’s part, i t ought t o be possible t o get a t i t with rational arguments, and I beg you—I1 may fairly say—in the name o f our

unhappy brethren t o place all your talents and your recognized authority a t the service of this cause. A t the same time | am undertaking t o demonstrate practically

that our masses can be organized by recommending t o my friends i n a l l countries t o form the cadres for a possible migration. 1 believe that in just a few months, possibly by spring, the nationalist

Jews in all countries will be tightly organized. The movement will be continued, and i t will grow dramatically—let no one deceive himself on that score. Despite the bitter pills I am given t o swallow and the obstacles that are placed in my path, | am conducting this movement as a prudent man who

is

at

all times conxious of his tremendous responsibility. I am

certainly n o t inciting the masses; but can 1 prevent tumultuous misunderstandings i f i t can happen that whole chapters of my exposition are overlooked? By this refusal Edmond Rothschild is bringing o n the very calamity that he secks t o avert. Added 1 0 this is the incalculable

factor of how the nations among whom we are dispersed will re-

442 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL act t o this movement i f w e are obliged t o conduct it through

public agitation instead o f directing i t from the top with aj]

quiet and order. I have demonstrated my good intentions; 1 have spared gn pains o r personal sacrifice. M y conscience is a t ease. People

should understand what storms of indignation will be aroused among the penniless Jews and among all non-Jews if i t become known some day that i n my campaign of rescue | was left in the lurch by those who had the power and the duty t o help me. |

am an opponent of the House of Rothschild, because | regard i as a national misfortune of the Jews. As for the only one who has

aroused sympathy through his past behavior, Edmond Rothschild —a man whom I regarded, and still regard, as a decent, good Jew—should he refuse t o contribute t o our national salvation? And i t is n o t any sort of material sacrifice that is being asked of him. H e is not called upon to part with a penny, l i f t a hand, or

appear a t all. All he has t o do is accept the completed projea; until diplomatic arrangements are made he can remain enurely under cover. I f he does not agree t o this—he, upon whom de pends the joining of the Londoners and of the Hirsch Fund, which means: everything—then a cry of anger will sweep the world. I t may seem unfair t o him that his philanthropic expen ments in Palestine should now have confronted him with such an eventuality. Well, i t simply was n o game, n o pastime, but

terribly serious matter upon which he embarked with his Pale tine colonization. Explain this t o him, I beg of you. | may have been too clumsy or too impatient. But the cause must n o t suffer for my blunden Your office and your love for the cause make i t your duty to participate t o the best of your ability. Make i t your special coo cern t o prevent Edmond Rothschild from forming a wrong c o ception of my intentions. Convince him that | desire what 8 good and right. We now have an official statement that the Turkish author ties neither expelled the resident Jewish colonists nor turned back the new arrivals. The Turkish ambassador a t Vienna writes

T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

443

“Vous pouvez démentir catégoriquement cette nouvelle inventée dans u n but éwnident de malveillance [You can categorically

deny this item which was invented with an obviously malevolent intent].” I wired Edmond Rothschild this. At the same time I learned something absolutely monstrous from the palace a t Constanti-

nople where 1 have devoted friends—namely, that there are intrigues against me o n the part of Jews. I t sounds so w i l d that I can scarcely believe i t . Perhaps the people in Yildiz Kiosk took too

seriously the malicious remark dropped by some Jew who

does n o t have as much respect for me as is m y due i n the opinion of the Turks. But by such actions—whether they be committed o u t o f thoughtlessness o r with malice aforethought—a

man can

incur an extremely serious responsibility. And i t is getting time for us t o sort o u t and fix responsibilities clearly.

The Jewish national movement is as serious as—nay, much more serious than—anti-Semitism. People should understand this i n good time. U p t o now the destitute Jews have been the anvil, and the anti-Semites the hammer. Woe t o those who get caught between the hammer and the anvil! I f you reply t o me immediately, your letter will still reach me here. Beginning August g | shall be i n Vienna again, c/o Neue Freie Presse. W i t h sincere respect, Yours

Th. Henl. Mailed on July 27.

Letters sent on July 27: Herbst Bieter | Soha (organizing, i n view of E.R.’s objection) B. Lazare, Paris (to take care of a French edition; 1 waive my

claims t o the expenses | incurred on the lation).

trans

444 T H E COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL J. de Haas, London (organizing, with Rabbinowicz , Ish-Kishor). Schnirer, Vienna (invitatio n t o Kokesch, Mintz t o discuss or-

ganizing). All the above with mentio n of E.R.’s refusal. Hechler, Vienna (announcing my visit).

Klatschko, Vienna (pamphlet i n Russian). J u l y so,

Aussee

Hechler telegraphs from Tegemnsee:

Am a t Tegernsee, Villa Fischer, made speeches i n the castle and a t homes of important people. Everybody enthusiastic. “Can you come immediately t o lend dignity? I

want to

leave

here about Saturday—if possible. Hechler. I am answering h i m that I could hardly get away because 1 have t o go t o Vienna within the next few days. A t any r a t e , | would first like t o know t o whom he made speeches and who wished t o see me.

I f i t is Empress Elizabeth, I ' l l go.

Letter to the Grand Duke o f Baden:

Aussee, August

1,

18qgb

Your Royal Highness:

I did

not want t o

write from France, because the post offices

there are suspected of prying, and a letter t o a German sovereign would surely have attracted attention. Then, too, | was traveling

about restlessly for some time. That is why I can only now comply with your kind invitati on to give you my report o n the Jew:

ish cause in writing. I have been t o Constantinople and explored the ground there. H . M . the Sultan took cognizance o f m y propos al, and even though he spoke o u t i n no uncerta in terms against the cession

T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

445

of Palestine t o the Jews as an independent state, he still did n o t discourage me completely. I n fact, he even treated me with distinction in various ways, and i t was indicated t o me indirectly

that the transaction could perhaps be made if the proper formula were found. Then the idea was proposed from the Sultan's circle t o permit the Jews t o establish a vassal state i n Palestine. Their

immigration was t o be favored by the granting of autonomy, and they would have t o pay an annual tribute t o the suzerain. When | had the honor t o present the matter a t Karlsruhe, Your Royal Highness likewise expressed yourself i n favor of a gradual immigration into Palestine.

With the results attained i n Constantinople I went t o London. Our financiers there are prepared t o go through with this way of establishing a state for the Jews; but they are making conditions —first of all, the obvious one that the Powers approve of the whole thing. Then, that Edmond Rothschild of Paris join in. I have spoken with this Edmond Rothschild. H e is afraid. H e thinks that we would n o t be able t o organize, employ, or feed the poor people who are t o migrate there. But these are all administrative problems, n o harder and n o easier than other tasks

of a siate. I do not wish t o repeat here all the things that 1 explained t o him. Suffice i t 1 0 say that he does not understand. Now, i t would really be a crying shame i f the development of this serious, great, philanthropic plan were t o be thwarted by the opposition of a single person of insufficient intelligence. Can this be the will of God? This is the way matters stand a t the moment. One way o u t of the present difficulties would be

public and

to

to

make the course of events

break the will of this recalcitrant man through

agitation. But | would not w a n t t o carry o n the movement

demagogically. The gradual exodus of the Jews i n good order, the way I intend i t , can only be directed from the top. That is why I cling t o the hope that the truly high-minded sovereigns of Europe will

446 T H E COMPLET E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

bestow their gracious protection on the cause. Then we could easily pass over the refusal of individu al wealthy Jews. I t would be of inestimable value t o our future course if His Majesty the German Kaiser allowed me t o present the plan t o

him. Some steps have already been taken with a view t o m y recep

tion by His Majesty the Emperor of Russia. Your Royal Highness has been the first ruler who generously took an interest in this

movement,

and 1 shall never forget the

royally unpretentious words with which this interest was ex-

pressed. I venture t o make reference t o the favor of that audience if I now ask Your Royal Highness point-blank t o induce His Majesty the German Kaiser t o give me a hearing.

Today this solution of the ancient Jewish Question exists in embryonic form. Many people, Gentiles as well as Jews, would breathe a sigh of relief. A social difhculty of a serious nature could be eliminated. I t would be a blessed and glorious deed

which would be bound to affect far-distant times. But if we find no help, the seed may perish. I remain Your Royal Highness’ respectful and grateful

servant

Dr. Theodor Herzl (Address: Thalhof, Reichenau bei Payerbach, Lower Austria.) August 1 ,

Aussce

Hechler telegraphs from Tegernsee: “Today fifth and last presentation. Leaving today or tomorrow morning. Hechler.” This means, then, that the important people mentioned i n his first wire are not issuing a direct invitation t o me. O r did he merely want me t o come o n a chance? I n any case,

I did well not

to

start off right away. August

1

The effectiveness of my movem ent shows up first in begging:

letters.

T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

447

August 1

A t the beginning of July a letter came from Wolffsohn of

Cologne which I only received here. At the Berlin Zionist Convention there was violent opposition t o me. Wolffsohn was the only one t o stick by me, and he had trouble preventing the Zion-

ists from taking a public stand against me. Nevertheless, Hildesheimer a n d Bambus were w i l l i n g t o meet with m e in Cologne, but I missed this opportunity. I am answering Wolffsohn that hostile acts on the part of the Zionists could well cause me t o drop the whole matter. 1 am informing him of Edmond Rothschild’s refusal and telling him that the need for an organization in which he, too, would have a function, is developing. Furthermore, 1 am willing to get to-

gether with the Berlin Zionists. We would shortly hold a conference i n Vienna a t which the convening of a general Zionist assembly 1s t o be discussed. August

1

A good letter from Zadoc Kahn a t Weggis. H e proposes a secret conference of representatives of the largest Jewish communities, since n o individual has the authority t o get a matter

of such immeasurable importance rolling all by himself. Therefore, there ought to be a debate with all the pros and cons. For the rest, right after his return t o Paris (between the 20th and the 25th of August) he wants t o have a serious talk “avec q u i de

droit [with the proper person)” —withEdmond Rothschild, then? —but he does n o t seem t o expect much from it. I accept the proposal for a secret conference, because 1 believe

by that time 1 shall have achieved further diplomatic success, and then | shall manage t o rouse this debating assembly t o some action.

August

Letter t o Zadoc Kahn: Reverend Sir:

2,

Aussece

448 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL I accept your proposal to convene a confidentia l gathering of representatives o f a l l large Jewish communit ies, provided you are the organizer and i t has a practical character from the be.

ginning. I will no longer have anything t o do with purely academic discussions. This does n o t mean that 1 reject refinements

of my idea, advice, limitations, e t c . I f I am willing

to

attend this

conference, i t is actually because 1 wish t o prove for the umpteenth time that I am n o t a fanatical agitator, b u t would like t o proceed prudently a n d i n cooperation w i t h o u r calmest and

best men. M y consent, which I am giving you i n principle today, will be definitive as soon as I am acquainted with the agenda of

the conference and the names of its participants. Naturally I shall not interrupt my activities while awaiting this

conference. As you have already observed, I move rapidly; and if you postpone the deliberation for long, i t may come after the action. Therefore you can already take the necessary first steps

from Weggis. Thanking you for the appealing tone of your letter, I remain With sincere respect,

T h . Herml.

August Wrote

to

Nordau

to

2,

Aussee

take care of the French edition, because

I urgently need i t for the Russian court and for Rome. What I don’t do myself doesn't get done. S. Whitman writes from Constantinople that he will be coming to

Vienna in three weeks and afterwards will go t o see Bismarck

again.

August 3, o n the train t o Vienna

I have just now read a commun ication from the Arabian ex-

plorer Dr. Glaser which arrived during my trip

to

England. I t

1 s2memorandum from the year 18go, directed t o Baron Hirsch. It

is

written in an obsequiously enthusiastic t o n e and culminates

T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

449

i n the exclamation: Long live the K i n g of Israell—and after the preceding sentence there is n o doubt that “Moritz Freiherr [Baron] von Hirsch” is thought of as the King of Israel. But the contents of the memorandum shows excellent thinking. This Glaser is a m a n to remember. I n any event, h e possesses considerable knowledge o f t h e O n e n t , a n d h e m a y even have a

talent for military organization. Since i t is possible that I shall need a replacement for the unreliable GGoldsmid, Glaser is t o be cultivate d. T o be sure, h e makes the absurd proposal t o select Southern Arabia as the territory for the Jewish State; but the way in which he motivates this idea for colonization is excellent. I am going t o write h i m from Vienna today o r tomorrow that I am welcoming h i m t o our ranks as a promising co-worker.

Dr. L. Ernst, the author of a book about secret remedies for venereal discases, has written a cute answer t o my pamphlet, with the t i t l e N o Jewish State!

Breitenstein the publisher asked me whether 1 had any objection t o his publishing this droll booklet, too, under his imprint. I had absolutely no objection. (At the same time Breitenstein gave me a Anancial statement o n my pamphlet. / owe h i m a few guilders. And he is already o n the fourth printing!)

I read Emst’s pamphlet on the train, i n the galley-proofs. Simple-minded pontification, ignorance, narrow-mindedness o n every page. N o answer. August 3, Vienna

A t the office again. A brief, vigorous clash with Bacher. H e asked whether | wasn’t going t o write a feuilleton about Constantinople.

“ N o , ” 1 said. “ A t Constantinople 1 had only historical experi-

ences, not feuilletonistic ones.”

450 T H E COMP LETE DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R HERZ L H e laughed foolishly. “You don’ t believe me?” 1 said. “No, I don’t believe that, ” he countered. I added, gruffly: “You 'll believe, all right !”

Then we parted, rather irritated.

I n the afternoon a t Newlinski's. At Carlsbad he also spoke with King Milan about my project. Milan thinks that 1 am overlooking the difficulties t h a t France would make. France wants t o have her Syrian protectora te and an Arabian Empire. (Funny that this should coincide with

Glaser’s information.) Newlinski claims that Milan had already received my book in

Paris from Dr. Milicevic and discussed i t i n detail with French politicians. Newlinski also spoke once more in Carlsbad with Prince Fer-

dinand who is supposed t o have declared himself a champion of my idea. Ferdinand—like Bismarck—believes that the matter

ought t o be patronized from Rome. Newlinski was quick t o tie interesting fancies

this. A trip t o Rome i n October, fifteen cardinals—the entire Conclave t o be won over. The Pope would receive me, possibly issue an onto

encyclical about m y p l a n . T h e Catholic c h u r c h ought t o take the matter under its worldwide protection. The Sultan would

accept advice from the Pope more readily than from the Czar. I t is my opinion, too, that we must work from Rome. How: ever, even though I am very favorably disposed toward New: linski, I d i d n o t w a n t h i m t o notice how very well this suits me.

For he is clerical-minded and i n any event more devoted t o the Pope than he is t o me. I must look back and see whether I have noted down this habit: o n the train bound for Stambul and i n the bedroom a t the Hotel Royal, Newlinski always crossed himself before he went t o sleep.

And, I believe, he is sincerely working for the Jews.

T H E COMPLE TE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

451

Evidence that my proposal is truly the redeeming reconciliation between Christians and Jews.

Gave Newlinski 184 guilders for Whitman's expenses.

August 5 , Vienna Spoke with Schnirer about the accomplishments of my trips and the need for an organization. H e explains Edmond Rothschild’s attitude t o himself by the fact that any number of people want a split between E. R . and me. Schnirer knows that for

every house that is built i n Palestine, t w o thousand franc are allegedly paid o u t in baksheesh. I told h i m about the presumed intrigue of the Rothschild director Scheid against me i n Yildiz Kiosk, and asked him what Scheid deserved i f i t was true. Schnirer said indignantly: “ H e would deserve t o be strung up.” The present organization of the Zionist associations leaves

everything t o be desired. The Zionist Federation is an unserviceable instrument and must be reorganized. The associations, above all, have no money. I cannot advance any more for propaganda since my capacity is already exhausted. We agreed that the Zionist administration in Vienna should

send a regular “Information Bulletin” t o its members, who are to make some payment for it, so that the Zionist Federation could a t least pay for the printing of stationery. This is how poor the financial condition of the Zionists is a t the present time—the Zionists, whom I shall probably raise high, and soon, and who will then presumably forget what 1 have brought about.

August 7

Newlinski writes from Hungary that he has just received a letter from Whitman in Constantinople with an interesting item.

452 T H E C O M P L E T E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

Whitman had breakfast a t Therapia with the former Prussian Minister o f W a r , Verdy d u Vernois. T h e l a t t e r , a n expert o n the Orient, had expressed himself very favorably o n m y Palestine

project and “thought i t was a blessing for Turkey, about which he is crazy.” “Vernois thinks the idea is conceived on such a grand scale that i t m u s t materialize, and he believes i n you! . . . H e 1s really somebody; 1 wanted t o t e l l you t h i s i n order t o compensate y o u

for the contumely and the disappointments that y o u get from

others. Don’t let them get you down, and remember my words: Precisely among your co-religionists w i l l you encounter the

basest intrigues, stupidity, lack of principles, and ingratitude. But God will help you! . . . So will I !

With cordial regards, Yours, Newlinski”

I am including Newlinski’'s charming letter here as a souvenir. What Sonnenschein (Court Secretary i n the Ministry of Railroads) had just told me is like an illustration of i t , namely, that

the London Chief Rabbi Adler told David Gutmann: “Dr. Herzl had a fiasco i n London.” And David Gutmann cheerfully spread this around. I am writing this t o de Haas i n London. My people i n the East End shall answer the Chief Rabbi. August

10

De Haas sends me clippings, among them one from the Daily Chronicle, i n which my trip t o London is connected with a conversion of the Turkish loan. I am n o t even issuing a denial of this. A t the same time de Haas tells me the rumor is going around i n London that a banking house (Barclay, Bevan & Co.)

has placed t w o million pounds sterling

at

my disposal for my

undertaking. 1 am not protesting against this nonsense cither,

T H E C O M P L E T E DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL

453

because fairy-tales, jokes, caricatures are vehicles for disseminating an idea.

Newlinski today sounded me

out

by inquiring whether in

case of a “Non possumus [We cannot]!” from Turkey we wouldn't

ourselves with a lesser firman [imperial order] from the Sultan in which the Jews would merely be invited want t o content

t o establish colonies.

I n this 1 smelled his desire t o work with Edmond Rothschild and the Zionist associations, which he deemed financially solvent, and told him: “ I f i t should really turn o u t t o be impossible t o obtain the basis for a state, I shall personally put you i n touch with the Zionists and Edmond Rothschild (lest he try t o d o that himself), but 1 draw your attention t o the following: i n the first place, i n the case of such colonization, the go-betweens get little baksheesh; i n the second place, 1 am fundamentally opposed t o this form and would fight it vigorously afterwards. Just keep your confidence i n the cause. Dans cette chose i l faut avoir de Festomac, comme disent les joueurs [ i n this project one has t o have a stomach, as the gamblers say).”

asked m e i f h e should write t o Cardinal Rampolla i n Rome t o initiate action with the Thereupon, visibly reinvigorated, h e

Pope. Naturally I fully agree t o this.

At Reichenau yesterday | spoke with H o m , the former editorinchief of the Journal de St. Pétersbourg. He is a brother of

the late Hungarian State Secretary Eduard Hom, whom | knew in my boyhood. For thirty years he was a semi-official journalist in Russia and naturally is well acquainted with the situation there. He does not think that Russia would let the Jews have Palestine. He said there was a “Society of the Holy Sepulchre” under the chairmanship of Grand Duke Sergius. He also feels that the serviceable Jews would not be allowed t o leave. Anti-

454

T H E C O M P L E T E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L

Semitism i n Russia, h e says, is d u e t o the fact that the c i t y dwell-

ers there number

a t most

eight million; and i f these include five

million Jews—who, i n addition, rush into the learned profes sions, on a c c o u n t of certain military advantages—this is an unbearable situation. As for the peasant areas, the Jews cannot be integrated there, because i n Russian village communities there

is common pasture-land, and the Jews cannot participate i n it. B u t he has n o t been t o Russia i n six years and n o longer knows how the wind is blowing. About Ignatiew he tells me that when the latter was Minister

of the Interior he had virtually encouraged persecution of the Jews. Pobedonostsev h e called a fanatic w h o defied even the Emperor

and who would hardly have any dealings with me. August 1 2 , V i e n n a

Haas reports from London that a “Tent” of the Hovevei Zion had offered t o “revolt” i n my favor; another one had attacked me. T h e Daily Chronicle report that 1 had been o n a financial mis

sion for the Sultan was souring people on me. I am telegraphing Haas: “Pay n o attention t o

false newspaper reports. T e l l Prag I

want

collaboration with Hovevei.

Herzl.”

I n the Allgemeine Israelitische Wochenschrift of July Dr. Singer-Coblenz makes a venomous attack on me.

19

one

August 18, Vienna

Today called on the Turkish ambassador, Mahmud Nedim. H e spoke uninterruptedly for one hour, without saying one single thing—not o u t of rouerie [craftiness), however, but o u t of un-

speakable naiveté.

T H E COMP LETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL

455

Some ambassador! A haberdashery clerk on Kirtnerstrasse displays more acumen. H e was very amiable—w ithout understanding. O r is he infinite ly discreet???

Interesting that Izzet should have written me about him. Mahmud Nedim gave me the desired explanation which he

had first addressed t o Newlinski: that the Turkish authorities are not expelling the Jewish colonists. H e asked me, however, not t o make his letter of today public. I should say only: “Comme nous apprenons d e source certaine [As w e learn from a reliable source] —or “l'ambassadeur t u r c m’a dit [the Turkish ambassa-

dor has told me]”—or “nous sommes en mesure d'sffirmer [we are i n a position

to

afirm]’—in short, he enumerated all the

cliché of the Havas News Agency.

Which once again is confirmation of my definition of diplomats:

“People who put together notes o u t of our notices.”

August 18, Aussee De Haas sends me bad news from London. The opponents in the Hovevei Zion, etc., are gaining the upper hand. Meyerson has reported from Paris that 1 m e t with failure

there. Also, my reception by the Russian Jewish students is supposed t o have been an unfavorable one. On the other hand, Mr. Prag is said t o have adopted a friendly attitude toward me lately. I am writing de Haas a few compliments for Mr. Prag, and am authorizing him a t the same time t o publish the Turkish ambassador’s denial in the press—only the substance, not the wording. August 18, Aussee

Newlinski telegraphs from Vasvar: “Have good news Rome."

(From Cardinal Rampolla, then.)

456 T H E COM PLET E DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R HERZ L August 23, Baden H a d a long talk w i t h the electrica l engineer Kremene zky.

He is a good Zionist, with modern ideas. On the shores of the

highly saliferous Dead Sea great chemical industrie s could be established. T h e streams of fresh water which n o w flow i n t o i t w o u l d have

The tributaries would be replaced by a canal from the Mediterranean which on ac. count of the mountains would have t o pass through a tunnel for part of the way (an internationally famous sight). The dit: ference in level of the t w o seas (waterfall) could be used t o run t o be diverted and used as drinking water.

machines. M a n y thousands o f horsepow er.

Elsewhere i n Palestine, too, there is plenty of that can be converted into electricity.

water

power

W e must found a National Arbor Society for the afforestation

of the land. Every Jew donates one or more

trees.

Ten million

trees!

During the talk I had an idea concerning organization. The young professional men

want t o

found a Zionist society

for university graduates. I think i t will be even better

to

establish

specialized Zionist societies for here and for over there: aswxia-

tions of Jewish lawyers, physicians, engineers, electricians, build ing contractors, civil servants, merchants (chambers of commerce). These professional people have mutual interests cven

here. Practical problems and plans can be placed before them. for appraisal, discussion, etc. I f the plan is carried

out,

we shall have

in them pépiniéres [hothouses] for the men we shall need. These professional societies are t o become integrated into the Zionist Federation, which will thereby be shaken o u t of its universally deplored slumber. August g 5 , Vienna

Yesterday I had Colbert buy go Steyrermiihl shares for me a t the Stock Exchange. I t was the first business deal of my life. I was forced into i t by the mean, ignominio us conduct of the

T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

457

Viennese press which is passing my idea over i n silence. 1 m u s t endeavor t o gain influence over a newspaper. I can have such in-

fluence only as an owner of shares. Any other attempt t o gain journalistic power would be wrecked o n the local newspaper situation, and I would bleed t o death o n it.

Therefore 1 chose the Steyrer Tagblatt as a locus minors resistentiae [place of least resistance], and I intend t o gain control of i t through gradual purchases of stock. Or, rather, the Steyrermiihl Company is t o produce a new paper which I shall

edit. I am staking m y property as well as that of m y parents o n it. Dessauer promises me lombardization of my shares on a large scale.

August 2 5 , Vienna 1 own

150

Steyrermiihl shares.

Newlinski is back from Hungary and today gave me the fol-

lowing information: T h e Turks have a knife

at

their throats, financially speaking.

Izzet Bey wrote him that he would be willing t o submit the modified plan t o the Sultan i f we were quite i n camnest. Because i t could cost h i m his head i f afterwards nothing came of it. Therefore Newlinski calls on me t o give a final formulation of

the proposal. 1 am doing this i n the following manner, which still leaves Izzet (and myself) the possibility of pulling our heads o u t of the noose. | make a few vague conditions, during the discussion of which even “serious” proposals can come t o naught. While negotiations with the Sultan are going on, 1 shall tame the London and Paris Jews as well. For the rest, my proposals are based completely on the admittedly vague agreements with Montagu,

Landau, etc. Outline which Newlinski intends t o submit t o the Sultan in revised form: Our group wishes t o place a t His Majesty's disposal a gradu-

458 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R

ated loan of 2 0 million pounds sterling. This loan is to pb funded on the annual tribute which the autonomous Jewig settlers i n Palestine have to pay t o H i s Majesty. T h e tnby,

guaranteed by our group w i l l amount t o one hundred

thousan

pounds sterling i n the first year and increase u p t o one milli pounds sterling annually. The gradual nse i n the tribute will be correlated with the gradual immigration of the Jews into Pals tine, and the detailed procedure is t o be worked o u t i n the pe.

sonal conferences which are t o be held in Constantinople. I n return, His Majesty should graciously make the following CONCessions:

The immigration of the Jews into Palestine, which is not onk t o be completely unrestricted b u t is t o be encouraged i n even way b y the imperial Turkish government. T h e immigrant Jew are t o be given autonomy, guaranteed under international law,

in the constitution, government, and administration of justice un the territory assigned t o them. (Palestine as a vassal state) I n the Constantinople negotiations i t will have t o be deter

mined in detail in what form the sovereign protection of Hs Majesty the Sultan will be exercised in Jewish Palestine and how the preservation of law and order is t o be managed by the Jem themselves through security forces of their own. The agreement could take the following form: His Majesty

issues a most gracious invitation t o the Jews t o return t o the land of their fathers; this invitation will have the force of law and will be made known t o the Powers i n advance. Naturally, this invitation shall be made only after all the separate details have been arranged in a preliminary agreement o

[

®

Letter to Montag u:

My dear Sir Samuel: I have received some sensational and decisive news from Coe stantinople.

People there are incline d

to

enter into

negotiations

with us immediately on the basis which I have already mentioned

T H E C O M P L E T E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

459

you in London. I n return for a graduated loan of twenty million pounds sterling, which would be distributed over a number of years, the Sultan would, with previous notification of the to

Powers, i n v i t e the Jews a l l over the world t o return to the land

of their fathers where they are t o have autonomy and pay h i m an annual tribute. I t is o n this tribute that the loan would be

based. Turkey's financial distress has reached a climax. I t is now or never that we shall obtain Palestine. I a m asking you, Sir Samuel,

i f you are willing t o go t o Constantinople with me in order t o carry on the negotiations. 1 know i t would be a great sacrifice for you t o decide t o make this trip. But i f you make this sacrifice,

Sir Samuel Montagu will be spoken of with gratitude as long as there are Jews alive.

I f you decide on it, 1 shall give you details about the time later. I t will, i n any case, n o t be before the end of September, when the heat i n Constantinople is n o longer so bad. Edmond Rothschild gave me an evasive answer in Pans— neither Yes nor No. H e will undoubtedly join in with us, just as all Jews will enthusiastically join i n as soon as we have achieved

success. Consider well, Sir Samuel, i n what a historically memorable situation you now find yourself! Understand the full greatness of

the task which is confronting you! Be the man we need! With cordial regards, Sincerely yours,

Herzl. ®

J

®

Letter t o Zadoc Khan:

Reverend S i r : (strictly confidential)

From Constantinople 1 have received the sensational and decisive news that they are ready a t any time for further negotia-

460 T H E COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERz]

tions. The financial distress there has become a c u t e . I t is ney or never that we shall obtain Palestine. What steps have you taken since we last corresponded? Events press. I beg you for a speedy reply. With sincere respect, Herzl. Augu st 29

Terrible news has come from Constantinople. T h e building of the Ottoman Bank was stormed by Armenians. Murder, kill ings, bombs, street-fights. Order appears t o have been restored

but the impression on the world is deplorable. A t any rate, for the moment I am abstaining from sending off the above letten which I drafted yesterday. The Englishmen Montagu etc. prob ably won't have anything t o do with the Sultan now. On the other hand, of course, the moment would be very propitious fo negotiating with the Sultan, because a t present he isn't likely get money from anyone.

August 2 9 , afternoon I am mailing the letter t o Zadoc Kahn after all.

September g, Breslau I was prevented b y some hectic newspaper work from

record

ing the events of the last few days. Zadoc Kahn sent a reply t o the effect that he cannot d o any

thing a t the moment, because he had received “dilatory, that # t o say, evasive replies” from the people t o whom he turned. His O W N answer, too, is dilatory, that is t o say, evasive. Nobody elps. On Tuesday, September 1 , Bacher asked me i f I would like © go t o Breslau and report on the Kaiser's visit there. Naturally I said Yes.

T H E COMPLET E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

461

That same evening I was i n the Café Louvre o n Wipplingerstrasse where the Viennese Zionists get together every Tuesday

and for months have been debating the question of how t o acquire some club rooms. I f I should succeed in winning something greater for the Zionists and obtaining more for them than c l u b rooms for an annual rent of 800 guilders, many are sure t o attack me. | recognize a few of this i l k even now: they “feel crowded

out” by me, etc. They will have t o be reminded of how impotent they have shown themselves t o be and how they have done nothing but indulge i n idle talk. Incidenually, this time they made me a formal offer t o become

head of the party's Executive Committee. 1 accepted. Among those present was the “Christian Zionist” Baron Manteuffel, who pays t o have agricultural training given t o penniless Jewish boys.

I telegraphed Hechler, who has gone t o Héritz for the peasant passion plays, that | was going t o Breslau. Thereupon he asked me whether 1 wanted him t o come; he had written a t once t o the Grand Duke a t Baden. I immediately asked Hechler b y telegram t o come t o Gérliw. Today he informs me that he w i l l arrive there tomorrow. | am

going t o send him t o Prince Heinrich of Prussia; perhaps we shall manage t o obtain that audience with the Kaiser. September g, Gérlitz

Arrived here the day before yesterday. I am staying a t a cosy private residence, the house of Music Director Stichler. 1 found Hechler's card waiting for m e ; he had tracked me down although I had not been able t o give him my address. He himself is staying a t the “Evangelical Clubhouse,” which gave me the impression

of a Christian-Socialist consumers’ cooperative. Bare, spotless walls with Bible verses. A big bar parlor where, t o be sure, drinks

are served and perhaps even a small p r o f iis t made, but the peo-

462 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL ple are evidently kept well i n hand. T h e whole establishmen, gives the impression of a cleverly disguised political institution

Hechler was sitting i n a cheerful room which was adomed with Biblical maxims, Evangelical style. T h i s 1s most decidedly

Stocker territory, and one o f the most curious places 1 have visited so far i n the course of my movemen t. Hechler had already oriented himself a bit. O n the trip from

Horitz he composed a letter

to

the Kaiser, written i n English on

the stationery of the Vienna embassy, about the return of the

Jews.® The British official stamp gave the whole thing a vaguely official character. Unfortunately, Prince Heinrich o f Prussia, w h o m Hechla

was counting on, has left for Kiel i n order t o receive the Czar there. “By the way,” says Hechler, “who knows i f this isn’t an advantage. 1 am told that i n recent times Prince Heinrich has made only mocking remarks about religion. And one shouldn't cast pearls before swine, as the Bible says.” However, Giinther of Schleswig-Holstein, a brother of the Empress, is here. He is kindly disposed toward Hechler and is interested i n social problems. H e has been t o England i n order to study the condition of the working class. His rank is that of a Major—on the general staff, 1 believe. Hechler also told me on this occasion that Prince Giinther recently was suspected of being involved i n that affair of the anonymous c o u r t letters which led t o the duel between Schrader and Kotze: gossip which 1 wasn't interested i n before and which I n o w l i k e t o hear, because it shows me the small side of the b i g people. A n d this is necessary if

one is n o t

to

be confused by the outward glamor of the tinsel

surrounding them and is 1 0 associate w i t h t h e m without self

consciousness.

That is why I paid such close attention t o the infirmity of the German Kaiser during the past week when | saw h i m so fre quently. Isn't i t strange that people really don't know that he, one of the most “highly regarded” men i n the world, has only one arm? Such men truly dwell i n a cloud. Here is a figure ®

I n English i n the original.

T H E COMP LETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL

463

known from a hundred thousand pictures; and when you sce him, you notice that his most significant

characteristic is

hidden from the crowd. Yes, throngs see him daily and are hardly aware of i t . T h e most sharp-sighted say: he has a stiff arm. Actually, i t is a child's arm that hangs down from his left shoulder. The arm is said t o have been stunted by rickets. According t o the version which Hechler gives me—evidently the court version— Wilhelm was dropped as an infant by his wet-nurse, and the consequences were n o t discovered until i t was too late.

I n any case, this abnormality is important for his image. T o

me i t brings h i m closer as a human being. I t shows that, i n reality, under his many uniforms of the regiments he commands, he is only a helpless human being after all. When I was watching

the manifestations of his power, the glamor of his cour, the martial magnificence of his legions on the parade field, I kept my eyes on his crippled arm, i n order n o t t o let my mind be dazed should I ever speak with h i m face t o face. His being a cripple also explains his whole character, 1 believe. This Supreme Warlord would be rejected by the medical

board i f he were an ordinary man called u p for military service. His pathological predilection for all things military may stem from this. Nor can he adopt any natural pose, because he must always have t o think of how t o conceal his defect. As a matter of fact, he does deceive many people by the way in which, when o n horseback, he holds the reins with his short left arm. This bridle arm enables h i m

to

get by o n horseback. H e also loves danling,

shiny uniforms and gleaming helmets which attract, distract the eye. However, he is, i t seems t o me, a likeable man; t o p u t i t even better and more bricfly: a man! H e wants t o make a b i g impression o n the crowd, t o

be sure,

and he plays the emperor with might and main. But he wishes t o charm those who m e e t him by amiability. He has an engaging way of shaking hands, like a party leader. H e looks everyone with whom he speaks full i n the eye by stepping up close t o him. H e was a t his most charming a t Breslau a t the gala performance of

464 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL a l i t t l e military

comedy b y Moser. H e laughed a l o u d

a t the in

nocent soldiers’ jokes; he fairly shook with laughter. I n faq, there was a trace o f exaggeration i n this unconstraint, which

he

knew was being observed by so many eyes. H e 1s inclined 1

overdo things. There is no doubt that he is a man of great and varied talenu who, however, wants to tackle too many things w i t h his one a m

and always has his hands full because he wishes t o hide the faa that he has only one hand. I f I understand him aright, 1 am going t o w i n h i m for our cause, provided that I manage t o get close enough t o h i m

Hechler went t o see Prince Giinther yesterday afternoon when the latter returned from the

parade ground. Unfortunately one

minute too late. The Prince was already taking a bath, or at least he sent word by a servant that he was already i n the bath;

Hechler was asked t o dinner.

return

in the evening before the coun

Hechler d i d so; b u t a high general was with the Prince. As

Giinther left he spoke only a few words with Hechler, asking him t o come back this evening a t half past six. This just about finishes the prospect of getting t o the Kaiser here. Because for three full days starting tomorrow moming the Kaiser w i l l be at the manoeuvres. A n d | have t o leave t o MOITOW.

September

12,

Vienna

T h e afternoon before yesterday Hechler came and reported

that Prince Giinther had spoken about the matter like someone who was acquainted with it. The Kaiser seems t o have discussed i t with him even before this. But they evidently don’t w a n t t o touch the matter; princes shrink from the whole question. “It is so strange,”® said Prince Gunther t o Hechler. But the latter ®

I n English in the original.

T H E COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL 463 may be received by the Kaiser after all, althoug h Giinthe r wouldn’t take Hechler's l e t t e r t o transmit t o the

Kaiser.

I realized that I wouldn't accomplish anything i n Gorliz now,

took m e t o the station. There I impressed i t upon him that he should try t o do what he could, and in any case tell the Prince, and possibly the

a n d immediately decided t o depart. Hechler

Kaiser, that I had had

to

leave hastily, b u t would be w i l l i n g t o

appear a t any time and i n any place t o present and explain the matte r.

Poor Hechler had tough luck. H e left Horitz without giving a forwarding address. The day before yesterday the Embassy

was looking for him because an Englishman had died here and Hechler was supposed t o conduct the funeral service. 1 tele graphed him this, but of course too late. Hechler’s cook, with whom I had checked a t his request, mournfully told me of this incident and said: “What a pity! I t was a wealthy funeral.”

During my absence a letter from Zadoc Kahn arrived, containing fresh laments and accusations by the Rothschild director Scheid. Who's lying? Scheid or the Turks who formally denied the expulsion of Jewish colonists? This must be cleared u p now. I am writing Newlinsk i about it.

From London comes the news that the Powers are giving some thought t o deposing Abdul Hamid . I f this comes about, the Zionist idea will be dead for a long time t o come. For a new Sultan will find money and won't need this combination.

466

T H E C O M P L E T E D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HERZL

Hechler wires from Gorlitz:

“Very friendly letter (presumably from Giinther), only no enough time.” September 16, Vienna

Yesterday, endless debate of the Zionist Federation

at

the

Café Louvre, later a t Robicsek’s Restaurant. A representative of the Lvov Zionists was present, and he

demanded quick action. I n one year, 400-600,000 signature could be raised in Galicia for a petition t o the Powers. He said there was great distress and the desire t o emigrate was immeasur-

able. Dr. Gabel is the name of this delegate. I took him a t his word; let him get those signatures. They would be proof of the strength of our movement and a backbone for our action, which, however, must not be expected t o be ready tomorrow. Everybody wanted action, and i n the end i t tumed o u t that

Schnirer had n o t even sent o u t my circular letter about the need for organization, which I had given him weeks ago. They argued about the wording of the first paragraph i n the party program drafted b y Schnirer. September 16 Letter t o Zadoc Kahn: Reverend Sir:

Having just returned from a trip, 1 hasten t o answer your kind letter of September 4.

I had already been informed that Mr. Scheid is working against

me. From your letter I see that this is true. I am asking myself what might motivate this gentleman t o procecd in this way. The movement that I started may n o t have the approbation of a l l Jews; but for the present i t is incomprehensible t o me that people who have t o do with colonization should be hghtin g it. Follow ing your first compla int i n July, which was transm itted to m e b y Dr. Nordau, I immed iately took steps at Consta ntinopl e

T H E COMP LETE DIARI ES O F T H E O D O R HERZ L

467

and received an official denial from the Turkish ambassador in Vienna. This denial I telegraphed t o Baron E. Rothschild who has not acknowledged it

to

this day.

I n August I had the ambassador reiterat e this denial for me,

because his first letter contained other things which I did n o t want t o show around. You will find enclosed the letter, which you will kindly show t o Baron Rothschild and Mr. Leven and then return

to

me as soon as possible.

Now Mr. Scheid comes with specific accusations. I am sending these t o the proper authorities for investigation. I shall ask for a statement as t o 1) whether the facts are correct, 2) whether dif-

ficulties of this sort did n o t arise before | came o n the scene, 3) whether the alleged disciplinary measures have any connection with my efforts. Since i t is part of the Jewish misfortune that a great deal de-

pends on M . de Rothschild’s decisions, this incident has t o be given some attention.

Let anyone who comes close t o our project realize its full scriousness.

Until now 1 have conducted the movement considerately and as a calm man; this is common knowledge. I t is known as well that t o me Zionism is neither a sport nor a business. 1 am n o t

living on it, but for it. | am making sacrifices of all kinds, which In proportion t o my means are surely no smaller than those of M. de Rothschild. Therefore 1 demand that, even if people do not work with me, they do n o t work against me. I believe that we are a t a great turning point i n our history.

You are acquainted with the events i n Turkey. Never has the general situation been more favorable t o us. 1 am not going into details of this now, because I regretfully conclude from your letter that your mind has been changed again, after you had written me from Weggis that you were going t o convene a confidential world congress. 1 continue t o go m y way, imperturb ably, unshakab ly.

Strangely enough, quite a few people don’t know yet that | can write and can be bought just as little as the disagreeable Mr.

468 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL Drumont. I shall not write pamphlets, to be sure, b u t a sim report on what I have tried t o do and what I perhaps have bee

prevented from doing. The book will be called “The Return of the Jews,” and everyone will have his place i n it. Tant pis, si cela fournira encore de la copie a Monsieur Drumont [Too bad i

this will furnish M. Drumont with more material]. With a respectful greeting, Y o u r R e v e r e n d ’ s devoted

Herz l.

September 16, Vienna

An enthusiastic and touching resolution came from Jerusalem The sender, Wilhelm Gross, writes me that the signers are

among the most respected men of Jerusalem. H e denies—what a strange coincidence—that m y efforts haw

harmed the Jews there. I am answering him that he should form an investigating com mittee of the most respected men. I t should consist neither do friends nor of foes of Scheid, and i t should ascertain the three points of information about which I wrote Zadoc Kahn. At the same time I am asking him for confidential informs tion about Scheid, because I don’t know him and would like © know whether i t is sincere conviction that prompts h i m t o wort against me, or whether there are other motives a t work. September 24 I received a letter from Zadoc Kahn, with a n enclosure from

Scheid in which he says that I have too much confidence in the ‘Turks. I f I was really able t o achieve anything, I ought t o secur entry

permits for

100

families t o the Jaulan. At the same time

Zadoc informs me that i n October there will be a meeting d the Hirsch Fund people in Paris and that he intends t o present my plan etc. t o them. I immediately went t o see Newlinski and told him the mo

469

T H E COM PLET E DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R HER ZL

e ment had come to frappe r u n grand coup [strike a b i g b l o w ] . T h

Sultan should give me autho rizatio n for the immig rauon of three to

five hundred families or some other great concession, and

then the Hirsch people

Newlinski wrote

to

etc.

would make him an offer.

Izzet and spoke with the local ambassador,

Mahmu d Nedim . T h e latter used the occasion t o tell h i m that the N . Fr. Pr. reporter who covers the diploma tic corps spoke of m e as a madm an.

I n the meantime the following happened: Glogau came

to

me

with the news that the government wants a rival paper t o needle the N . Fr. Pr., because the N . Fr. Pr. has been getting bothersome

Badeni's administration since he made his peace with Lueger. The paper is t o be liberal-conservative-anti-Semitic—in short, an to

impossibility, —but typographically (swipe-ographically)® produced exactly like the N . Fr. Pr., which, t o be sure, onginated

in a similar manner from the old Presse. I dropped the remark i n front of Newlinski that this competition was a stupid thing. I f they intended t o weaken the N . Fr. Pr, they couldn't do i t this way. However, because the word pledged to

me a year ago has n o t been kept and the Jewish State, the

Jewish cause, has not only n o t been supported but almost maliciously suppressed, | would—found a great paper. Newlinski immediately told this t o his friend Kozmian—on Monday—, and when | was a t the Burgtheater o n Tuesday, Kozmian came u p t o me and said that Graf Badeni, who was also present, wished t o speak with me about “ m y ” paper. I replied that we hadn't got that far yet; only the beginning had

been made, etc. But the next day, after consulting with Badeni again, Kozmian

called me t o his suite in the Hotel Imperial where Newlinski was also present. Badeni wanted to know through him what I wanted “for your support.” I answered: “Above all, no money! 1 wish t o be independent; ® Translators Note: Rerel's pun is “typogrephiscch (dicbogre phisch).”

470 T H E COMPLET E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R ? the mutual relationship must reside more i n the attitude. Should I i n any way need help o r favor for m y idea, then let the goven, ment help me; i n return for this 1 shall not give i t any displea

ure.” “That's little enough,” said Kozmian, who was i n his shin sleeves and had only put o n an overcoat. “Which means: pleasure!” I declared; “ b u t Count Badeni wil

have t o support Zionism." Kozmian thought he could promise this. Badeni would en courage Jewish colonization (parbleu! Lueger’s desire, too). And now suddenly the moment has come of which 1 had a foreboding in my letter t o Badeni that time when my pamphlet was coming out.

Kozmian also said Badeni would receive me as soon as I wanted it—and then he left for Galicia from where he will return a t the beginning of October. As 1 went o u t , Newlinski saw me t o the door and said: “Ii faudra créer aussi 4 Kozmian une situation dans ce journal (We

will have t o create a job on this paper for Kozmian to0o).” I said: “ C e n'est pas possible, mais je tdcherai de l'intéresser

autrement [That isn’t possible, but I shall try some other way).”

to

take care of him

At this Newlinski said pithily: “Il en a besoin [He needs it)” ®

®

®

I am now doing the spade work for the founding of the paper. ‘Tough financial problem. Dessauer is advising me. Scptember 25

Letter t o Zadoc Kahn:

Reve rend Sir:

I gratefully acknowledge receipt of your kind letter with er

closures. Yesterday I had the Turki sh

ambassador here addres

an inqu iry t o Constantinople, and a few days before that I had already taken the necessary direct steps there. I n Turk ey peopk have many great worrie s now: and i t will not be surpr ising i

T H E COMP LETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL

471

they do not give me an immediate answer, although 1 have wellfounded reason t o believe that they are very favorably disposed

toward me.

|

I beg you t o give me the exact date on which the Hirsch people will meet, so that I may send you the proclamation which I requested from Constantinople for you t o submit t o the gentlemen, o r bring i t to Paris myself. Y o u see, I asked for a confirmation of the verbal declarations made t o me, one that will exclude all doubt. I f I receive such a confirmation, 1 believe i t will be substantial material for the Pans conference which you an-

nounced. 1 am active in various other respects, too. I have m e t with cooperation in particular from a very high place here in Austna. As for the other things favorable t o us—in Rome and i n Berlin— I cannot write you about them. 1 am (kindly pardon my frankness!) not wholly convinced that you w i l l go along through thick

and thin, the way the cause may require it. However, this does not preclude the fact that 1 a m sincerely grateful t o you for your efforts and beg you t o continue t o help t o the extent that you can help.

With sincere respect, Herzl. Could not Edmond Rothschild try t o approach the Czar i n Paris now and bespeak his kind interest i n the colonization? Our endeavors do converge, even if we diverge on details. September 25

Newlinski tells me he has news from Cardinal Agliardi that Cardinal Rampolla intends t o submit my idea t o the Pope.

Hechler has been here a few times already

to

ask whether 1

have written t o Prince Ginthe r. 1 have been too feeble and distracted in the last few days.

472 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HER7L Yesterday Schnirer and Kokesch came t o see me. They com

“wanted t o break loose.” They say he was agitating on his own in Moravia e t c . and there ought 1 be “inner-political” action. Both called Kohn a careerist whe was interested only in getting hold of a position for himself Schnirer spoke of withdrawing. Kokesch wanted t o bring Kohn plained that l i t t l e Dr. Kohn

back into the fold through concessions. I told these t w o , who are

among the finest of the local Zionists: “Neither one nor the other, but work!

“ I f you finally

start

the much-talked-of work of organization

you w i l l cut the ground from under these separatists.” Schnirer said h e had called upon Kohn t o let “us,” i . e . the

Zionist Federation, have the results of his agitation. Kohn re fused, saying that he had not done this “for us.” However, I hear from Moravia that the young people are ag: tating in my name—and yet “not for us’? A t length Schnirer, Kokesch, and I decided t o set u p commis

sions which would have t o report t o the leadership, i.e, t o us One commission for the associations, another for the pres, a finance commission and a study commission. The only trouble is that Schnirer and Kokesch will soon let the matter go t o sleep again.

Today Rabbi Dr. Leopold Goldschmied of Mieslitz came t o see me and asked me for my support, because he would like t o be come rabbi a t Floridsdorf. H e is a Zionist. H e told me o n this occasion that the young people in Moravia are writing the rabbis to

raise share certificates a t

50

guilders

each

for the found

ing of a Jewish newspaper. This is evidently Kohn's idea.

October 5. Vienna Since the last entry, hard, chaotic days with much sorrow and disgust. I had dealings with “practical ” people from the busines

T H E COMP LETE DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R HERZ L 473 and politica l worlds, and often regrette d that I had t o step o u t of the literary world into this hustle and bustle.

A few days were filled with attempts t o found the newspaper. Dessauer the bank directo r had told m e for months that he, o r

rather, his bank, would particip ate i n the foundin g of the newspaper (which, of course, was conceived as a respectable venture,

independent of financial deals) with part of the

share capil.

But when I came t o see h i m with Colbert and Steiner—of the Wiener Mode publishing house—he declared: “You mustn't take me a t my word like that.” I t was a humiliating situation.

Then a different combination was started, in which a few relatives and | are supposed t o procure half of the necessary money. But we shall have a hard time raising the other half. Meanwhile, however, | informed Count Badeni through Newlinski and Kozmian that I intended t o start a big newspaper t o

represent my idea. The inner-political situation is such that this is also in Badeni’s interest. He sent me word through Kozmian that he would receive me as soon as | wished

to

talk with him.

1 purposely didn’t go while I still had n o t completed raising the money for the paper. | still haven't completed it. And because Dessauer broke his word, 1 am now disgraced before Newlinski, Kozmian, and Badeni. As i t is, Badeni had declared a t the outset that he didn’t think 1 would make it. H e said | was a weak man. Kozmian had asked me what | wanted i n r e t u r n for “supporting the government.” | answered him that | couldn't accept a financial subvention of any kind, but wished

to

perform serv

ices for the Badeni Cabinet in return for the advancement of my

Zionist policies. Kozmian didn’t quite seem 1 0 understand how anyone could do something like that gratis. When I had

to

inform Newlin ski that my newspaper attempts

had as good as failed, he flew into a great rage ( I had held out

him the prospect of a gnod position on the paper as a special correspondent). He said he was disappointed i n me, that | was to

obviously not the man t o carry the idea o u t . 1 was too much of

474 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL an idealist. I ought t o ask money from Montagu, E. Rothschild, e t c . , t o create a great organ. I n reply t o this I said that I would never bring myself t o ask anyone for money that would look a though i t were given t o me. Thereupon he said i t was best t o drop the whole matter.

I then accompanied h i m to the Turkish embassy. H e joked: “ I f we two were conspirators, and i t were a question of stealing dynamite, and you refused to steal, | w o u l d d r a w m y gun and

shoot you down.”

I truly believe that energy of this kind would be needed 10 see things through. I don’t have it. 1 shrink back from asking for money for agitation, let alone raising i t i n an ungenteel manner. When the Steyrermiihl combination was i n progress, 1 was bothered by the stock-exchange atmosphere about i t , and i t was

with relief t h a t I had the shares sold again when the combination turned o u t t o be unworkable. Incidentally, Newlinski now has an opportunity figuratively to draw a gun, by passing on the information given h i m i n con fidence t o Bacher and Benedikt.

Then 1 would suddenly be sitting on the floor, between two chairs. Today I met Benedikt o n the street before 1 went t o the office,

and he walked along with me through the city for an hour. | asked him whether he had by now been brought closer t o Zion ism by all that had happened i n Austria within a year—Lueger with the Emperor, Badeni’s reconciliation with the anti-Semites, etc.

H e insisted that the N . Fr. Pr. had

10

keep t o the German

Liberal standpoint. The Jewish-nationalist movement was a mis fortune, etc. Moravia i n particular was thereby being lost to Liberalism. Despite this, his opposition scemed weaker today than i t was half a year ago.

to

me

This half a year has been rather meaningful for me. The Viennese Jews seem t o have become more pliable. There wa something peculiar about that. 1 was indifferent t o the advances

T H E COMP LETE DIARI ES O F T H E O D O R HERZ L

475

of anti-Sem itism, I hardly noticed them. O n the other hand, vexation was forcing Benedik t a n d Compan y more over t o m y

side every day. On how many points have I already proved t o be right! Oppenheim, who a year ago declared my pamphlet a bad joke, said today that I could quite well write a few factual articles about Zionism for the N . Fr. Pr. That would be a solution. I n any case, dificult days are ahead for m e again, like a year ago, when | was supposed t o leave the N . Fr. Pr. and had so

many palpitations during the negotiations that my heart has been ailing ever since.

Again there are suspenseful instalments in the novel of my life. Perhaps the movement will now propel me o u t of my secure position with the N . Fr. Pr. and into adventures which 1 face without worry on account of my family. Newlinski tells me a remark of Bacher's. One evening they ran into cach other i n the Prater. Bacher asked 4 bridle pourpoint [point-blank]: “What are you doing with Herzl?” not

Newlinski replied: “1 am helping him with the Turkish govi n matters of Jewish colonization.” Whereupon Bacher said: “Herzl is such a prig!” ®

ernment

October 6

Of all the people who have been drawn

to

me by the “move

ment,” the Rev. Hechler is the finest and most fanciful. But 1 belicve he wants t o convert me.

He frequently writes me postcards, for no particular reason, telling me that he hasn't been able t o sleep the previous night because Jerusalem came into his mind. ®

Tramslator’s Note: Bacher called Herzl a Schmoch—e word of Slovene origin

meaning “fool© I t was popularised by the German writer Gustav Preyiag who used it as the name of an unprincipled jewish newspaperman in his comedy Die Journalisten (1858). Schmock is used in colloqui al Cerman t o designate a poua, mobbish, self-satisfied, pretentious person. = a

476 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HER7z] October 10

Again several days of ups and downs i n the newspaper projea A number of times everything seemed all set, then again:

(oy

est rompu, m o n gendre [everything's gone t o smash, m y son-in

law]).® These reversals are uninteresting and deserve t o be forgotten, unless they are written down immediately .

But last night there was a substantial development a t the of fice. Bacher called me t o his room. I thought h e wanted to speak about m y plan for a newspaper, and inwardly made ready for a battle. Was the break going to come this early? Bacher asked: “What arrangements have you made for the Neue Presse i n Constantinople?”

I was quite dumbfounded. “Arrangements? None whatever” He: “You were down there with Newlinski?” I : “Yes. That is common knowledge.” H e : “ H e took you around t o the Ministerss”

I : “Yes indeed.” He: “Today we were informed for the second time that you have been t o Constantinople i n order t o ask the Turkish gov ernment for a subvention of three thousand pounds for the N Fr. Pr. People are commonly saying i n Constantinople that yoo

actually received some money. We were confidentially notified by the Vienna Foreign Office, and Adler, the president of the

Austrian Board of Trade a t Constantinople, wrote us the same thing.” M y good, clear conscience allowed m e t o take this powerful news with the utmost calm. I said: “And did you believe this for a single moment? Don!

you know me? I should think you'd have t o take me for a gentle man at least.”

Bacher immediately backed down. * Translator’s Note: A line from Act 1 of Eugene Labiche’s play U n chapeau &

paille d’ltalie.

T H E COMP LETE DIARI ES O F T H E O D O R HERZ L

477

“We believed nothing more than that Newlinski played a dirty trick while your back and ours were turned. H e must have

used your presence t o take money from the Turks.” I

declared categorically: “ I shall get

to

the bottom of this. I n

Constantinople I always drew a clear line between my capacity as an editor of the N . Fr. Pr. and my capacity as a representative of the Jewish cause. I t was no secret t o the Turkish authoriues that 1 came there only for the sake of the Jewish cause. My first audience with the Grand Vizier was devoted exclusively t o the Jewish cause. Only the second one was an interview i n which, incidentally, 1 wasn’t any more officious than, for example, Schiltz was in Russia recently i n his talks with the Russian states

men. Bacher pursued the matter clumsily: “Tell me everything! With whom did you speak?” I began: “With the Grand Vizier . . . ,”” but quickly caught myself and stopped: “ I am not going t o tell you this. You are an opponent of my movement. Open the columns of the N . Fr. Pr. t o m e a n d | shall tell everything in public!” He shouted: “That I shall never permit. 1 cannot take your point of view. There is n o such thing as a Jewish problem, there

is only a human problem.” I : “ I pledge myself t o explain the matter t o our readers without compromising your point of view. What objection will you make t o Jewish colonization?” He: “ I don’t want the Jews t o emigrate a t all. Incidentally, the colonists perish. All the Russian Jews come back.” o t “Yes, from Argentina, because Hirsch tackled the matter ly.”

ay

"And the Palestine ones are shnorvers [beggars], all of

I : “Not truel The Palestine colonies are thriving. Just as you

don’t know this, your readers don’t know it. Let me explain it to them.” He wavered a bit, but didn't give in. Then I went t o Benedikt, who spoke with more sugaroating,

478 T H E COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERy

even declared t h a t neither he nor Bacher nor D6azy had had gp, suspicion against me. | had simply been incautious; I would ¢ g tainly know what and whom (Newlins ki) h e meant. T h e cong

quence of this incident was that today the N . Fr. Pr. would pub lish a furious editorial against Turkey. This was the only wp

that gossip could be knocked on the head. I closed in on him, too, with the Jewish cause, saying that h should let me write a series of articles. He said that could nox k

done. They could not give up the Austrian point of view. | wk him: “You are a good Jew, aren’t your Why shouldn't 1 be abk t o get through t o you? An awful lot depends o n you. Go aloy

with me and thousands will follow. Let me first explain even thing that has happened i n the past year. T h e n you will beliew

He said: “We can certainly talk. You know that I enjoy haviy a heart-to-heart talk with you.” I n short, the conversation closed o n a peaceful note. Still, I don’t trust this peace. I had the impression that the

are afraid of me and have got wind of my newspaper plans. Perhaps that slanderous story is only a war ruse against m 3 0 as t o foster the suspicion, i n the event that | leave, that I m

dismissed because of some dirty financial

matter.

want t o separate m e from Newlinski, i . e , from

Badeni? Or make i t impossible for me The next days will bring the answer.

to

Or do the Kormian ax

leave the N . Fr. Ar

Octobe r 11

Last night a serious altercation with Bacher. At noon 1 had told him that | intended t o challenge Déays a duel because of his remark. Earlie r still 1 had spoken with ® colleague Vinc enti and asked h i m i f he want ed t o be my seco

Vincenti pretended a trip, but let me tell him the story “in fidence.” Bacher explained t o me that Déczy had only circuls#

some confidential information as a friend (with a “breach of ¢

ficial secrecy”). Déczy's statement had been friendly in charac

toward me as well. And i f | challenged Décxy, | would have?

T H E C O M P L E T E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

479

challenge him—Bacher—as well. 1 said: “Certainly I would chal-

lenge you i f you said something defamatory about me.” However, 1 dropped the whole thing after Bacher made this friendly declaratio n.

Meanwhile, Vincenti had blabbed i n the ‘foreign’ room. All the “foreign boys’ were talking about the matter. I n the evening

Bacher sent for me and took me t o task furiously: “Mister, what have you got i n your head? You have committed a n act o f disloyalty b y spreading the story about. Déczy could

lose his job, etc.” I t did n o t suit me

to

have a bad quarrel recorded as the cause

of my resignation from the N . Fr. Pr. Therefore I answered resolutely but calmly: “ I most firmly reject the charge of disloyalty. I f Vincenti blabbed in spite of his promise of secrecy, that is n o t my fault. Incidentally, I saw Newlinski this afternoon and didn’t mention Déczy t o h i m . 1 a m convinced that Newlinski, too, had absolutely n o part i n this subvention story. B u t you w i l l under-

stand that I could n o t simply let the matter pass. I n your editorial of today you demanded the partitioning of Turkey. This puts you in the clear, b u t I ' m still i n the woods.”

Thereupon he calmed down and declared t h a t 1 had not been compromised a t all. Vincenti came in, was embarrassed because his blabbing had caused the fuss, but finally the big row did have a peaceful ending. Bacher gave me his hand with his grumpy,

false good-nature, more than ever bourru malfaisant [a churlish trouble-maker). However, 1 have the impression that they will soon forcibly squeeze me o u t of the paper. That would be a catastrophe, because the financial combinations for the founding of my paper

have miscarried. October 1 1 From Zadoc Kahn 1 received the information that the Hirsch people o f the Jewish Colonisation Association® are going t o meet ®

In English in the original.

480 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HER7]

on the 14th in Paris, but their power is said t o be limited by a act of Parliament t o which the Hirsch Foundation is subject.

I am answering him: Revere nd Sir: A t present i t is not possible for m e to come to Paris. Unfortu. nately I must also doubt that the gentlemen w h o are going convene there w i l l want t o hear what 1 have t o say.

You will surely recall from my letters how our cause stands,

since I informed you of some of the main points. This informa tion, coupled with your eloquent presentation, will be enough to give the gentlemen a picture o f the situation. I shall compress the result o f m y endeavors u p t o n o w i n t

few words: All strata of our people are receiving the idea of a Jewish State with enthusiasm. I n Turkey there 1s disposition tw permit colonization on a large scale i f a lot is paid for i t . I n the highest government circles of certain countries my plan

is receiving serious and benevolent consideration. I f the gentlemen assembled in Paris care t o go into the matter just as earnestly, I am a t their disposal for further informaton In addition, 1 make the following positive proposal. Let the gentlemen found or buy one large daily paper in London and one in Paris. There are papers that yield a good profit and on which the Fund would not lose anything. The politics of the

Jews should be conducted through these papers, for or agains Turkey, depending on circumstances, etc. On the outside, the papers need not be recognizable as Jewish sheets. As editor-ir

chief for London I recommend Lucien Wolf, for Paris,

Bernard

Lazare. I consider this one of the next essential tasks. I f the gentle men understand what is now going on in Turkey, they will re

alize the historical greatness of the momen t. With sincere respect,

Herzl.

HE RZ L 4 8 ] THE COMPLETE DIA RIE S OF THE OD OR

October Today I got a phone call

at

13

the office from the Turk ish em-

they want ed to talk with m e i n the afternoon. a, expressing my | immediately wrot e t o Mah mud Ned im Pash home a l l regrets at being unable to call o n h i m . B u t I woul d be

bassy, saying that

after noon .

The ambassador replied he had only wanted t o deliver a docu-

ment t o me and “have a cigar ette” with me. The document apparently is the certificate of

decoration and

serves as a pretext t o speak with me about the slander affair. Probably the anti-Turkish editorial i n the N . Fr. Pr. has caused consternation in Constantinople, too. Once again 1 become involved i n high politics unexpectedly and without m y doing anythin g toward it. According t o a newspaper despatch from Constantinople of today’s date, the Foreign Minister, Tewfik Pasha, has said that Turkey wishes t o run a railroad through Palestine and construct a passage t o India. That was m y proposal. October 13

| must frankly admit i t t o myself: | am demoralized. From no side help, from all sides attacks. Nordau writes me from Paris that nobody stirs there any longer. The Maccabeans in London are more and more Pickwickian, i f | may believe the reports of my faithful de Haas. I n Germany 1 have only oppo-

nents. The Russians look on sympathetically while 1 wear myself out, but none of them lends a hand.

In Austria, particularly Vienna,

|

have a few adherents. O f

these, the disinterested ones are completely inactive; the others, the active ones, want t o advance their careers through an editor of the N. Fr. Py. Added t o this is the slander campaign, whose leader appears to be the worthy Scheid. All the Jews who are well off are my opponents.

489 T H E COM PLET E DIAR IES OF T H E O D O R HERZL So that I am beginning t o have the right t o be the biggest of all anti-Semites. I often think of Levysohn's words: “Thos e whom you want i

help will start by nailing you rather painfully

to

the cross.”

Octobe r 14 Today 1 went to see M a h m u d N e d i m Pasha, the T u r k i s h

Am

bassador. H e received me amiab ly with the decree of appoint. ment t o the Mejidiye order and said he t o hand me the star for my chest as well.

hoped

to

be able som

I acted as though I felt greatly honored. We then chatted. Mahmud Nedim again had his funny wa of expressing himself: “‘Imaginez-vous que vous n’étes pas us homme politique et pas un Aulrichie n, et tmaginez que je n suis pas ambassadeur. Vous étes un Chilien e t moi du Perou—a

maintenant parlons de la Turquie [Let's pretend

that

you ar

a political man and not an Austrian, and that I am not a ambassador. You are a Chilean and I am from Peru—and nov let's talk about Turkey).” What he meant t o say was: let us talk freely. So 1 gave h i m my opinion freely. I said there was only one

not

salvation for Turkey: an agreement with the Jews regarding Palestine. I n this way the finances could be straightened out reforms carried out, and after a restoration of orderly condiuos any foreign intervention could be permanently forbidden. Al

financial arrangements that are being proposed are short-ters expédients and only serve t o fill the pockets of a few stock marke speculators. Mahmud Nedim nodded uneasily t o this and openly

spok

about the desperate condition of the state finances. The Turki people were utterly impoverished and n o more taxes could be levied. Where there are n o resources, the Sultan has lost bs

rights.® He, Mahmud Nedim himself, completely shared o point of view; he also thought that i t would be possible t o 1 ®

der

Translator’s Note: A n amusing play o n the German proverb Wo nichts ist, hs Kaiser das Recht verioren. pay °

483

T H E COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL

habilitate Turkey with the aid of the Jews. But he said he had no influence i n Constantinople. H e thinks the immigra tion of Jews into Palestine could, i n any case, take place only i f these Jews were w i l l i n g t o become Turkish subjects. O n the whole, h e doesn’t really seem to understan d what 1

mean. 1 contented myself w i t h inflaming his imagination by sketching with a few strokes a picture of Turkey's resurrection

with the aid of the Jews. Turkey's heirs-apparent, who are rejoicing even now, would be done o u t of the

expected partition.

La Turquie échapperait a ses heritiers [Turkey would fool its heirs]! Mahmud Nedim had also spoken with me quite openly. He

said: “For t w o weeks | have heard nothing from Constantinople. That is a good sign. I f no turn for the worse is reported of a sick man, one may hope again.” He was quite resigned, the poor ambassador. Mahmud Nedim also spoke i n a funny way of our religions. “The Moslems,” he said, “are closer

to

the jews than

to

the

Christians. Among us anyone w h o makes an insulting remark about Moses or Abraham has his head c u t off. Also, we are circumcized, like yourselves. You could pass for a Mohammedan, 1, for a Jew. Christ we don’t recognize as the son of God, a t least not

any more than anyone else. T o us, all these are prophets.” October 16

Today there again is a murder-and-fire-alarm article on “Conditions on the Bosporus” in the Neue Freie Presse.

October

19

Young de Haas in London seems t o be doing an effective job, to judge from his letters. He has a hundred stalwarts,® w h o call themselves B'nai Zion and do plenty of agitating. He wants t o win over the Hovevei Zion (3000 members), and march on from there. The English * I n English in the original.

484 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R z provinces and America, he writes, are attaching themselves ( his movem ent.

I am writing him that I am now trying t o obtain an audienc with the Emperor of Russia. Also, that I have spoken win Mahmud Nedim about the Turkish finances and their rehabil; tation through Jewish money. 1 am asking de Haas whether he thinks that Montagu and Goldsmid would accept an invitation

from the Sultan t o make proposals i n Constantinople.

Yesterday I sent Hechler the Russian translation of my pam phlet, which is finished a t last, for the Czar. At the same time| sketched for him in a few lines what he should write t o Duke Giinther and Prince Heinrich of Prussia about the financial re habilitation of Turkey and the preservation of the status qu with the aid of the Jewish migration.

An item from the Wiener Allgemeine Zeitung of October 18. 1896:

“ A Hundred and Fifty Millions For Zionist Purpose s”

I n the Dziennik Polski we found the following item: “One d the most outstanding Zionist leaders i n Lvov has received a lat ter from the well-known author of the pamphle t The Jewul State, Dr. Theodor Herzl, with the informat ion that an English

millionaire has the intention of sacrificing 150 million guilden for the restoratio n o f the Palestinia n state. However , the mit lionaire first wants t o have proof that the Polish Jews are realh

prepared t o emigrate. Dr. Herzl is now asking the Lvov Zion to

convene popular assemblies all over the coun try and colle

as great a numb er of signatures as possible t o serve h i m as prod

and a t the same time as a mandate for further negotiations with

T H E COMPLE TE DIARIES O F THEODO R HERZL 485

the above-mentioned millionaire. Dr. Herzl's letter has given rise t o tense scenes a t a session of the Zionist Executive Committee. Some of the members expressed doubts regarding Dr. Herzl's love of truth and demanded that he should first send them the original letter from that English Croesus and also prove that he really had an audience with the Sultan and received assurances that the latter would give the matter of the founding of a Jewish State in Palestine his favorable attention. I t was allegedly for

these reasons that Dr. Herzl was n o t granted the desired mandate.

The suspicion remains n o t unjustified that the Zionists were simply aware of the fact that they would not succeed in raising the requisite number o f signature s.” October 2 2

Letter t o Mahmud Nedim Bey:* Your Excellency:

Permit me t o express t o you my gratitude for the decoration which His Majesty has done me the honor of conferring upon me. Respectfully yours,

Dr. Theodor Herzl.

Enclosed letter

to

the Suluan:®

Sire: His Excellency Mahmud Nedim Bey has been kind enough t o deliver t o me the patent of decoration which Your Majesty has done me the honor of conferring upon me. In expressing my profound appreciation for that token of favor, 1 beg Your Majesty

10

continue

to

bestow your eminent

benevolence upon the Jews. On the day when i t will please Your Majesty t o accept the services of the Jews, they will joyfully

Place their forces a t the disposal of such a magnanimous monarch. I am with the deepest respect, Sire, Your Majesty's most hum-

ble and obedient serva nt Dr. Theodor Herl. ®

In Prench in the original.

486 T H E COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R H E R

(The flowery complimentary close a t the end,® which may be a bit extreme, I copied from the Usages d u Monde [Wory Usage], Section o n “lettres @ des personnages (letters to impor.

tant people],” by Baroness de Staffe.) ®

In the French original: Je suis avec le plus profond respect, re,

De Votre Majesté Le trés humble e t obéissant sentnteur.”

Ues acbalin “ w b

Tham

Adel

J

a

I


irs

~.

dae,

~hy

She

Horas

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dbava

Cofyfan.

ha

Gotlel

.

Mew gaw ,

art

irs

Arta

Ara A v e a q

ole

,

Stan

Refarea

| Aimed Mati hag,

Pacam ile of a letter written b y H e r to Profes sor Richa rd Gottheil dated August 30, 1902. I n 1«t H e r i invites G o t t h e i l t o Alt Aussee. T h e letter is c o n

tinued on page 488.

488

T H E C O M P L E T E DIA RIE S O F T H E O D O R HER z|

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Seconpadge of Henrls letter

30 , 1903.

40 Professor Richard Go

tth es l dated August

October 2 2

Yesterday afternoon Kozmian paid me a long visit—and o n

orders from Badeni. Badeni very much wants me t o start a big newspaper and regards this as a considerable service for which he wants to be very grate ful t o me. I wanted t o talk diplomatically, b u t Kozmian asked with a

certain rudeness: “What do you want for it? Come right o u t with it. What do you want for yourself, and what for the Jews?” He spoke in French, but I changed over t o German, pour faire sentir davantage les nuances [to bring o u t the shades of meaning better). He said:® “The government understands that you will be rendering it an invaluable service. You need a politicosocial position which is t o be created. What are your demands? Seeing that it isn’t money? Would you like an office, a title, some distinction?” I said: “ I t can’t be a question of an office i f 1 h a v eto start a paper. Newlinski suggested a decoration for me, the Iron Crown, for example.” “What class?” he asked. I said, “Third!,” but should have said “Second.” “But that imn’t the main thing. I t is a question of giving something t o the Jews. For example, a word from the Emperor. Having conferred this distinction upon me, he would receive me and give me good news for the Jews, with authorization t o make i t public. What? We would agree on that then and there.”

“That's hard!” said Kozmian. “One can’t make the Emperor cater the discussion just like that. The Emperor has't anything against the Jews; he just doesn't like the stock-market gam-

blers. Badeni is likewise rather a philo-Semite. There certainly

won't be any more persecutions of the Jews.” oa

following conversation between Herzl and Koemian is reported in French

489

490 T H E COMPLE TE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERz

I interrupted him: “ I ' m

not

afraid of persccutions, thay

p,

long er exists.” H e : “Of course, I can’t tell you anything definite as far ag ih Emperor personally is concerned. I ' l l walk t o Baden. I ' l l tell hip what you've told me. H e has a very practical m i n d . H e wants he paper before the elections. H e w i l l hold the elections in Febn, ary or March i f he gets the budget passed now. A n d if they rc

fuse, he will hold them right away. Therefore he needs immed; ately a great independent paper which won't be hostile t o him but will treat him objectively.” I finally said that I would consult with m y friends on what we ought t o demand.

He said that i t was dificult

t o grant

me anything in advance

I could have the promise of the Iron Crown, and Count Baden,

would surely keep this promise even i f he had

to

resign.

I invited Kozmian t o dinner for next Monday. By then | shali

have spoken with several friends. Especially with Dr. Griinfeld, the President of the Isracliusche Union, who recently asked me t o give a lecture. This time | x cepted, and so I shall make my first speech i n Vienna. When Griinfeld visited me, I took the opportunity of telling him some thing about the pending negotiations with Badeni and how we now had the chance t o found a Jewish party with the aid of the

government. But we'd have to have a paper, a paper, and for that on

needs money, money. I have family funds i n the a m o u n t of 400. 000

guilders a t my disposal. But a f u l l million is needed.

Last night I attended a gala party of the Kadimah. A seria d ovations .

honor; I

My name was mentioned ahead of the other guess do sat t o

the right of the chairman and was elected #

“honora ry brother. ” All the speakers referred t o me. O n ne perl

que de moi ld dedans [They talk about nothin g but me i n ther,

T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

49]

I am only afraid that the intoxication of popularity will be followed by a hangover. For the m o m e n t it is still very nice. Octobe r 292

Today's N . Fr. Pr. contains a very poisonous editorial against Yildiz Kiosk, Izzet Bey, and Lufti Aga. T h e article w i l l do a lot

of harm t o me in Constantinople and indirectly perhaps t o Jewish colonists in Palestine as well. The situation has really become untenable. L a situation n’est pas franche [The situation is confused]. I f only I had the money for the paper, we would be o n top a t one bound.

October

24

Yesterday Sidney Whitman, a friend of Prince Bismarck, Lenbach the painter, the Sultan, and Gordon Bennet, as well as the London representative of the New York Herald, came t o see me.

A n onginal person. Appearance: a slouchy Englishman, lanky, stooped, and, 1 think, a b i t of a sot. A head with character—a

grandly conceived nose which suddenly stops before it has arrived a t its planned end. A curious beard, full under the chin, square, greying. H e speaks an excellent German, i n the big: mouthed tone of a fault-inder. With a correspondent’s bragga-

docio h e tells about his adventures i n Constantinople where he was a t the time of the Armenian massacres. When he wrote, he always had a cocked gun lying on his able, for fear of an Armenian attack, since he was fighting the Sultan's battles. The Sultan gave him decorations and handshakes. I t was Sidney Whitman who sent the word speeding t o Europe that the Turks would murder all the Christians they could get hold of if the Powers

intervened. This “news” was evidently responsible for the preservation of the peace.

409 T H E COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERzy Whitman is now going t o Friedrichsruh t o see Bismarck, apy he will endeavor t o interest him i n my plan.

Later Dr. Griinfeld brought Dr. Gustav Kohn, an attorney and District School Inspector, t o see me. D r . Kohn wants to sq

up the syndicate of financial guarantors for the newspaper whic is t o be founded. The first man he had mentioned was Baron Albert Rothschild, whom I rejected outright. The plan is this: the Jews found a paper which supports Count Badeni independ ently, and in return for this Badeni adopts an attitude more friendly t o the Jews. October 26 Today Kozmian was here for dinner. I was n o t able t o give him a definite commitment for Badeni as yet. The latter wan

the paper very urgently, because of the N . Fr. Pr. which is trou blesome t o him and whose virtual monopoly i n Vienna he would like t o break, and on account of the Reichsrat elections.

November 4 Part of my mood a t this time is a feeling of enervation whid increases from day t o day. Dr. Gustav Kohn is supposed t o or ganize the newspaper consortium. Those who decline will per haps not keep silent about it, and so far no one has promised his

adherence. Thus I am a t the mercy of the dubious discretion of unknowns, and every day, when 1 enter the “Chief's Room,"| am prepared for a declaration of war. Kozmian-Newlinski, too, could let something slip. Already the

rumor has circulated around the office that 1 have boug ht the Wiener Allgemeine Zeitung. Nov emb er 8

Yesterday Union I made myy first public publ; speech i n ViVienna, in the Israelitische in

TH EO DO R HE RZ L 493 TH E COMPLETE DIA RIE S OF

ause of the oppresKuhner's hall was frighteningly full. Bec not deficient preparation for the speech, | was

sive heat and my gaps i n my thin kin g in good form, and I did have the feeling of to

pestuous.

the end. Despite this, the success was tem

o the Professor Singer, whom I had annoyed by a reference t

social politicians who have now emerged—1 referred

Marranos of

to

the

anSpain as relig ious polit ician s—i mme diat ely

that a nounced a speech in rebuttal, whereupon I requested discussion of the latter be scheduled. The president of the Union, Dr. Griinfeld, thanked me in his speech for explaining what had hitherto been considered a Utopia.

1 spoke particularly in opposition t o the projected RussoFrench adjustment of Turkey's finances, because this would cut off the road to Palestine for us. | am sending this part of my speech to de Haas i n London today. The main sentence goes as

follows: “The Jewish big bankers who would participate in this, without

consideration for the sufferings of the penniless Jews and

without using this opportunity t o contribute t o the solution of the Jewish Question, would incur a grave responsibility.” At the same time | am alling on Haas to agitate against it in E n g l a nand d America. He should, together with Rev. Gaster,

gabbinowicz, lsh Kishor. call a mam protest meeting in the E a At the same time 1 am suggesting the raising of a National Fund which is to make us independent of the big bankers.

November 8 Letter t o Adolf Stand in Lvov who has announced himself t o me as head of the Executive Committee. ( I n the introductionI expres the desire for unification of all Austrian Zionist associations in the Zionist Federation of Vienna. Then, literally:)

494 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR H E R “Zionism is now threatened by an enormous danger. y,, know that a Russo-French adjustmen t o f the Turkish

is being planned. I f this comes about, the Sultan will be meg, atized, incapable of acuon, and a l l for ourselves will be burie d. “Therefore the Jewish b i g

hope o f obtaining Paleyip,

bankers must

not h e l p t o bring thy

about! “Yesterday I spoke against i t i n the local Union. My speech will appear i n Bloch's Wochenschrift. 1 gave instructions wo m Committee in England t o initiate a b i g agitation against thy

loan. “All that you i n Galicia can d o is to inform the masses of wha

is going on. “However, 1 beg you t o proceed sensibly and cautiously, ©

that no more such perfidious and ndiculous stories may arse » the one in the Dziennik Polski. “You are now getting your first opportunity t o demonstra your effectiveness as the head of a country’s Executive Commit tee.

“Seek contact with the most influential Orthodox rabbis. “ I n my yesterday's speech, whose dissemination is desirable,| also made a suggestion that is important for the future: “ I n all places where Jews reside, a National Fund should be

started through collections, donations, etc. The Fund will even where remain under the management of those who raised it, conditionally subscribed t o it. Only statements of account ar

be given t o the central office. This way the latter will knoe what asscts can be counted o n the moment our plan is came out. And we shall no l o n g ebe r dependent o n the good gracesd to

the big bankers.

“Thi nk over well and carefully whatever you do in cam i out this assignment. With Zion's greeting, Yours, T h . Her dl”

F T H E O D O R H E R Z L 495 T H E C O M P L E T E DIA RIE S O Nov emb er 1 0

me. He 1s A man from Jerusalem named Back came t o sce k

traveling around i n Europe i n order

to

found an agrarian ban

evid entl y his vestfor Palestine—a vest-pocket Jewish Company,® oo

l i c i a n Won derH e claim s to be unde r the patro nage o f the G a

pocket.

Rabbi Friedmann.

Dr. Gustav Kohn informs me that his fund-raising cfforts have

failed.

So nothing comes of the great paper; the hopes which were a t -

tached t o i t are extinguished.

From this solid centre I could have achieved tremendous things. All this has now come t o naught.

Levin-Epstein, the administra tor of the Rehovoth colony i n Palestine, came t o sec me.

He told me about Scheid, that he was trying t o keep the colonies in economic dependence, and a t all costs. In Rishon le-Zion, he said, there is an official's family for almost every colonist’s family. Therefore, prosperity is o u t of the question. In L. Epstein’s view, Scheid probably spread those false ru-

mors in order to offer the

Baron an excuse for the failure of the beksheesh-bought settlement in the Hauran. The Armenian Devleth is said t o have acted as beksheesh-

giver in Constantinople.

November

14

Today I walked Benedikt home from the office and worked on him again. I f he would take up the matter, I said, it would be accomplished. On the way we ran into old coal-Gutmann who said, pounding ®

In English in the original.

496 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R

his paunch pretentiously, that today he had been offered yh, Wiener Allgemeine Zeitung for purchase. He said that he hy already invested a lot of money i n newspapers, t o be sure, by might buy i t anyway, because 70 people could lose their livel;

hood. So he is even performing an act of mercy by buying this paper in which his dirty interests are then t o be defended. A

compounded disgrace. After we had got nid of this bore, we continued our lk. | expounded t o Benedikt my “plan for a graduated loan.” He said: “Things are beginning t o clear up. You no longer go as far as you used to. Colonization o n a large

scale—withou

Zionism—is something that can be discussed. We'll come back to it later.”

I n the afternoon, Wolffsohn from Cologne called on me, a stalwart, likeable man who had already made a good impression

on me when he had come t o see me the first time some months ago. I told him everything. H e marveled at m y accomplishments in

Constantinople, London, here, and particularly i n Karlsrube.

because from Cologne he looks up t o the Grand Duke of Baden as though t o a peak. I told h i m about Scheid's intrigues, some of which he knew

about. Through Dr. Holzmann he

wants t o

produce material

o n Scheid’s mismanagement. I wold him about the attitudes of Edmo nd Roths child

and

Zadoc Kahn. The latter, after all, informed me in his last leuer that the Hirsch people took a more than cool attitud e

toward

my undertaking and that i t would be best i f I dropped the mat ter

henceforth.

But the good Wolfflsohn was downright horrified when | de scribed t o him the broken-down nego tiatio ns with BadeniKo mian. What misery lies i n the fact that I canno t raise the lousy

million guilders required t o found the great paper and thus to procure the support of Badeni, the entire Austrian government

ODOR HERZL T H E CO MP LET E DIA RIE S O F T H E

497

One single million guilders! Because of the fact that it 18 not

mom ent available for the purpose now , the hist oric al

in

whi ch

missed. the solution of the Jewish Question is possible may be Badeni needs me now. Even i f he still remains in office after

me the Reichsrat elections, he will then no longer need and consequently not push me in Russia as well as in Turkey. Et la chance est bien manquée [And the oppo rtunit y will really

be lost).

Letter t o Grande Duke Viadimir who is staying in Berlin

at

present: ® Your Imper ial Highn ess:

His Royal Highness Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria told me in July a t Carlsbad: “The only man in Russia who could help you is Grand Duke Vladim ir!” What is i t all about? I t is about the solution o f a question as old as Christianity, a great and beautiful cause, designed t o delight the noblest hearts. It is the return of the Jews t o Palestine! I have developed the plan in a pamphlet which has been trans lated into ten languages. I have the honor of presenting to Your Imperial Highness a copy of the Russian edition. Since this publication 1 have taken some steps a t Constantinople, where I have seen the Grand Vizier, and elsewhere. His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Baden has done me the honor of receiving me a t K a r l s r u h and e has been kind enough to take an interest i n the cause. I respectfully put myself a t the disposal of Your Imperial High-

ness t o explain the idea in its entirety, without the restrictions

Necessary in a book. I t is easy t o get informat ion about me—1I am

an editor of the Neue Freie Presse of Vienna—and t o find out if

am embarrassing, i f there is any reason t o fear the slightest indiscretion on my part. His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Baden can tell you. |

®

In French in the original.

498 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL I f Your Imperial Highness is kind enough t o accord me the g, vor of receiving me, I shall come t o Berlin, t o St. Petersburg, j; does not m a t t e r where. The solution of the Jewish Question is a superb project.

The Jews can come t o the aid of the broken-down finances of Turkey. This would facilitate the reforms t h a t are indispensable for the relief of the unfortunate Christians i n the Ottoman Ep.

pire. For countries where people would like out, i t would be a relief no less beneficial.

to

see the Jews move

‘The masses of penniless Jews accept the idea with enthusiasm:

I have many proofs of this. Nearly the whole world would be satisfied; so i t is the solution’ I am with the deepest respect

Your Imperial Highness’ humble and obedient servant, Dr. Theodor Her! Novem ber 17,

1896

(Complimentary close, compare p. 486.)°

T o His Imperial Highness, Gran d Duke Vladi mir,

Berlin. November

17

In the Jewish World an extra ct from my Union speech appean

under the heading “The Jewish State. Dr. Herzl Throws Light on His Scheme.” I am sending this clipp ing t o the Gran d Duke of Bade n, t o gether with the following letter: Your Royal Highness: Although I have not had the dist inct ion of receiving a reply to my respectful letter which I sent you a few mon ths ago, | per: m i t myself to revert t o the Jewish Que stio n once mor e.

The enclosed clipping from a London newspaper wil l give You r Royal Highness i n brie f the present state o f the mat ter.

There is trul y something miraculous abo ut the development ®

Translator’s Note. See entry of

October 2s.

T H E O D O R HE RZ L. T H E CO MP LE TE DIA RIE S O F

499

Jews. Rec eive d w i t h enof the mov eme nt for the retu rn of the

idea has already thusiasm by the penniless and youn g Jews, this

tless man ifest aspread arou nd the worl d, as is cvid ence d b y coun

tions of support. And

at

the same time the idea can also scrve ies.

to resolve the present Tur kish difh cult I t is t o the greatest interest of those

Powers who desire the ing maintenance of the status quo and a t the same time the clean up of conditions i n Turk ey that the projected Russo-French financial adjustment n o t come about. For i n actuality that would be a Russian annexation of Turke y, similar t o the protectorate which Russia managed t o secure over China throug h financial intervention after the Japanese war. This supposed adjustment would amount t o a fresh stockexchange speculation from which France (in evacuated Egypt)

and Russia would gain all the political advantages and a few stock-market jobbers the financial ones, while i n Turkey everything would remain the way i t has been. In

contrast,

the national Jewish arrangement means—quite

apart from the worldwide and promised fulfillment that i t embodies—a genuine restoration of Turkey. The return of the Jews is the protection of the Christians i n the Ornient. Royal Highness! I have only poor words a t my disposal t o influence the will of the mighty of this earth. Perhaps today I have hit upon the tone that convinces. I f the German Kaiser's good, wise counsellor recommends

to

h i m that he listen t o me,

His Majesty will summon me t o Berlin for a secret conference. Infinitely much would be gained by this. When | was i n Karlsruhe, Your Royal Highness graciously permitted me t o report from time t o time about my work on the Jewish cause. For fear of being burdensome i n the future, with today’s letter | shall terminate the use which | have been making o f this permission i f 1 d o n o t receive any sign of encouragement.

In deepest respect for Your Royal Highness I remain

Gratefully yours, Dr. Theodor Herzl.

500 T H E COMPLET E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL December

1

Dr. Rothfeld of Pest tells me about a rumor which circulated

there. People said that for the publication o f T h e Jewish State I had received a large honorarium from an English land company that wants t o do some business i n Palestine. This is how incredible i t appears t o our Jews that someone

could do something out of conviction. December

4

Letter t o Hechler for Lord Salisbury:

Dear Friend: Your view that I ought t o expound the Jewish plan t o Lord Salisbury seems t o me t o be right. However, 1 don’t want 10 approach him directly. I f you think i t proper, you will bring the contents o f this letter t o his attention. For you, my dear friend, the Jewish cause is a theological m a t ter. But i t is also a political one, and a very timely one. You

know that religious feelings, and,

most

recently, anti-Scmitism

which is emerging everywhere, have aroused a strong yearning

for Palestine among the broad masses of the Jews of all countria As you know, hundreds of thousands are ready for immediate migration and i t may be surmised that hundreds of thousands more would follow them later. This is a factor—a new one, t o be sure—which English policy i n the Orient could and should reckon w i t h . Lord Salisbury could execute a masterly stroke with it. With the present situz tion of the world, one dominated b y the Russo-Fren ch entente,

a partition of Turkey would put England

a serious disadvan tage. For England such a partition would b e a loss now; there at

fore she must desire the status quo. I t can be preserved only if Turkey's finances are straightened out. This is why Russia has Just frustrated the proposed financial arrangement. Russia wanu the decay and self-dissolution of Turkey. Now, there is a method of straightening o u t the Turkish finances and thus preserving the status quo for a while longer, and a t the same time of creating a new route t o India, the short

DO R HE RZ L 501 TH E COMPLETE DIA RIE S OF TH EO and's having t o est one for England. And all this without Engl

lay out a penny o f committing herself visibly anywhere.

h vassal This meth od is the creat ion o f a n auton omou s Jewis

y of the state in Palestine, simil ar t o Egypt, unde r the suzeraint summ er Sultan. As you know , I laid the grou ndwo rk for this last

when I was in Constantinople. The matte r is possible i f we have the backing—and 1 repeat expressly, the invisib le backing—of

a Great Power . Since the Sulwan is still the undisp uted sovere ign,

no power can prevent him from inviting the Jews t o immigrate into Palestine. I n return for this we would obtain for him a big loan on the tribute which is t o be paid by the Jews and will have

been secured in advance.

England's advantage would be that a railroad would immediately be built across Palestine from the Mediterranean t o the Persian Gulf, or connecting with the railroad, soon made neces aary by communication needs, through Persia and Baluchistan (possibly Afghanistan) t o India. England would have these benefits sans bourse délier [without expense] and without the world’s learning of her participation. While, in the North, Russia is preparing a railway line 0 Asia, in the South, England would have a neutral reserve route t o India, in case difficulties arose a t the Suez Canal. Should Lord Salisbury wish t o examine this idea more closely,

I am at the disposal of his ambassador or of himself in London

if he s e n for d sme.

If he considers the matter too fantastic, 1 can only regret it. But the movement really exists, and a skillful, great statesman

will know how t o utilize it.

With cordial regards, Yours faithfully, Theodor Herl. D e c e m b e r1 1

O n my way 10 the office today a t noon I ran into Newlinski.

Since the failure of the project to found a paper be now always

502 T H E COMPLETE DIARIE S OF THEOD OR HERzL has a good-natured, roguish grin on his face when he sees me. This means: ‘You've put one over o n me! 1 fell for i t , b u |

don't hold i t against you, because you were so clever abou ir” Je l u i remets toujours d u coeur a u ventre [ 1 always put

hean

into him]. I tell him: “It's a bad period i n our work. Just be patient. We shall weather i t . One recognizes one’s friends by

the fact that they don’t begin t o waver i n difhcult times.” He always winds up by assuring me that he is holding fas and then he adds ironically : “ I am your sole adherent .” H e told me that Izzet Bey has fallen from the Sultan's grace. H e has not been received i n ten

days. Tahsim Bey now scems

to be on top. Newlinski wrote t o the latter that he should repeat

the Jewish proposal t o the Sultan. There is talk of Rhagib Bey as Jzzet's probable successor.

T h e Danish literary light Georg Brandes acknowledges re

ceipt of The Jewish State in an evasively polite letter. He tell me the old anecdote about the banker who would like t o become the Jewish ambassador a t Berlin. I am sending him an ironical reply: 1 had expected a different

reaction from him

to

the beautiful idea of a Jewish renaissance

I did not believe the idea would be realized the way I had out

lined it in my pamphlet. But 1 did believe

that

a jewish Sate

will come into being, with a partial continuation of the Diaspon,

because all peoples now live in such a diaspora. Dec emb er 12

Hechler came t o see me and brought me a newspaper clipping to the effect that the German Kaiser will g o t o Palestine nex! autu mn.

We agreed that I shall write him, Hechler , a letter to b e submitt ed to the

Kaiser. T h e

momen t, t o

intended

be sure,

is not

propitious. The scandal trial which followe d i n the wake of t h falsification of the Breslau Czar toast has proba bly put the Kaisa! I n a bad mood and made h i m suspicious o f journ alists .

O D O R HE RZ L 503 TH E CO MP LET E DIA RIE S O F T H E December 1 3

Minister I read in the morning paper that the former Prussian of War Verdy du Vernois has arrived here. am wri tin g h i m as follows: Your Excellency: In August I learned from a gentleman who had m e t Your Excellency i n Therapia that you are interested i n my outlin e [

for Jewish migrati on to Palestin e.

I have just read i n the paper about your presence i n Vienna. I f the first-mentioned inform ation was correct, | request the honor of being received by Your Excellency. From my pamphlet T h e Jewish State t h e present s t a t u s o f t h i s great cause c a n n o t

be apprehended. A great deal has happened i n the meantime, and a lot has—malgré moi [despite

myself]—been neglected,

too.

This movement, which people underestimate, circles the globe today. The blessing i t contains, and not only for the Jews, is as yet not being appreciated.

I f 1 were granted the opportunity of having a thorough talk with your Excellency o n the subject, I could give you certain

information which is

not

suitable for publication; and, above

all, I am hoping for advice from such an expert o n the Orient as yourself. I do not have t o tell you that no journalistic indiscretion needs

to be feared from me i n a matter so sacred t o me. 1 am a t your disposal whenever and wherever you please. | can be reached

through the telephone number 1 2 287 a t my private residence, Vienna IX, Berggasse 6. Your hotel clerk can call me up there. In any case, | shall be a t home this afternoon until four o'clock. Once again | make the proviso of the first report mentoned above; if it was incorrect, kindly excuse me and regard this letter as non evenu [not arrived). With the expression of my high esteem, lam, Your Excellency, Respectfully yours,

Dr. Theodor Herl.

504 T H E COMPLE TE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL The messenger brought this letter back from the Hotel Brigg]

—the general had already departed. Non avenu, then. Into the waste-basket. December 14

Hechler has received a mild reprimand from Lord Salisbury for sending him my letter: “Lord S. cannot grant D r . H e r 1 intervie w h i m . ”

®

The only interesting thing about this refusal is the English business-like way i n which the “return o f the Jews” ® is men tioned. Dccember 20

I feel myself getting tired. More frequently than ever 1 now believe that my movement is a t an end. I am fully convinced of its feasibility, but cannot overcome the initial difhculues. Only one million guilders would be needed t o put the move ment squarely on its feet. This bagatelle (considering the great

ness of the cause) is wanting—and that is why we shall have © sleep although it is daylight. Dece mber 21

Ran into Gildemann, who has been evading me for months, o n Herrengasse. H e pamed so close t o m e that w e had t o stop.

He acted piqued because I no longer called o n h i m ; after all he said, he had followed my call t o Munich, had introduced me to Adler in London, etc. I told him grufly and point-bla nk: “You've turned tepd

and vapid—eo I've simply given you the cold shoulder.” He would like t o have a “heart-to-heart talk” with me again I shall confront him with a dilem ma: for o r against! ®

In English in the original.

R H E R Z L 505 T H E COM PLE TE DIA RIE S O F T H E O D O Januar y 6, 1897

So we have moved on into the year 1897—one of the “critica l” years of my friend Hechler. I have become lax in keeping this diary. Many a day brings

something worth recording, but the general torpor of the movement is gradually getting into my bones too. Besides, I write numerous letters, for I reply t o everyone; and answering

these letters blunts my slight desire t o write.

I receive visitors from all over the world. The road from

Palestine t o Paris is beginning t o pass through my room. Among the more interesting people who passed through i n the last few weeks were: Schoub from Palestine, a ull, full-bearded man with the eyes of a visionary; Dr. Holrmann from Berlin, who

brought along some of Berlin Jewry's pettiness i n his dress; Landau from Przemysl, an intelligent semi-Hassid with peyes [ear-locks] brushed behind his ears; and Dr. Salz from Tarnow, who resembles Newlinski with his pale reddish moustache which droops in Polish fashion, his bright eyes, and his big bald pate. To each of these four | gave assignments. Schoub is t o speak with the Sultan's Jewish personal physician, whose name is Eliahu Pasha, i f | still remember correctly. Dr. Holzmann is t o write t o the B'nai Moshe i n Jaffa, with

whom he is affiliated, and tell them how matters stand and that without means for agitation i n the press our cause will bog down completely.

Landau from Przemysl offered

negotiate with the WonderRabbi Friedm ann of Czortko w. I gave h i m a letter i n which | invite Friedmann t o send me his son. T o Dr. Salz I outline d the present state of our affairs, which to

could become great the momen t we had a million for purpos cs

of publicity. And this is how things really are. With that millio n a great newspaper could be created. With such a great paper govern. ments negotiate as one Power with another. I fear the best moment has passed. Tha t came in the months

506 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERz|

that have gone by since my stay i n Constantinople, when Ize Bey was still the Sultan's favorite and 1 was still able t o negotiage with the pashas on the basis of my initial prestige. T h e financial arrangement through French bankers hangs over

Zionism like a threatening cloud. O u r only chance lies in the repugnance of the Porte to the interference o f foreign financien

who are backed by the Great Powers, and i n the policy of Rusia which would like t o see Turkey rot alive like a leper. Meanwhile, unless I am mistaken, Zionism is gradually manag. ing t o gain the respect of the general public i n all sorts of coun. tries. Little by little people are beginning t o take us more sen. ously. T h e well-to-do Jews, i t is true, behave miserably now as be.

fore. And as my loyal de Haas writes from London, “everybody is waiting t o see how the cat will jump.” ® I frequently talk about the cause w i t h Benedikt. Before Christ

mas, when he asked me i f I didn’t know a good subject for a

holiday article for him, I said: “Oh yes, write about the solution of the Jewish Question through the colonization of Palestine, which would also be a settlement of the Oriental problem through a restoration of Turkish finances.” He remarked: “That would be a fine article, t o be sure, and a success, too. But today I can no longer write such an article,

because your pamphlet is available in which you speak about the Jewish nation.” I replied: “All right, so you don’t write the article this year— perhaps you will write i t a t Christmas time n e x t year. We an wait.”

I was with Giidemann the evening before last. Again the old rigmarole. H e still acted as though he were offended. But when

I filled him with enthusiasm again i n the course of my reason ing he said: “ 1 am all yours!"

“All right,” 1 said, “then preach about i t i n the synagogue!” “ I beg your pardon,” he cried quite horrified, “that cn’ ®

I n English in the origina l.

DOR HERZL THE CO MP LET E DIA RIE S O F T H E O

be done. I've kept my cars open, people don’t thing to do with it.”

want to

507

have any-

|

“Are you the shepherd of your flock?’ 1 asked him. “1 perm

|

it

can speak you to be as discreet as you please. For all 1 care, you bring out against Zionism, but don’ t keep silent about it. One can and something t o people’s attention by combating i t clum sily, in many other ways. This is the art of orato ry.” But the unctu ous creat ure, whom I know quite well by now, merely wrung his hands and wailed that i t was impossible. So I said t o him, “Stay well!” and left him, probably for the Jast time.

A new figure has emerged in my combinations: the painter

Koppay, whom 1 have known for twenty years. H e has done

several portraits of the Empress of Russia as well as of other crowned heads. 1 should like to make him an agent of my idea and pay him with publicity. I t will be the first time that 1 have made propaganda for someone; the cause is worth it. I am

going t o Koppay today. January 7 The Koppay idea is taking a funny development. 1 went ( 0 see him yesterday. A n up-to-date® artist's studio, a bit fixed u p

for glitter. The master has faded—physically, that is—since | first knew him. But he is a capable artist and, 1 think, a decent fellow, too. He did not paint the Empress of Russia recently, but when the was the Princess of Hesse. I t is a quite ordinary a n dealers’s trick that presents him as the painter of the Empress’s portrait

The pictures of the Empress are elaborations of sketches which he once made a t Darmstadt. Nevertheless, 1 want t o use Koppay, and all the more now. The Princess had smiled when he had mentioned the rumor * In Lnglish ia the original.

508 T H E COMPLE TE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E to her that she was going t o become Empress of Russia. He j y

said jokingly: “ I f Your Highness becomes Fmpress, you m y make me court painter!” And she had smilingly agreed. Now I want t o beat the big drum for h i m

to

become coun

painter; and when he is, he will have t o serve the Jewish can at the Russian court. I must manufacture my own instruments with which | gy then do the work. Will he not forget his moral obligation after I have made hin: I shall risk ingratitude anyway. January 10

Newlinski joined me for breakfast today. He informed me that the Sublime Porte was “angry” at me because 1 was not coming through with the press support whd I had promised i n Constantinople that time. I n fact, it was eva believed that the attacks of the European press on the Turis government were emanating from me, o u t o f revenge for their ma

wanting t o sell Palestine t o us. This erroneous assumption of the Turks would n o t disples me, because i t would be proof that I am regarded as a powe there. I believe, however, that Newlinski, who gave me this » formation with diplomatically lowered eyes, would only lik t o extort small journalistic favors which he will then probabn

have booked t o his own credit. I told him that the promise of press support was, of cour only a conditional one. I f Turkey entered into negotiations v i us, we would defend her i n the newspapers. Donnan!, donms

[Give and take]. We don’t want t o be the dupes of the Turks policy of promises without real performance. Newlinski said: “ I f Turkey is attacked i n the papers, it wi probably turn anti-Semitic.”

1 am not afraid of that. I f the Porte becomes anti-Semitic.¢ will provoke all stock-exchanges against itself and will nee

again get

any money. Then all the big bankers will line # beh ind me, too.

R HE RZ L 509 THE COMPLETE DIA RIE S OF TH EO DO January 18 Madame RatL’Etat juif [The Jewish State] has appeared i n wani's Nouvelle Revue Internationale of January 1 , 1897. After i t had been impossible t o place the tract a t all i n France for a year, it N O W seems t o be making a great stir. Today three Paris friends sent me the Libr e Parole of January 16 in which Drumont gets off a highly flattering editonal about me and promises more. I t was a good idea that I prevailed upon old Madame Ratami, t o publish the pamphlet when she was here and got me to see her abou t some advertising.

Now Alphonse Rothschild, too, the most faithful reader of

the Libre Parole, will take cognizance of the matter. After all, the haute finance [high finance] reads nothing but this whiplash

paper. January 26

g N. Fr. Pr. received the news that the finanThis m o r n i nthe cal arrangement with Turkey “under the guarantee of all Powers’ has been completed. At first | didn’t believe it and telephoned t o Newlinski who only afirmed: “C’est mauvais pour nous [It's bad for us).” Then F. Schiiu came t o see me. He also doubts the sory,

b e c a he u shas e news from Russia a c c o r d i n togwhich the Russian government declined to respect the wishes of the French Anancers (who desire this arrangement). I n fact, Schilz added that the new Minister Muraviev was going t o Paris on an inaugural visit only in order 1 0 strengthen the Méline administration.

And a f t esuch r a visit the stock-ex change could not dare t o make

anti-Russian demonstrations.

Meanwhile, in the evening further despatches arrived from all

over saying that the arrangement had been completed. T o begin with, the Turks are 1 0 be given four million pounds. I n any case,

they are “above water.” Still, there is something good in this bad

turn of affairs. The arrangement means a further increase i n the

510 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODO R HEpy power of that dette publique [public debt}, which, as j i j , already a thorn in the Sultan’s flesh as well as t h a t of all This will make the dette publique cven more hated, and y, money that the Turks are getting has long been carmarked am way. Therefore i t won't last too long, and the déche |beggn

will be there again. Mr. Charriant, the secretary of Madame Rattazzi, who arrive here from Constantinople today a n d wanted t o sce me, called me. | have a cold and therefore cannot go t o see Mine. Rawaz Charriant told m e Izzet Bey still was i n the Sultan’s favor, as k

learned six days ago from the French ambassador Cambon. Later Sidney Whitman and Newlinski came t o see me. Sidon wants t o push my Jewish State, which he read only recenth through the New York Herald. (J'allais le l u i demander [1 va going t o ask h i m to].) Newlinski spoke about the financial arrangement with biue

verve. The pashas, he said, will take i t as a real insult. For the mone will go t o its real destination. They w i l l consider i t an outrages

loan which has not been made for Djavid Bey and Izzet Bey, a Danusso and Take Margueritte will fall from grace! l t us @ heard-of.

So he joked with magnificent cynicism. H e also said that before Ramadan everything could be fis

with a tenth part of the money. That's when they needed mone for the officials, the soldiers, and the feasts. Then 100,000 pound were as much as a million a t other times.

Newlinski went on

to

tell some amusing details about

mismanagement a t the Porte. Hassan Pasha, the Minister of i Navy, pockets everything. H e sells the copper boilers from tt ships and has the medicina l wines of the hospitals stored in bs

own cellars. The toll from the bridge between Stambul aod Galata is remitted t o the Navy Ministry—i.e., 25 million franc T h e civil list is based o n the toll revenue; however, i n

the 1% 2 0 years it has declined from three million pounds t o one mills

ERZL THE COM PLE TE DIA RIE S O F T H E O D O R H

511

Newlinski tells such things in a peculiarly grand tone. He 1s no ordinary person.

January 17 The Turkish loan is being denied by some papers. The N. Fr. Pr. is upholdi ng the news, which inciden tally, did not come from Paris, but the local Foreign Office. T h e fact of the

matter is that the ambassadors a t Constantinople have agreed o n the loan. From that t o the completion of the agreement is still a

big step. I bope that the Sultan will not stand for this and that the who did not receive any baksheesh, will remind h i m of his threatened Caliph’s dignity. The only true thing seems t o be that the Banque Ottomane has given an advance of $00,000 pounds. With this the Turks will hold their Ramadan and sing the praises of Allah. The boys at the Ottoman Bank, for their part, will play around at

the stock exchange for a few months with this news of a loan.

Now the loan is going t o come about, now it is going t o fall through. This is going t o supply the desired boom and slump. In this way they will amply compensate themselves for the gamble of the fresh advance of 300,000 pounds—at least the “house” will. The gogos [sucker investors] will be ficeced one way or the other. T h e yellow pres w i l l accom pany this game b y thumping the tom-toms.

January 28

Sidney Whitman pays me a all cvery day and sits with me by the hour. He wanus 1 0 promote the Jewish cause i n the New York Herald.

The strange thing is that he seems only now t o be get ting acquainted with the matter. 1 had thought last July that he was working for me.

512 T H E COMP LETE DIAR IES O F THEO DOR H E R I n the N . Fr. Pr. we had a feuille ton by Flamm arion: “Is M;, Inhabited?” At the office they were discussing Mars. Bacher ny me in a superior tone: “Mayb e you can set u p your J e w State on Mars.” to

Laughter among the smart boys.

January 8

Today Dr. Bloch called on me in order t o ask me “as the pam boss” for support of his candidacy for the Reichsrat fron Sereth-Suczawa (I think). I had predicted this supplicating visit of his some time ap January 2g

Bloch's appearance gave me the idea of sending a Zionist dele gate t o Parliament.

I sent for Schnirer and Kokesch t o discuss Bloch's requex

Berkowicz happened t o come along too. All threc agreed tha Bloch must not be supported. They said he was unreliable and had always behaved badly toward us. My proposal t o seek a seat for a Zionist was received with 3

proval. 1 named Prof. Leon Kellner who had recently made: speech before “Zion” a t my request. However, they wanted m e t

be the candidate, saying that my election was assured in Gaba and would cost much less than that of Kellner or anyone ex

I declined outright and categorically. Thereupon they accepted Kellner as a candidate. 1 had Dr Salz of Tarnow and Stand of Lvov invited t o Vienna for an eke tion conference on Tuesday. We shall look for a constituen®

and send our young people there as campaigners. The probic remain s of how t o obtain election funds.

HERZL THE COM PLE TE DIA RIE S O F T H E O D O R “The

Palestine Pilgrim age.”

513

©

To the Ed ito rof the Jewish Wo rld .

Sir,—The “Message” of Dr. Herzl t o an East End meeting, dealing with this scheme, is so charged with that intense zeal

and enthusiasm which marks all the utterances and proceedings of this remarkable man, that i t seems almost a pity t o have

some of the ideas which he has gathered—I know where—about the movem ent. iate

to

not

It is due, however, t o those who are taking part in the Pilgnm-

age t o say, that they have no such far-reaching scheme on foot as Dr. Herzl's fervid imagination would attribute t o them, and that they have neither political objects t o serve, nor even scientific

researches t o make, in connection with their visit. The Pilgrimage is what its name denotes, and not an "Expedition” nor an “Investigation Commission,” as Dr. Herzl suggests; and it will have served its purpose, if it enlarges the interest of Western Jews in the land with which their history and traditions are so intimately bound up, and if it operates as an encouragement t o similar pilgrimages i n future years, so that the

reproach that Palestine is less visited by Jews than by any other

denomination may be removed from our people. I hope you will permit me t o take the opportunity t o say that the success of the Pilgrimage is now assured by the adhesion of the necessary numbers; and i t is hoped that our party will be completed up t o its maximum limit (30) within the next few weeks.—I am, Sir, yours faithfu lly

The Holm, Avenue Road, N. W. t7th January, 18g.

Herbert Bentwich.

February 4

Fresh unrest on Crete. This news gives me a peculiar presenti-

Ment: that i t

may be the beginning of the liquidation of Tur-

* The following isin EnglishIn the original.

514 T H E COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERz key. With these Cretan disturb ances, which eviden tly have again been arranged diplomati cally, I connect the last extraordinan Berlin journey of o u r Minister Golucho wski w h o 1s taken fy

an English go-between, as well as the trips t o Paris and Berlp | of the Russian Minister Muraviev . I have a presentiment, don't know why. February

I am writing t o de Haas in London that he should try

to

the South African goldmine billionaire Barmato won over

hav

t o ow

cause through the Sephardic Chief Rabbi Gaster. February

In our election conferences we have reached the conclusie that Kellner would have less chance of being elected than Dr Salz. I was importuned from all sides t o run and told that m election was certain. However, | declined. 1 t h i n k that i f | ha

relented, the same people who tried inwardly despised me.

to

persuade me would haw

We finally decided t o nominate Kellner and Salz—Kelloe in the Drohobycz city district, Salz i n the fifth (general) legub tive-assembly district of Kolomea.

Jewish Chronicle , February Correspondence.® “The Palestine Pilgrimage .”

Sir:—The correction by Mr. Herbert Bentwich, who wishes lead a pilgri mage to Palestine o n a much narro wer program than I believed his intentio n

to

be, compels me also t o say a fe

words. Mr. Bentwich envelops the thorn i n a rose-leaf. still feel it. He means that in my letter t o the Fast End meeting | P® ®

In E n g lin i sthe h original.

THE COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL 515 the matter upon an impossible plane. H o w has that come about? | was requested, from London, t o write a letter o n M r . Bentwich's expedition. This letter was t o be read i n public, i n to

make the Pilgrimage and its objects widely known. I

order wrote

the wished-for letter o n hints which I had received from London.

said nothing either impossible or fantastic. On the conrecommended the greatest possible sobriety. Apart from this, | requested the recipient of my letter, for greater precaution, tocommunicate my letter t o M r . Bentwich, before giving it publicity. I n this way I thought t o prevent any possible misunderstanding. It, however, appears that my precautionary meas-

In it

| trary, |

ures were not closely followe d. I feel bound t o make this communicauon, as he who, as I am,

is accused in any case of

too

lively an imagination i n my scheme,

aan really not be sufhciently careful.

As for the rest, there is a difference of a few degrees of warmth between Mr. Bentwich’s scheme and that sketched o u t by me. It is enough for me that he is not a t freezing-point, and | can assure him that my blood does n o t boil. Yours obediently, Th. Herzl.

Vienna, February 1st, 1897.

Jewish World, February s “An ex-premier on Dr. Herzl's Scheme.” ®

His Excellency Prince Demeter Stourdza, who, t o within t w o months ago, was the Minister-President of Rumania, has been interviewed by the Special Vienna Correspondent of the Paris edition of the New York Herald. After a talk on Continental politics, the interviewer says: “Our conversation finally took a turn towards the affairs of Austria proper, the coming elections, the growth of anti-Semitism, and the proposal put forward in

Connection therewith by a Dr. Theodor Herzl, a doctor-of-law in

* In Laglish in the original.

516 T H E COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERzL Vienna, which has already the sympathetic approva l of Zionig, in all countries , for founding a Jewish State i n Palestine. Hj,

: consider this an ex. Excellency expressed himself as follows—I cellent idea; in fact 1 may say the one and valuable way of solving the Jewish Question. (It must be borne i n mind tha

Rumania has an enormous Jewish population.) T h e Jews are the one people who, living i n foreign countries, d o n o t assimilate with the inhabitants as others do. T h e causes of this are neither here nor there, but the very fact of the Jews a t last forming a

State of their own would completely alter the present anomalow condition of things, even if a large number were t o remain be hind in Europe.”

February so

Again a period during which I was n o t in the mood t o anything in this diary.

enter

Yet every day brings something.

I n the last few weeks I have repeatedly been urged t o run for the Reichsrat. I n Galicia 1 am offered three seats as ceram: Kolomea, Drohobycz, Stanislau. I stick t o my refusal. Among the visitors of recent days Prince Friedrich Wrede 1s notable, a young dabbler i n literature who would like t o se himself i n print in the literary section of the N . Fr. Pr. Since

I would like

to

have my project discussed i n high aristocrax

circles, I took the trouble t o tell h i m everything . H e said: “We need the

Jews, because there

discontenument. I f people did

not

must always be

rail against the Jews, we

would have a revolu tion.”

This confession was downright charming in its naiveté. ®

Yesterday

®

®

Dr. D'Arbela from Jerusalem came t o sce me. He

the director of the Roth schil d hospitals. A n inter estin g pero who looks like a cavalry colonel—t all, bold nose, moustache.

is

energetic chin. H e told me wonderful things about Palestine.

THE COM PLET E DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L

517

which is said t o be a magnificent country, and about our Jews from Asia. Kurdish, Persian, Indian Jews come t o his office. Strange: there are Jewish Negroes who come from India. They are the descendants of slaves who were in the service of the expelled Jews

and adopted the faith of their masters. In Palestine one sees n o t only Jewish agricultural workers

and day laborers of all kinds, but Mountain Jews and Jews from the steppes who have a bellicose air.

We are popular among the Arabs and Kurds. Quarreling Arabs occasionally go 1 0 a Jew rather than t o a Turkish judge t o have their disputes settled. All Palestine talks about our nationalist plan. After all, we are the hereditary lords of the land. The Turkish occupation forces of Jerusalem are weak a t present—about 600 men. Even now the Jews constitute the majority of Jerusalem's inhabitants, if I understood D’Arbela aright. We spoke so quickly and about so many things that 1 did not even go more

closely into this point. The climate is excellent, the soil n o t barren, only the humus layer has been washed into gorges from mountains where once there were terraces of fruitfulness. Now oranges are blooming in Palestine. Everything can be done i n that country. We shall make a note of this splendid man for future assignments. 1 told him that a t the Zionist Convention in Zurich a t the end of A u g uI sshall t also put the q u e s t i oonf the H a l u k aon

the agenda. The Haluka shall be changed t o assistance par le

travail (public works]. D'Arbela will work u p a report about conditions up t o the present, make proposals, and get together 2 committee in Palestine for the reorganization of the Haluka.

Yesterday | ran into Newlinski a t the theater. He considers the situat ion which

February a 1

Greece has create d o n Crete

518 T H E COM PLET E DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R HER7L -—very seri. —ac tually , the fait acco mpli o f brea king away ous, the beginn ing of the end of T u r k e y . T h e prospects for the

Jews will then be bad. Russia is against us.

H e told me—1I don’t know wheth er I shoul d believ e it—tha

he had spoken with the local ambassador M a h m u d Nedim abou having my friends procure for the Sulta n, who is now in the greatest financial embarrassment, a loan of 2-400,000 pounds sterling. Mahmud Nedim telegraphed this t o Yildiz Kiosk and received the reply that he m u s t n o t have any dealings with me,

because 1 had made the demand for an independent Palestine. Newlinski also told me that 2 5 0 families had just been denied

settlement in Palestine. The poor people had

to tum

to

the

shores of the Red Sea.

Prince Wrede sent me his play, which shows great talent I did him an injustice when 1 took h i m for only a

dilettante

I am all the more pleased a t his writing me that he intends to include my whole Jewish plan i n his novel Israel. March g

A few days ago Prince Wrede sent me from Salzburg an article about “The Zionists” which 1 was supposed t o send t o the Miinchener Allgemeine Zeitung o r the Kélnische Zeitung. The

article will presumably cause a stir because of the name of 16 author. I had i t offered t o the Kélnische Zeitung through Sidney

Whitman. Results still pending. Ma rch 10 I f nothing happens, 1 a m too ill-humored t o enter anything in

this notebook. I f something happens, I have n o time for it

lost w h i c h cou ld be i n this way man y moo ds and events are of interest to myself and to others at some future time.

On Saturday the 6th and Sunday the 7th of March a few Zio

ZL 519 THE COMPLETE DIA RIE S OF THE ODO R HER ists from Berlin were here, as well as D r . Salz from T a m o w and Dr. Ehrenpreis from Diakovar. The Berliners came t o discuss a proposal t o found a big pub|

lishing house, for which 1 was t o raise 300,000 guilders among m y

acquaintances, provided they raised 700,000 for the purpose. Those who came were W i l l y Bambus of Berlin, Dr. Thon,

Dr. Bimbaum of Berlin, Moses of Katowice, Turow of Breslau. Turow is a shy and confused scoffer, and, incidenually, under the pseudonym Paul Dimidow, the author of a pamphlet, Wo hinaus [What Way Out)? Birmbaum was more self-assured and inwardly more hostile toward me than ever. He wanted my financial and moral support for his candidacy i n the clection district of Sercth-Suczawa-

Radautz, a candidacy that had been offered t o me as well, which I refused and he undertook a t the last moment. Considering the

late date—there is only one week t o the election—] denied him my support, because an unsuccessful attempt could compromise the mystical prestige of our movement in Galicia. He will never forgive me for this No. Incidentally, just for the sake of being e l e c t he e dwanted t o make personal compromises with socal poliucians, Social Democrats, and others, and run as a representauve of a Jewish People’s Party (which does n o t even exis).

Dr. Thon seems t o be a gifted, but still young modern theologian. Moses is an easy-going old fellow.

not

fully matured

The most outstanding o f them a l l is Willy Bambus, a quiet,

clear-thinking organizer, who, however, would like 1 0 be a leader.

With Bambus | discussed important points and 1 learned interesting things from him.

The Jewish Colonisation Association® is currently negotiating with a Greek family (Soursouk is the name, | think) for the purchase of 7 villages i n Palestine. These Greeks live in Paris, have gambled away their money, and wish 1 0 sell their real estate (3% of the entire area of Palestine, according

7 million francs. * In Lagtish in the original.

to

Bambus) for

520 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR H E R The I . C. A. has tumed away from Argentina and now ma}q investments only i n Pales tine.

Bambus told me something interesting about the most recep session of the I . C . A . Zadoc K a h n , w h o m 1 seem t o have dog

an injustice in this regard, really presented my proposal to bay one newspaper each i n London and Paris for the Jewish cause This took place in the unofficial session. At that point Claud Montefiore, Lousada, and Alfred Cohen, the English memben

declared they would leave the meeting if such a proposal wy made in the official conference, and Alfred Cohen even threa ened to make a complaint to the British government because of

an infringement of the statutes. Zadoc Kahn thereupon with drew, hurt.

With Willy Bambus I established good rapport—if he is un cere, this can have the best of effects.

On Sunday at the Zionist Association we held a conference on the General Zionist Congress which I planned

to

convene x

Zurich.

I t was decided, however, t o go t o Munich, because the location

of that city is more convenient for the Eastern Jews, because the Russians would

not

dare t o come

to

Switzerland, which is so

pected of nihilism, and because there are kosher restaurants in

Munich. Therefore we shall meet a t Jochsberger’s where i n August

1895, I started my discussions with Giiddemann and Meyer-Cobn How big the movement has grown since then!

After lengthy, idle talk an organization committee was 3p pointed and I was charged with convening the Congres I will have both publ ic and

closed sessions.

One thing is already clear: Bambus and 1 are going t o do al the work. The others are going t o watch. Marc h 10

Yesterday's clections in the new fifth legislat ive assembly d#

trict brou ght the

victory of

the anti- Sem ites a l l alon g the

lin

THE COMPLETE DIARI ES OF THEO DOR HERZ L 5 2 ] in Vienna and Lower Austria. I n its editonal yesterday, the N. Fr. Pr. recommended the clection of the Socialists. This is the policy 1 had recommended from Paris four and a half years . Now it is too lat e.

Incidentally, I reminded Bacher and Benedikt of the advice I had given then.

When | read my Jewish plan

to

him a year and a half ago,

Bacher said t o me: “We shall keep silent about it. We have kept silent about Social Democracy too, for 25 years.” And yesterday they went t o the polls a r m i n a r m with this sup-

pressedS.D.

Is it expecting too much t o think that the N. Fr. Pr. will go

arm in arm with Zionism as well—although maybe also too late?

Last week, incidentally, Bacher said a funny thing. I told him that the wife of our colleague Steinbach was in the habit of going t o the Zionist Association on Tuesdays. The last ume Dr. Ehrlich’s wife wanted t o accompany her.

“We shall soon have the distaff side of t h eN. Fr. P r . on our side,” | said.

Bacher laughed. “You'll get the men, too, as soon as you have success. We bow t o success.”

March 1 0

The Jews of Vienna are depressed today.

Dr. Griinfeld invited me to take part in today’s officers’ meeting of the Israelitische Unio n. They want to have a big rally (of lamentation?). March 1 0

who Yesterday's meeting was depressing. A few old Philistin es og

2a

idennify” themselves as Jews and

who are endur-

522 T H E COMPLE TE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R M a r c h 11

De Haas sends on

to

me a letter from Colonel Goldsmid ,

Biarritz, intended for me. Goldsmid avers that he d i d not mak,

a speech against me i n Cambridge, as the Jewish Chronicle uid

but only defended his historic flag, on which the twelve tribes are symbolized, against my seven-star one. So we already have a flag problem.

|

For the rest, Colonel Goldsmid's rapprochemen t is welcome

in view of the Munich Congress. March 14

A lettercard from Hechler. He writes that upon his retum from Merano he found waiting for him an invitation from the local German ambassador Eulenburg, who is greatly interested in our cause. Has Hechler dreamed this? I t could be true. Asa

literary dilettante Count Eulenburg in any case knows my name He is a confidant of the German Kaiser. I f 1 win him ove he can bring me t o the Kaiser at last. The Jews’ turning t o the Social Democrats i n the Viennex elections of March g probably made some impression on those power everywhere. We shall see. Ma rch 14

Newlinski had breakfast with me today. He again had all sor of stories about the Turks. The drollest thing was a story about the war treasure. After the Russo- Turkish War the Minister d Finance started a secret war chest, which, strangely enough, ¥® not stolen. T h e present Finance Minister was privy t o the secret and when the Cretan crisis broke o u t , h e informed the Sulus

that 14 million francs were on hand. The Sultan bestowed Ifrikar order on the incomprehensible man—and now the ¥ treasure is stolen. Arrears are paid. Some is embezzled, the 2

THE COMPLETE D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HERZL

523

bassadors get l o sec moncy again, and N e w l i n s k i got some, too. However, Newlinski thinks that i n the immediate f u t u r e they

will need money again. Why didn’t the Jews make a loan? I told him that a loan could not be raised for no good reason. However, (here Bambus’ story about the land purchase occurred t o me) if the Sultan wanted t o sell landed property i n Palestine, toer with permission for 2000 families t o settle there, some-

thing could perhaps be done. We agreed that 1 should write

to

Berlin, Paris, and London, i n order to elicit an unofhcial offer

of purchase. I f the managers of the Jewish Colonisation Association offer so much per hectare, Newlinski will telegraph this t o the Sultan and get a reply as t o whether the proposal might be made officially. immediately wrote almost identical letters t o Bambus, Zadoc Kahn (for communication t o Leven), and Dr. Gaster (for Montefore, Lousada, Alfred Cohen). 1 said that such a land purchase ran counter t o my views on infiltration, t o be sure, but that I to our larger goal. 1 said I had also considered it a stepping-stone broached to my informant the question of a police of their own for these settlers and that he thought i t possible that we would be permitted t o recruit Mohammedans as policemen. | keep raising the question of a security police, which after |

D'Arbela’s information about the valor of the Jews in Palestine really pointless, in order t o let the negotiations be wrecked on it if need be, i f those with the money leave me in the lurch. In my letter 1 0 Zadoc Kahn 1 indicated that this transaction could be performed without the suspect baksheesh, which, after all, probably doesn't always get into the right hands. ln the letter 1 0 Gaster | admonished the English 1.C.A.

friviemen not to treat the distress of the penniles Jews in t o a fashion.

In both letters 1 emphasized the point that the settlers ought '0

be recruited from

those registered with the various Zionist

amociations, who want to go to Palestine at their own expense or vith nominal financial assistance.

524 T H E COM PLET E DIAR IES OF THE ODO R HERzL March 15

I wrote t o de Haas i n London t o stoke matters a bit through a brief item i n the Jewish World. Montch ore and Company should be given a sledgehammer h i n t that i f necessary we shall

line up the masses against them. M a r c h 13

Yesterday the first public Zionist meeting took place here. | stayed away o n purpose, i n order to see h o w the Vienna Zioniss would get along without me. I t was a great success. The Res

source Hall, which holds 400 people, was overcrowded. 800 to 1000 are said t o have been present, and they stood packed like sardines. Many had t o be turned away because the hall was too full. Professor Kellner presided and did an excellent job, 1 am told Credit for convening the assembly, organizing it, etc., belong t o Dr. Landau and Rosenbaum. A few Socialists spoke in opposition t o Zionism, using old arguments.

The Zionist resolution was carried with only

50

voting agains

it. Then the Socialists intoned the “Lied der Arbeit [Hymn of Labor),” whereupon our people responded with the ““Bundeslied [Song of the Covenant],” which deeply moved everyone. Mar ch 17

Today I spoke with Bacher about Zion. H e said in a mellow tone: “Il ne faut jurer de rien [You never can tell].” I accompanied him t o his home and told him the latest de velopments. H e finally said: “ I shall probably not live t o sce it” ! said: “You won't be around to see the King o f Palestine, and

neither will I . But we can both live t o see the beginning s.”

He further said that he would really like

to

take a trip

©

Palestine with me some day (simila r t o what Benedikt said). On parting 1 cried: “ I ' l l conver t you yet. Vous sever la plu

T H E COM PLET E DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L

525

my connoble de mes conquétes [You will be the noblest of quests)!” oo

Whereupon he squeezed my hand, touched. And

it

occur t o me till later that 1 had said something funny

didn’t

to

him,

reminiscent of the saying: la plus noble conqué te de l'homm e,

Cest le cheval [man’s noblest conquest is the horse].” I consider i t possible that the N . Fr. Pr. will take up my idea after all. For didn't Commercial Councillor Zucker today offer me the presidency of the Jewish bourgeois association Union?

I declined; but the offer is indicative. A year ago the Unionists were mocking and opposing me.

Bambus replies that he immediately transmitted my land-purchase proposal t o Paris and London. March 18

Ran into Gidemann on the street. H e accompanied me t o the door of my house and opened up with gestures and in tones of despair: “Explain Zionism t o me. 1 don’t understand i t . ” I said: “ N o , I won't explain anything t o you any more. Every

word is wasted.” He had some grotesque ideas: he would rather let himself be killed outside the Seitenstetiengasse synagogue than yield t o the

anti-Semites. He “will

not

take flight,” and all the other old

chestnuts. He also spoke about the “mission of Jewry,” which consists in being dispersed throughout the world. This mission is talked about by all those who are doing well in their present places of residence—but they are the only ones. March 19

Another talk with Bacher. Now we always leave the office together. He would like

to

take a trip t o Palestine with me; and

when | showed him the prospectus of the

tour

which Cook has

596 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL arranged for the Maccabean C l u b , h e t o l d m e a n o l d Prague legen d which he had heard i n his youth . A Jewish woman was once sitting i n her room and looking

out the window. She noticed o n the opposite roof a black i n labor. She went over, took t h e cat, a n d

helped h e r

t o give

birth. Then she made a bed of straw on top of the coal bin for the cat and her kittens. A few days later the cat, which had re. covered, disappeared. But the lumps of coal on top of which she had lain were turned into pure gold. The woman showed them t o her husband, a n d h e said that the cat was sent b y God. So he used the gold t o b u i l d a synagogue, the Altneuschul. This

is how that famous edifice came into being. But the man wa

left with one wish: as a pious Jew he would have liked t o die in Jerusalem. He also wished he could see the cat again, for he wanted t o thank her for their prosperity. And one day the woman was again looking out the window and saw the cat i n its old place. She quickly called her husband, saying: “ L o o k , there sits our cat again!” T h e m a n ran o u t t o get t h e c a t , b u t i t jumped away

and disappeared into the Altneuschul. T h e man hurried after i t and suddenly saw i t vanish through the floor. There was an opening there, as though t o a cellar. Without a moment's hesitation the man climbed down and found himself i n a long passage. The cat enticed h i m on and on, u n t i l finally he saw daylight ahead again. B u t when he emerged, h e was i n a strange place,

and the people told him he was i n Jerusalem. O n hearing this he died of joy. This story, said Bacher, shows how national consciousness has been preserved within the Jews i n all places and a t all times

Actually, he said, it lies beneath the level of consciousness and flickers through in him too. And he said he had told me the story because he, too, had discovered within himself a desire t o go ( 0 Palestine.

What a transformation in one year! I believe i t is only a matter of months before the N . Fr. Pr. turns Zioni st.

T H E C O M P L E T E DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L 527 March 2 1

I am sending The Jewish State t o Herbert Spencer with a request for his opinion. I am closing my letter with the following words:

We are guests upon the earth a t the same ume. I n the natural course of events you may depart sooner than I , the 37-year-old. Therefore, since I a m even today convinced that the Jewish Suate will materialize in one form or another, though beyond the limit of my life, 1 should like t o know and determine how the beginning of this undertaking was reflected in the great mind

of Herbert Spencer.

With sincere respect, Th. H . March 24

The Egyptian emissary, Mustafa Kamil, who has visited me once before, called on me again. H e is on another tour t o create favorable feeling for the cause of the Egyptian people, who want to n d themselves of British domination. This young Oriental makes an excellent impression; he is cultivated, elegant, intelligent, eloquent. | note him down, because he w i l l some day probably play a role i n the politics of the Orient—where possibly we shall meet again. This descendant of our erstwhile oppressors in Mirraim is now himself sighing over the sufferings of bondage, and his road

leads him past me, the Jew, whase journalistic aid he seeks. Since at present 1 can do nothing more for him, I assured him of my

good wishes. Although I did

not

tell him so, 1 feel that i t would be good

for our cause if the English were forced t o leave Egypt. For then they would have t o seek another road t o India in place of the Suez Canal, which would be lost t o them or a t least rendered intecure. At t h a t point 2 modern Jewish Palestine would be an expedient for them—the railroad from Jaffa t o the Persian Gulf.

5908 T H E COMP LETE DIARI ES O F T H E O D O R HERzL M a r c h 24

Dined yesterday with the Turkish ambassador a t Newlinski's, Mahm ud Nedim was sulky with me a t first, apparently because of the anti-Tur kish attitude of the N . Fr. Pr. I utilized a t u m in the conversation to drop the remark that newspapers could never pursue a foreign policy different from that o f the government of their country. Then I praised the vitality of Turkey, a country

that would yet see great days i f i t chose t o favor Jewish immigra. tion.

The poor ambassador said quite candidly: “ I t can’t get any worse than the situation we are i n now.” The milieu in which 1 found myself there was cunous. It

is the diplomatic demi-monde. Next

to

the ambassador sat Direr-

Hahn of the Linderbank— financial demi-monde. On the other side of the hostess sat Fiirth, currently the secretary of the tor

Prince of Bulgaria. After Fiirth had left his job with Hirsch in Paris, he was on the point of becoming a remisier [outside broker] a t the stock-exchange—I remember his telling me in the carriage on the way back from the Bois that he was just then

acting as the agent of aristocrats for stock exchange transactions in gold-mine shares— when h e received the position with Prince

Ferdinand, through the good offices of the Jesuits, I believe, a a reward for his conversion. Newlinski is a great figure himself—I don’t know whether |

have already sketched him i n my notes. I n Constantinople my diary entries were restricted by the possibility that during our intimate trip he could some day get his hands on my diary. He 182 grand seigneur déchu [fallen aristocrat]. One day he lost the out: ward support of his native surroundings and got i n t o a lower stratum, whose virtues and vices he does n o t have, where he 18 misund erstood and slighte d.

‘There are curious perceptions i n him. H e possesses the

tech

nique of diplomacy, all the finest and deepest requisites for 3 career’ —but these are absolutely out of place i n bourgeois life. This makes his a half-ruined life and produces a suspicious ym pression.

T H E COMPLE TE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

529

With i t a l l he has that great Slavic charm, and n o w as before [

am under the spell of his great intellectual qualities. But despite this I see clearly that i t is diplomatic demi-monde

—from the pitiful ambassador o f the a i l i n g Emperor o f Turkey

on down. But even this poor ambassador and his poor genuinely likeable figures t o me.

master

are

March 24 Walked home from the office w i t h Benedikt today. Again, as always, steered the conversation t o the Jewish cause. 1 n o w employ the strategy of alarming him, because 1 have noticed that he is susceptible t o being frightened. Naturally, I can only make

veiled threats. However, b y n o w | really a m apprehensive that the Jews i n

Vienna will be

too

late in going along with my plan. They will

no longer have the political elbow-room, nor perhaps the free-

dom of movement—of persons as well as of property—to be able t o look or

go t o Zion.

I told Benedikt: “The most immediate consequence of antiSemitism, even before the legal and administrative chicanery, will be a war of the Jews against the Jews. The s t r a t o af Jews

that are already oppressed and threatened will

tum

against the

big Jews who are buying themselves off from governments and

baiters with money and services.” He understood this and said: “ I f only this does not turn into a fight against the rich in general.” I replied: “Once the fight has started, i t can’t be confined

any more. Those who have failed t o read the signs and have tuned a deaf ear 10 the cries of

distress will

have nobody

to

blame but themselves.” And then I told him something that had just occurred t o me, because I had had the lists for the invitations to the Congress picked up from Schnirer—namely, that a t a Zionist rally we had collected the names and addresses of university graduates who are our adherents. (This is the mailing list that was prepared for me on the occasion of the publication of The Jewish State).

530 T H E COMP LETE DIARI ES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

At that point I saw an expression of frigh t on his face. I had dealt a blow

to

his imagin ation. I guessed what suddenly

the came into his mind in his fright: these are the addresses of subscribers t o the rival paper of the N . Fr. Pr. The day before yesterday, Monday, following the election in the Leopolds tadt, when the anti-Sem itic candidat e was defeated

by the “Liberal,” there was a disturbance i n this Jewish distria. Some gangs of hoodlums roamed about, smashed windows of coffee houses, plunder ed a few small shops. Also, Jews were

abused and beaten on the street. When people read about thy in the morning papers, I believe i t gave the Jews a shock—which, however, was quickly overcome. Things must get worse, they will

get worse. Of course, the millionaire s will casily escape the m s

haps; and the Viennese Jews are, like most of our people, ghetto types who are glad if they get off with only a black eye. Marc h 26

Received a charming letter today from Alphonse Daudet. He

still remembers our talks. I f he is still around when the Jewish State comes into being, he wants t o come t o us

to

give lectures

Ma rch 29

Paul Lindau visited me a t the office and, among other things. told me the following. The Duke of Meiningen had shown him

a map of Berlin on which Jewish-owned land was marked In red. Christian-ow ned land i n blue, and doubtful property i n white. T h e entire Tiergarten district, said Lindau, “was as though

dipped i n blood .” Curiously enough, a similar propaganda m a p is t o be produced by the People’s Party i n Hungary, as | heard recently.

THE COMPLE TE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

581

The local “ U n i o n ” invited me t o a prelimina ry discussion of the proposal to call a b i g meeting i n which the situation o f the Jews i n Aust ria is t o be discussed.

I managed t o get a decision i n favor of the meeti ng. A com-

mittee was appointed t o prepare it—and this committee decided to adjou rn.

[ lost t w o times three hours w i t h arguments which would have softened stones. I n the first discussio n o n Tuesday I said that Count Badeni

would soon give way t o a more clerical Prime Minister. A n attorney named Dr. Elias gave a superior smile: “Badeni will dissolve the Reichsrat i f he has no majority. ” The day before yesterday, Friday, there was the committee meeting which 1 had successfully fought for on Tuesday. And Friday a t noon Count Badeni had handed in his resignation— (0

everyone's surprise.

From Schaulen, Russia, came t w o letters from a colonist in Rishon-le-Zion. Her name is Helene Papiermeister, and she paints a glaring picture of the mismanagement and embezzlement of the Rothschild director Scheid. 1 am sending the accu-

aauons t o Bentwich for him t o investigate, if possible, during his Palestine Pilgrimag e.® To Mrs. Papiermeister 1 am writing that she should bring the complaints against Scheid before the Munich Congress i n affi-

davit form. This Congress will be made into a forum for the poor victims

of our “benefactors” and their officials. A dispirited letter from de Haas in London. Col. Goldsmid,

be writes, sent for him and implored him 0 stay away from the 5 0 that there might be no “split” in the ranks of the * Ia Laglich in the original.

589 T H E COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERz(

Hovevei Zion. Instead, I should attend the delegates’ conference of all Zionists i n Paris next autum n. I am writing Haas t o start marching with his followers, with out delay and undaun ted.

A split—tant pis [too bad]! I've had enough of all these Pickwick Clubs and “head quarters.” ud

1 also received a letter from Col. Goldsmid who writes me the same things he told Haas, implores me t o unite my forces with theirs, and assures me of his sincere friendsh ip. I am answering him:

My dear Colonel: Thanks for the cordial tone of your letter. I , too, am sincerely

devoted t o you and only regret that you fail

to

understand me.

The Munich Congress is a settled affair from which I can no longer withdraw. But i t is a necessity as well. Ask Rev. Gaster © show you the letter i n which I recommen d t o the 1.C.A. making a land-purchase with immigratio n rights, which is possible now. M y proposal, as Zadoc Kahn has written me, was placed ad acts

[on file]. These gentlemen want t o do and will do nothing. I have waited long enough. I n August i t will be t w o yan since I took the first practical steps i n the Jewish cause. 1 wanted

to act without stirring u p the masses, through direction from above, in cooperation with the men who had already played

a prominent part in Zionism. 1 have m e t with no understanding no support. I have had t o go on alone. A t the Munich Congres I shall call upon the masses t o resort t o self-help, since no o i else wants t o help them.

As for your proposal 1 0 make the participation of

the Hoveva

Zion contingent upon the Paris Central Committee, 1 consider I" pointless. | know the Paris decision i n advance. I t w i l l be a T

fusal. Someone is a t work behind the scenes whom 1 shall engage ®

I n English i n the original.

TH EO DO R HE RZ L 538 THE CO MP LE TE DI AR IE S OF no r i n a dis peither in a competition w ill learn his ter. | o p let d se clo en the m fro ty is le tte r to identi nd i t cn uu sn g th

You

gentleman. Se

your discretion as a

aga ins t Thi s ma n has bee n int rig uin g ao d orried about me for

sw At first | thought he wa

for h i m .

But

. re

on

for

long time. th er e-

and

uch co m pl ai nt s ne e th om fr e m ming t o have beendco mo st var iou s sources. N o w | erstan eve ryt hin g. y fo re 1 fe lt o n l

pity

tu

und

t every eff s. In any case, he wi ll exer gh-minded a frustrate the Congres hi most the He w ill invent the As rEuments t o keep

m Munich. ows the Paris Committee away fro sions, etc., et c w h o Ln that en eh pr ap se ou ar ill w . He wil l say Orient” he bli cit y is detrimental t o our o n e © i N an .

nse llors kno w the and his cou .

quite openly with

oicnse. They will

Jewish y T b an.

and th the Tu rk is h statesmen no t

give us Palestine as an

i

di d

hey

T h e Sul-

spoken

did no t

take

ent state erhaps lik e n independ (p te sta al ss va sa a ; at any price

tain the land of our fathers in a v

bh

als I made y n it today, if the propos de rs ta nd st Ju ly . Can you un taken up la

tience? You, Colonel,

|

B Y P we could ob-

have a n We w ou ldd be en

an d

Paris ha

my anger and my impa-

rvice as. a general’ se ish rk Tu the ter en o t h t o Bh d OU n a s e , like Woods’ v. d. Golu c r fo re ig n of hc er s, phovener, n i e b d . ul wo u o y and in th at ca pa cit y by d i n Palestine une an h U n. lta Su e th of der the suzerainty k-up of Turkey,

Palestine would then fall t o us

or pon | e b

pendent oF indege o e he T s? es me nt el ns se arr an so oo an e ipl th as W . try oney m un e co h t f r, ple wa s ev en sim e ithlyusloth ed w inro sdpjop ha te a n g an a m m a o n v t o M . it a ta gu gave hi s y | had proposed

wa

project.

Sinceeit | believ

n’ did idn’t

work o u t that way, i t mus t w o r k anot her

you are mistaken if youl expect

way.

th n o financial st re ng

on fice and . Each man has on from th e masses t o make a small sacri ly be ll wi d se rai nt the amou at w ill be th e job of the Th s. ou m or en v pro ha o ide t world-w e the Mu nic h C o ngr ee s as paganda which is :

an i rsta rt

n g po int .

)

This

being

ah

.

nancial matt er,

it

will not be my

534 T H E COMPLET E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R ] concern. I n Munich there will also b e financial experts who wi)

take care of this part of the task. After a long time a Jewish National Assembly will again be held in Munic h!

Isn't this something so great that every Jewish heart must bey higher a t the thought of it? Today still i n a foreign land, leshonoh haboh [next year] perhaps i n our ancient home? As for you, Colonel Goldsmid, who moved me so deeply tha evening in Cardiff when you told me the story of your life and

began with the words, “ I am Daniel Deronda” ®*—don't tell me that you are unwilling t o take part i n this Jewish National As sembly. I could understand i t i f you had t o have regard for your personal position as an officer. B u t from a Zionist point of view you cannot possibly have any objections. That 1 have n o selfish aims® you m u s t believe. Just now, a the parliamentary elections, three seats were offered me in ds

tricts where the Jews have a majority. I declined. I have no per sonal ambition whatever i n the Jewish cause.

Put me t o the test. Once again I make the following proposal: join forces w i t h Edm. Rothschild, Montagu, a n d anyone clse you

please. Give me your word of honor that you will carry o u t what I initiated in Constantinople—and 1 shall pledge my honor w withdraw permanently from the direction of the Jewish caus. I f you find this impossible, then combine your strength with me. Let us work together! However, i f i t should come t o 2 split between the “ b i g ” money Jews and ourselves, i t is not we who shall be badly off, but they.

On the other side will stand a few money-bags with their shnor rers [beggars] and lackeys—on this side, we with all the noble. courageous, intellige nt, and cultivate d forces of o u r people.

With Zion's greetings, Your since re friend,

Th. Heml. Enclosure: letter from Mrs. Papie rmeis ter, Schau len. ®

In English in the original.

THE COMPLETE DIAR IES OF THE ODO R HER ZL 535 Apri l 5 The Emperor did n o t accept Badeni's resignation. The Ministry “will govern only with the cooperation of the landed proprietors loyal t o the Con stitu tion. ”

The Jews of Austria will once again consider everything as

saved. But the anti-Semites are furious. Badeni, who has n o majority, w i l l have t o show them more favors than a

clerical gov-

emment would have.

The Jews will soon be groaning again. April

12

Baron Manteuffel, a Chnistian Zion enthusiast who has young Jews trained t o be wine growers a t San Michele all’ Adige, writes me that he wants to go to Palestine i n order to study conditions

there. I am charging him with a confidential investigation of Scheid’s mismanagement which Mrs. Papiermeister has pointed o u t to

me. Unfortunately i t is a fact that the statements of an Aryan Baron influence the upper Jews® more strongly than anything our own kind could say.

Haas reports from London that he and his comrades are ready to march. They will split Goldsmid’'s Tents if he does not come along to

Munich.

At the same time Haas sends me a letter from the Prague Rabbi

Kaminka opposing the Munich Congres. This Kaminka will have t o be remembered as the model of a weather-vane. Now he is for, now against us. His chief worry, however, is whether “dist ingu ishe—ic., d” nch—people wil l be there.

This cleric deserves 1 0 be memorialized in my diary. ®

* In Lnglish in the original.

®

®

536 T H E COMP LETE DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R HERzL A n hour after 1 had made the above entry there came a leyg

from Kaminka, in which he offers me “congratulations on your init iati ve. ” So, after having been unable t o wreck the thing through vili. cation, he offers congratulations on i t . A type!

He even asks t o make a report on the Hebrew language, for

he definitely wants

to

attend the Congress. April 14

The 62nd birthday of my dear father.

For the Congress: The rich Jews need t o contribute only as much each year a they normally budget for charity. I n return we take the poor to

Palestine. Notice t o publishers who want t o issue the stenographic pro ceedings of the Congress. Offers t o be directed t o “Zion,” Vienna

I shall invite all the big papers t o the Congress. But those who want t o have places reserved will have t o register in advance This way 1 may force all of them t o write about the Congres—

for fear of competition . Including the N. Fr. Pr. Apr il 17

Dr. Giidemann has published a malicious counter-pamphlet entitled Nationaljudentum (Jewish Nationalism). Evidently at

the behest of the local upper Jews.® He confines himself t o vague.

cowardly generalities, but with the obvious intention of pro viding ammu nition for bolder warriors. ®

In English in the original.

DO R HE RZ L 537 TH E CO MP LET E DIA RIE S O F TH EO the Mac hiav ellia n precept, | shall answer him —a nd, foll owi ng it will be devastaung.

anything The publisher Breitenstein, who naturally accepts

and has only his business i n view, tells me that as soon as Giide

mann's tract appeared, Rothschild sent for thirty copies.

April

21

The Greco-Turkish war, which in the last few days has changed

trom a cold t o a hot war, will in its further course probably affect our cause as well. How? If a peace congress for the settlement of the Greco-Turkish differences comes about, we shall present our request t o the congress of the Powers. If Turkey is victorious, which is probable, and if she receives reparations in cash from Greece, which is even now financially unsettled—something

improbable, t o be sure—the Turks will

have less need of jewish aid. April 23

Bodenheimer-Cologne had a splendid idea: t o make a collecton for the wounded Turkish soldiers, 3 0 as t o show the Sultan the sympathy of the Jews.

immediately took up this idea and launched i t among the local Jews, including non-Zionists. |

Schalit of the “Kadimah” came and asked me to give h i ma

ambassador. H e wants t o leave for the theatre of war with several medical students, as volunteer

recommendation t o the Turkish

I wrote Mahmud Nedim a letter informing him of the volun. teer doctors and the collection for the wounded soldiers.

538 T H E COMPLET E DIARIES O F THEODOR HERz| Ap ril 2 Perfidy on the part of Bambus. Today he informs me that he has sent a correction of my Con gress announcement t o several Jewish papers. His purpose is clear: he wants t o make me appear as an hableur [braggart), to undermine the Congress, perhaps o n Scheid's ar.

ders. Bambus gives as a pretext that the M u n i c h Jews are beside

themselves and are protesting against the holding of the Congres in Munich. T o what extent this is true, whether the intrigues of Sched,

who feels himself threatened, aren’t behind this as well, we shall yet find out.

Perhaps it is only plain envy on the part of the Berliners who are afraid that I shall get all the leadership in my hands. I am writing t o Bambus immediately, demanding that he re tract his correction, otherwise 1 will break with h i m . At the same time I am writing t o Bodenheimer-Cologne, forming him of the intrigue and asking him for an assurance ol his constancy. I f needs be, Cologne w i l l become the capital of German Zionism.

If they give us trouble in Munich, I shall take the Congres 10 Zurich.

April 5 The first great literary form of neo-Jewish culture will prod ably be the comedy—no matter i n what language. After all, La

biche’s plays, too, are translated into all languages. This thought occurred t o me yesterday when 1 had quite? good time. I t was the first enjoyable day that I have Zionism t0 thank for—otherwise, all i t has got me so far is palpitations. & citement, shocks. Even the

demonstrations of support don’t gi*

me any pleasure, because behind the masses who are applaudifg

539 THE COM PLET E DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L ble me | already sce the ingra titude , the futur e envy, and the possi vacillation of the next day. But yesterday there was pure delight. Since 1 a m managing the collections for the Turkish wounded, I called some gentlem en t o mY home .

At first only the assistant rabbi Gelbhaus and Dr. Bloch came.

Subject of our conversation: my article against Giiddemann in

the last number of Bloch’s Wochenschrift. The article is said t o have caused quite a stir. Bloch told me that he went t o the Con-

cordia Club in order t o hear the views of the journalists. A financial-news gatherer in the employ of bank director Taussig d e clared that “such an article should not be published.” The others were in favor of it, and they only regretted that 1 had attacked Rothschild. Bloch denied that I had meant Rothschild by “men behind the scenes.” Whereupon Julius Bauer said: “ A m | God for you t o try t o hoodwink me?” Gelbhaus, for his part, told us about the sensation which the

article had created among the Jews a t the synagogue. They formed raydlikh, i.e., groups, in the courtyard, and all they talked about was the demolition of the Chief Rabbi. Before and afier the sermon they came t o Gelbhaus t o tell h i m that Gidemann was ‘morally dead”; he had been convicted of being a muddichead, in fact, of no longer standing on the soil of Judaism at all. Gelbhaus, however, spoke about Giidemann’s execution without perceptible grief. Bloch abondait dans le méme sens (was of the same opinion] and explained t o me the meaning of the defense of Giiddemann'’s sand through quotes from the Hungarian Chief Rabbi Chorin, which was contained in the same issue of his weekly. Chorin is actually regarded as a goy by the pious.

And Gelbhaus said cheerfully: “You've killed him with your opposition, but the proof of his agreement with Chorin has buried him.” Now that h e was a l i v e t o the humo rous aspect s o f

the matte r, Bloch told us that by reviewing Giidemann's pamphlet in the Wochenschrift he had only intended t o goad me i n t o a reply.

540 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL T h a t is why he had Feilbogen, t o w h o m h e had assigned the re. view, emphasize that “ t h e fourth section o u g h t t o be entitled:

Dr. Giidemann contra Dr. Herzl.” O f course, I don't believe that. I a m more inclined

10

believe

that Feilbogen wanted t o trip me up, and that Bloch, considering the turn in my favor which the matter seems t o be taking, wishe to be on the side of the stronger. Should I be defeated i n an encounter 1n the near future, he will desert me. H e also casually mentioned the reason for his hatred of Gide. mann. The latter had treacherously deserted h i m on the seminary question. And now he talked a t great length about the uninteresting seminary question which agitates

these gentlemen about

as much as the Jewish Question agitates me. This is how

through passion even the smallest matter can drive people to hate or t o love. When 1 asked them about Giiddemann's reaction

to

my article,

both gentlemen confessed naively that they had n o t been able w find out, although they had sent their wives t o Giidemann to congratulate him on the Franz josef Order which he was given

three days ago. Then came little old smart Sigmund Mayer, and we fixed the composition of the committee for the collection. T h i s was the high point of our conversation. I n the process 1 got t o know some personalities. For i n the case of cach name misgivings were voiced and the men again showed with an involuntary naiveté what a low opinion they have o f the “notable s.”

The name of a millionaire was mentioned. Mayer thought that not everyone would want t o sit in his company. I asked why, be cause I didn’t know him. None wanted t o come o u t with it. Gradually they made hesitant remarks which sounded like ex

cuses for the man. They said that he had given some building credits, to be sure, b u t that one couldn't really say that he had

practised usury. And bit by bit there emerged the portrait of 2 map usure r, so that I laugh ed and said: “ N o w I know w h o the

18."

HERZL THE COM PLE TE DIA RIE S O F T H E O D O R

54]

mittee list was And this is how i t wen t with others. As the com of people. ut a lot put together, 1 learned a lot of details abo n r they had bee A veritable scene o u t of a comedy. For afte committee after run down, they were finally co-opted into the ions for the pub lic, all. a committee that is supposed t o crea te illus and itself has no illusions. April 27

Yesterday, a t my place, the constituting session of the commit-

htee for the T u r k i s h collec tion. Repre sentat ives o f the Turkis was t i Iiraclite community were on hand, too. After a lot of talk

decided that the Turkis h Jews who live here shall place them-

selves at the head of the action and co-opt the others into it.

April 28 Letter t o Mahm ud Nedim Pasha: Confidential

Your Excellency:

I beg t o congratulate Your Excellency on the splendid victories of Turkish arms. The desire of several Jewish students t o attach themselves voluntarily t o the armed forces of His Majesty the Sultan is a small token of the friendship and gratitude which we Jews feel for Turkey.

Here and in several other places | have organized committees to mitiate collections of money for wounded Turkish soldiers. The yield of the collections will be handed over t o the ambasd o n of H. M. the Sultan in various countries. Here in Vienna, the Turkish-Israclit e community will at m y

suggestion head the action and co-opt various other persons. I n this way the aspersions on the part of the anti-Semites that we are not making the collections o u t of humanitarianism, but in opposition t o the Christians, shall be deprived of any pretext.

Nevertheless, the collection is delicate in nature, and many Jews will be afraid of taking this particular opportunity of expreming their sincere sympathies for Turkey.

542 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERz| I n the western countries this is virtually time,

because the

impossible ap (hj

Jews m u s t not m a k e a n y demonstration

against their fellow citizens. Therefore, nothing may i n this particular case be expected from the English a n d the French Jews

who are of the greatest importance financially. Yet we Jews are gladly using this opportunity

to

show the

Turks our devotion. Under more favorable circumstances, when

there are no external political hindrances, the sympathies of the Jews would be on a far grander scale—to the blessing of Turkey as well as of the Jews.

I f this realization gains ground i n Yildiz Kiosk, where, it seems, I have been slandered—I shall feel great satisfaction. Enclosed are samples of the appeals which we have circulated. Appeal Number 3 I drew up for the public committee. The lat. ter w i l l meet again o n Saturday, M a y 1st, a n d transmit a n offical notification t o Your Excellency. The present letter is confidenual information.

Begging Your Excellency deepest respect, I am

to

accept these expressions of my

Yours sincerely, Dr. Th. Henl. May

2 , my

38th birthday®

I have been t o Briinn. They gave me a gala pany in the Deutsches Haus which was announced o n street-corner posters I made an impromptu speech of almost a n hour, and they told

me i t was good. I n it matrons.

|

addressed myself t o manufacturers and

On my return home I found a letter from Bambus who pulls

in his horns a bit. ®

®

®

The collection for the Turkish wounded has becn taken id hand by the local Sephardic commu nity. T h e leaders impress ®

Editor's Note: Herzl made a mistake here. M a y

birthday.

|

2.

1Rg7 was his g7th, not shh.

543 THE COMPLETE DIAR IES OF THE ODO R HER ZL o. me as being covetous of decorations, particularly President Russ

as long as they don 't It's all righ t with m e i f they are deco rate d,

thei r com mudenature the project and t u m it to the account of

pity. didn’t answer m y letter. Howev er, 1 wrote the whole story to Sidney Whitm an who is i n Const antino ple

Mahmud Nedim

pow and goes t o

Yildiz every day.

May ¢

The Berliners ‘‘dimociate themselves from the Congress.” | suspect that a Scheidian intrigue is behind this.

Bambus and Hildesheimer disavow my Congress announcement

in the Berlin Jewish papers.

“Germany.

“Berlin, May 5. A few weeks ago Dr. Theodor Herzl published a preliminary announcement i n Vienna,

to

the effect

that

a

“Zionist Congress” is t o take place on August 2 5 of this year i n a aty in Southern Germany. Among the speakers who were listed as making reports there figured also the publisher of this paper

who was scheduled 1 0 speak about the subject “The Tasks of

Jewish Philanthropy in Palestine.” A local Jewish paper r e printed this announcement, but in its next number published the following communication from M r . W. Bambus, himself a

member of the committee entrusted with the preparation of the planned Congress:

“Deliberations are actually taking place on the convening of the big Congress which will have t o occupy itself with general Jewish problems, such as the emigration of the Russian Jews, cic. Whether i t will be a Zionist Congress, according t o the sug: gestions put forward by Dr. Herzl, or, following proposals made by others, a conference of the Palestine amociations, or whether

544 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL it will take a still different form, cannot be determined 4 yer for the entire affair is definitely i n the stage of preliminary ¢;,

cussion. This invalidates all inferences based on Dr. Henly plan, “Since Dr. Herzl despite this continues

to

send o u t his prelim;

nary announcement, the publisher o f this paper is obliged

make the declaration that of course he has never had any ine, tion of attending a Zionist Congress, but has held o u t the pros pect of his presence and his participation only and solely in the event that the planned assembly would be devoted t o a diss sion of the manifold tasks of the Palestine aid project, paniq: larly colonization. Apart from our point of view which is basically different, we feel we must all the more emphatically decline 10 participate in an assembly discussing ‘‘Zionist” theories and future plans, because we are convinced that i t threatens t o pro duce grave harm rather than the hoped-for benefits, as well a t o compromise and seriously damage more obvious and realizable endeavors. The hope may still be harbored that better judgment will prevail and that the expenditure of energy and resources

will be placed in the service of those tasks which are regarded as the most immediate b y ourselves a n d even b y m e n who basi cally share Dr. Herzl's point of view. Only i n this e v e n t can the assembly, which has undoubtedly been planned with the best of intentions, truly bring blessings.” A t the same time Landau informs m e o f a letter in which Hildesheimer writes h i m i n confidence that h e has t o disavow me in order not t o lose his prestige with his circle of donor.

My answer t o Hildesheimer's knavery is i n the copy bouk, p16f. May

Today

21

there comes news from the war area which leads one ©

€Xpect an armistice and a peace between Turke y and Greece

with in the next few days. This sends our colle ction for the

HERZL THE COM PLE TE DIA RIE S O F T H E O D O R

545

wounded soldiers down the drain . However, 1 will try t o salvage what can be salvaged, and 1 am writing t o Sidney Whitm an a t Consantinople t o tell them in Yildiz that we had started our .

.

«

Yesterday the vacillating Prague Rabbi Kaminka joined the

collection.

Congress committee. First I gave h i m a good dressin g-down and

administered a sort of loyalty oath

to

h i m before the assembled

members of the Actions Committee. Yesterday in the closed committee meeting a t the “Zion” Dr. Schnirer suddenly moved the appointment of an Executive Committee. | believe that he had discussed this proposal in advance with Prof. Kellner and Dr. Kokesch in order t o relieve me of “one-man rule.” However, 1 was delighted, because they are only going t o lighten my work load, provided that this is more than committeemanship. Schnirer, Kellner, Kokesch, Steiner, Kremeneky, Seidener are friends of mine on whom 1 gladly lean. I f |] had anything against them up t o now, i t was the fact that they did not belp me out

more. Their volunteering for work now is welcome to me. Incidentally, at the same time they recognized me a preside ofnthe t party.

Later on | asked whether 1 should take steps to get an official

delegate or an observer of the Sultan sent to the Congres. They all beamed and gladly agreed. May

12

Several circumstances—Hildesheimer’s attack; the acquisition o 2 local Monday sheet by the Zionists Kohn and Rappaport, who that same instant broke with us; finally, the humiliation of o g dependent for every little notice or correction on Bloch's graces—make the founding of our own a necessi that an be deferred no longer.

ha

i

546 T H E COMPLE TE D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HER7L I asked Dr. Landau what his estimate o f the ediwonial cosy would be. H e made a tabulatio n i n w h i c h he hgures wi), 0 guilders a month. Then I got Heinric h Steiner to make an oy; mate o f the production costs for m e . Steiner calculates them 11,000

guilders a year. After that I also asked m y father whether

h e agreed, and when he replied i n the afhrmative, I decided

the paper which has been talked about 3 0 often in the past year-and-a-half and for which the funds could never be

create

raised. I saw everything clearly right away—except for the name.

May

13

Informed Prof. Kellner and Dr. Kokesch of my decision lan

night. They were surprised. Kellner said: “You astound people by the speed of your march—a veritable Moltke.” The gentlemen wanted t o begin by calling a committee meet: ing. I proposed t o Kellner that he join the paper as publisher or

responsible manager. He declined the risk in view of his position. Kokesch said he was willing t o act as publisher.

Overnight the name for the paper occurred

to

me: Die Wel,

with a Mogen Dovid [Star of David), inside w h i c h a globe should

be drawn, with Palestine as the central point. Landau came and suddenly raised his demands when he saw

that the paper for which he had begged me for a year-and-a-hal was about t o come into being. H e said he had t o “charge for los time,

loss of other income, etc.” Thereupon I invited him ©

formulate his demands i n writing. I n the afternoon he brought a document i n which, i n addition t o fixed salary of 5 0 guilder— which, after all, would be modest—he demanded 209), of the

profits. Steiner, whom 1 had offered a share i n the n e t prof its, had declined and also advised me t o refuse Landau’s request.

net

since, after all, i t is my intention t o use any profits for the expan sion of publ icity.

I n the afternoon Kellner, Steiner, Schnirer, Kokesch, and

Landau got together at m y home. Steiner brought along a char

THE COMPLETE DIAR IES OF THEO DOR HERZ L 547 ing sketch fora masthead: Die XX Welt [The World], which won pproval. peer r e

strangely enough, a current o f opposition t o the

paper scemed t o be stirring among the gentlemen. A t first i t was aot expressed; 1 merely sensed it. Kellner spoke against starting _ calling i t prema ture. recommended that we go ahead. rer Steiner thought i t should perhaps be preceded by a “tour of the synagogues” and by enlisting subscribers in the various

countries.

pointed out that months ago I had suggested that we go abead and get subscribers, thus making sure of having a basis |

for the organ of the movement which everyone desired 5 0 urgently. This had not been done any more than other things 1 had recommended, unless | had done them myself. Therefore | de-

cided simply t o create the paper myself, with my moncy and my labor. Thereupon the gentlemen, who a moment before had still expected too little, changed over t o excessive expectations a t one bound. Kellner chewed over the idea a b i t that 1, as the entre-

preneur, could very well put my labor into the paper gratis, whereas others would have t o put themselves on a paid basis. After that | begged the gentlemen t o enter into a relation of coownership with the paper by investing i n i t either money or

labor. None of them wanted t o give money: but Kellner prome d 10 contribute his work in r e t u m for a share i n the profits, and with this | was quite content. May 15

Kellner has begged off. He must s h o r t l ygo 10 E n g l a nfor d ten weeks. Accordingly, t o my regret. his co-editorship is now out of

the question. The whole burden will rest on me.

Last night we drew up the format of the paper. |

sketched the byout, column by column; Kellner, Landau, and Steiner lis ened to me, I believe, with astonishment. Kellner and Landau

548 T H E COMPLETE D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HERz

suggested this and that. Following Kellner's advice it would be. come a somewhat scholarly paper of Anglo-Jewish-German cog plexion. Following Landau’s advice, D i e W e l t would be a lemical paper with a predominantly G a l i c i a n outlook. I believe

it ought

to

be a dignified paper with appeal t o univenal jewn,

I suggested that Kellner write a series of literary profiles of

representative exponents of the Zionist idea: Disracli, G. Elio, Moses Hess, etc. He took up the idea enthusiastically and will begin with Disraeli in the first issue. 1 promised h i m t o have the entire scries—which h e would probably have been unable to plac anywhere else in view of present-day conditions i n the newspaper world—issued later in book form by the Welt publishing house. I shall pay for his articles a t the same rate as the N . Fr. Pr. For Zionists must be the last people from whom the paper acceps free gifts. I f it prospers, people will tell all sorts of stories about me anyway—especially those who couldn't make up their minds t o make any sacrifice. Landau immediately asked for a “raise”

to

75 guilden a

month. Granted. May 16

The preliminary work on the paper. Correspondence, organk zation, everything t o be done from scratch. May 18

Also, that atmosphere of conflict a t the office again, something that doesn’t make my heart any stronger. May 19

An excellent letter from Sidney Whitman

at

Constantinople.

H e can make both head and tail of i t now and wants

to

submit

the matter to the Sultan himsel f. H e has the Sultan 's seal; letten

sealed with i t are immediately handed

to

the Sultan.

THE COMP LETE D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L 549 s. Whitman expects us to safeguard his futu re i n retu rn for

his seTViCES. He deserves that, and | am promising i t t o him in a letter which the grateful Jews will honor some day. I can no ise a sum of money t o him than I can t o Newlin ski. Bor both will get thanks from the Jews i n as magnificent 2 manp ears the work is magnificent. May

20

Another letter from Sidney Whitman. He has interested Ahmed Midhat Efendi, the Sultan's favorite, in the mater. Ahmed Midhat thinks we should proceed yavash [slowly] and not ak for 100 much, lest the Sultan say No immediately. I n parucular we must not use the word “autonomy,” because i t has already involved Turkey in many wars. I should write my letter in French, so that i t could be submitted t o the Sultan.

Accordingly, today I am writing Whitman a letter promising him a reward (in German, in the copy book), and the following French one for showing around: My dear Friend: ® | am writing you today on the stationery of a new paper, a weekly, but of high quality, which we are starting for the needs of the ause. Die Welt will appear o n June 4, 1897. I n this journal we mean to give Turkey, 3 0 t o speak, an earnest of our pro-

found sympathies. You may tell Ahmed Midhat Effendi that we shall publish in it, with pleasure and, of course, absolutely impartally, communications and news which may be useful t o the Sultan's government.

This is a step on the road toward setting i n motion the influ-

ence of the Jewish press for the benefit of Turkey. We shall conunue, provided our efforts are encouraged by sympathy accorded o the Jewish cause. An effort which | made in accordance with your suggestion t o “me to “it to

the aid of the wounded soldiers came too late—I don't say “unfortunately.” For the victories of the Turkish

"18 Preach in the original

550 T H E COMPLETE D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HERy arms have rather quickly made this subscription pointless. Since

the political situation i n England and i n France did not permit the Jews of those countries t o express their sympathies—whig, really exist—to the Turks i n this s i t u a t i o n , w e h a v e had to coq

fine ourselves t o establishing committees i n Germany, Austria and Hungary, and asking our friends i n other countries 10 give

their aid in whatever way was possible. Besides, this was o n l y an incident o f lesser importance in the Jewish project which I am pursuing. 1 very much fear that ple in Yildiz Kiosk are incorrectly informed about the nature

and the scope of the Jewish plan. Enemies, intriguers, have per.

haps changed the appearance of things. What we want t o do is conceived, 1 admit, i n the interest of the Jewish people, but i t will serve superlatively for the pm longation, the restoration, of the vital forces of the Ottoman Em ire.

P First of all, my book on the Jewish State should n o t be taken as the definitive form of the project; I am the first

to

admit tha

there is a lot of ideology i n it. A simple writer, I launched the idea without knowing how i t would be received by the Jewish people. The best proof of this is that I suggested we settle either In Argentina or in Palestine. But since that publication the neo- Jewish movement has taken on an entirely different complexion, and i t has become practial and practicable. W e take circumstances i n t o consideration, we want t o

conduct ourselves well politically, sincerely and ef

ciently. Here is the situatio n i n a few words: I f H . M . the Sultan grants us the conditions indispensable for the settlement of o u r people i n Palestine, we will gradually

introduce order and prosperity into the finances of the Empire. Once this principle is accepted, both sides will gladly listen t o the details. Those who desire the weakening and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire are the more or less avowed encmies of our

plan; that is easy t o understand.

THE COMP LETE DIARI ES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L 551 Those who wish t o bleed Turkey white by means of usurious loans are equally the enemies o f o u r project. For the government of H . M . would regain control o f the country’s resources; and

that country would be a resurgent one. These are not empty words, and H . M . the Sultan will have an opportunity t o be convinced of that i f he w i l l d o us the honor of sending a delegate to the Zionist Congress which will take in Munich on August 25, 26, and 27, 1897. H. M.'s delegate could attend a l l o f our deliberations, and

by this alone we would be willing

to

give him a striking proof

of compliance. But—and this point must b e

stressed—we d o

not wish t o have

our people immigrate into Palestine without first completing the arrangement with the Turkish government.

It is true that our people are miserable i n various countries, but just the same we do n o t wish t o exchange the present condition of unhappines for uncertainty. The situation must be free and clear. And now | come t o your questions: The immigrant Jews in Palestine would become subjects of H. M. the Sultan on condition of an absolutely guaranteed selfprotection.®

The necessary land purchases would be made entirely without constraint. I t cannot be a question o f “dispossessing” anyone at all. Ownership is a private right and Sulan’s private

cannot

be violated. The

domains could be paid for i n cash according t o

their value, if he desires t o sell. As regards the question of “people's rights” i n the arrange ment, the equivalent produced by the Jews would be an annual tribute paid 1 0 His Majesty. We would start with a tribute of a hundred thousand pounds, for instance, which would increase proportionally t o the immigration up t o one million pounds annually. On this tribute we could immediately procure a loan adjusted lo the annuity. The tribute would be guaranteed by the great * In Engluh in the original.

552 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERg

funds in existence about which I have spoken 1 0 you on severy

occasions. I do not

want t o

repeat again what I have already told yoy 4

often, my dear friend—namely, that the solution of the Jewig Question also involves the consolidation of Turkey. The energy

and importance of the Jews i n commerce and i n finance are we] known. I t is a river of gold, of progress, of vitality which the Sultan will admit into his Empire with the Jews, who since the Middle Ages have always been the grateful friends of the Turk, A n d with the straightening o u t o f the finances, n o more inter

vention of the Powers under false pretenses, no more “publi debt,” no more “leeches.” Will the scope, the usefulness, of our project be understood in Constantinople? Let us hope so. For the time being I ask nothing better than

to

prove

to

H. M.

the Sultan that all this is motivated by the best of intentions. I t is unnecessary t o remind you of the confidential n a t u r e of this letter. You, who are such a devoted friend of the Turks, will understand how important i t is not t o give warning t o false friends who would like t o thwart a project benehcial t o Turkey.

With cordial regards, Sincerely your,

Th. Herzl. May 23

The move ment is beginning i n America. Michael Singer, editor of a new weekly, Toleranz, sends me reports about meetings in New York , etc.

A conference of rabbis, with Dr. Gottheil a t its head, has come out in favor of our movement. O n May

10

the New York Sun published articles about Zion

ism.

When I showed the Sun column to Benedi kt yesterday, he

said bene vole nly: “You are drivi ng the who le worl d crazy. A

real Pied Piper of Hamelin."

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

553

I replied: “ ] shall have m y revenge o n you when you are

obliged t o get the report about the Munich Congress from the Kolnische Zeitung, after you have had the opportunity for a year-and-a-half of being the best informed of all.” To which he rejo ined :

“No. On August 26 our paper will simply carry a dispauch from Munich.” And these casual words, which he is more likely t o stick t o than his promises—because he has to, because the paper must not “fall behind” —this brief declaration already betokens, u n les | am mistaken, my victory over the N . Fr. Pr. The victory may be wrested from me repeatedly between now and August— yesterday I held it in my hands. May 23

Today “Pater Paulus” Tischmann came t o see me. Curious figure from the outposts of religion. An unkempt-looking little Jew with a heavy Polish- Jewish accent, until a short ume ago a Catholic clergyman. He told me how a t the age of 1 5 he was

seized, baptized, and later ordained, how he could not stand it in the long run and uttered blasphemy from the pulpit in Transylvania. He was arraigned and, after he had returned

to

the

Jewish faith, acquitted. A character o u t of a novel. Now he is again auditing rabbinical sermons. 1 think he is doing a little

ihnorring [begging], t o o1. gave him a trifie. Curious that he probably gets no thanks from the Jews for his “return.” Formerly, wncer the crosier, be did all right. he says evertheless, with shining eyes: “But | have the inner ys with action." shin;

as | well know. of all pleasures, This is the most expensive Haas writes that people in America want me t o make a “lec-

ure tour” on the other side.

55

T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERz May 26

I am working o n the new paper t o the point of exhaustion, of brea kdow n.

T w o subscribers have turned u p . T o the m a n y hundreds of ap. nouncements of the Welt which have been distributed, only

three written replies in all have come i n so far. My close party friends believe i t will be a failure.

Constantinople, May 24, 18q¢;

Private. Dear Friend: As is m y custom, | a m acknowledging b y return m a i l recep of your kind letter of the zoth of this month. I shall immediately read the contents t o Ahmed Midhat and invite him t o write something for the Welt. Incidentally, the indications increase that I shall sce the Sul tan himself and be able t o speak t o him about the matter. | find your presentation very clear and convincing. More later. I n haste, Yours, Sidney Whitman.

P.S. Since writing the above I have been t o see Midhat; | read him your letter and shall make a copy for him. He is very b-

vorably disposed toward the matter and wants t o devote himself t o it body and soul, with the express stipulation that he will never accept a penny for his services. The t w o of us drew up a plan of action, and i t is possible that I shall make the first communica tions t o the Sultan even before my departure. The rest will de-

velop. A delegate shall be

sent t o

the Munich Congress, of

Midha t's influe nce as well as m i n e is 7 4 }

S. W.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L

555

Entre nous, Rothsc hilds i n Vienna have contrib uted f00

guilders for the wounded soldiers. |

am going t o tell the Sultan about the Welt i n person.

some time ago there was talk that the Sultan intended 1 0 name A. Midhat as Grand Vizier! May 27

Received 2 check from Zadoc Kahn i n the amount of

1000

francs for the Turkish wounded. | am sending the check t o Ambassador Mahmud Nedim, and Zadoc's letter t o Sidney Whit. man in Constantinople. At the same time | am writing Sidney to

tell the Sultan that | am ready t o come t o Constantinople

after Pentecost. May so

In the last few days | balanced t w o difhiculties against each other, which is, I believe, the best conceivable policy—provided it works out. The case in itself was insignificant; but still, my prestige with the Turks was at swake. The young medical students, who under Schalit’s leadership had offered 1 0 leave for the theater of war as volunteer physicians, received permission i n a letter from Mahmud Nedim, the local mbamador. Then i t turned o u t that they had promised too much, for they were unable t o go. They had n o money.

On the other hand, the Turkish-Israelite collection committee for the wounded soldiers had raised only a ridiculously small fm—800 guilders—which they were ashamed of turing in. Then | had the idea of giving the 8oo guilders t o the doctors: “The committee is sending off a medical expedition a t 1s ex-

Pete.” That looks like something.

-

Wy

surprise the commitice people understood the pro-

556 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR HEgy M a y 31

Tremendous labor over the paper. Dr. Landau has been gly u p for his military training; Schalit, whom

|

had drilled a5 gy

assistant, is going t o Elasona. So from the outset the whole Pape

stands on my t w o legs.

Kellner, Schnirer, and Kokesch

address a joint letter to men

which they request the omission from the first issue of an i m

objectionable t o the coal-Gutmanns (concerning their appa against the Jewish Community Tax). They give no further ra sons for this request. I am going t o accede t o it—but of coun I shall not be able t o put up with this editing by commiuea. June t

Day before yesterday and yesterday 1 constructed Die £3 Wel

Nothing

at

all existed. Today there is a paper with a disuna

physiognomy.

Read all the proofs, even the “advertisements”; | made up al the columns. That is t o say, there weren't any advertisemens At the last moment I telephoned Kremenezky and asked him for an unpaid advertisement. He wasn’t able t o insert it, because be is negotiating with the municipality of Vienna.

In the evening, a t the “Zion,” an advertisement was brought in from a Mariahilf clothing merchant. I have enjoyed toiling t o set u p the paper.

At six o'clock last evening the first copy of the Welt came d the press. | am dedicating i t t o my dear parents. June 6, at night

D i eXX Welt is out. I am utterly exhausted. I am going i i

member this Pentecost week of 1897. I n addition t o work 08 te Well, also induce the mood for a Whitsuntide feuillet on for N. Fr. Pr. On top of that, the excitement in the office that &

THE COMPLETE DIARI ES OF THEO DOR HERZ L 557 moment now there has t o be a row and a break with Benedikt on sooo unt o f the Welt .

A number of times I was on the point of inform ing him of the fait accompli a t least. H e now frequently takes me home from the office in his carriage. This would provide the best opportunity t o talk about everything. But 1 finally decided on simply sending a paid adveruseme nt t o the N . Fr. Pr. T h e adveruseme nt

was run by our business ofhce.

June 8 This is where I fell asleep from faugue the night before last. of the N . Fr. Pr. accepted the advertuses The b u s i n e soffice

“reluctantly,” as m y business ofice was informed b y tele phone. The insertion of an item in the text part of the N . Fr. Pr. was refused for “political reasons.” ment

I didn’t really care about getting the item into the paper. 1 just wanted t o send Benedikt a faire part [announcement] of the appearance of the Welt, one t o which he could n o t respond with a veto. That is why I chose the financial course. A half-page in the adverusing section of the N . Fr. Pr. costs 75 guilders. There was some probability that Benedikt would n o t refuse this amount. And thus the Welt was advertised in the pages of the N . Fr. Py. On the Saturday before Pentecost, June 5. Benedikt looked & me with mighty curious cyes. We associated with each other a t the office as usual, but there already were t w o business offices between us. 1 believe he would have liked t o have a real showdown with me, but a t that m o m e n t he was dependent on me: | had not

yet handed in my Pentecost feuilleton, and he urgently needed it for the Pentecost issue.

On Whit-Sunday, the day before yesterday, there appeared in the semi-official Reichswehr a ferocious second editorial in oppo-

ution to the Welt under the title “Benedictus I , King of Zion.”

558 T H E COMPLE TE DIARIES O F THEODO R HERg I n i t Benedikt is treated as a Zionist. I t h i n k he is going to hj

the ceiling with rage.

When I go to the ofhce today, | must again, perhaps for the last time, get ready to d o battle. T h e showdown is due today. I don’t know how i t w i l l end. Shall 1 perhaps be dismissed fron

the N . Fr. Pr. within the n e x t twenty-fo ur hours, before | have

filled the pages of this notebook? I face this possibility with composure. My heart is pounding to be sure, b u t this is only a weakness o f the muscle, not of my

will. Should the N . Fr. Pr. drive me o u t , I shall have lost my pos tion, which I acquired through twenty years of hard work, ina manner of which I need not be ashamed cither. The English “Headquarter s” of the Hovevei Zion have o f

cially dissociated themselves from the Munich Congres and announced this in a dry, malicious notice. T h e Jewish Chrome

carried this announcement on June 4.° “The Proposed Zionist Conference a t Munich. “ A meeting of Headquarters Tent of the Hovevei Zion As

sociation was held on Monday last, the Chief, Colonel Goldsmyd, presiding. I t was resolved that the Association should take no part in, nor send any delegates to, the Congress convened by

Dr. Herzl, which is t o meet

at

Munich in August next.”

At the same time Hildesheimer belittles the American move ment. “Probably only a small number of inconsequential group

from America will participate in the Congress.” |

June 8

First round of the duel with Bene dikt. Today he asked me & brdle pourpoint [point-blank], ®

Original text.

when|

THE COMPLE TE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

559

ame into the reading room somcwhat uneasily i n order t o discuss the daily feuilleto n and while he was washing his face as

always after completion of the evening edition:

“Did you talk with Bacher abou t the Wel tr” “No ,” | said, ready t o figh t. He answered: “ T h a t is very unwelc ome t o us.” “On account of the article i n the Reichsw ehr?”’ 1 asked. “No, | only read the article today; i t didn’t bother me. But I was furious when | saw the advertisement i n our Pentecost number. It shouldn't even have got into the paper. I t is the list of our

contributors.”

I shrugged my shoulders and walked up and down the room. He wiped his face. “You put us i n an embarrassing position.” I said in a loud voice: “The article i n the Reichswehr is full of the dirtiest lies.” At that point Goldbaum came into the room—I1 think he had been eavesdropping—and the conversation was broken off. We talked about commonplace things. June 9

Second round. Today a t noon Benedikt started i n again: “We have t o speak some more about the Welt. U p t o now i t has been the custom in our house that anyone who wishes t o participate in some enterprise notifies the editors of i t . ” I said: “I've also written for the Zeit.” He aid: “We were on good terms with the Zeit. But even then |

discussed the permissibility of your action with Bacher. Now

you have taken our entire list of contributors into the preliminary announcement of the Welt.” | changed the subject: “Do you know what an intelligent peron sid about the article in the Reichswehr? “ The author of the article knew very well that Benedikt is an opponent of Zionism. He only wanted 1 0 sow dissension between

Benedikt and Herzl.’

He replied: “I think so 100. They wanted t o bring about dis-

560 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

sension within the N. Fr. Pr. All I ask of you, if our friendly relationship is to be maintained, is not t o jeopardize us any fur.

ther. I n particular you must not publish that list of contributor any more. ” I promised t o do all I could i n this regard—and we parted friends. He took me home i n his carriage. June

10,

7th birthday

of my Hans*

At this point I close this fourth book of my history of the Jewish State. I will now deposit the books i n a safe place. This moment marks a chapter anyway; this book won't take much more, and I shall make a red-letter date of the birthday of my good Hans who, I pray, may grow u p healthy and happy, a strong man, and continue my work. ®

Editor's Note: Mistaken entry. June

H e r d ' son ’ s Hams.

10,

1897

was the sixth birthday of

Book Five Begun o n June 11, 1897

Vienna, June

11, 1 8 9 7

Benedikt is more amiable toward me now than ever before. Is he overcome, or is he preparing something? Sidncy Whitman is back from Constantinop le. H e d i d n ’ t see

the Sultan, and 1 think he didn’t accomplish anything else for us either. He only seems t o have established contact between Midhat Efendi and me. H e thinks | ought t o write Midhat directly. While passing through Bucharest, S. W . spoke with Prime

Minister Stourdza about Zionism. The interview is going t o appear in the New York Herald. Swourdza again expressed himself favorably about our idea.

June 1

I am w r i t i ntgo Ahmed Midhat Efendi:*®

Your Excellency: My friend, Mr. Sidney Whitman, who is passing through Vienna, has told me matter

to

address Your Excellency directly o n a

with which you are already acquainted.

I am so busy that this first

contact

which | have the honor of

making with you must be quite brief. Whitman has told me 0 much about the loftiness of your political views that it will sinke me as a great good fortune for the c a uts oe which | am devoted if 1 have a chance of establishing and maintaining contact with you.

I am deeply convinced that the Jewish action will contribute Turkey's health, t o her financial liberation, t o the regaining of all her vital forces. to

a m taking the liberty of sending you the journal Die Well in w h i c wehwish t o be of s e r v i ctoe you. * In French in the original. 568

564 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR H E R I am placing this organ a t your disposal, naturally i n a wholly disintereste d fashion. A n d 1 should very m u c h like H . M. Sultan t o know this.

All that you may send i n will be published immediately, since this will never be in conflict with the loyalty we have tw ou country Austria and o u r sovereig n, Empero r Franz Josef.

W i t h assurances of my high esteem , I remain

Your Excellency’s devoted

Th. H . June 16

The Munich Jewish Community protests against the meeting of the Congress. The first letter from their Executive crossed mine; the second came afterwards. The discussion of them and the letters themselves will appear in the Welt, so 1 am not recording them here. I believe that thi incident will greatly benefit the Congress. A general discussion will flare up, and we shall shift the assembly from Munich. which is not suitable, t o Zurich, which is. June 16

I n today’s morning edition of Schinerer's Ostdeutsche Rund schau there is a hard attack o n the Neue Freie Presse on account

of the Welt. In the reading room a t the office there was a cop of the Ostdeutsche Rundschau slashed with blue marks A tev colleagues greeted me frostily, like a favorite fallen from vor.

Benedikt sent the Ostdeutsche Rundschau t o my room by 3 messenger. A quarter of an hour afterwards 1 went to sce him, agit ready for battle, even though quite nervous. Benedikt was very calm.

I told him: “I've read the article. I t is very displeasing’

THE COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL

565

Well is a great embarrassment t o us. T h e best thing would be if it ceased publi catio n.” He: “The

1s2id: “That can’t be done.” He: “We'll walk about it. Y o u see that I a m dealing with i t

quite calmly and objectivel y.”

I : “Even before the appearance of the Welt, the anti-Semites poured buckets of manure over the N . Fr. Pr. As far as | am concerned, 1 certainly don’t want t o cause embarrassment t o the N. Fr. Pr. 1 am devoted t o the paper. After all, I have p u t part of my life and health i n t o the NV. Fr. P r . ”

I spoke firmly and calmly. He saw that 1 was prepared for a break. We were interrupted by a telephone call. 1 left the room. When | returned half an hour later, he did not resume our conversation. He gave me an article by Sir Charles Dilke about Queen Victoria

to

translate. H e said he didn’t

want t o

give i t t o

Mn. Wirth for translation, because he had no confidence in her; she might divulge i t prematurely. He has confidence i n me, then? Is this attitude of Benedikt's a weakness, or does he have something u p his sleeve?

If he is weak, he would have t o hide i t better. Had he kept silent, not mentioned the Ostdeutsche Rundschau at all, but treated me icily, I would probably have been badly shaken. Men don't reproach, they demolish.

June 1% Since the Munich Jewish Community is protesting against

in the Actions Committee s, holding the C o n g r ewesdecided today to transfer the Congress t o Basel, possibly t o Zurich. First of the Bavarian government through Wrede I am to inquire whether it has any objection to the Congress. I am sending the ollowing letter 10 Wrede t o b e forwarded t o Minister Crails m: Your

.

_ As chairman of the Committee on Arrangements for the Zionit Congress which has been called for August 25 a t Munich |

566 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL beg t o inquire most respectfully whether the Royal Bavariag government 1s w i l l i n g to accord the Congress its friendly ler. ation. I have expressed myself o n the purpose of the Congrey in an editorial i n D i e Welt w h i c h 1 take the liberty of enclosing

herewith for your information. Only

those persons

will be ab,

to attend the Congress who have registered by August

15

ang

have received a ticket of admission to the—closed—meeting,

Zionism aims a t solving the Jewish Question i n a peaceful manner—namely, through the settling of Palestine with Jew, with the consent of the Powers, after an understanding has been

reached with the Impenal Turkish Government. Zionism is, of course, an entirely lawful

movement,

and i

wishes t o pursue its humanitanan goals only under the benevo lent supervision of the governments. The committee which is working on the arrangements includes a number of German citizens.

With the expression of my profound respect, 1 remain, Your Excellency, D r . Th. H. J u n e 18

Today another round i n my duel with Benedikt. He had a second, Schiiz. I had been noticing for several days that Schiu was treating me as a fallen favorite. Today, when | entered Benedikt's room, | saw by the break i n the conversation that they

had been discussing me. After a few remarks on editorial

matters,

Benedikt opened

fire. H e said he had spoken t o Schiitz about the Welt, and

Schiitz “shares my opinion.” Schiitz confirmed this, even though eviden tly less vigorou sly than he had done i n m y absence. Benedikt summed it up this way: The Welt m u s t fold, o r| must dissociate myself from i t . H e himself wanted t o help me find a way i n which my prestige w o u l d not suffer. ( H e reminded me

of his offer in the case of The Jewish State 1 0 help me make the

book less obje ctio nab le d u r i n g his

vac atio n.)

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

567

He begged me urgently, most urgently (and the threat looked out of his eyes) t o give u p the Welt. H e said he was not speaking as an editor to a co-worker, b u t as one friend t o another. Naturally he was concerned that the N . F r . P r . should suffer n o harm,

but for the moment he wished t o speak only i n m y own interest. I t wasa pity about me. | was ruining myself.

Schiitz seconded him: he had heard that agitation against me was about to star t. |

said: “ I ' m not afra id.”

Benedikt sought, as a friend, t o talk me o u t of my “obstinacy.” Then a threat: | could n o t go o n my vacation u n t i l 1 had given him a final answer, that is t o say, stopped the publication of the

Welt. Then a promise: he guaranteed | would |

n o t regret

it if

acceded t o bis wish. ( I know all that by now: his requests, his

threats, his promises.) He also said that | m u s t n o t play a prominent part a t the Congress, 1 m u s t n o t come t o the fore. A n d

after these sharp attacks, after he had tried

to

work o n me w i t h

all the pressure of his superior position, he added so naively that the greatest mockery could not have made i t any worse: “ | certainly don’t want t o exert pressure o n your conscience—only,

you mustn't do anything t o the extent that i t can be injurious t h e N. Fr. Pr.” And these people wax indignant i n editorials whenever a minis ter restricts the freedom of opinion of his officials. Of course | remained inflexible. When | was leaving, Benedikt

asked Schilz (who told i t t o me later) behind my back and anxiously whether he had not been too gruff with me. June 1 g

Schiitz, the man of the bons offices [good offices]. came t o see me. We walked 1 0 the office together. | complained bitterly about Benedikt who, | said, was exerting pressure upon my conscience. | could sand this only up to a certain point: and. after all, Benedikt's friends would rejoice if I left the N . Fr. Pr. Schilz must immediately have passed this o n 1 0 Benedikt.

568 T H E COMPLETE D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HERzL The effect: an enchanting smile from Benedikt when I qm, into his room. H e was amiability personified, insisted that | have

dinner with him, and didn’t say another word about the W i .

Still, I'm on my guard. I think Benedikt only used the attacks of the anti-Semites as a pretext, because he is afraid of the independence which | am t o gain through the Welt. J u n e20

Had supper yesterday with Széchényi Pasha and his wife. She, a Levantine, is on intimate terms with the Sultan’s sister.

1 won him and her over t o my cause, let i t pecp o u t that Széchényi could make some money on it. He liked the idea of it, and said I should send him a memorandum of the matter which he would submit t o the Sultan. J u n e22

Yesterday a day of great worry. The students had called a rally “to take a stand on the Munich Congress.” This rally was prohibited by the police. I had t o exert every effort t o get the prohibition lifted. I t would demoralize our people. I n other ways, too, i t could have a very bad effect. Our movement

would get the false appearance of being dangerous to

the state.

Today I shall send D r . Landau to the office o f the president of the Cabinet Council. There he is t o ask whether they intend t o force the Welt, too, into becoming an organ for exposés and fighting, like the Zeit. Fight your battles w i t h a hatche t man!

J u n e28

Yesterday another big row with Benedikt. H e came into mY

room, first talked about general and editorial matters, then closed the door and came t o speak abou t the Welt. He was more urgent than previously. The Welt must fold

THE COMPLET E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L [

am to

turn

569

it into a news agency or discontinue it, and the

should issue i t in another city, a t some other ume. | listened quietly, made no answer. He begged me: “Be a bon gargon [good boy]! Don’t be stubborn. Soyez bon prince [Be a good prince]! What are you getting

yourself! 1 feel sorry for you. In the N. Fr. Pr. you can really go places. Do I need t o spell i t out for you? You see the perspective as well as 1 do. You can go out of the Welt? You are harming

the top with us. This way, however, you are causing us the

io

embarramment. We can’t stand there as a Jewish sheet.

Especially now, when for the first ume in six years there is a rapprochement again between the German-Nationals and ourselves (fight over the language ordinances), you start that stuff. | am (still!) speaking with you not as the editor, but as a personal friend. Give i t up, and i t won't be t o your disadvantage.” I only kept silent. He looked a t me with the greatest excite ment. He begged, promised, threatened. Finally | said 1 0 h i m : “You are n o t well informed about the

mood of the public. “Your readers wouldn't object i f you wrote about Zionism. You've become too much of a newspaper baron, you have too

many p e o p who l e want favors from you; people tell you what you want to hear, and you don't hear the truth any more.” |

bnally asked for time to think it over, and we left the office

together.

It is clear to me that the break with the N. Fr. Pr. is imminent im the next few days. In the e v e n iIn informed g the Actions Committee of my diff

culties with the N. Fr. Pr. on account of the Welt. June 24

On the train. En route t o Ischl. At the station in Linz 1 just saw Bacher, Ing

is comwho evidently

from Carlsbad and also going t o Ischl. Since I

hough excitement with Benedikt in Vienna i n avoided Bacher, pretended not

to

have

recent

had

days, |

have seen him, and quickly

570 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERgL entered my compartment again. Perhaps he d i d n o t notice me. I n Ischl we shall probably run into each other anyway and probably have an argument. T h e state of m y nerves, t o be sure, makg me wish not t o have any exciting discussions now.

Yesterday was an interesting day. 1 had decided t o ask Bene. dikt for leave, i n order

to

put a stop

to

this daily strain on my

heart i n those excited conversations w i t h h i m .

Riding my bicycle t o the office yesterday, 1 said

to

myself:

this is probably the last time I am going t o the Neue Freie Presse which has been the object of such ardent efforts on my part over so many years. These serious differences m u s t finally lead t o my withdrawal, because 1 can’t possibly accede t o Benedikt's demand, namely, t o discontinue the Welt. And, strangely enough, a t the thought of leaving this much envied position on the N . Fr. Pr., the recognized top literary post i n Vienna, | felt a sort of graduate’s relief. 1 had a similar feeling when I left school.

I further thought t o myself: this is what death m u s t be like. The only painful thing—more painful psychically than physi

cally—is probably the agony. Death itself may really be a relic to the dying man. Then I quite cheerfully packed my feuilleton files, put thing in order, just as a good housewife hangs u p her bunch of kep before she lies down, feeling death coming. Nevertheless, | real: ize clearly now as before that with my departure from the N . Fr. Pr., overnight I could become a has-been.

The last

conversation

with

Benedikt

took

a c a l m e r cours

than I had thou ght. I told h i m :

“With your consent I w a n t t o go on leave now. | am now acquainted with your point of view i n the matter of the Well. and 1 shall write you m y answer b y the first o f July.”

H e quickly answered: “Don’t write t o me! 1 am convinced

that you will obey me. I am speaking as your

true

friend—o

THE COMPLE TE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL

571

. course, in my interest as well, b u t not witho ut consi dering yours

You do yourself harm when you come forwa rd as a Jew.”

[ aid: “Harm? One can harm oneself o n l y b y commit ting some “Certainly the two o f us don’t need t o talk about wy character. N o one is going t o say o r believe anything l i k e that

about you.” | concluded: “So 1 am going on leave now.

|

shall send you

feuilletons. 1 haven't been able t o do any work here. These converations with you have excited me too much .” He replied: “Me, too! So you are heeding my friendly advice. You'll promise m e that you'll give u p the W e l t , won't you?”

However, | didn’t promise h i m anything, but only shook my head mutely.

Nevertheless, we parted “as friends.” In the afternoon Bloch telephoned Steiner and requested a alk Steiner should propose a “peace treaty” t o me. Bloch is

afraid that his Wochenschrift could be ruined and is prepared to merge with the Well. He begs for peace. H e

wants t o

join

Lionism; all he asks is t o be kept alive.

He wants t o place his paper completely a t the disposal of our pny. We are t o appoint the editors, he will pay them. O r we should make the Well a supplement t o the Wochenschnfi. Naturally I am rejecting this belated proposal. 1 am only letung him formulate this so precisely so that later we will be able rub his nose in his filth when he attacks us i n the pay of the

Bloch's proposal is

the fir

instance of lightning panic, such

a we shall probably see repeatedly on our way.

The rally of the Zionist students, which was prohibited the ty before yesterday, could have done us great harm among the @wardly philistines.

572 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERg I t was an unfavorable w i n d ; I hastened t o b r i n g our bog in front of the wind again b y hoisting the sails differently. The pro

hibition of Zionist meetings could k i l l our movement. Today i t is still too weak t o resist. Then, too, 1 was worried that (he Zionist Federation could b e dissolved f o l l o w i n g denunciation

on the part of Community Jews. That is why I

sent

Landau

to

the oflice of the president of the

Cabinet Council and had h i m demand something impossible:

permission for the prohibited rally. That, 1 knew, we would nx get—but we would explore the feeling for o r against us, and pre. cisely through the immodesty o f a request for a special privilege

give ourselves the appearance of people who have a right 10 make demands.

And this is what happened, i f 1 am correctly informed by Landau. He received the friendliest assurances from Dr. Romer (the “niece of the coalition”), and Badeni gave permission to hold a meeting with the prohibited agenda, provided that i t wa not convened by students.

At the same time, Badeni took cognizance through Rosser of the anti-Socialist Welt, and Government Councilor Wohl in

the office of the Chief of Police was pop-cyed when Landau rane mitted t o him the “hint from the top.” I n politics one must use difficulties for getting ahead. July 22

Again on the train, once more en route t o Ischl. I n the weeks that have passed | haven't had a moment t o make entries in ths new “Log-book of the Mayflower,” as the correspondent of the London Pall Mall Gazette called i t when he interviewed me yesterday a t Reichenau about the Congress and Zionism. I can’t even remember any more all that | neglected t o record T h e time is past when I was able t o note down the little

criss

of the day. The Welt will have t o come t o the aid of my memory

at some future date when I

write my memoirs. The Welt is gi"

Ing m e a tremendous amo unt o f wor k.

THE COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L

573

The most interesting thing since my last train-entry was the necessary shifting of the Congress from Munich t o Basel. I did aot like the idea of going t o Munic h, which had from the outset wemed unsuitable t o me and which 1 had accepted only i n deference t o the majority of the “Committee on Arrangements.” Therefore 1 utilized the pitiful patriotic protests of the Munich Community chiefs t o transfer the Congress t o Switzerland. Basel was chosen after a survey made by our stalwart new collaborator, Dr. Farb stein o f Zuri ch. However, despite this | asked Prince Wrede t o address a con-

fdential inquiry to the Bavarian government as t o whether it

would have had anything against the Congress. Minister Feilitsch confidentially replied t o Wrede that the government had n o objections to the Congress (scil., d i d not favor i t either).

I received a letter from Newlinski a t Etretat that had a more favorable tone. He had probably lost interest in the movement. The Congress seems t o make an impression o n him. H e declares again that he has never ceased “ s e r v i nthe g sacred cause and its

At last a fine letter from Széchényi Pasha a t Constantinople,

in r e s p oton the s e outline (contained in the copy book) which I sent him.

~ My project is again being discussed in Yildiz Kiosk. That alone 8 worth something. ®

®

®

What else of an “intimate” nature ought

to

be recorded pro

Juturo [for the future)? The other day Dr. Kokesch was deeply hurt because in the %enda (which 1 made) of the Congress (which | am making)

of the Zionists (whom

| am making) I did not include a change

Proposed by the “Committee on Arrangements” (which doesn’t

574 T H E COMPLETE D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HERZL do a thing). H e said: “ W e are not merely the privy council of 4 abso lute mon arch .”

Ischl, July gq Another letter from Széchényi Pasha. H e writes that the fing favorite, whom he had already won for the proposal and wh was supposed t o put i t before the Sultan along with the prayq rug, had then changed his m i n d again. Thereupon he had turned t o another favorite w h o was “even m o r e influenual”

and would

perhaps do it. I am writing him today that he should just persevere and ty t o create a courant d’opinion [current of opinion]: tossed-off re. marks—*‘that would be the best solution of all difficulties,” and

the like—could have a great effect. My friends and | would never forget his services. Vienna, August 14

Work on the Congress and on the Welt i n addition to the Neue Freie Presse is now exhausting a l l my strength, so that| can’t even muster the energy t o make entries i n this log-book of the new Mayflower.

1 had been prepared for a collision with Bacher upon return ing from my vacation. However, he kept silent, and the day before yesterday he even jokingly drew my attenuon to & editonal i n the Deutsche Zeitung about the Zionist Congres He may be waiting for Benedikt's return t o settle the Welt prob lem. Perhaps the row w i l l come when I try t o leave again the

end of this week.

The Zionists of business and philanthropy are coming round to me again, having realized that they cannot frustrate the Cor

gress. Bambus is said to have the intention of coming t o Basel. He won't get a membership card. Liwtle Dr. Kohn, of the "Grovp

R HE RZ L 575 THE COMPLETE DIA RIE S O F TH EO DO Kohn-Rapoport,” also known as Group Korah, w h o tried t o bring about a split among the Zionists i n Vienna, has made appliation for membership. H e gets a journalist's card, at the most.

Colonel Goldsmid writes me a letter oozing with friendship. | sm answering that he should still come, otherwise he would be eliminated from the nationalist movement forever: 1 will build a golden bridge. Finally, Scheid, the intriguer, the man of

um

mismanagement, is coming

to

Vienna one of these days—alleg-

on account of the “wine business”; however, I am convinced edly

i t because he wants to get closer to me out of fear that he is doing of the Congress. At the same time he took o u t a year's subscripton t o the Welt and luxuriously paid 2 0 franc instead of 1 7 s be returned t o him together with an for it. The e x c e sshall

ironic remark.

Newlinski is coming t o Basel in order t o report t o the Suluan. In his letters from Etretat he claims t o have instructions t o this effect. | am pretending

to

believe i t . Obviously he only wants

to see if there is anything t o the whole business. N. writes there is a chance that the Sultan will reply

to

our

telegram of greeting. A subsequent letter says again that difh-

culties have cropped up. Consequently the whole thing was not true. But Newlinski can be useful 1 0 me in Constantinople just

the ame.

Je vais le soigner (1 am going t o nurse him along). @

®

[J

Yesterday | sent a small silver center-piec e t o Constantin ople

for the rummage sale for wounded soldiers.

August 23

Once again o n the train, my

this time e n route t o Basel, t o the

Congress. The amount of work in

recent

days was enor-

576 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR HEgy T h e apprehended r o w w i t h Bacher has n o t taken p l a

|,

date. He was even amiable the last few days before my departure

I did a lot of work for the N . Fr. Pr., i n order t o put him j a good mood. When 1 asked for m y additional leave, he age a b i t grumpy, but then did excuse me u n t i l September 2 . Where.

upon he got t o speak about my movement. My collaboration wig, the Welt must cease, he said. I replied: “ I have published a total of only one signed aril,

in the Welt.” He said: “What else are you doing, then? Surely you don’ want t o become an itinerant preacher?” “No,” I said, “ I don’t want t o be a professional politica If that had been my desire, 1 would have accepted one of the candidacies for the Reichsrat that were offered t o me.” Serens simus,® as we call h i m a t the office, bantered almost gnciously: “Some pleasure that would be! I ' d almost prefer two at

in the Zionist Congress than in the Reichsrat.—But you ough to stop now. You are a man of letters, aren't you, and, after all you are an intelligent man."

“Yes, indeed, because 1 want t o be an intelligent man | am bringing my work under the aegis of the Congress. Otherwise everything up t o now would have been nonsense. 1 have fashioned

a Congress for the Jews, and let the people help themselves from this point on, if they really want to. As for myself, there ar have had more than my fill of the whole thing’

umes when I

And that’s the way it is. Of late 1 have felt much disgust If the Congress produces no serious results, 1 intend

to

withdnv

from the campaign and confine myself t o keeping the flame alive in the Welt. Bacher had a satisfied expression when 1 said this. And when I told him good-bye on Saturday, he said with a pleased gna:

“Give my regards t o the Zionists.”

All right,” I said—"of course, not officially.”

. Name

for a reigning o a

Niki

°

°

Highness,” a half-affectionate, half ironie

H E COMPLETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL

577

so we shall see what the Congress brings. I f , as a consequence, the political powers take the matter under consid erauon —if,

for example, the German Kaiser sends for me—I shall keep on working. If n o t , and i f the moneyed Jews also show no readiness

w ary forward the movement which | have brought t o this stage at such great personal and material sacrifice, 1 shall retire. should I be offered the presidency of the Congress, 1 shall a t any rate accept it only this once. Even if 1 go on directing the movement, | do not wish t o preside over the Congress again. Fact is—which 1 conceal from everyone—that I have only an army of shnorvers [beggars). d of boys, beggars, and prigs. Some o f only | am inc o m m a n

them exploit me. Others are already jealous or disloyal. The third kind drop off as soon as some little career opens u p for them. Few of them are unselfish enthusiasts. Nevertheless, this army would be entirely sufficient if only success were in sight. Then it would quickly become a well-conditioned, regular army. So we shall see what the immediate future holds in store.

August 24 On the train, en route wo Zurich. This moming, when | was coming down the stairs in the Tiroler Hof, who should step u p t o me? Hechler! H e had been there since the night before, and was delivering a lecture in the salon a b o me u t and my movement while I was t a k i n ag solitary

evening stroll through the streets of Innsbruck, thinking of anything but that the upper ten® in the Tiroler Hof were a t that Doment being instructed in Zionism by a clergyman. Hechler groaned softly but audibly about the discomfort of

his third-class trip .

I shall wire him 25 guilders from Buchs, with which he can

convert his ticket into second class.

of

_ An odd thing, one of the secret curiositie s the Congress "the fact that most of the threads which I have spun to now * In Raglish in the original.

up

578

T H E C O M P L E T E D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HERy,

will converge i n Basel. Hechler 1s here, Newlinski will be, apy t u t t i quant: [ a l l the rest] who have helped i n creating the people’ movement under m y direction. I t w i l l b e o n e o f m y tasks to |

them from noticing one another t o o much, for they would prob. ably lose something of their faith i n the cause and i n me if they saw with what slight means 1 have b u i l t u p the present structure

The whole thing is one of those balancing feats which look jug as natural after they are accomplished as they seemed improbable before they were undertaken.

One of my worries is Newlinski—both what he will say abou my people and what my people w i l l say about him. | must en deavor t o keep him d I'écart [apart]. 1 consider i t entirely possible that the Bambuses, the little Kohns, even Dr. Landau, for whom I have created a position and i n whom 1 already scent disloyalty and ingratitude, will run u p t o Newlinski and run me down I shall demand of Newlinski une fidélité a b s o l u e [alnolute loyalty], explain clearly t o h i m that he is t o know n o one but me.

He should not have dealings with anyone, n o t

let

himself be

sounded o u t by anyone. I may invite h i m t o an inner committee meeting, but only i f i t is a highly opportune occasion.

On the other hand, if only because of Newlinski, the Congress a certain tournure [style].

| must

give

I n other ways, too, the direction of these procecdings will, | believe, be a rare feat which w i l l have n o other spectator than

the one who is performing it. An egg-dance amongst eggs which are all invisible. 1 . Egg of the N . Fr. Pr. which 1 m u s t n o t compromise of

furnish a pretext for easing me out.

Egg of the Orthodox. 3. Egg of the Modernists.

2.

4. Egg of Austrian patr iotis m. 5. Egg of Turk ey, of the Sultan. 6. Egg of the Russian government, against which nothing u t

pleasant may be said, although the deplorable situation of the Russian Jews will have t o be mentioned.

THE coOMPLETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL

579

7. Egg of the Christian denominations, on accoun t of the Holy Places. In short, it is a concise digest of all the difficulties with which I have struggled until now. Added t o this are a few other dance-

o e Edmond Rothschild.

Hovevei Zion i n Russia.

Egg of the colonists, whose help from Rothschild

must n o t

be

queered, tout en considéran t leurs miséres ( w h i l e taking proper

account of their troubles). Then, the eggs of personal differences.

E g ogf envy, egg of jealousy. | must conduct the movement 1mpersonally and yet cannot let the reins o u t of my hands. It is one of the labors of Hercules—without overestimating it—for| no longer have any zest for it. August 27, Basel

Congress days! Upon my arrival the day before yesterday | went right t o the ofice which the City of Basel has placed a t our disposal. It is a vacant tailor’s shop. | am having the name of the irm covered over with a cloth, in order t o forestall any bad jokes.

Similarly, in the matter of a hall 1 am concerned about our not looking ridiculous. Dr. Farbstein of Zurich has hired the Burgvogiei, a large but unsuitable place with a music-hall sage. | asked for suggestions as t o how we could make the back-

drops for the saltimbanques [tumblers] disappear, but ended up by hiring different and more dignified quarters.

To the Braunschweig Restaurant, where the food is quite bad,

every train brings Congress members from all sorts of places, Qked with coal-dust, sweaty from their journey, full of inten“ons—most of them with good ones. a few with bad. Last night there artived the “enemies” Turow. Kohn, and an

580 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL unpleasantly sly-looking man from Warsaw, a certain Rabbine wicz, a real Judas, who started o u t by assuring me of his esteem. I n the afternoon M r . Bourlier from Paris called o n me ang inter view ed me for the Jour nal.

A l l day there were caucuses of the Russians, conferring about I don't know what.

My fine friend Wolffsohn from Cologne foresees dissension and division. We shall admit Bambus, Turow, and even little Kohn Congress after all.

to

the

Moming of August 30, Basel

I no longer need t o write the history of yesterday; it is already being written by others.

I was calm and took note of the smallest details even yesterday. I have t o leave for a session now and won't record the intimate details until the train ride home: Nordau’s ill-humor a t the preliminary conference because he was not made president, and how I gradually soothed his spirits. Many people were profoundly moved yesterday—1 was quite calm, as one should be when events occur as planned. Only when

I mounted the dais, immediately after my acclamation as pres dent, and found among the mail the first letter from my Hans, was | greatly stirred. At the presidential table—the present sig: nificance of which I am n o t overestimating, b u t which will grow

in history—I

wrote

Congress postcards t o my parents, my wife,

and each of my children, Pauline, Hans, and Trude. This is perhaps the first act of childishness I have committed in t w o years, since the movemen t began.

September 3, Vienna

The past few days, the most important since the conception of

the idea that time in Paris, have now rushed past. In Basel and on the way home I was too exhausted t o make

notes,

although

they are more necessary than ever, because other people, 0 0 .

THE COM PLET E DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L 581 m are already notic ing that our move ment has enter ed the strea

Congress i n a word —wh ich 1 shall guard against pronouncing publicly—it would be this: At A e r I to sum u p the Basel

Basel| founded the Jewish State.

If I said this out loud today, I would be answered by universal

laughter. Perhaps in five years, and certainly in fifty, everyone will know it. The foundation of a State lies in the will of the for a State, yes, even i n the will of one sufhciently powerful individual (PEtat Cest moi [ I a m the State]— Louis XIV). Territory is only the material basis; the State, even when i t p o s semes territory, is always something abstract. The Church Scate

exists even without it; otherwise the Pope would

not

be sov-

At Basel, then, I created this abstraction which, as such, is invisible t o the vast majority of people. And with infinitesimal means. | gradually worked the people into the mood for a State and made them feel that they were its Nauonal Assembly. One of my first practical ideas, months ago, was that people

should be made t o attend the opening semion in tails and white tie. This worked o u t splendidly. Formal dress makes most people stiff. This stifiness immediately gave rise

10

a sedate woe—

one they might not have had in light-colored summer suits or travel clothes—and 1 did not fail t o heighten this tone t o the point of solemnity.

Nordau had turned up on the first day i n a frock coat and flatly refused to go home and change to a full-dress suit. 1 drew d t o do it as a favor 10 me. | told him: him aside and b e g g ehim

today the presidium of the Zionist Congress is nothing a t all, we sill have t o establish everything. People should get used t o teeing the Congress as a most exalted and solemn thing. He allowed himself to be persuaded, and in return 1 hugged him gratefully. A quarter of an hour later he returned in formal dres. In general it was my constant concern during those three days '0 make Nordau forget that he was playing second fiddle a t the

Congress, something from which his self-esteem visibly suffered.

T H E C O M P L E T E D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HER7L

582

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the

HER ZL 583 THE COM PLE TE DIA RIE S O F T H E O D O R On every occasion 1 emphasized that I was i n the chair purely

because of m y know ledg e o f perso ns and details, and that i n all other situations he was entitled t o prece too, his dence. This impro ved his mood some what; fortun ately , for echnical reasons,

was more successful than m y purely politica l one, and | went about everywhere accla iming his address as the best a t the

similarly I had t o smooth down a few other sensibilities that had been ruffled i n the crush. Steiner had been passed b y i n the elections of the committees, and went about with a deeply offended air. | hastened t o make h i m chairman for the gala recep

ion and head of the organization committee, whereupon he settled himself on the speakers’ platform and kept the speakers from going up there. They had t o talk from the floor, while he a t on a chair on the platform. Also among those offended were Minz and a few others whom 1 had spoken t o too harshly beause they sat daydreaming and motionless a t the presidential table instead of taking minutes and helping me conduct the pro-

ceedings. Everything rested on my shoulders: and this is

not

just some-

thing | am telling myself, for i t was proved when o n the

afternoon of the third day 1 left because of fatigue and tumed the chairmanship over t o Nordau. T h e n everything was helter-

skelter, and | was told afterwards that i t was pandemonium. Even before I took the chair, things didn't click. Good Dr. Lippe of assy, as the senior member, presided. I t had been agreed that he was t o talk for ten minutes a t most. In the great hubbub he had not submitted his speech t o me: ind now, when he was standing u p there, he spoke without stopping for a half-hour and made one blunder after another. | sat below him on the platform, next t o Nordau, sent word up t o Lippe four times, begging him 1 0 stop and finally threatening him. The thing was beginning t o verge on the ridiculous. Then I was called upon t o speak. | was greeted with storms of

3pplause, but

|

was calm and remained so and intentionally re-

ined from bowing,

s0

as

to

keep things

at

the

outset

from

584 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZ), turning into cabotinage [a cheap performance] or conférene, [showmanship]. Then the presiding committee was elected by acclamation,

We walked up. The Congress cheered.

I called upon Nordau. He spoke wonderfully. He is and wil] remain a monument o f o u r age. W h e n h e returned t o the presi. dential table, I came toward h i m and said: M o n u m e n t u m aere perennium [ A monument more enduring than bronze]!

Then the reports went off according t o schedule. And now

it became clear why I had had t o go t o the Palais Bourbon for four years. Subsconsciously 1 was full of the niceties of parlia mentary procedure. I was affable and energetic after the model

of Floquet, and a t critical

moments

I endeavored

to

coin mots

présidentiels [presidential phrases). O n the first day 1 made a number of mistakes; by the second, according t o the consensus, 1 had already become fully equal to the situation. There were critical moments—e.g., when a certain Mandelkern got u p and moved a vote of thanks o n the part of

the Congress t o Baron Edmond Rothschild. I rejected this pro posal a limine [outright], because we had no night t o v o t e in this fashion on a question of principle, infiltration. I pulverized Mandelkern® by saying that he was placing the Congress in the embarrassing position of having t o choose between ingratitude toward a charitable enterprise and the abandonment of prinaples. The Congress cheered me. Another critical moment—when the Bimbaum scandal oc curred. This Bimbaum, who had deserted Zionism for Socialism

three years before I appeared on the scene, poses obtrusively a8 m y “predecessor.” I n his brazen begging-letters, which he wrote me and others, he sets himself u p as the discoverer and founder of Zionism, because he has written a pamphlet like many an other since Pinsker (whom, after a l l , I had not read cither).

He now had a few young people make the proposal that the ®

Tranalawor's Note: Herzl had a word for “almond.”

German

litde linguistic fun here. “Mandelhern” is the

THE COMPLET E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L

585

eral of the Actions Committee be elected directly by the Congress. A n d this creature , who a t the first

=

National Assembly of the Jews has no other thought but t o get himself voted a stipend, has the nerve t o compare himself t o me. And as in his shnorming letters, here, too, the audacity along with

his begging. The secretarygeneral, as trusted representative of the Congress, is supposed 1 0 counter-balan ce t h e other twentywo members of the Actions Commi ttee! | declared that I could not imagine how under such circumstances anyone would accept a seat o n that committee .

The motion fell through ignominiously. I t was the only dis-

cordant note at the Congress, instigated by Schalit, a young man whomI had showered with kindness. Mn. Sonnenschein of the Amenican Jewess said t o me during this incident—1 had handed the chair over t o Nordau—'""They will crucify you yet—and 1 will be your Magdalene.”

Otherwise everything went quite smoothly. Since I was not in the hall during the debate on colonization, Bambus ventured w the platform and sneaked himself onto some committee. 1 let the bastard go, also let that rascal Scheid go unscathed, because in the meantime the Congress had taken such a turn toward great. ness that 1 did not want t o spoil the impression any more with these annoyances.

Qu'ils aillent se faire pendre ailleurs [Let them go and get

themselves hanged elsewhere). Perhaps the most important episode, from the point of view of principle—although i t may have gone completely unnoticed —was my introduction of the representative system, that is, the National Asembly. The next Congres will consist only of delegates.

On taking leave of Nordau, 1 said

to

him: “Next year we

tall define things further. You will become president of the Congrem,1, of the Executive Committee.”

However, he wasunwilling to commit h i m s in e lany f way. Minor incidents without numbe r.

586 T H E C O M P L E T E D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HERz[

Everybody came t o me for information about everything, im. portant and indifferent. Four or hve people were always talking t o me a t the same time. A n enormous mental strain, since everybody had to be given a definite decision. 1 felt a though I had t o play thirty-two games of chess simultaneously.

And the Congress was magnihcent. Once, while Nordau was presiding, I entered the hall from the rear. The long, green table on the dais, with the clevated seat of the president, the platform draped in green, the table for stenographers and the press, all made such a strong impression o n me t h a t | quickly walked o u t again, so as not t o lose m y composure. Later | found

my own explanation why | was so relaxed while everyone else was excited and dazed. I had no idea how magnificent the Congress looked in this

sober concert-hall with its unadorned grey walls. 1 had had no previous experience of such things, otherwise I , too, would probably have been swept with emotion. And my best memory of these Congress days is of a few quarter hour chats a t night on the balcony of the Hotel Trois Rois with

that Aine old banker Gustav G. Cohen, whom I had nicknamed “Beaujolais fleuri’ after the small French wine he drank a t meals.

September 4 , on the train t o Ischl

When, upon my return t w o days ago, I came into the office of the N . Fr. Pr, a salvo of laughter greeted my appearance in the city room. The chorus was composed of Schiiz, Kollmer (né Kohn) , Oppenheim, etc. I put a good face on i t . When | entered Bacher's room, he received me w i t h an uncertain smile. H e d i d n ’ t w a n t t o hear a word about that business, he said. B u t I had learned from

Miinz that he had sent for all the Swiss newspapers. Then we talked for half a n hour about everyday matters. He

told me the story of a thrilling detective novel he had just read. The funny thing about i t was that he kept turning so that | wouldn 't catch sight of the thick packet of newspapers In his

H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL 587 outer coat pocket. They were the Swiss papers which had just

arrived.

vewlinski has now proved himse lf

a scoun drel towar d me

*Jeserday. when | called on him in order t o discuss the results of the Basel Congress and the next moves t o be made i n Turkey,

be told me that he had spoken with Edmond Rothschi ld i n

Pans. | was thunderstruck, for he could only have gone t o Rotha traitor. For an entree he had probably used my conild « c has fdential letters, i n which I wrote about my plans for the ConFie sed very reserved, did not want to name the persons who had put him in touch with Rothschild. 1 presume i t was that other rascal, Scheid.

to keep myself under control. He told ely F o r t u n aI t managed i l dexpressed the opinion that my Jewish State me R o t h s c hhad had done a lot of damage; R o t h s c h iwas l d against me. From now on | shall be on my guard against this scoundrel,

but | must not break with him, because he can do me enormous harm inC o n s t a n t i n o p l emore —fa harm r than he could ever have done me good. I did not even dare to let on what I thought of

his lowdown trick. I even wound up by telling him, as though

believed in his sincerity, that he had done well to join me, now that | was o b v i o u in s l ycontrol of the entire movement. “Vows ne vous lles pas embarqué sur une mauvaise galéve

|

Youdidn’t get aboard a bad hooker).

l a l i aand n French papers report that the Vatican has issued 2

arcular letter protesting in the name of Christendom against

the projected occupation o f the H o l y Places b y the Jews. O n e

7

hae days 1 plan to ask the Viennese Nuncio for a confidential

588 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HER7L O n my return

to

Vienna the day after tomorrow,

|

intend

to address the following letter t o C o u n t Badeni:

Your Excellency will, I hope, remember your humble servap from the negotiations about a newspaper which were conduced two

years ago.

Until now I have made n o use o f the permission, most gra-

ciously accorded me then, t o request a private audience a t some time. Now there is an occasion of whose importance I hope t o convince Your Excellency i f 1 am favored with a chance t o explain i t . However, I beg Your Excellency not t o grant me the confer.

ence a t the time of the general audiences, but perhaps some evening, when Your Excellency has a free half-hour. Also, it

would be desirable i n the interest of complete secrecy if Your Excellency notified me not through official channels, but di rectly: on such-and-such a day, a t such-and-such an hour. Assuring Your Excellency of my absolute devotion, I am Most respectfully, Dr. Theodor Herl September 6, o n the train

For the time being I am n o t sending the letter order

to

to

to

Vienna

Badeni, in

wait and see what attitude the N . Fr. Pr. is going t o take

after Benedikt's return. However,

|

will i n any case seck immediate

contact

with the

Papal Nuncio in Vienna—if he will receive me—and get the Congress report into the hands of the German Kaiser.

A

Basel memo ry.

I n deference t o religious considerations, 1 w e n t

to

the syna

gogue on Saturday before the Congress. The head of the congre gation called me up t o the Torah. 1 had the brother-in-law of m y Paris friend Beer, M r . M a r k u s o f Meran, drill

t h e brokhe

[benediction] into me. And then I climbed the steps

to

the altar.

4 E COMPLETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL 589 the Congress days. Th e few He | was more excited tha n o n all

caused m e more anxie ty than m y welcoming and closing address and the whole direction of the

brew words of the brokh e

proceedings. September g, Vienna

Bimbaum, more brazen and beggar-like, 1s playing all his ards to become secretarygeneral. As yet there is n o t a penny

in receipts and already he wants his debts paid by the committee a

well a3 2 job

(evidently a lifetime one) paying—at least—1800

a year. guild ers

For what? For a pamphlet, which has remained obscure, and a few articles.

When | appeared on the scene, he had been away from Zionism for three years, having gone over t o Socialism. Despite this he had i t spread around in Basel that without

Bimbaum, Herzl and the Basel Congress would not have been possible.Great applause! | knew my people when | had the “group” photographed in the Café Louvre. Rabbi Seff made an interesting proposal. The Russian Jews in America should be trained. |

h a adn idea along this line: Jewish rifie clubs.

Goldbaum sent me the following item from a German paper: London, Sept, 7 (Telegr) . The Daily News reports from Rome that Msgr. Bonetti, the apostolic representative in Constantihopie, has delivered a holograph letter t o the Pope from the

Salan expressing the latter's satisfaction a t treaty. The Pope is reported Rome I n order

to

to

the imminent peace have called Msgr. Bonetti t o

consult with h i m on measures t o be taken

“ans the Zionist movement. I n this matter the Pope is said t o have turned 10 0

France as well. asas the p r o t e c t oor f the Christians

theOrient (7).

1st

500 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERg[. Even carlier, Italian papers had taken over from the Ogery,. tore Romano the news that the Vatican intended t o make a protest against t h e occupa tion o f Palesti ne b y Jews.

I am now writing the following letter t o the local Nundio,

Msgr. Emigidius Taliani, Archbishop of Sebaste, Apost. Nuncio:

Monsig nor:® I have the honor of requesting Your Excellency for an audience

in order t o speak t o you about Zionism, a movement which quite recently held its Congress a t Basel, under my chairmanship. Dur. ing the past year 1 had the honor of having a rather lengthy tlk on the subject with Your Excellency’s illustrious predecessor, Monsignor Agliardi. Since then important events have taken place. I humbly believe that i t would be of some interest t o His Holiness the Pope t o have accurate information about our move ment, and 1 should be happy t o furnish i t t o Your Excellency with absolute frankness and in the hope of n o t displcasing His Holiness. The news items in the press are, for the most pam, absurd travesties, and they could inspire regrettable judgmenu as well as decisions that might be irremediable. 1 have friends in Rome, b u t not everything can be explained i n writing, and in

my opinion i t is urgent that 1 be heard before R o m a s i t locuta [Rome has spoken]. I have every reason t o believe that the en lightened leaders of the Church will n o t regret having listened to me. Until this day 1 have n o t betrayed the confidence of the princes and the statesmen who have honored me with it. Do per:

mit me t o assure you in advance of my absolute discretion. Since I am still in the country, 1 beg Your Excellency

to

ad

dress the reply you might care t o make t o me a t the offices of the newspaper Die Welt, Vienna 11, Rembrandustrasse 1 1 . My associates will immediately forward the letter t o m e ; it might be useful to put i t in an envelope without a coat of arms. I f Your Excellency is kind enough t o receive me, 1 should like t o request that 1 be scheduled for an evening hour when ther e will be n o othe r visit ors. ®

I n French i n the orig inal.

THE cOMP LETE DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L 591 Please accept, Monsignor, these expressions of my deep respect

ondabsolutedevotion.

Dr. Theodor Herzl.

September 1 1

Received 2 card from the secretary of the nunciature: the Nundio is receiving every day between 1 0 and 12 a.m. So h e

does not wish t o receive me separately, but in the general audience.| shall go there on Tuesday the 14th. In today’s Neues Wiener Tagblatt, the second editorial about the Zionist Congress. Dry presentation of the facts with subtle

malice toward the N . Fr. Pr., “whose most prominent contributor, Dr. Th. H., was president of the Congress.” Bacher was extraordinarily amiable today. When we were leaving,S . Miinz came and told us that the Pope had called Mogr. Bonetti from Constantinople t o Rome, in order to discuss steps against Zionism with him. Bacher grinned: that would be tremendous publicity for Zionism.

Miinz ebondait dans ce sens [also was of this opinion]: hadn't I got this item into the papers? I nid: Don't give me credit for any such Macchiavellian dengns.| am a posheter yid [simple Jew). Bacher laughed.

September 23, Vienna

Events come and go about which 1 would have written many Pages in the early period of the movement. Now they rush past, one another out, before | have had time t o get them down. The Nuncio did not receive me when | came. His servant told Re in broken German: “You are quite unknown t o His Excel. lency. Come back when Mgr. Monuagnini is here.” I marched out. seems ( 0 have calmed down since then. I t was a fausse

502 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERz[ alerte [false alarm]. Perhaps they took the Rothschilds’ word for i t that there was “nothing to 1t.” Sooner o r later I shall have start a campaign against the Rothschilds. T i t r e tout indiqué

[The definitely indicated title]: “The House of Rothschild"— objective presentation of the world menace that this octopus constitu tes.

I n the Politische Korresponden: there was a disdainful denia] to the effect that the Curia had n o t made the Zionist Congress the object of diplomatic action, and w o u l d not d o so i n the future either.

However, Rome d i d get interested i n i t .

Newlinski performed me an honest service i n his Correspond. ance de l'Est, i n the form of

two

articles, the first of which pac.

fied Rome, the second, Constantinople.

The day before yesterday 1 w e n t t o see h i m a t Steinamanger

—he had called me urgently from Vasvar—and i n the shabby restaurant a t the railroad station we drafted the letter which | am t o write the Sultan. T h e letter w i l l go off

tomorrow,

to

Nun

Bey. Newlinski is my directeur du protocole [protocol counselor], he tells me the hundred-and-one petty details of diplomatic eti-

quette, e.g., that the letter

to

the Sultan is t o be scaled with five

seals, but should bear no inscription. He told me that ready money should be made available for N u r i Bey—une vingtaine de mille francs comme entrée en

matiére [some twenty thousand francs t o s t a r t with]. And our movement consists of beggars, even though i n the background there are the big moneybags of the 1.C.A., e t c . What feats | am perform ing i n this respect will never be understood, never ap preciat ed.

1 m u s t make my tools myself t o fell the tree. T h e Stone Age

of politics! Today, incidentally, 1 plan they will help after all!

to

stir u p the committee, so that

H E COMPLETE DIARI ES O F THEO DOR H E R Z L 593 yesterday Benedikt returned from his vacation. H e made a face this long a t me. | spoke unabashedly about the Congress. He kept silent, furious. subjects. Whereupon | switched t o pleasant |

September 2 4 Last night, session of the Inaction Committee a t Dr. Kokesch's. so far nothing has been done. Dr. Bimbaum, the “secretarygeneral,” has as his only general secretion t o date one document which guarantees him employment for onc year a n d against w h i c h h e wants t o rent furniture.

My good Schnirer, who is certainly as honest as the day 1s long

and an energetic person, demanded as the most important thing an “agenda” for the Actions Committee. But behind this guile lesness there may be the wish t o interfere with me. | requested the gentlemen first of all ( 0 raise some money for the “action.” So far | have simply paid everything that has been

needed out of my pocket. I f the committee wishes t o “co-rule,” it must first pass the test of strength—getting 5000 guilders into the treasury.

Kokesch declares this t o be a flat impossibility. Quod est demonstrandum [Which has t o be demonstrated]. He is a fine person, too; but where would we be if we were dependent upon him. They want t o issue coupon books on the “shekel.” I figure that in this way 8g3 guilders—and 75 kreuzers will be on hand,

unless | make a drive. After| have made it, Kokesch will probably believe that with. out him I would never have accomplished anything. October 6 (Day of Atonement) |

am now tacking the Jewish Compeny.®

The Basel Congress meant the creation of the Society of Jews looking forward 1 0 the Jewish State, although with opportunistic *Ia Laghiah in the original.

594 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HER7| modifications and weakly executed. T h e work of the Coming year will b e the establishment o f the Jewish Company, provisionally

named the Jewish Colonial Bank. I have entered into correspondence o n the subject with Schid. rowitz, who is on news agency duty i n l o n d o n , and I am WTiting a pscudonymous article, intended t o open the discussion, for

the n e x t number of the Welt. During the coming months the idea o f a bank w i l l arouse the

lower instincts of Israel, just as the idea of the Congress fright. ened the higher ones and ended by inspiring them. October

17

O n i d l e days I a m too exhausted, o n f u l l ones t o o occupied, t o make any entries in this diary. Thus i t actually becomes poorer and poorer while the movement becomes richer and richer. When I began t o write down the novel of my life, all the shadows that moved across my soul, and all the lights as well, were on these pages. Now everything has moved up t o the surface. I am

also more aware o f m y responsibility t o express myself about

persons, because obviously these diaries will some day be ma terial for the history of the Jews. I n this way a great deal goes by unrecorded. Yet there are details of great significance, such as this one: A few days ago I told young Schalit, whom 1 had hired as an editor of the Welt upon his request, t o write a letter. Another student was present i n the office, and Schalit acted as though he had not heard my instructions. When we were alone again, he

requested me not

to

give him such orders in front of

strangen.

I said that he could well put u p with this. H e retorted that I did n o t realize how freque ntly I insulte d people . I : “Whe n d i d I ever offen d you? " H e : “For instance, i n Basel, at the preliminary conference, when you yelled t o me t o stand by the door and let no one in.”

Then it suddenly occurred t o me that

at

the Congress this

Schalit was responsible for the Birnbau m incident, the only

THE cOMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

595

sot on the three days. I n Basel I forgave him for it, because 1

wok it for thoughtlessness and ineptitude. Now for what it was: an act of revenge.

|

recognized it

Last night at half past ten, when I returned from the theater, [

found a telephone message from Bacher, asking me

to

come t o

the office right away. 1 thought a brawl over my article “Mauhel” was in the offing and once again got ready to do battle. These alerts don’t do one’s heart any good, but they strengthen a man mora lly.

Feusse alerte (false alarm]. All he wanted was a c h a n gine a

brief item that 1 had written for today’s number.

The Daily Chronicle proposes a European conference for the settlement of the Jewish Question, as the Pall Mall Gazette had proposed previously. This gives me a talking point for my request to the German Kaiser for an audience. ®

J

®

Draft (frst 10 be discussed with Hechler): Your Imperial Majesty: At the suggestion of His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Beden | am a d d r e s sai n respectful g r e q u e for s t an audience di-

rely to Your Imperial Highness. Through my book The Jewish State, which was published

arly in 1896, there came into being in all parts of the world a Sovement called the Zionist movemen t.

It

has stirred many

bandreds of thousands of people. On the last three days of this past August, 2 0 4 representatives

of the Jewish people from all countries amembled a t

Basel. This Congres of Jews, which elected me President, formulated the Program of Zionism: the creation of a publicly and legally safe-

fuarded home for those Jews who cannot or will pot assimilate 0

their present places of residence.

596 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HER7L A few

days ago a proposal appeared i n the British press to

convene a European conference for the discussion and solution of this problem which exists i n so many countries. Journals of the most divergent lines—such as t h e conservative Pall M y Gazette and the radical Daily Chronicle—have agreed o n the

necessity of such a conference. Apart from the fact that the so lution of the Jewish Question would also mean the solution of part of the Near Eastern question, a relocation i n colonies of the non-absorbable part o f Jewry w o u l d b e a relief to most coun

tries, in which the Jews are either perishing i n dire finandal straits, are being driven into the arms of the revolutionary par. ties through social ostracism, o r d o m i n a t e financial affairs i n a

way deeply regretted by us non-moneyed Jews. I m u s t fear I should be unable t o gain the attention of Your Imperial Majesty for a lengthy discussion i n writing. This ex-

tremely weighty matter gives rise t o so many questions that even the most cursory treatment w o u l d have t o be unbearably prolix. I f I am most graciously granted an audience, | believe 1 shall be able t o furnish information on all details. Our movement, which is already wide-spread, has everywhere to fight an embittered battle w i t h the revolutionary parues

which rightly sense an adversary i n it. We are i n need of en couragement, even though i t has t o be a carefully kept secret

I am placing all my hopes in the Kaiser, who looks beyond the seas with a vision as wide as the world and of whose deeds hiv tory will extol precisely those which are petty people of the present.

not

understond by the

Whenever and wherever Your Majesty may summon me for an audience, | shall be a t hand immediately. With profoun d respect, I remain Your Imperial Majesty's very obedient servant

Dr. Th. H . T o the Grand Duke o f Baden:

Your Royal Highness: Once more 1 take the liberty of respectfully invoking the aid

H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR HERZL 597 of Your Royal Highness. The movement, about which | was permitted 10 make a report one unforgettable day i n Karlsruhe,

has since become a subject of international discussion, particularly through the Basel Congress. The struggles and sufferings [ have had t o go through in the meantime for this humane projoct have been difficult enough. Now, public opinion in England is alling for a European conference o n the territonal solution of the Jewish Question. Last year Your Royal Highness advised me most graciously t o address a request for an audience directly t o His Imperial Maj-

ey. Fearing that my application could go unnoticed among countless similar ones, 1 have been waiting for a sufhciently seri-

me

to be a t hand. ous occasion. This now seems t o If Your Royal Highness would have the goodness t o hand m y

enclosed letter t o the Kaiser n o w that he is staying in Karlsruhe, or to send it on t o him, | should know a t least that His Majesty hasreceived my request.

May God, who has set the p r i n c eso s far above the other peo ple and enlightens them, be with my truly serious request. With deepest respect and gratitude, | remain Your Royal Highness’ devoted Dr. T h . H . Dated and mailed on October 23. Will an answer come???

October

27

Something strange has happened now. On the day after this

letter had gone off,

the Grand Duke of Baden, who had been

living most quietly for a long time, suddenly stepped into the European spotlight. He had wished t o visit the Czar, who was staying a t Darmstadt, 2d this request was denied. The Grand Duke published this ba in the Karlsruhe Court Gazette—and then the hundred:

bells of the world press began to ring. € 18 my poor letter

now? After all, | know from the hustle

598 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERg and bustle at m y o w n Congress that a t such a moment one no longer knows ou donner de la téte [whether one is coming or

going]. B u t how odd is this coincidence that 1 had to write a lost Jet.

the Grand Duke a t the precise m o m e n t that quiet man gets into a hurly-burly. One day earlier he might have listened ter t o

t o me—et

encore [and then]!

O n the other hand, a possibility of rendering him a litle courtesy

has opened up. On the occasion of the denied visit, the

N . Fr. Pr. published a very sympathetic editorial (by Goldbaum), and yesterday 1 sent it to the Grand Duke.

Will he express his thanks and, t o show his appreciation, forward my letter to the Kaiser? After all, that is all I need. Once I have that audience with the Kaiser, a great deal will have been

gained. But I don't believe it. Since 1 have been receiving so many letters myself, 1 have known how hard-hearted the recipient of much mail becomes toward his correspondents. And compared to him, I am still young, poor, powerless. Legons des choses [Object lessons]! 1 am getting t o know life from many sides.

Goldbaum! While rumma ging around yesterday, I happened t o come across the page-proofs of the Jewish State, which he had return ed to me uncut . N o w h e writes Zionist articles for the Welt as “Spectator.” [J

LJ

Dr. Mandelstamm of Kiev is trying

®

to

induce a few Kiev mil

lionaires t o give money for the formation of a newspaper joint:

stock company. One million required. My father and I are will ing io give

100,000

guilders i f the Russians contribute the

remain ing 9oo,000.

Following Mandelstamm's advice I am sending a business rep

resentative (Steiner) to Kie v.

THE COMPLETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R HERZL 599

seiner wished t o have it stipulated that his name would be

in the paper on equal terms with mine. This | categorically

Te

fused. He will merely be chief business manager—if something comes of iL.

But | am already so exhausted that | don't care whether the materializes or not. 1 have been wasteful in managing my ial

resources.

If the Russians put u p enough money, i t might b e possible

even w force the N . Fr. Pr.

to

capitulate. With three millions

|

an easily buy i t out, and that would o f course b e the best thing.

With the N. Fr. Pr. in our hands we could work wonders. Vederemo [We shall see].

On my walk this afternoon, powerful daydreams once again: t to Palestine next Spring. I f 1 establish the news a b oautrip paper as well as the Jewish Bank i n the coming months, then the ship that | charter for the voyage will no doubt cause a sensauon

in theMediterranean.

At the head of a newspaper, supported by a

new Ouoman

Bank, | am certain of a gala reception by the Sultan. Fantasies! But the man who brought the

daydreams he had while strolling

through the Tuileries gardens and the Palais Royal in June, 1895 io Basel and the Congress may yet sail the Mediterranean Sea as 3 Jew returning home. But | am as tired as an old man.

In this week's number of the Welt, | had Kellner launch the

Jewish Trades Unions.®

An article in the Jewish Chronicle by Mr. Delaforce (who met something else—namely, the formation of the traditional Englith

TradesUnions in every country) had given me the idea

* bsLagiish in original.

600 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERz(

of setting up, in the form of such Trades Unions, the working. men’s cadres for the comin g migra tion. Kellner didn’t quite understand me; b u t i n the discussion which is being started, i t w i l l be possible t o develop the idea, November

I

sent

Steiner t o Kiev

to

5

speak with Brodsky about the paper

which is t o be founded. Steiner reports that B.,, whom Prof. Mandelstamm had prepared, has been w o n for the project. Novemb er g

Today, a row with Bacher. Bloch's Wochenschrift carried a perfidious article: “Herzl and the N . Fr. Pr.” After we had taken care of our editorial matters, there was the Wochenschrift lying on Bacher's desk. H e asked whether | had put i t there. I hadn't. But why didn’t he read it. He did. Mean-

while I looked o u t the window. I didn’t w a n t t o leave before he had finished. Then he said: “This is unbearable. You have to choose between us and the Welt.” I said: “ I have acceded t o your request n o t t o sign my name in the Welt. I can’t go any farther. I f you consider i t incompatible, please tell me so formally. 1 have made a pledge. I t is as if you

presumed that 1 would n o t keep my word. A man depends upon his word. I shall keep mine, no matter what may be destroyed.” At this—he backed down, gave the conversation a turn t o more general things, and we argued about the policy of the N . Fr. Pr. H e even said good-bye t o me with great cordiality. I won today's battle. Tomorrow i t w i l l probably start up again. on account of my article “The H u n t in Bohemia.” I t is a creep

ing crisis with a certain end—my end. November 24

This afternoon, read my Ghetto

at

Countess Kielmannsegg’a

T h e Count (the governor) came i n during the second act, $anng

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L

601

he was very busy and could only stay a moment. Then he remained t o the end, with growing interest. It had come about i n this way. T e n days ago I decided t o give the Ghetto to Director Jauner for the Carltheater. I t was simply

that | expected once again, as so often before i n these past

two

the N . Fr. Pr. Once o u t of it, | would be boycotted. Not a soul would take anything from me any longer; least of all would a theatre director risk incurring the displeasure of the N . Fr. Pr. because of a Jewish play. to be removed from

|

alled Jauner t o my place nine days ago and read the

Ghetto 10 him. He was delighted, laughed, cried. Only, mis giving about censorship! Would be best, he said, if 1 read the play t o the governor's wife. 1 consented, he spoke with the Countess—and this afternoon 1 read i t . Reading a great success.

Aferwards | spoke with the governor about the Dreyfus affair which, strangely enough, is active again a t this particular time—

as it was three years ago, a t the time when | was writing the jast Ghetto.

November 2 9

Badeni is overthrown. | have been t o Parliament during the pat few days, watching the last mistakes of this amiable man, who began with too much handshaking i n the Chamber of

Deputies and ended by having the police march in—1 happened to be 2 witness t o both the first and the last sessions under Prime

Minister Badeni.

The day before yesterday and yesterday, the revolution spilled from Parliament out into the street, and yesterday afternoon the Emperor dropped Badeni. Ihad t o think of what he told me t w o yean ago: ‘Je ne foutras pus le camp ( I won't beat it]! . . . " I t is not imposible kat many things would have happened differently in Austria if

had accepted his proposition a t that time and become a better ®utselor t o him than Privy Councilors Feiberg and Halban, who were around h i m .

|

602 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL

How many acts of cowardice make a battle! Gautsch, a plucky and pliable ofhcial, is his successor.

He is of the Taaffe school and will probably work with the anti-Semites again. I don’t think he will last long, and after him will come the clericals. T h e Jews are making a bad exchange.

The N . Fr. Pr., which had headed the lynch-justice campaign against the language ordinances, will no doubt soun bitterly re. gret that Badeni is gone. The policy I have t o pursue for my movement is not clear to me yet. For the present, wait and see.

Nordau writes that he is trying t o be received by the German Kaiser in causa Zionism. I f he manages it, he will be the head man i n the procession I have created. But it's all nght with me. Let the cause grow over my head. I am writing him my consent and asking h i m also t o go t o Pobedonostsev and t o the Caar. | am writing him further that 1 want t o make him governor of the Jewish Bank. Jealousy is stupid; then, too, I a m not “on the

make.” My present dream:

to

write a verse play (Renaissance

costumes).

Nordau also reports someone came t o see h i m about a loan for the Turkish government. The latter wants 4o million frana

and is willing t o give in return the concession for the railroad between the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Persia as well as the right t o settle 70,000 square kilometers i n Palestine. Unfortu nately the rich bastards are not available 1 0 us, and the Bank

does not exist yet. Nobem ber 29 It

has occurred t o me

to

offer Nordau's loan

to

the Jewish

Colonisation Association.® | am writing h i m t o see Zadoc Kahn

and tell him that I offer 1.C.A. carries this out. ®

I n English i n the origin al.

to

withdraw from the movement if the

THE cOMPLE TE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L Vienn a,

603

November 29, 1897, at night

Dearest Friend: A letter that arrived this afternoon prompts me

to

write you

once more today.

The matter of the Turkish loan is very important, and the letter gives me an idea of where the resources might be found. The Jewish Colonisation Association® (Hirsch Fund) is to have

its meeting in Paris in a few days. A l l the gentlemen will be t

would now ask you t o submit my following proposals t o 7adoc Kahn personally. He is the suitable intermediary and also, |

a far as 1 know, one of the 1.C.A.’s most influential members.

The 1.C.A. is t o handle the matter. The procedure would be as

follows: The Jewish Colonial Bank (2 million pounds sterling) is founded right away. Administrative board: the gentlemen of the .C.A. The shares® can easily be placed, and 1 think I can do © even with my present machinery. With the 1.C.A. behind i t the matter will be child’s play anyway. Next this bank concludes the loan you mentioned t o me with the Turkish government. The LCA. participates in i t i n a manner t o be defined later, and, as security for the loan i t grants t o the bank, i t receives the lands

ceded by the government. This is the rough outline. In return we offer the following service: we place our entire propaganda machinery a t the disposal of the 1.C.A., set up the subscription on the broadest base, and I pledge my word of honor t o withdraw completely from the direction of Zionist afBins. This last item should convince the gentlemen that 1 am beither a politician® nor a financier and that | have n o ulterior

Motives in the proposal. (Between us, I am already worn out by all the struggles and

difficulties.)

‘Ia Laglish in the original.

604 T H E COMP LETE DIARI ES O F T H E O D O R HERZ] Again a hésitation as 1 was writing—Ilectter suspended for (he

time being. The I.C.A. would

not

understand the

matter

yer.

December

Received today a letter from the Grand Duke of Baden: the Kaiser cannot receive me, b u t would b e glad t o read m y accouny

of the Basel Congress. . Today I am writing t o Gaster t o set u p an administrative board for the Bank for me. T o Zadoc Kahn, to call o n Nordau, i f 1.C.A. 1s s 0 inchined,

regarding the proposal for a Turkish loan which has been made t o Nordau.

December 1 1 Today the wealthy Poznanski from Lodz came

to

sce me. A

plain, but intelligent man. He had first sent me the l.odz assist ant rabbi Dr. Jelski, who had accompanied h i m t o this aty w speak with me. Had he expected me t o call on him a t his hotel? I sent him word that 1 was expecting him a t my home. T h e conversation revolved about general things for a long time. Finally we got

onto

the subject of the Bank, which he ss

greatly interested in. H e plans t o come back tomorrow morning. He would like t o found the Bank with 1 0 million pounds sterling

share capital. One million shares, with a yearly payment of one pound. ®

®

®

Today 1 would content myself with Poznanski's joining the movement. That is t o say, I have already given t h e matter $ 0 much prestige that no Rothschild is needed for backing any longer.

I f P. cannot be had either, the whole thing must simply seek

a broader base.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL 605 Letter tO Nord au:

Dearest Frien d:

Thanks for your letter of the 5th of this month. The Battle of

the Drones still has not reached me. 1f possible, I

want t o

write

about it in the N. Fr. Pr. |

am expecting M . de Galart d'un pied ferme [without flinch-

ing]. In the meantime, the most

important things have happened

here.

With the Bank we have reached a turning point i n our movement. | must speak lacon ically. For t w o days I have had as a visitor the richest man i n Russian

Poland, J. K. Poznanski of Lodz. This man is completely sold However, he feels that the Jewish Bank should not on the have two, but five, possibly ten, million pounds sterling i n share apital. He wishes t o join the syndicate whose function i t will be

cause.

to guarantee the subscription. T h e other Russian millionaires are

a good as centain after he joins. With this the founding of the Bank has taken a giant leap forward. 1 am sparing you an account of the steps 1 am taking for this purpose i n Eastern Europe. In London Gaster has already started the ball rolling through Seligmann the banker. The syndicate m u s t display names from all countries qui ronflent dans le monde financier [which have an impressive sound i n the financial world]. Now

there arises the Rothschild question. Pomanski—who,

however, is prepared

to

go along without the Rothschilds, if

Decemary, even i n opposition t o them—Ant wants us t o try t o

get the Rothschilds t o adopt an attitude of friendliness or, a t

least, of benevolent neutrality toward the Bank. I t is an extremely difficult task, but with skillful leadership i t does not teem hopeless t o me. Of course, contact with the Rothschilds Bust not be sought directly or in writing. I n the course of the

and reGmpaign they would adduce against us any attempted jectedadvances, naturally only in the perfidious manner of the who have journalistic brevi [hatchet-men] a t their dis Poml—for a stabi n the back.

606 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HER7] A few weeks ago 1 published i n the Daily Chronicle two an;.

cles i n which I demonstrated the possibility of a financial boycor carried on by the Jewish middle classes against the money mag. nates a t some time i n the future. T h e Rothschilds ought now to

be given t o understand that the projected Jewish Bank could possibly serve such a boycott and could be served by it. I f they learn a t the same time that the Bank w i l l come into being a t all events, they will n o t treat the matter with aristocratic coolness.

T h e expansion of capital, which is being planned now, will,

in any case, make the Jewish Bank a factor

to

be reckoned with

in the financial world as well. The whole question is whether these people have sufficient imagination t o picture right now what will exist three or four months from now, or whether the matter will be suitably presented t o their imagination, which has fallen asleep on their money-bags. I n this, Zadoc Kahn can be o f the greatest h e l p to us. The matter must be shown t o the Rothschilds earnestly. But what do they have t o hope or fear from the coming Jewish Bank? I f they stir u p feeling against the Bank o r even reject us i n an

injurious manner, | shall initiate guerrilla warfare against the House of Rothschild, and i f I know you, you will stand by me in this. We shall plot this when the time comes. But perhaps i t will never come. And 1 would prefer

that

for

political reasons, although I consider these people parasites and am furious a t them from my very heart. I f , then, the R's neither oppose the Bank nor reject i t a i m i n e [outright], i t can be useful

to them i n two ways: 1 . as Jews, since the Bank is t o bring about the solution of the Jewish Question; 2 . as businessmen, since the Bank can bring them benefits i n many ways. Contrary to

Poznanski’s view, 1 would consider i t sensible i f the Rothschilds did not take any overt part i n the Bank. Otherwise people would say that all of juiverie financiere [financial Jewry] was gath-

ered there, and the Bank would from the outset have t o fight certain antipathies (of course, a t the same time i t would give the impression of tremendous power), w h i l e without the Rothschilds it might give the appearance of being against the R's and

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL 607 thus inspire sympathy. However, i f the R's had some influence on the Bank through representatives, they could safeguard them-

wives in many ways under this cover. I t is an old idea of mine— and the only reason 1 am telling i t t o n o one b u t you is that i t

would make me suspect of gigantisme—that the Rothschilds will peed such a bank if one day they hquidate o u t of fear of general or wish t o safeguard their fortune (which appears t o have hatred, grown beyond the possibility of financial catastrophies). To what extent the minds of these people are 1

at

all receptive

such an idea is naturally beyond my judgment. However, 1 think 1 have presented the state of affairs clearly

enough to you. And from this there follows,

too,

the form of

your participation, for which | a m not bothering 1 0 ask you, be-

ase | simply presuppose i t as the logical consequence of what you have done for the cause u p t o now. | believe you ought t o approach Zadoc Kahn i n the way that seems best t o you, and with the greatest dispaich. Everything only orally, of course. You e how t o broach the matter t o him. He is a fine be the j u d gof human being and a good Jew, but also devoted t o the R's. He is perceptive and will understand you 4 dem: m o t [without many words]. He is on good terms with Alphonse R., with all of them. Sur him up, show him all that can be done if he helps us. No material sacrifice is being asked of these miserable marchands

fergent (money merchants]. The way the matter stands today, ther w i n n i public ng opinion for our “crazy idea,” something that we accomplished with our mere pens and words, we only need the simulacre [semblance] of this syndicate of guarantors t o

Make the subscription a tremendous success, thus letting Ziongrow into a real power. Let him bend every effort to help

toward that end. The Jewish Colonial Bank must actually become the Jewish National Bank. Its colonial aspect is only window-dre sing,

bokum, 2 Grm-name. A national financial instrument is t o be @aated. But if they force us to march off without boots, like the “ldien of the Firm Republic, we shall uke revenge for our

608 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL That is a l l I shall tell you. You understand m e perfectly ang

will put all your energy into it. One word more about the next round. I n April we sha

charter a ship (probably making a l l the arrangements through Cook) and go to Palestine for four weeks. T h i s is not yet for public consumption. I a m n o w getting estimates, calculations

of the costs per participant,

etc.

I t will probably come t o

francs a head. After we return from this excursion,

10

1000

which we

will also invite a number of important people, the subscription prospectus of the Bank will be issued. This you can tell t o Zadoc too, b u t to n o one else for the present, because | m u s t first make various arrangements in Constantinople. Finally: You write that you have connections with Pobedo nostsev. Could you q u i c k l y manage through h i m o r other friends in Russia t o get the Russian government t o permit the creation

of Zionist associations and collections for Zionist purposes: | am told that this is a vital question for o u r

movement

i n Russia.

The powerful man now is said t o be Minister Gorenukin. In Russian Poland, the governor is Prince Imeretinski, and he ought to be won over t o our side. I cannot have this very important letter copied by anyone, nor do I have the time 1 0 do i t myself. Therefore, | am asking you t o send i t back t o me after you have taken notes of all necessary points in it, because 1 need i t as a document for later. For put

ting you t o trouble, as—God knows!—I] am putting myself

to

trouble, for this I a m making n o excuses. W e are serious a t hear.

With cordial regards, Your loyal

T h . Hen l. Dec emb er 18

After consultation with our treasurer Kremenezky | have promised Newlinski a monthly subvention of 2 0 0 guilders for the Correspondence de I'Est. Newlinski thanked mc. quite

touched, saying that this support would save him much burden-

THE COM PLET E DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R HERZ L

609

ome NEWS-agENCy work. I had had n o idea that i t w o u l d seem

like such a lot t o him. He told me what bad shape the Turk ish finances were in. The

Berli n ambassadors arc unab le t o pay their butch er's bills. T h e

leave his post because he was o u t of

ambassador, Galib, had

to

he could hold

month s more; then he would have

(N.) that money. The Vienn a one, M a h m u d Nedi m, told h i m out two

to

follow Galib's example. Today Newlinski produced his first article as a correspondent, although his traitement [salary] doesn’t start until January 1. My guiding consideration i n this subvention was something that Firth had told me a few weeks ago about the Prince of Bulgaria: that he had begun t o take Zionism seriously after reading the earlier articles in the Corr. de I'Est. That is typical of these

darcles. Berlin, February 4 [1898]

It is indicative of the rush i n which | am now living that 1 can no longer enter the most importa nt things here. On January 6, followin g the Vienna premiere of the New Ghetto, | came here and intended t o describe the peculiar exatement that attended this premiere. 1 did not get a chance t o do it. Either | am busy or | am exhausted. T h e s deays 1 always live in a railroad atmosphere. The train speeds, or the station

is deserted. Not until yesterday, when

|

had a reunion here i n the Palace

Hotel with the Turkish ambassador Ahmed Tewfik, whom | had come here 1 0 see a t the beginning of January, did I feel the

Decemity of puttin g down these impo rtant events as an especially pressing duty. Four weeks ago | had t w o long talks with him. He is a likeable man, moderately intelligen t, not unfavorably disposcd toward the cause, but in a way that has no value for us. He would like

Jews

t o Turkey—but to attract the owd and without autonomy.

without a territory of their

610 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

We want t o supply Turkey with funds; i n r e t u r n , he said, y ,

would be given a “friendly reception.” I told him this was no solution, had no lasting value. I t woylg be the settlement of new Armenians in Turkey. Incidentally, h e declared his readiness t o convey t o the Sultap which I am t o work up. memorandum a I went back to Vienna and told Newlinski that Ahmed Tewfik did not seem t o me t o be ripe for the idea. We would have 1 wait some more until Turkey was even worse off.

Perhaps—and this would not be stupid—Tewfik, for his pan, reasons: we Turks must wait until the Jews are even worse of. T o me, of course, this delay is not unwelcome, because | haven't finished with the financing yet. The bank is encounter ing great difficulties. The bankers are cautious, cool. I n January I had a conference in this city with wealthy Berlin Jews which Professor Stein of Bern had called. That unpleasant episode with Glaser which is recorded in the Welt is involved here. The rich Berlin Jews listened t o an explanation of the pro ject. Maybaum, the Protest Rabbi, had appeared, obtrusively

and uninvited, a t the discussions as well. 1 “interested the gen temen,” but in the end, after the complete unveiling, they didn't like the bride's nose. However, the moral impression of my explanations was a

cellent, according t o what the intelligent young banker Dr. Aroms told one of the local Zionists. I should like t o get Arons for the Bank.

Then i t was back t o Vienna. I n the N. Fr. Pr., where they had raged a t my Ghetto before the performance and caused me nervous cardiac pains again, the mood had changed i n my favor be cause of the great theatrical success. When I was here in January, 1 had also paid a call o n Luanus, the head of the Imperial C i v i l Cabinet. I asked h i m whether |

ought t o request an audience from the Emperor or merely cntef m y name. H e gave a slightly superior, yet courteous smile:

“Leave your card.”

DOR HERZL 611 rHE COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEO did.

| |

that was conThe Emperor 18 acquainted with the matte r; som ething fine t i t was frmed by Lucanus who also told me tha ing .” and great. But “the Israelites won 't be will )?! A qui le dites-vous [You're tel lin g me J

®

PY

Last night 1 again ran into Ahmed Tewhk here i n the hotel when | came from dinner. H e asked m e t o keep h i m company . He said the same thing he had said four weeks ago. Why didn’t we demand a tract of land in Asia M i n o r ; that would be more feasible.

I rejected that Berlin, February

Joined Ahmed Tewfik for dinner again yesterday. He was already about t o leave when 1 came into the dining-room, then went back with me and kept me company. We chatted for over an bour. This time, 1 believe, I won h i m over.

B e f ohis r eeyes 1 built a Constantinople and a Turkey of the future. “Quand vous sever grand-vizir, Excellence,” 1 said, "vous me fers venir 4 Constantinople e t j e vous reconstruires la ville, cestd dive, je vous ferai les plans [When you are Grand Vizier, Your Excellency, you will invite me t o come t o Constantinople, ind | will rebuild the city for you—that is t o say, | will make the

plans for you).” He was visibly enthusiastic.

Newlinski was right that time. One ought t o live with these Turks, perform services for them for which they are very gratebul, et les amener petit & petit & nous aimer [and gradually get them to love us). Tewfik even wanted t o attend my Ghetto premiere today. I kad 2 box reserved for

foot.” hised “r en ch

him, and arranged i n the play for Waser-

612 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERz| Unfortunately the Ambassador begged off today, on accoup

of a diplomatic reception. T h e only reason I wanted t o haye h i m i n the theatre was so that the newspapers would write aboy, i t . Cela aurait bien fait dans le paysage [ I t would have looked

good i n the picture). Vienna, February 17

The Berlin critics demolished m y N e w Ghetto. ®

®

®

I am writing t o Nordau t o get ready t o take over the presidency a t the next Congress (which, following Wolffsohn's advice, | shall have held i n Basel rather than lL.ondon). The Congress Office and the Headquarters will be transferred t o Paris after the Congress. With this 1 am combining a warning t o Nordau not t o lat himself go i n such rash remarks as the one i n his last interview which is contained in the English papers—namely, t h a t the Roman Curia was inciting t o murder on the occasion of the Dreyfus-Zola affair in France. Such remarks can do our move ment great

harm.

Letter t o Nordau:

Vienna, February Febru ary

22

21

1848

Dearest Friend: I see with pleasure from your denial i n the Jewish I$orld that you d i d not make those remarks. M y only regret 1s that you

did not send a similar declaration t o the Welt as well. After all, that is what the Welt is for. I realize, of course, that you wanted t o reach the English readers first. You simply don't know that the Catholics who matter i n this instance, the higher church dig

nitaries, watch the Welt but are not likely t o know the Jewish World . Although you write that Zadoc and E. R . did not let you heaf from them any more, 1 would still l i k e to ask you t o retum to

THE COMPLETE DIAR IES OF THE ODO R HER ZL 613 he attack. Gaster reports from London that Sir Edward Sassoon oid him that the suggestion t o consider the Bank idea must be to the London Rothschilds by the Paris ones. Then Sassoon made would be willing t o particip ate too. You see the actually simple difficulty we are facing: t o bring those who have declared their conditional readiness together. I believe that a vigorous and, as iI were, hypnotically suggestive procedure o n the part o f intel

lectually superior men will suffice for it, provided that they have other kinds of prestige i n the world as well. Therefore 1 would urgently request you t o call on Zadoc ain, brosch the question once more, and in any case demand 2 fmal Yes or

No from Rothschild (Edm.). We

dispositions. The Bank is the point

at

must

make our

which we get

out

into

reality. It will be created: with the aid of the gros bonnets (bigwigs] or in opposition t o them. Perhaps by now they already understand what awaits them

even in France and tomorrow i n England. I t is 2a question of cating a safety-valve—on which they will even make money, per un triste retour des choses [by a sad turn of affairs). If they leave the Zion movement bogged down i n the mud, it, to, will turn against them with a vengeance. All this you will certainly present in the proper way. Only, | recommend that you utilize the present mood in Paris. Tomorrow tranquility will return again, and they will continue t o die i their palaces of atrophy of the spine.

Not mailed, because Nordau writes he is under the surveillance

of the secret police.

Letter 10

Nordau:

February

gg. at

ES

night

gh

Dearest Friend:

ss would have been quite welcome t o me if you had also used

Welt—at least simultaneously

with the Jewish World— {or

614 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HFRzL your denial of the interview contained i n the New York Journal,

in which the remark is attributed

to

you that the Catholic

Church was inciting t o mass murder i n France. After all, thar j

what the Welt is for, and as i t is, i t registers everything that con. cerns you with a conscientiousness that probably has n o t escaped

ou. ’ Then, too, a denial would have been more effective from the

outset in the Welt, which, incidentally, is known i n Roman circles. (By the way, the paper is already costing me a whole pile of money. After a year-and-a-half of hesitation, I had t o found it

myself, because no one else wanted t o do i t and our movement was absolutely muzzled.) I don't believe that Zadoc and Edmond R. merely made spon of you. M y judgment is that the brain of the latter works extremely slowly; but I don’t consider h i m capable of crafuines

and mockery. Therefore, a second conference, definitive in any direction whatever, would b e highly useful, and after the i m

pression which your previous presentation m u s t have made and which immediately afterwards you captured with the vividness

of a diary in a letter t o me, I am convinced that the gentlemen will be ready for such a conference. Thus I would advise you in the interest of the cause t o undergo this corvée [drudgery] once more, especially because in London they are only waiting for a word from Paris. I have a right t o suggest this corvée to you, because, God knows, I myself slave away day i n and day out, tackling everything, even tasks and people that I feel the great: est disgust for.

Now, t o get

your misgivings about the transfer of the head: quarters t o Paris, I consider this essential. I n t h e present state of to

the movement i t is not possible t o separate t h e presidium of the Congress from the Executive of the following ycar. I f | tell

you this, you can and will believe i t . Incidentally, you will be convinced of i t i n your first week i n office. T h e organization that

was patched together in Basel has rough spots on which | have been chafing myself sore ever since. A n Executive as the center

T H E O D O R HE RZ L 615 THE COMPLETE DI AR IES OF

ization would simply n o t be tolerated

:

hat om m e m o s o l you—l need a lot of time for it—w the laws govles | have had with the difficulties arising from

you will laugh and shudder. And even that 1s ening nt if our asaothing yet. I t would be the death of our moveme associations,

like

those of other nationalities, were ever dissolved.

us—bechind All the cowards wou ld unit e into an arm y against obje ctio n rais ed the night-watchman. Insanity! was the frst against US; High Trea son!, the seco nd.

|

e Today it is absolutely impossible t o separate the Executiv would be n o from the annual pres idium , because then there authority for the conduct of affairs, on the inside as well as on will the ouside. Am | expressing myself too legalistically? You understand it nevertheless. e you As for Paris, 1 certainly do not consider it as unsu itablas

do. Alter all, I know i t 100, better than you know Vienn a. What was posible for me in Vienna, you will be able to do in Pans. | wish| had the facilities here that you have there. You are—dewite Dreyfus trials—in a free country. The proximi tyof Galiaa

has no significance whatever in this respect. You have no asoaation with a newspaper? I t goes without saying that the Welt vill be at your full and complete disposal, now as before. You need only t o send in your communiqués. You have no Jewish n ?will grow up around y o u ,as it did around t i o it o r g a n i z aWell, me here. You will create it for yoursell. 1 believe, therefore, my dear, admired friend, that your mis d you d .be sure, 1 well u n d e r s t a nthat p v p are u n f o u n d eTo have them, for it is a hard and serious task, and after all, we have the affairs of a tremendous distress t o conduct, one which of us a t the oubeedly will, demand an accounting Cog Congress year. % | cannot sce that there are any local difficulties. The only question is wheth er there gor oo not some penonal obstacle i n your ase. About this i

i

friend, we must have a hean-to-heant are,2s n sZion] who, 1 be lie ve dose to each B'nai Zion [ S o of

alk a0 men god my

dea

other as can be. Do you perhaps doubt that you

616 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERz( could make such sacrifices o f t i m e as 1 have been making every

day for the past t w o years and a half? T h e matter is too serious, too many

hopes o f

poor people ride

on every move that is made, or not made, for us

10

fail

10

come

to a n understanding about this. N o w , I certainly don’t believe that the work of the headquarters w i l l completely occupy you;

you see that I , for one, am able

to

run the literary section of the

N . Fr. Pr. and t o edit the Welt o n the side. I t is a lot of work,

and i t m u s t be done, but fortunately you are a tremendous worker yourself, and i t is only a matter of one year, 1c, up 0

the Congress of 1899, which you will prepare, just as I prepared those of 1897 and 18¢8. I don't know whether 1 am presenting the m a t t e r clearly enough, because, after a l l , many emotional factors are involved. As for my desire t o rest for one short year, you will i n d it under standable, and that also goes for my concern over my work up to now, which, t o be sure, is not as great as the effort expended on it. I should like t o guarantee the continuation of the edifice,

because a little of my blood adheres between the first stones. February 24

In line with my promise t o Nordau i n Basel, I w a n t t o give him the presidency for this year, even against the will of my friends; but only i f he takes upon himself the day-to-day work for the year as well. For the Congress is merely a golden gate, before and behind which there lies nothing but toil and contention. I t is only fair that in addition to the golden honor h e also accept the labor. But I am not sure yet whether he will be the right man for it People will not appreciate what I have achieved until another leader takes my place. I have been steadfast in the worst days, calm i n the best. I t takes certain abilities, too: T o keep silent when a single word could fire enthusiasm. T o keep people's courage up cvetl

when one is inwardly discouraged. Always t o grin and bear it:

R HE RZ L 617 4 g COMPLETE DIA RIE S O F T H E O D O spociate with scoundrels;

to

be

haunted b y

beggars; and t o

1 oneself be rejected by pretentious boors. These beggars would like the boors, i f they had mone y, and vice versa. O n top of

for of . envy, treachery, insidious attacks, and no rewards— nity! course | have done i t o u t of va be overcome by rage and will Nordau stand this? W ill he no t

my work? destr oy

March 12

Rivalries are beginning. 1 still haven't finished the prepara-

e e. At the conference on y ant t o d e p o s m ions and they a l r e a dw March 6 the English Zionists joined with the Basel ones, t o be Comaire. but the next Congress is ( 0 decide where the Central

miltee® is 10 be located. Why is something so obvious stated?

Because it is a declaration that the Vienna Commitiee® must last aly until the Second Congress, then will be the t u m of the London Committee. ® Well, it's quite all right with me.

In the sessions of the Actions Committee, only everyday de-

tails are settled. Schnirer is too busy t o be able 1 0 work for the Committee. Kokexch formally takes care of incoming contributions. Mina walks frequently. Kremenezky is limited in every way by his ponon. Sull, it would be the greatest injustice t o disparage these @workers of mine. They honestly do what they can. The only t h i nisgthat we don’t have enough money for a major action. The shekel contributions trickle in, the demands are great. I never bring up my p l a n sand actions in the meetings, beQue Bimbaum is taking the minutes as secretary-general—and Phering material” for his future indiscretions. This is the Thal enemy, who, however, cannot be got rid of, betause he "1a Laghsh

in theoriginal

618 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERz|

threatens he would starve. I f you don’t feed his face for life, b, can bring disgrace t o the movement yet. But perhaps he wij anyway.

My chief service t o the movement is that 1 am giving it pres tige. The funds are certainly available “ i n principle” —but a

the moment not in actuality. The future availability of these funds is making a certain impression even now, thanks to me. For the shekel-funds will flow in in ever greater quantities; then it will be no feat t o direct the movement. But today, with the lousy few pennies, t o give o u t subventions, attract the hangervon of power, and what not—that is a feat. My wish for Basel: t o transfer the entire financial structure to England. Months ago, when 1 asked Col. Goldsmid t o act as trustee, he did not want to. Now he is likely t o be willing.

I am tired, my heart is out of order.

March

17

During the last weeks I have been dreaming vividly about a

novel. Setting: the newspaper world of Vienna. Three volumes, like acts. Hero: a Jewish newspaperman (something like Dr. Friedjung) of Rabbinical background who turns Germanic. At the university, member of a students’ association, German songs, ribbons, black-red-and-gold assimilation.

First volume: The newspaper a venir [to come]. He is disgusted by the corruption of the press, wants t o create a clean paper, a German one, naturally. But where will the money come from? His small capital is not enough. Finally, 2 threadbare would-be newspaper impresario (type Eysler, L u lige Blatter) draws u p an estimate for him, even brings a few

backers. The paper is founded. Curta in. Second volume: The German Paper.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR HERZL 619 Splendid start. Publicity. Gang of literati joining in, politi-

cians who want t o get themselves boosted. Smack in the middle, the guileless fool who doesn’t see a thing. But all doors open t o him, because he is against corruption. For a time, all he sees is the backs of bent humanity. Intoxication with power. He fights

against the food king who controls all the other papers through shareholding or interest. Description of the power of the press.

The turning point. Third volume: Collapse. The Germans i n Bohemia, etc., refuse t o be led by a Jew. The paper declines. Like a gambler gone wild he sacrifices everything t o it, first his money, then his principles of purity. The impresario manipulates him cleverly. Finally, scandalous collapse. Dishonored, he leaves Vienna; the impresario takes over the paper, which flourishes. But he has discovered Zion. I n the fret volume he laughed a t the crazy members of Kadimah, after the breakdown (meanwhile they have grown) he recognizes them as solace. As he boards the boat, with the scorned, forgotten girl as his bride, the curtain falls. Types: the teasing wedding-jester J. Bauer, etc. The old sighing journalist, who has discovered talents, made celebrities, advanced careers, and in the end turns o u t t o have belped only ingrates who despise him. He is like the cocotte’s

decent maid. In the first volume, the hero hears about a small, crazy band of Neo-Hebrews (Smolenski, Bicrer), who strike h i m as peculiar

Asiatics. Now and then, a sound of the group growing in obscurity is heard, until their bright victory chant bursts forth a t the close of the novel like a great chord.

The Prague schnory-bokher [beggar student] that Bacher told me about yesterday used t o sit down in the Prague students’ café:

“The best thing would be not to be born. . . . But if one is

born, one ought to be born as the son of a rich man. . . . B u t t

one isn’t born as a son of a rich man, one should at least have the

twenty kreuzers a day for the coffee house.” A character!

620 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL The Jewish Bohéme. Also, the good, frugal, wonderful petty

bourgeoisie with its wonderfully worthy women. Mar ch 1§

Present relationship t o the publishers of the N . Fr. Pr. Pies ant with Bacher. Benedikt is i n the h a b i t of joking: “With Hen]

you've got t o be careful. Perhaps he is right after all. When he comes in, I always believe Jesus Christ is entering.” I n London Wolffsohn seems t o have won the banker Seligmann

for the Bank. When | get the Bank set up, an enormous step will have been

taken.

Today the idea occurred t o me t o have the Jewish Commun: ties captured everywhere by the Zionists after the Congres. We have t o be able t o give honorary offices t o our adherents and sinecures t o the venal. Unfortunately my undertaking requires human beings with humaneness. March 18

Letter t o Zadoc Kahn:

Confidentielle

Reverend Sir: My dear friend Dr. Nordau has given me an conversations with you.

account

of hx

I n his last letter he informs me that you are prepared to dw cuss the matter of the Bank with Alphonse Rothschild. More power t o you! A great deal depends on it. Nordau has told you that we are not asking the

Rothschild

for any sort of financial support o r public connection, but only for benevolent neutrality, and t o put one of their representatives,

who is known as such t o the financial world, on the founding committee, later on the administ rative board of the Bank.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL 621

One would think that R. must understand what is involved bere. Today he will help the national rescue operation by it, LomoTTOW i t can be a n inesimable benefit to his o w n house. | believe the House of Rothschild w i l l have t o liquidate i n the foreseeable future. I t is too detested. This anonymous, intangible Bank may become useful, even for them. I don’t want to

elaborate on this thought here, since I am usually accused of having too lively an imagination. At any rate, today you w i l l admit that two years ago, when

1 first had the pleasure of sharing my ideas with you, I estimated

the general situation of the Jews more correctly than most French Jews. Oh God, by now 1 almost stand there like an old prophet— to whom people would not listen. A t that time 1 said that the “Israelite Frenchmen” would not be spared the change in the

weather either. It is already here. And, believe me, i t isn’t over yet. Plenty of bad things are still i n store, particularly for the big-money jews. | spent four years i n France, a t the Palais Bourbon, and today I view those familiar things even more coolly from a distance. One moment of governmental weakness, e t vous m ’ e n dire des nouvelles—de la rue Laffitte [and you will be telling me news of it—from the rue Laffitte]. However, even without violence in the streets and governmen-

al weakness 1 consider it possible that in France special legusla-

uon will

be passed against particular categories of jews. The droits de homme (rights of man] are a vieille guitare (old hat], d not forget that in this very France special laws were passed a ndo

aginst Frenchmen, not “cosmopolites,” and those involved were

the Frenchmen most deeply rooted i n France, whose ancestors had ruled the land.

Hence | believe that a cautious adherence t o our movement— fpeafically, as the next practical step, the support of the necesfry banking facility—also is in the interest of the French jews. 1n any case, the Bank will be founded in the next few months, with financial democracy or with financial aristocracy—I have

622 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R

qualified and unqualified promises from England, Germany Russia. The participation, albeit covert, of the biggest House would make the v e n t u r e solid from the s t a r t , and you wil] yp. derstand what great importance I m u s t attach t o keeping the

deposits of the humblest people entirely frec from risk. The leaders of the people’s movement m u s t , of course, have nothin t o do with money manipulations; therefore the Bank must be delivered u p t o financiers, and that is a real worry. I don’t know what you intend t o say t o Rothschild i n order t o explain t o him the planche de salut [last resort] of the Jewish people. Do your best; your famous eloquence has never had a worthier subject, although i t is only a matter of a bank. I should

also be glad t o come t o Paris for a day, i f the man wishes information from me. H e is an old man and probably incapable of rising

to

vigorous new ideas; but perhaps i t will

not

be impos

sible t o explain t o him that his money-dealer’s life will have a grand conclusion if he helps along here—without any kind of sacrifice. Of course, 1 don’t have much hope of this, for such hearts are narrow. I am only writing t o you because 1 w i l l not and mus not neglect anything. I f I were interested i n personal succes, | would certainly know how t o achieve it. I f today I attacked the

Rothschilds, as a Jew, as someone who by now has influence over many hundreds of thousands of people, i t would create the greatest sensation all over the world. 1 would have public opinion

everywhere in my favor, t o the extent that i t cannot be bought. And I am not doing it. A professional politician® would prob ably proceed differently. B y the Second Basel Congress, to b e sure, the matter will have to

be decided.

This Congress will attract far more attention even than the first one. What will be said there will probably reverberate

throughout the world. Perhaps i t is the nobler mission of the new Jewry t o astound the world by a fight against the financiers. Perhaps this will be the rehabilitation of our despised name? ®

I n English in origina l.

THE COMPL ETE DIARIE S O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L

623

We are a curious people, aren't we, i f a l l this can take place

among Us-

Co

Be assured, at a l l events, o f m y c o n t i n u i n g and sincere respect.

Yours faithfully, Th. Herzl. March 26

All sorts of little disturbances, Froschmduseler® among the Viennese university students who are being incited behind my beck by Bimbaum. He plays the part of the misunderstood man and the martyr, and although we were weak enough t o create a gnecure of 1800 guilders annually for him out of the paltry shekel monies, in return for which he writes three or four letters a week,he is bleeding the students white.

Kellner, my dearest, best friend, whose visits are bright spots

amidst all the difficulties, reminisced the other day about schoolboy days in the heder. He was daydreaming i n a class when got t o the place i n the Bible where Moses sings: Exodus, 15. they | immediately looked u p the passage, and i t moved me. Suddenly the idea popped into my mind t o write a Biblical drama, Moses.

The conditions in Egypt, the internal and external struggles, the exodus, the desert, Moses’ death. 1 imagine h i m as a all,

vital,superior man with a sense o f humor. The drama: how he

4 shaken inwardly and yet holds himself upright by his will. He is the leader, because he does not want t o be. Everything gves way before h i m , because h e has n o personal desire. H e does bot care about the goal, b u t about the migration. Education through

.

.

“Translators Nose: An allusion to Freachmenselerby Georg Rollcnhagen (13s),

didactic satirical beast epic In the cause of the Reformation. Rollenhagen’s work YS baad on Betrachewvyomechis (The Bettie of the ¥ and M i c e )3. Greet oe Pendy of the Homeric epic.

624 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL

Act I . Moses’ Return t o Egypt. Conditions, wretchedness of th, Israelites; Moses, embittered, shakes them up. Act 11. Korah. Act 111. T h e Golde n Calf. Act I V . Mina m. Act V. Moses’ Death. Pageantry i n the desert: the A r k of the Covenant, then Jo

seph’s bones a t the head of the procession. The aging Moses keeps recognizing Korah, the Calf, alway the same processions of slaves. H e is exhausted by all this, and yet he has t o lure them onward with ever renewed vigor. I t is the tragedy of the leader, of any leader of men who is not

a misleader.

March 26

I a m s t i l l fighting with a

wooden sword, l i k e Tabann or like

children.

I would need one of steel: i.c., a big paper with which one can make policy, d o services and favors, establish connections. If

only I had the N . Fr. Pr. in my hands, 1 would be able wonders.

to

work

This way I toil away helplessly and make no headway. I t 1s a terrible thing t o be sentenced t o impotence with such clear plans, such a distinctly marked road. 1 am wearing myself out on i t . I would need one lousy million t o operate a b i g paper, and for this greatest cause of Jewry i t can’t be raised. This is what

has been going on for

two

years now. When Baden: was still

there, the greatest effects could have been achieved with it. His

government—in fact, conditions in Austria—would have had a different complexion today. H e wanted t o have m e i n closest proximity t o him, and I would never have given h i m the fatuous advice of his ministers t o have the police march into the Par lament. H e is gone; and following Gautsch’s brief adminis

THE COMPLET E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L

625

on, now there is Thun, and probably nothing can be done |

withhim.

|

Fructuspercipiends [Fruit s t o be pluck ed]! Missed oppor tuni-

tes of Zionism. ®

[J

)

Wolflsohn has been t o London in order

to

work on the Bank

project Now he is here and gives m e reports.

At first Seligmann the banker felt like laughing, but he tumed serious when Wolffsohn developed the idea that Fdmond Roth«child should hand his colonies over t o the Bank and take shares in return. Then the 1.C.A. should get behind the Bank also.

I believe this excellent proposal of Wolffsohn's will advance the matter. Marmorek (the architect) is going t o Paris next week. I shall give him the assignment of taking this proposal t o Ed-

mond Rothschild. If the founding of the Bank works o u t , we shall be over the worst. | must bring the next Congres something. The Bank would be splendidly suited for i c March 29

Wrote t o Alex Marmorek a t Paris t o submit Wolffsohn's proposal to Edmond R., through Dr. Henri de Rothschild or direaly. At the same time | am warning him against Scheid, who, if he gets wind of the matter, will devise some counter-coup in order 10 save his revakh [profit]. I n my letter I am strongly emphasizing that the political leaders of the movement w a n t t o and will have absolutely nothing t o do with the Bank itself. April 1 1 All sorts of Fraschmduseler. Bimbaum quietly incites against me, a t the University acts the part of the Columbus and martyr of Zionism, while I am

theAmerigo Vespucri and the usurper.

At the student's p a r t oyf the Ivria he said recently that he was

626 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL grateful for moral benefactions (he was made an "honorary brother"), b u t that he was not obligated i n any way by materiy favors (we created a sinecure for h i m as “‘secretarygeneral”:

even before there was a kreuzer of shekel money on hand, | guaranteed h i m a year’s salary i n a letter, o n the strength of which he rented furniture, since he was o u t i n the street). T h e “Tamowers’ are agitating against the Central Committee and against political Zionism w h i c h they have

to

thank for Edm,

Rothschild’s entering i n t o a small land-sale deal with their Ahavath Zion. For Dr. Salz went from Basel t o Paris as “Vice

President of the Congress,” without telling me a word about it, and there made some agreement i n conflict with the recog nizable Basel principle. Undercurrents even in the Actions Committee. Individuals are offended because they are not “informed” of anything. Yesterday 1 brought Schnirer t o reason about why I have to work alone, now as before.

The Committee is an unserviceable instrument. Only indiscretions are committed. No one is able t o help; for various reasons they are in no position t o do so. Yesterday Schnirer presented an excellent outline for organi zation t o me. Shekel u n i t one crown. T h e shekels are t o serve only for administrative expenses. Any surplus goes t o the Na

tional Fund. Each 5 0 shekel subscribers form a group. Each t e n groups a district. Each ten districts a center. A group, a district, a centet,

cach has a head. The Congress Office deals with the heads of the centers. T h e associations can continue t o exist, b u t m u s t invest

their funds in shares of the Colonial Bank. I find this outline excellent. I supplemented it as follows: T h e permanent Congress Office

has its seat in Basel, with a salaried secretary. The Congres

elects a board of directors, three men from each of the main countries represented. The board of directors remains in Basel one day after the Congress and makes all arrangements for the

year.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L 627 There is DO Central Committee any more—rather, a model o r committee which the other regional committees may no

imitate—if they so desire.

This way the difficulty of “internationality” will perhaps be overcome. We have n o international organization, and yet a uni. form streak runs through the whole thing. April 16

Letter t o Nordau. 1.

Refers t o my Easter feuilleton.

g2.

T o the Bank matter, Wolftsoh n, etc.

3. | wrote you that the confidential preliminary conferences will take place here on April 23, 24, and 25. I f i t is not too great a sacrifice, 1 should like immensely t o have you here. But only for the deliberations. This is n o t the right moment for a public lecture. The Viennese local propaganda must not be carried on now, for political reasons. For this we shall reserve the month of November, perhaps even the middle of October. Then you will give the movement in all of Austria a big lift by speaking here. At that time the University will be in session too—night now the students from the provinces are away—and then a great Nordau party shall take place. Now i t is only a matter of setting up the agenda for the next Congress, discussing the outlines which we have sketched here® (for the order of business, organzation, etc.), as well as instructions t o the representatives of countries, preparations for the election of delegates, shekel payments, etc.

I don’t need t o tell you how much I wish 1 had your advice and your collaboration here, just as I wish t o have you by my side a t

dl times, because there certainly are bad hours of défaillance [depression]. However, come only if you can stay for the full three days, and if your coming this time does not preclude your attendance in the autumn. In the preliminary conferences there ° l tm not sure whether these dry discussions—which, to be sure, are indispenjourney here sem worth the eflortto you.

Skis the movement—w ill the M I® ' mote] make

628 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzZL will inevitably b e a l l sorts o f i d l e talk, because reports have been coming from various countries w h i c h we have 0 listen 10. The work so far of the members o f the Inaction Committee, particu.

larly of the corresponding members, has totaled zero. Why | haven't done here, simply has been left undone. Therefore, am

yourself with patience i f you come, and don’t reproach me for having rushed you here i f the preliminary conferences should bring about nothing o f consequence. 1 hope that we shall p o have to d o without your wishes and suggestions i n any case. If you are not coming, please write m e immediately everything tha scems important t o you.

4. After your response t o my suggestion that you take over the work between the second and the third Congresses, | naturally can do nothing else but carry on the matter in the same way a heretofore. After all, events have proved you right, for the time being, and after everything that Marmorek has told me, I realize that i t would have been a misguided idea t o transfer the head quarters t o Paris. After m y departure from there, things simply

scem t o have undergone quite a surprising reformatio i n pejus

[change for the worse]. Unfortunately, a t the m o m e n t I don't know of anybody in England either t o whom 1 could t u m over the leadership of the headquarters. Quand o n y a mis le dot,

il faut y passer tout entier. J'y passe [Once you've put your foot in the door, you've got t o go all the way in. Here I go]. I know myself a t least: 1 won't let go until some day I turn up my toes

Ap nl

17

In Vienna the Welt has—280 subscribers. Because of this— since party propaganda has so left me in the lurch—1 have de cided henceforth t o promote the Welt like an ordinary paper. through posters, etc.

The considerable deficit t o date I shall naturally absorb myself T h e current circulation—2400 subscribers i n a l l countries—is insufficient t o maintain the paper.

THE cOMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODOR HERZL 629 April

22

Letter tO Nordau:

Dearest Friend:

I have just received an emergency letter from the Berlin Group 0 the effect that they need you without fail for a speech. | wanted t o save this trump for Germany until the autumn, beause of the community campaign. But i f you are ready

to

go

right now, don't let the views | expressed yesterday stop you. If you go t o Berlin, 1 beg you t o include in your speech a referring t o the Jewish Colonial Bank. We are not yet

breaking with the Haute Banque [big bankers], we are merely giving them an avertissement [notification]. 1 shall soon publish in America a letter i n this vein

to

our partisans. You, like myself,

must consider the following: the possibility o f a n understandin g with the big bankers exists even today. A negotiator w h o has

been t o London (Wolffsohn of Cologne) 1s coming t o Pans shortly. You will hear details from Marmorek. Only i f Wolfisohn fails will peaceful negotiation be a t an end. Therefore we must not

let loose as yet. Then, too, the Turkish government must

of the projected Bank is so doubtful. But this is the svertissement [announcement]: we are even D o w urging our partisans t o subecribe, so that the bank will, i f need be, stand on its own feet, that is t o say, come into being through popular support. Since we are opposed t o infiltration, which has y every pasha, subject t o every im20 future and is at the m e r cof mgrauon prohibition, the colonization associations are t o innot know that the situation

vem their property in sharesof the Colonial Bank; every local group shall accept provisional subscriptions and bring results of

these provisional subscriptions (of one-pound shares) along t o Basel. Thus there will already be a noyeu [nucleus] a t Basel— g reports | get from all over the world, this noyau a c c o r dtoi nthe

will be substantial enough—and standing on this foundation w e dull force the big bankers 1 0 go along, or we shall go on alone t dH othe same time fight against the dogs. You are to express this in your Berlin speech I do not |

630 T H E COM PLET E DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

dare t o prescribe. I t is necessary! Don’t let the financial pan of j ;

disgust you. We leaders declare and have declared that we never . want t o nor w i l l have anythi ng t o d o w i t h t h e financi al Manage

ment. T h e movement needs a financi al facility ; we shall create one for i t by stirring u p

oppressed masses

Qui veut la fin, veut les moyens [He who

to

h e l p themselves.

wants

the end wants

the mea ns].

With cord ial regards,

Y o u r devoted Th. H.

April 2g

On the 23rd, the 24th, and the 25th the preliminary confer ences for the Second Congress took place. The feeling among of the people originally appears to have been against the holding of the Second Congress. I convinced them that this was necessary, because otherwise the movemen t would bog down and because we must give i t a new Constit ution. T h e existing one

most

looks like an international organization, which i t really 1s not We have only the disadvantages of this apparent “international: ity,” and our every step is impeded by the possibility

that

the

will acquire an illegal appearance. Any anti-Zionist scoundrel can denounce us.

moveme nt

M y idea, which I only outlined i n the prelimina ry conference,

is to set up a Central Ofhce in Basel. There is no liaison whatever between the

committee s.

One

committee—at first the Viennese one, of course—acts as the model. What it does is imitated by the others voluntarily and without orders, t o the extent that the country’s laws, local needs and possibilities permit it. The heart of the negotiations was the Bank question about al which 1 put through my proposals: beginning the provision subscription of one-pound shares with a down-payment of

10%.

Pineles made a good proposal for its implementation. The down-payment is t o be deposited in the Postal Savings Banks in

THE COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODOR HERZL 631 tbe name of the subscriber, and the bank book is t o be turned over to the collector for his counter-signature. Kaminka made confused speeches about the “Hebrew Educa onal Association,” and finally declared (in private) that he would gather an opposition against me.

In general, the mood was the exalted one of Basel. They entosiastically recognized me as head of the movement. I t was all the more depressing, then, when between sessions | w e n t t o the ofice of the N. Fr. Pr., where 1 am the hireling of diametrically opposed views. This weighs heavily on me and paralyzes my grength; but the “movement” is not i n a position to relieve its

leaderof this miserable burden. of a bag daily paper is the problem which is in. The creation niuble for the present. The necessary money cannot be raised. With two million guilders we could get control of the N . Fr. Pr.

ad thus have the suitable instrument. What a crying shame that

ths amount, ndiculously small in proportion to the cause, cansot be raised. We are still like the soldiers of the French Revo letion, must take the ficld without shoes or stockings. |

am making great efforts to promote the Welt. The deficit is

Bcreanng, and | must soon be able to balance the paper, other-

vite it will eat up my resources. ®

®

[J

An interesting letser from Alex Marmorek. Zadoc is working wdemly for ws. Edmond Rothechild is said to be a convinced Lions, but does not dare to come out into the open. An Indian

Pice, Aga Kham, who was recommended to Zadoc by Haflkine of Bombay, is said 10 be a Zionist and willing to speak to the

Selan on our behalf.

tis part of the signature semporis [character of the times]

hx

now | again m010 the office each day “ready to do bactle.

632 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL T h e Welt is making a drive w i t h N o . 19. T e n thousand copies are

being sent out; o n the street-corners there are posters annoup. ing Wrede's novel The Goldschilds. T h e question is how Bacher

and Benedikt will take this. I imagine that they are once more being incited against me by the financiers, and I am poised for the conflict, although a b i t excited, too. After all, the break wig the N . Fr. Pr. is only a question of time now, unless | manage 1 have i t purchased by my partisans.

The Welt is eating up more and more money and must soon catch on, or i t will fold. I can keep 1t above w a t e r for about an. other year without ruining myself. The Welt is getting n o support from the party; i n fact, the idea has popped u p that the Actions Committee should subsi

dize a Yiddish paper, and this would probably provide some competition for the Welt. May 5

Bacher and Benedikt haven't stirred so far. O n dirait méme qu’ils sont aimables [You'd even say they were amiable]. But something is unmistakably i n the air.

Alex Marmorek reports an interesting conversation he has had with Edmond Rothschild. Aside from the silly carping reasons and egotistic considerations which he adduces, i t is noteworthy

that Edm. advises a Bank founded with a share capital of—one million francs. Such a bank, of course, would be no menace to

the House of Rothschild. Nous leur liverons u n bel assaut [We shall give them a good

fight].

Difficulties in the Actions Committee. The gentlemen are com-

plaining that 1 am giving them too little information. But if

|

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

issue a call

to

633

work, i t falls flat. Schnirer has no time. Mintz is

ed because 1 work with the Marmoreks, who are his personal enemies. When I asked Mintz t o take charge of the press prepa-

rations for the Second Congress, he asked for time t o think it over, because he did not even know whether he would attend the Second Congress.

May

12

Work on the Bank has begun. What 1 am doing there is another feat, an innovation i n finan-

aal techniques. The provisional subscription for a bank the de-

ailsof which are not even known is really nothing but the establishment of a people’s share-issuing syndicate. Flectere si nequeo superos Acheronta movebo (If 1 cannot bend the powers above, | will move the lower world]. Since the big financiers are hesitant, we are appealing t o the small pocketbooks right from the outset. I f i t succeeds, the enterprise will have the advantage that we shall not be i n the hands o fa few big bankers. The Bank will then belong t o the Congress. This Bank campaign has something war-like i n its successive sages: The way in which vague intention, more deliberate planning, first proclamations, mobilization, setting u p outposts, s k i r m i s hand e sbattle , merge into one a n o t h eone r , moment with

awful sluggishness, the next

moment

with ridiculous precipita-

ton; the way you are pushed more often than you push; the way you don’t really believe in yourself and then suddenly are in the thick of it. I always have t o remember a word dropped by my dear friend L Kellner, which I greatly resented a t the time and which he has since regretted. A year-and-a-half ago, when | wanted t o get him elected t o t h e Reichsrat i n Galicia, h e declined distrustfully, aying that the whole movement was just “noise”! © Yes, everything is noise, | said t o h i m in irritation. I n truth,

Noise is a great deal. A sustained noise is i n itself a noteworthy

fact. All of world history is nothing but noise. Noise of arms, * In English in the original.

634 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODOR HERz noise of ideas o n the march. People must make noise usefy] ” them—a nd still despise it.

Yesterday I had a meeting with the Messicurs Brecher whom we intend t o use as bankers for the Austrian subscription de posits. A little banking house, self-made men® who still show their humble beginnings. A shabby office, which reminds me of the carly days i n the Café Louvre, in the little back room which | had photographed as a permanent souvenir. Of the diplomau demi-monde as well, which 1 dealt with then and am sull dealing with now. Yet these folks give the impression of prudence, and it is, as i t were, the meager beginnings of our financial solidity.

e r a son in the irm who has been to law The older B r e c h has

school and whom the younger Brecher respectfully addreses as “du, Doctorl” ® ¢ This young man made a rather good impression on me, and

while he was talking—to be sure, with a certain financial-legal dandyism—it occurred t o me that he could make quite a service:

able director of the Jewish Colonial Bank. The only thing is, he made the mistake—possibly fatal for his career—of saying that he did not quite share our views yet. These Brechers are petty banking bourgeoisie. I f they have understanding enough t o join in with us, they can become great through us.

This provisional subscription will have peculiar case and diff culty. The casy thing is that we shall have ready-made publicity a t our service. T h e difficulty, that we shall not be able t o say out loud that i t is self-help against the big bankers, because we have ®

I n English i n origina l.

Translators Note: Familiarity and formality in the same phrase. Austrisf lew schools g r a n t doctora tes. *®

THE COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODOR HERZL 635 10 keep in mind that the Turkish government might hear about it a n d lose its respec t.

|

didn’t need Alex Marmorek's last letter 10 know that Edmond

Rothschild would turn his colonies over t o the Bank once i t is i n

existence—to this Bank whose coming into being he would now like t o prevent. Undoubtedly the 1.C.A. will capitulate too, once the Bank is there. Most people don’t see the connected events of the future. They only see current connections, not future connections. That is

why the difficulties of my movement are so great and why it will look simple when 1 bring i t t o fruiuon. For then the separate e cloth will make strands will be woven together, and the p i e cof no particular impression. That is why 1 shall reap so much in-

gratitude, too. What now exists as unused parts, and does not exist as a whole, and would never exist without me, will then be a “current connection’ and i n the future make no real imo nanyone. p r e s s ion ®

®

J

Kokesch, 2 member of the Actions Committee, said a few

months ago: “No one is g o i n gto lend us as and guilders!”

much as ten

thou-

And now | want 10 raise a share capital of 60 million francs bor 2 Bank whose prospectus I am not even offering. Nawrally, Kokesch is opposed t o founding the Bank, just as lat year he was against convening the Congress. But i n the end be does acquiesce, because he is a good boy and has faith i n me.

If the provisional subscription yields only 800,000 pounds

Rerling, | shall be satisfied too. This will then give us a basis for the syndicate of guarantors which,

to

be sure, 1 could not get

636 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R z

along without under those conditions. The provisional) people w i l l then constitute a unit i n the share-issuing syndicate, and , few bigger bankers w i l l have t o be won i n addiuon. I f WOrK

comes t o

worst,

the Bank will be created with less basic capital, May

12,

Hechler is going t o Berlin t o attend the Church Conference. | again urged him strongly t o induce the Kaiser t o receive me. I f he manages that, I promised h i m that he would be sent 1 Palestine at our expense i n the a u t u m n when the Kaiser takes a

trip there. Hechler sensed how much importance 1 attach t o being re ceived by the Kaiser and demanded that 1 come t o the English church tomorrow, Sunday, and pray with him. N i plus ni mons [Neither more nor less). At this I began t o speak about the grass growing i n my garden, where we were sitting, without going into his presumption fur. ther.

Then, when he had left, I wrote him that he would go t o Pale tine if he arranged that audience for me. May 24

Yesterday, “Bank meeting” of the Actions Committee. One man, Dr. Kahn, had collected 3 5 0 shares. A l l others, not ing! Kokesch had a number of representatives conscripted from the skekel bloc list who are t o act as collectors. That was all. I indicated my dissatisfaction t o the gentlemen i n a few words

That's how i t was before the

1st

Congress, too.

Wolffsohn has good intentions, but he is not energetic enoug He requests that there be no more notices in the Welt about hus

travels. He doesn’t want t o become ridiculous. All those peopl

still don’t understand that 1 am making them gre

at.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL 637

May 25 Typical of the “big” Jews. Wolffsohn telegraphs that Seligmann (Frankfurt) has declined to act as a depository for

the share down-payments.

Thereupon Wolffsohn turned t o the A. Schaathausen Banking Association o f Cologne (Gentile), which immediately declared

itself favorably inclined. May 25

Spoke with my dear L. Kellner. I told him that i f he survived me, he should take care of the publication of this diary of mine. The diary is t o appear i n the Welt i n instalments. Kellner shall also become editor-inchief of the Welt when | am no more. H e knows the most about m y intentions.

He is t o receive appropriate compensation for his efforts, according t o the circumstances of the paper. The paper itself is, of course, the property of my children, because during the period in which 1 have been working in behalf of the Jews, I have neglected 1 0 earn for them. If mv Hans stays alive, he shall become proprietor of the paper when he comes of age and pay his sisters an appropriate allowance from it—provided i t yields a profie.

Whit-Monday Yesterday i t was three years since | started the Zionist movement with my visit t o Hirsch. Today it is a worldwide idea.

Today |

wrote t o the amiable Hamburger Cohen, who can't

do anything in Hamburg (for the Bank), parce qu'on ne préte

Weux riches [because loans are made only t o rich people]! “The meaning of our Bank project is simply that with one leap We want t o get out of the circulus vitiosus [vicious circle] that

638 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL consists i n the refusal of the bankers t o go along unless the bapj.

ers go along. “They are making our life a burden; that is why our movemen, must finally break through o r

croak.

T o m e the matter is 100

serious for a game, for the serious-minded i t has h i t h e r been

too much of a game.”

Hechler is i n Berlin, w i l l try t o get t o the Kaiser so that he

may receive me. I need this audience, then the circulus vitiosus will be broken.

I don’t believe, though, that Hechler can fix it. His daily let. ters from Berlin sound more and more discouraged and close with: Ora pro nobis [Pray for us]! May

31

Hechler has left Berlin bredouille [empty-handed]. The Kaiser sent h i m word that he was too busy.

Hechler thereupon went t o Karlsruhe. Superfluously. June

2

Jelski reports from Lodz that a merchant there had asked Samuel Montagu in London whether he was participating in the Bank. I f one day we take revenge on these big bankers, i t will be well

deserved. June 3

Gaster is here. | told him the above facts and plan

to

discus

with him the beginning of the campaign against the Fnglish big bankers.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODOR HERZL 639 The rich and the “Great i n Israel” are actually incurring a fearsome responsibility b y leaving m e i n the lurch. I a m a very

serviceable instrument for the return of the Jews—and they let me wear myself o u t i n fruitless exertions. Perhaps 1 shall pass without having secured the project, and then i t w i l l be lost.

June

Hechler is here again and reports that the Grand Duke of Baden reacted favorably when he spoke about me and the Well. The Grand Duke advised Hechler t o win over Eulenburg, the

smbassador here,

for the cause. T h e Kaiser, he said, listens to

Eulenburg. Hechler should tell Eulenburg in the name of the Grand Duke that i n the latter's opinion something was involved that might prove t o be important for German policy in the Orient.

|

am writing t o the Grand Duke:

Your Royal Highness:

Reverend Hechler tells me that Your Royal Highness 1s still interested in the Zionist movement and suggested that he call on the Vienna ambassador, Count Fulenburg, for the purpose of army audience with His Majesty the German Kaiser. ranging Only this definite information from my reverend friend Hechler could have encouraged me t o write Your Royal Highness once more. Is it not remarkable the way events have developed in the

East since about two years ago | enjoyed the distinction of being t t Karls n Zionist m o v e m e n a i othe tllowed to make a p r e s e n t a tof

ruhe? German policy has taken an Eastern course, and there is tomething symbolic about the Kaiser's Palestine journey in more

than one sense. | am, therefore, more firmly c o n v i n cthan e d ever hat our movement will receive help whence | have patiently r the been expecting it for the past two years. By now it is c l e athat \cttlementof the shortest route t o Asia b y a neutral national ele-

640 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERz ment could also have a certain value for Germany's Oriental policy.

A n d what element is this? T h e same that 1s, par la force de,

choses [of necessity], almost everywhere driven into the arms of the revolutionary parties. I n this respect, too, the events of the last few years have ( o n .

firmed many of my pronouncements.

This letter I did not complete o r send off, because Hechler, ©

whom | read the draft, advised me against i t . Is i t possible tha the Grand Duke did not express himself i n the terms Hechler

conveyed t o me? Could be. June

10

Seventh birthday of my Hans. I gave him a Zion flag. Shield of David with six stars in the ux triangles. The seventh on top. I n the middle field, the Lion o f Judah after a drawing of the

painter Okin. June 14

One of the most curious figures I have yet encountered is the Rymanow Rabbi Horowitz, the son-in-law of the Wonder Rabbi there. He came t o see me accompanied by his “secretary,” who, bow ever, seems t o be a servant and is treated in a disdainful manner. Both wore kaftans. The servant had 0 remain i n the hall. Horowiu spoke 4 coeur découvert (frankly), was very skepuaal

about the fanatics, and explained t o me the “business” (as he put it) of the Wonder Rabbis and their elegant way of life. He

boasted: my father-in-law needs goo guilders a 16 servants.

Yet there was a certain naiveté about it.

week,

equipsgt:

641

THE COMPLETE DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R HER ZL

He promised 0 intere st a l l Wond er Rabb is i n Zionis m. | think

:. will be possible t o direct these people i f they are treated appropriately. is, I w i l l g o I f he arranges a mee ting o f a l l the Won der Rabb there for a confid ential confe rence with a l l these gentle men. |

|

|

It was especially interesting the way the fledgling Wonder Rabbi Horowitz explained the power of all these Rebbes. The fanatics, of whom he spoke with thinly veiled irony, constitute the core of the “disciples.” T h e second group are the sensible people who come t o the Wonder Rabbi because h e is at the cen-

terof connections and associations. Someone asks him whether be should buy wheat. Someone clse has been there before and has mentioned the state of his wheat business. The Wonder Rabbi, being a t the focal point, is well informed. Therefore, his

advice is really worth its weight in gold. He gives ups, and good ones, because, after all, his reputation depends on them. He

makes matches and settles disputes; by all this his power is preserved and increased. Simply marchands d’influence (influence peddlers), then. I t is a natural explanation. The third group, kmlly, are those who fear harm from the enmity of the Rebbe. If someone has not crossed this limins aepostolorum [apostolic threshold] in two or three years and the Wonder Rabbi is asked

about him, he says: He must be b a d l yoff; he hasn't been to see in 2 long time, apparently hasn't the traveling expenses! In short, he can do his “disciples,” who are his trnibutanes,

fe

harm or good. I t is an institution developed with singular

wm

in which everything happens i n the most natural

And the amiable little Rebbe of Rymanow told me all this in

the friendliest blind trust,

although he had never laid eyes on me

before. He added that he would make such confessions 10 no one fo, Evidently he takes me for a greater Wonder Rabbi even "an

the one of Sadagora, his uncle, and thinks that | am carry-

8 0 0 2 business this way, 100. There was an augur’s smile in his

642 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL words as h e sat before m e i n h i s

clegant s i l k kaftan, with th,

nicely anointed ear-locks and his golden pince-nez.

I didn't disabuse him of his misconception. June 15 Draft o f a letter t o

Kaiser

Wilhelm

( i n t h e event that Count

Eulenburg receives the Grand Duke's message through Hechler, acts o n i t , and invites me t o request the audience):

Your Imperial Majesty: His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Baden recently expressed the opinion t o one of my friends, as 1 am informed, that the Zionist movement (whose leader 1 am) could acquire some importance t o German policy i n the Orient. The aim of Zionism—according t o the program of last year's Basel Congress—is t o create a home, safeguarded under publi law, for the Jewish people i n Palestine. I f 1 were granted a n opportunity t o give Y o u r Imperial

Ma;

esty an oral presentation of the political and social overtones 1 Zionism—as | did before His Royal Highness the Grand Duke two years ago—1I believe I could get the brilliant German Kauer enthusiastic about this glorious project on behalf of the lowliest

Let me emphasize only one point o u t of the wealth of reasons in favor of the Zionist idea: the only cultural element with which Palestine can be settled is the Jews. The land is t o o poor t o a t tract others. For us i t is rich i n memories and hopes. And Pales tine must be settled, for i t is the route t o Ophir as well as 10

Kiaochow. A n d i f , per impossibile [as seems impossible] attractive

tions were created for other cultural elements,

too,

cond:

the most

bitter jealousy among the nations would arise. Europe, i t seems to me, would more readily permit settlement t o the Jews. Per

haps not so much because of the historic right guaranteed in the sacred book of mankind, but because of the inclination. present in most places, t o let the Jews go.

most

DO R HE RZ L 643 THE COMPLETE DIA RIE S OF TH EO Ine. I t w ii l l be a PproImperial Majesty 1s goin g t o Palestine GOI

is

h o of high and symbolic splendor. This journ ey will astound

the West. But i f we the peoples of the East and disquiet those of eria l journey ake everything into consideration, the new Imp 10 Zion may leave lasting trace s

in history only if

it

also ties

10

vith the modern Zionist movement. help will come Fora long time 1 have had the conviction that esty can command me a t any 10 us from Your Majesty. Your Maj soon! . May it ha |

gp

be T o d for the cause i f 1 learned of this favo r in ad-

nd Basel vance of Your Majesty's Palestine journey and the Seco Congress. But with projects of this kind one must possess one’s soul in more patience than men ordin arily do. With deepest respects, etc.

June

17

o r e kfrom Paris that at the last meeting report Nordau-Marm

of the 1.CA. Zadoc Kahn almost suffered violence, because he read and supported our invitation

(0

a conference of the coloni-

ntion asociations prior t o the snd Congress. Thereupon the 1.C.A. declined in an oficial, matter-of-fact letter 10 send a representative to this conference. The world pres is

beginning t o editorialize about Wilhelm's Palestinian journey. Unfortunately 1 am still

100

powerless in the pres to use this

00casion to promote Zionism.

was talk that the Emperor is going to abdicate Yoserdsy t h e r e ther the jubilee festivities and that his s u c c e s s will o r suspend the

Constitution.

plain

that the Jews will be left o u t in the revised ConstiItis tution. With such an Imperial gift the nationalities o f Austria an be pacified. All this | predicted long ago.

644 T H E COMPLETE D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HERzL June 1

I am writing Nordau and Gaster ( i n Transylvania) t o try have French and English papers sound an alarm because of Wil. helm II's journey t o Zion. Everyone has got t o begrudge it to everyone else, and this is how we will get it.

July

1

I am thinking of giving the movement a closer territorial goal, preserving Zion as the final goal. The poor masses need immediate help, and Turkey is not yet so desperate as t o accede t o our wishes.

I n fact, there will probably be hostile demonstrations against us i n Turkey i n the immediate future. They will say that they

have no intentions of giving us Palestine. Thus we

must

organize ourselves for a goal attainable soon,

under the Zion flag and maintaining all of our historic claims. Perhaps we can demand Cyprus from England, and cven keep an eye on South Africa or America—until Turkey is dissolved. C’est encore a creuser profondément [This is still t o be thor

oughly explored]. Discuss with Nordau before the Congress. July 6 F r o m m y letter t o Schauer, w h o called m y attention t o a n

anu-

Zionist remark of the Turkish ambassador i n Washington: “ I have long been acquainted with the mistrust of the Turks I anticipated it. That is the reason for my opposition t o infiltration. I t is, a t any rate, no shortsightedness i n my policy. 1 a n demand a Jewish State i n Palestine only while fighting colonia:

tion on a small scale. But the latter is apparently brainless—fo the critical moment at which Turkey “noticed” the will-to-a-stat¢ on the part of the infiltrees would find the colonists unprotected

immigrants, while under my policy negotiations can be carried on before the boundaries are crossed, thus i n a manner far more favorable to us.”

THE COM PLET E DIAR IES O F T H E O D O R HER ZL 645 Various opposition

to

Jul y 1 0 the Congress House i n Basel which 1

want 10 have Marmor ek design.

I hope t o overcome this oppo sitio n. T h e Jewi sh House i n

Basel will be a landm ark of Switz erlan d, b u t abov e a l l a symbol for Jewry. With natio ns o n e must speak 1n a c h i l d i s h langu age:

a bouse, a flag, a song are the symbols of com mun icati on. Even Marm orek, t o whom 1 suggested this plan for the build -

ing, doesn’t q u i t e unders tand and

showed m e 2 sketch of

n o sig-

nificance. After all, in the case of the Jewish House i n Basel, neo- Jewis h style a n be employed for the first time. gave Marm orek the follow ing suggestion for the facade of the Jewish House: |

med

The hall is the house. I t open s o n t o the loggia, but is lighted from above like a parliamentary auditorium.

The ant form which is most meaningful 1 0 me now is arch itecture. Unfortunately 1 don't command its means of expr ession. I f | had learned anything, I would be an architect now. I gave an interview

to

July 1 2 the Vienna correspondent of the Pall

Mall Gazette about the Palestine journey of the German Kaiser. | sought 10 sir up the attention and jealousy of the other Pow.

M,

and nid it was our entire hope that we would be regarded

% the pis aller [last resort]. No

power could let any other have

At the same time, | inte nd t o irrita te the Kaiser a bit b y this.

646 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzL July

31

Yesterday a small engagement with Bacher. I a m now writing editorials for the N . F r . P r . that are succew

ful. Bacher showers me with compliments, as Benedikt, who is

on vacation now, previously did. Yesterday Bacher said: “ I like your editorials even better than

your feuilletons. Isn't there material for one todays” I : “There would be o n e : the German Kaiser's t r i p t o Palestine. But one would have t o discuss Zionism i n i t . ” H e : “One wouldn't have to! You would.”

Thereupon 1 opened a discussion of Zionism. He denied the growth of the movement, which, he claimed, was being men: tioned as a curiosity a t most. He regretted that 1 was so obstinate, because he liked me and 1 was an intelligent man otherwise. I : “Well, then the assumption not

must

be i n my favor that | am

doing anything stupid there either.”

H e : “ I t is this very assumption that makes me annoyed a t you.

You can't tell me that i t is a serious movement.” I : “The German Kaiser asked through Lucanus for my pamphlet about the Basel Congress.” That astounded h i m .

Socialism wasn’t a serious movement either. Can you deny that i t is one now?” He: “Socialism has changed radically. Marx and l.assalle sull thought in terms of a bloody revolution. Today Socialism ap I : “ I n its beginnings

proaches the gradual transforma tion of society with bourgeots

methods.” I : “Do you think that I expect a realization of my ideas a cording

to

program? I am under no illusions about the plus

petitio [exorbitance] that is inherent i n my demands.” After this I went into a discussion o f the question as an international one, saying that Fmance and Russia would not permit

the foothold i n Palestine which the German Kaiser apparently

intends, and that we Zionists probably constituted the pis aller for Europ e. He listened t o me, shook his head. But this time the fight was a draw.

THE

COMPLETE DIAR IES

O F THEODOR HERZL

647

August 3 Wolfflsohn telegraphs that the bankers Seligmann and Marx,

who were supposed t o come t o Cologne for the socalled Bank

Conference, have withd rawn their acceptance.

This dinty trick again calls everything into question. 1 am

telegraphing Wolffsohn: Suff uppe r Lip! | shall simply launch the Bank a t the Congress, which will

ave us being dependent on the bank ing bastards.

August 5

Letter t o Benedikt (at Scheveningen): Dear Friend: s asked me for when we parted: my good child First then e wyou has pretty well recovered. | am starting my vacation today. that we Only now am | calm enough to get back t o something

once discussed a t the Hotel Impénal: the question of whether t h eN. Fr. Pr. will this year report on the Zionist Congress in Basel. You were going to discuss this with Dr. Bacher, but in the rash of your departure you probably forgot about it. Without knowing your views Dr. Bacher probably won't make 3 decision o n the matter, i . e , h e w i l l not make arrangements t o get coverage. However, all other papers, including the Viennese ones, are likely t o carry reports this ume. Added t o this is the fact that i n the near future there will be

twoconditions which will make mention of the Zionist movement

mevitable: 1 . the founding of the Zionist Bank with t w o million pounds sterling, which 1 have already told you about;

2.

the Ger-

man Kaiser's journey t o Palestine. He is going t o visit the Jew4h colonies there; i t is not imposible that on this occasion he will ay something about Zionism. i my estimation, a calm, impartia} mention of this movement, “hich you have underestimated, is advisable a t this very time, on

the occasion of the Second Congres. Something like what is cons a e the 18th volume of Meyers Konversationslexikon (half

648 T H E C O M P L E T E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL By this the N . Fr. Pr. w i l l i n n o way commit itself as in favor of my ideas. I certainly don’t presume upon you that the N. Fr,

Pr. should declare itself as a Jewish paper, although undoubtedly both you and Dr. Bacher feel as Jews. I f previously you were ap. prehensive that the propagation of Zionism would deprive you of the right to join i n the discussion o f the language controversy and other internal Austrian disputes, such a n apprehension is no

longer justified today. The Berliner Tageblatt used t o take a similar point of view, and subsequently carried objective editorials of column length. The N . Fr. Pr., however, w i l l always be able t o state that it did nothing toward the dissemination of this idea, even kept silent about it. Zionism has spread its own propaganda and now pre

itself t o the paper from the outside, like other events. I personally have not minded being able t o perform my lit. erary work quite apart from my political activity. This way, at least, not even the most malevolent were able t o say of me that I was a professional politician®—a breed that is greatly repug nant t o me. And I hope that i n the future, too, I shall be able to stay with my feuilletons quietly, although 1 have, so t o speak, put

sents

a major idea o n its feet.

After all, I have also declined seats i n the Reichsrat, and I'd rather write plays, even though I want t o help the poor Jews. What serious objections can be raised against o u r w a n u n g to set up a refuge for the oppressed Jewish masses? Believe me, everywhere the Zionists program has penetrated it

has given discussion of the Jewish Question a tone more favorable to us.

August 8

This letter, too, went unmailed, because today in the compot ing room I saw an editorigl from the pen of Privy Councilor Richter about the Kaiser's journey t o Palestine. Bacher got Richter t o write the article 1 recommended—with the ®

omission of Zionism.

I n English In the original.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODOR HERZL 649

August g Wolfflsohn reports that only scribed for the Bank.

100,000

pounds have been sub

Everything depends upon whether the weeks until the Conbring a substanti al increase. If they don’t, this time the atmosphere a t the Congress would have t o be utilized for the Bank. A tremendously difficult task.

The rich boys want

to

let us freeze. La revanche sera terrible

[The revenge will be terrible].

I may even announce the boycott at this Congress.

August

11

Today Friedrich Schiff of Paris came ( 0 sce me in Wihring. | reminded him of his remark about my idea when I gave him the manuscript of The Jewish State t o read, three years ago in the Hotel Castille, rue Cambon. He was ashamed and embarrassed, and said: “ 1 have already been converted. You are right, you are really nght.” The baiting of Dreyfus converted him. And just like this man, who once thought me insane, all the others who called me crazy will come round. But what if 1 had allowed such people t o hold me back? The world would be poorer by an idea, Jewry by this great movement How great, come to think of it, was the responsibility of those who wanted t o deter me, and how slight the punishment that is befalling them for it.

Heis embarrased for a m o m e n t and says: You are right!

August 17 Yesterday, farewell t o Bacher, since | am going on vacation. He Was very cordial, couldn't repeat t o me often enough bow hard it

would be t o do without me. He himself broached the subject of theCongress.I told him that i f he changed his mind and wanted

650 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL to

have the Congress covered, he only needed

gram and I would make arrangements for h i m

to to

send me a (ele. get a good, ob.

jective report. H e groaned: “ I t can’t be done! I f you weren't with us, we would certainly have written about Zionism by now, like the

Kolnische Zeitung and others. I t 1s impossible because of you personally, the dual position you occupy.” I didn't press any further. We took a quite cordial leave of cach other. But because 1 have the impression that he has sof. tened after a l l , I w i l l write the letter t o Benedikt, mutatis mutan dis [the necessary changes having been made]—since the article about the Kaiser is eliminated.

Conclusion of the letter to Benedikt a t Scheveningen, Hotel

Orange: So, u n bon mouvement [a good movement]!

I f I'm not mistaken, Dr. Bacher, who is certainly favorably disposed toward me personally, is a t heart no longer so sharply opposed to reporting about the Congress.

You will be well informed, too, je vous en réponds [ I guaran tee you this]; you only have t o notify me i n time. And all this can be done as discreetly as you require i t . After all, this is what we learned t o read and write for. One thing is certain: the Congress will this time be even much more magnificent than the first one. With cordial regards. Yours very sincerely,

Th. Herzl. Conclusion: 1 believe you ought t o write o r telegraph Dr. Bacher t o order coverage of Basel from me. Then the N. Fr. Pr. w i l l have registered the movement, as i t were, and can hence:

forth calmly wait and sce whether something great, historic comes of i t (as I believe it will), or whether i t dries u p i n the sand.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL 651] Augu st 25

In Basel again. Less and less time for impressionistic pictures. Everything has w e d into acuon. Yesterday I came here from

Lucerne with Wolffsohn. O n the

min he converted me to the idea of establishing the Bank with less than t w o million pounds, possibly with five million marks.

This small Bank can then set up the necessary subsidiaries. In Basel | was met a t the stauon by many people. This atten-

tion was very embarrassing t o me.

The first day of the Congress is over.

August 2 q

Beforehand, all sorts o f excitement and weariness, Bank Con-

ference 8 non conferendo [that doesn’t confer], agiuation by agités [the agitated], etc. Moreover, receptions, devotions, admirations. I t all vanishes from beneath me in a peculiar way, as o r it give me any h going up i n a b a l l o o n — ndoes t h o u|g were wnt of pleasure. When 1 was twenty years old—or lateri—we were ON summer vacation a t some place where there was a green meadow, and in the evenings | used to walk across it, absorbed im youthful dreams. 1 no longer know the location of this meadow

which | still see before me; for ever since | have remembered this peaceful e v e n i n asgsomething lost, | have forgouen where i t va. Somewhere past Véslau, | think, maybe Pottenstein; but it could have been Reichenhall. I n that case i t would have been five years later, when I was working a t the courthouse i n Salzburg. A green meadow a t eventide, a wall tree by my path, a litle

house—I no longer know whether a farm house or a panonage— an infinite, fragrant peace over i t . There 1 was longing for the

world and happy in my lack of success. This charming meadow to me now when the world is becoming more map-like for occurs me. ®

®

®

Question is whether the intoxication of the Congres will again

Ps like that,

without leaving any traces. One hope is the Bank.

652 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR H E R When I left for m y hotel last night a t eleven o’clock—we hy three sessions, and n o time for supper—the anarchist Maregy Baruch, w h o has been tamed b y Zionism, w e n t with me. He sig.

“Je regrette

q u e vous m e t l i e z e n a v a n t d u p e u p l e d'lsrae| |

banque. Je ne le voudrais pas—pour l'histoire [ I am sorry thy

you should put the bank ahead of the people of Israel. I would want it—for the sake of history)!” Otherwise a muddle-head, this fellow d i d u t t e r the i m Mag. nificent words of the Congress.

T h e debates yesterday afternoon were depressing.

I n the moming | had read off my programmatic speech, and Nordau had given his annual address. He again spoke splendidly, but a bit long-windedly, and actually d i d n o t have much tha was new t o say. He is a terrific speaker. I n the afternoon, the treasurer's report.

Then the nonsense started immediately. Gaster presided with a heavy hand. Oskar Marmorek, t o my complete despair, praised the Actions Committee because i t had achieved so much—with

such small means. And in the gallery sat Newlinski, whom 1 had for with his wife and children, so that he might report © the Sultan how strong our movement was. After that Bernstaw Kohan took the floor and praised us because we had accomplished

sent

all this without money, without resources. I sent word t o h i m that

h e should shut u p that instant, otherwise 1 would leave the Con

grew. He went on talking nonsense without stopping, refernng six more times t o our poverty—until I had the session inter

rupted in order t o convene the Finance Committee. All the speakers wanted details, statements that we cannot give,

because they are too small. The movement this year is nine uma (Schnirer’s figure) bigger than i t was the previous ycar—but it 1s just that last year i t was r i d i c u l o u s l y small. This is something tha had t o be hurdled. Luckily our books, which we submitted 10

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR HERZL 653 the Finance Committee, were i n splendid order. W e were able to

sowa surplus of 61,000 francs. The rest is in the Welt.

The opponents who had been announced with a lot of shouting evaporated in the Congress. Landau made himself ridiculous

with his opposition; I didn’t need t o destroy him. Bambus pulled in his horns. September

2, at

Constance

The Congress is over. A feeling of utter exhaustion. The last session until five i n the morning. | made the mistake of overloading the third day as the final day; hence the excitement of the final night and the successful dirty tricks of the Galician bastards Kohn ( l i t t l e Kohn), Landau, Salz, and Malz. Landau was the noisiest and the stupidest. It's true that 1 hamstrung them: but i f 1 had

not

been so ex-

hausted from that twenty-one-hour stretch of presiding, 1 would have annihilated them. Now the chairman’s words needed for that occur t o me. 1 should have said: Once more there is an a t . tempt from the same quarter t o affix a yellow badge of shame t o our Congress! | should have nailed little Kohn like a bat when he was up

there on the speaker's platform: Are you a Zionist? In short, many other things. One can’t foresee everything. Otherwise, we would have had d i d day with the turn in the Dreyfus affair and the 2 s p l e nfourth

ondat iegraphic reply from the Sultan which 1 had not counte

r i oSchnirer, at the b e h a vof have10 be all the more indignant me desert o t wanted Kokesch, and Mintz. These people actually |

when they noticed the displeasure of the Congress at our failure '0 make the financial picture

public. I let Minu go, because be

had been an uncertain recruit all vear anyway. The

two

others |

654 T H E C O M P L E T E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzg induced t o stay. Mintz is a born deserter; he has caused me en. barrassment enough. Schnirer a n d Kokesch are decent people, even though their hearts sank i n t o t h e i r boots. They live withjy

narrow horizons. They absolutely fail t o understand why | allowed Newlinski t o run u p a hotel b i l l o f 500 francs i n Base], too

just as they approved his m o n t h l y subvention o n l y with teeth.

gritting and mistrust. These are the instruments 1 have t o work with. They break i n m y hand, l i k e the wooden paper-knife a t that tempestuous ses

sion.

This diary is deficient—1 feel i t . T h e stormy aspects are lacking in their secret nature, which I could still get down directly afterwards and then forget. T h e lifeless aspects are also lacking,

and the moods of depression which they cause would be of even greater interest t o the future readers of these notes.

During the Congress 1 also had a secret contest with the rabbss of the blackest stripe who had come t o join the movement. They wanted concessions, which I denied them. 1 felt that they were yielding and wanted t o salvage whatever they could from thar defeat. When I made no concessions t o them, they went along even withou t them.

Big wrangles also about the Bank matter. However, the oppo sition, with clever Bambus a t its head, did not attack our badly: covered position skillfully. When I saw that they chose a point of attack unfavorable to them and fought only for the addiuon “Palestine and Syria” t o Article 2 of the first resolution on the

Bank, I forced discussion 5 0 as t o tire the people out. After | had let them scream on this point for four hours, 1 abandoned i t , be cause i t was not a t all important t o m e . T h e y t h o u g h t they had

THE COMPLET E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL 655 won a victory, and the proposal t o found the Bank—the only

thing that mattered—went

through

amid cheers.

The only error in the debate on the Bank was that I allowed 2 half-hour recess t o

take place, during which time the physically

axhausted opposition was able t o fortify itself a bit.

Today I a m traveling with Hechler 1 0 see the Grand Duke.

September 3, Bregenz Yesterday, then, 1 was with the Grand Duke. I t was a charm-

ing early-autumn morning when Hechler and | went in the hotel arriage from Constance over t o the island of Mainau. My mood was fundamentally different from the one before the meeting a t Karlsruhe. 1 no longer expected so much from the conversation, which this time was t o bring so incomparably much

more. At eleven o'clock we arrived a t Mainau Castle, but had t o wait a full hour i n the pretty salon o n the ground floor. Court atmos phere. Heavy lackeys, who still have the army in their bones and try to float over the parquet floor with their peasant feet. Officers

in avilian clothes, then a general (Miller?) who was Hechler's successor as tutor t o the princes and accosted him. The general aid with a touch of humor: “ I n those days you predicted to us the end of the world as imminent. | held i t very much against you. And you see, the world has'nt come t o an end yet.”

Hechler introduced me

to

the humorist, but I contented my-

self with nodding coolly. The general looked a t the photograph of the Congress with polite irony,

too.

Hechler is fine for the

mee. but afterwards one becomes a bit ridiculous because of Then we had

to

step into an adjoining room, because the

Grand Duchess and the Duchess of Genoa were supposed t o pass

through the salon. Such small

humiliations, which are not di-

rected against me personally a t all, but against everything that

656 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R |}{ERZL

is not “court,” give me back my stiffness which I lose through oblig ing treat ment .

A t twelve o'clock we were called t o the first floor

to

see the

Grand Duke. H e was i n civilian clothes, salon coat, white vey, and greeted m e with great friendliness. During the entire aud; ence I was able to see his face o n l y i n silhouette because he inten.

tionally sat with his back t o the window, while I was fully illumi. nated as though I were t o be X-rayed. The conversation was downright grandiose, highly political. I f I were t o publish i t today, i t would be a sensation for all of Europe. T h e Grand D u k e conversed w i t h m e i n the most can-

did manner about all of world politics, and from each of his kindly words there shone benevolence toward me and good will for the cause. But he also gave me a magnificent demonstration

of his confidence by discussing with me the m o s t

secret

German

political matters and speaking unreservedly about the intentions of the Kaiser. H e began by saying that the German government had made inquiries i n Constantinople about t h e a t t i t u d e there toward the

Zionist movement and had been informed that the Sultan viewed our cause with favor. Later remarks brought o u t the fact that the inquiry was made through Herr von Marschall who enjoy

great favor with the Sultan. I was able t o supplement this information with the news that the day before 1 had received a telegram of thanks from the Sultan.

The Grand Duke told me that he had made a detailed repon

about the Zionist movement t o the Kaiser. T h e latter thereupon instructed Count Eulenburg to make a closer study of the matter and report on it. T h e Grand Duke n o w told m e o n what good terms the Kaiser was with the Sultan. T h i s excellent relationship started with the Cretan question. T h e friendly turn that Germany rendered

the Turks by withdrawing troops from Crete made the very deepest impression. German influence in Yildiz was now u f limited, he said. England has been crowded o u t completely,

to

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL 657

ay nothing of the other Powers. And the Grand Duke added with 2 smile o f satisfaction: “ W e have accomplished all this without using the fleet or making any special exertions. Germany's

wishes receive unqualified consideration. And i f our Kaiser drops a word t o the Suluan, i t will certainly be heeded. But we have 10 be very careful. In world history, individual steps sometimes ake a very long time. One m u s t have patience. First you m u s t wait until the Kaiser returns. I f he received you before that, i t might do the project more harm than good. You know what comments the Kaiser's journey has elicited everywhere. The socalled Palestine journey, which was originally supposed t o

have only a religious character, has now become a political one. This follows from the fact that the Kaiser will be going t o Constantinople first, whereas onginally be intended t o go di-

rectly t o Palestine. Thus he will first be paying a visit t o the suzerain of the country. From Palestine he will then go 1 0 Egypt, that is, t o another vassal state of the Suluan.

Continued on the train: | remarked that i t would be very welcome i f 1 could make a praentation t o the Kaiser before his departure, so that he might speak about Zionism i n Yildiz en connaissance de cause [from anquaintance with the subject]. The Grand Duke asked: “Do you intend t o found a state? | believe that would be the only right thing for you t o do, if you wish t o have legal security. ( I had told him that earlier, and also that we don’t want t o expose ourselves t o the whims of pasha government.) A formula could be found by which you keep the overlordship of the Sultan, something like the former Danube principalities. What i t would turn into later (he smiled)—aay, In

a generation—that, after all, we cannot tell today.” | now expounded my oft-mentioned points of view, our rela-

tionship t o the revolutionary parties, which evidently pleased

him. (Perbleu [of course]!)

When | mentioned the consequences that Zionism has had in Rusia, where the Socialists and Anarchists are being converted 10 Zionism, because we have given them an ideal, he

658 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R z

nodded vigorously and said: “Pobedonostsev ought You should tell i t t o him.”

to

hear t h y

H e saw a major misgiving i n the fact that ceruain groups of

Jews would see something anti-Semitic in the partisanship of the German government. U n t i l now, he said, people have re. garded Zionism as a species of anti-Semitism. And he mentioned

the fact that during the Jewish riots i n Algeria Rothschild had threatened the French government that he would leave the country i f order were n o t restored. Thereupon a new governor had been sent t o Algeria. H e seemed t o fear a similar threat of exodus on the part of the German- Jewish financiers. I tried to set h i m straight o n this. T h e German Jews would no

longer have anything against Zionism from the

moment

they

were sure that n o one would interpret i t as unpatriotic behavior

on their part. An exodus of all Jews was n o t intended anyway. Assimilation would start i n earnest then. A n d just as the Huguenot

families, who are still flourishing i n Germany today, have been well assimilated, i t would then be the same way with the Jews. Indeed, i f a Heine wrote poetry for the Germans then, they

would not cast him o u t as a Jew, but rejoice the beautiful German songs.

at

his having sung

Just as Chamisso, whose home was Boncourt Castle, 1s con

sidered a good German poet. I n other ways, too, 1 drew his attention t o the fact that with

the Jews a German cultural element would come t o the Onent. Evidence of this: German writers—even though of Jewish descent—are leading the Zionist movement. The language of the Congress is German. The overwhelming majority of the Jews are part o f German cultur e. We need a protectorate—accordingly, we would prefer a Ger: man one. We cannot do things all by ourselves; people m u s t help us i f they acknowledge our endeavors t o be just, ctc.—the often said things, but this time said a t the right address.

He liked all that. He also spoke about anti-Semitism, entirely in the spirit of Kaiser Friedrich. H e called i t an ugly movement,

first anti-Semitic, then anti-capitalist ic, finally anarchistic.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODOR HERZL 659 Hechler occasionally broke i n with prophetic remarks abou the return of the Jews.® The Grand Duke listened t o him with 2 benign smile, but nodded approval t o me when | said:

“Such things are beyond my judgment. I can only speak of what | see.” At this the Grand Duke said: “Yes, let us consider the matter

world-historical matter and not as a theological one." Hechler spoke about the Ark of the Covenant which Henning

only as a

Melander plans t o

search for.

|

asked the Grand Duke whether

he had read those articles i n the Welt. He said yes, and then he aid that the Kaiser wished t o discuss this Ark o f the Covenant if they were so inclined i n Yildiz. T h e Kaiser was extremely

interested in the Ark, and its discovery would certainly be an event in world ftsior y. One of the wishes the Kaiser planned t o express t o the Sultan

was for permission to conduct a search for the Ark. Many other interesting and noteworthy things were brought up. He spoke of the petty intrigues which the Prince of Bulgaria was arrying on now, and of how here,

too,

Germany had inter-

vened between the little Balkan princes and the Porte; Milan in Serbia was the disquieting element. He said he had t o tell me something that I , as an Austnan, would probably not like t o hear—namely, that Austria n o longer had the influence t o

intervene in this way. Then we spoke about Austria—he always with

the greatest

andor and confidence—and how deplorable the present bungled a l t o make Austria intoa o n The latest p r o p o s was s i t u a t iwas. federation of stases.

“Thee would be the end,” |

said. “Whom would one place a t

the heads of the individual states?”

“Archdukes perhaps!” said the Grand Duke. ~

“1 do not believe that would work,”

|

replied. “The situation

's different from that in Germany. Germany is stronger as a fedcauon of states, but Austria would be weaker. The unifying bond is lacking. The only one is the dynasty. The archdukes

*In Ragiichla the original.

660 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERzZL could not be sovereigns, b u t o n l y governors. A prince m u g grow

of the soil.” And many more memorable words were spoken, not al] of which now come back t o my mind. Finally, a t a quarter 10 two he said with amiable regret that he had t o dismiss us now. He gave me a long hand-shake, assured me of his aid and his good will, and said that he had a lively interest i n the subject. And when | had already walked a few steps away, he overtook me again and squeezed my hand once more.

out

I took m y leave.

Hechler stayed behind a few more minutes and asked if the fact that this audience took place might be made public. The Grand Duke permitted it. But later 1 told Hechler, who will convey this t o the Grand Duke today, that I preferred

to

forego

the announcement 3 0 as t o be able t o operate i n complete secrexy. I t would give rise t o distrustful discussion if i t became known

that the Grand Duke is interested in Zionism—just before the Kaiser's Palestinian trip.

Letter

to

Bacher, dated Bregenz, September g:

Dear Friend:

(Strictly Confidential)

The Congress is over. I am sorry, and n o t for my sake, that the N. Fr. Pr. has again failed to take cognizance of this event

In my devotion t o you and our paper, which is well known you, I consider i t my duty ncvertheless t o tell you that very big things are in the offing. T h e Sultan sent me a telegram of thanks a t Basel. The Grand Duke of Baden invited me t o visit him fol l o w i n g t h e Congress. Yesterday | h a v e been t o M a i n a u Castle and had a two-hour conversation w i t h h i m which would caus the greatest sensation t h r o u g h o u t the w h o l e w o r l d i f | made

public. T h e Kaiser w i l l call o n the Sultan i n prior to going w Palestin e.

Il

Constantinople

I t 1s high time for the N . Fr. Pr. t o register the Zionist MOVE ment.

I shall once more place a t your disposal an article about

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR HERZL 6 6 Zionism, which 1 will sign, so that i t may not be taken for the

view of the publishers. You are aware that I know how t o write iscreetly.

Kindly direct your answer t o Unterach am Attersee. If you don’t wish t o accept my suggestion, I still count on your complete silence t o everyone, as though 1 had requested your word of honor i n advance.

With cordial regards,

Your devoted Th. H .

September g, Unterach After careful consideration | did n o t mail the letter t o Bacher. Wolfflsohn, who accompanied me here, concurs with me i n this.

Yesterday |

wrote t o

the Grand Duke that for reasons of ex-

pediency 1 would for the time being make no use of his permis-

sion, conveyed t o me by Hechler, had an audience with him.

to

make public the fact that |

Al the ame time | wrote the Vienna ambassador Eulenburg that the Grand Duke had informed me that he had been instructed by the Kaiser t o report on our movement. I would like o speak t o the Kaiser before his Palestinian trip. I f Eulenburg y y further information, 1 was ready t o come t o Vienna for a day. September

15,

on the train t o Vienna

Yesterday I received this wire from Eulenburg: “Shall be

milable on 16th, nine a.m., German Embassy. Eulenburg.”

! thereupon decided 1 0 go t o Vienna a t once. The German Kaiser is coming tw Vienna on the 17th for the funcral services

of the murdered Empress and may receive me.

662 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL This time I have neglected entering a great deal about yh,

Congress. Nordau was charming, amicable, and intelligent. He hag re.

onciled himself

to

playing second fiddle, and because of

thj

shone all the more. This time, too, he was fully a Zionist, while the first time he had not used the word and the idea as though they were part of him. Last year he only gave a report on Zion ism.

H e was opposed t o suppressing the financial report. He said it was praiseworthy to admit that we were weak and had only an

army of beggars and fools. I would risk making myself suspect if an accounting of the money were not given. 1 stubbornly stuck to my view. At length he said that he was standing by the shore, watching me fight the waves i n the middle of the nver. (True!) | was swimming well and vigorously. But i f he saw me i n danger, he would jump in after me and pull me out. September 16, Vienna

This moming, with Eulenburg. When | arrived a t the Embassy Palace, the Count has just been summoned t o the Emperor a t Schiinbrunn, because i t was reported that the Prince Regent of Bavaria had had a stroke.

I had t o wait for an hour, together with Hechler, who had received permission from Fulenburg t o convert a small salon into a Palestine museum for the benefit o f the Kaiser, who ar rives tomorrow. W h i l e mounting his charts, Hechler started

perspiring and finally threw off his coat. H e went on working in

his shirt sleeves. At last everything was arranged: temple models. maps, plaster casts of ancient relics, etc. About half past ten the Count returned, apologized, and after inspecting Hechler’s curiosities, he launched i n t o an amiable cor versation.

He is a wall, elegant man, on life's downward slope. Somewher around 55, but h e still seems 10 have a future. Imperi al Chancel:

lor, perhaps?

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL 663

He gives the impression of complete self-possession. You have 5 man before you who is locked tight like an iron safe. He looks you full in the face, and yet there is nothing t o be read i n his

cold, blue eyes, i n his wrinkled face with its grey, pointed beard. suddenly the iron safe opens, although he has not moved a mus de. The change lies only i n the expression of his hard, blue eyes, which can become soft. And o n bidding me farewell, while a

moment before he had given me a full and friendly look, he suddenly locked himself u p again. He opened the conversation by expressing t w o misgivings: the soil in Palestine was lacking i n humus, and the Turks would view the immigration of t w o million people with disfavor, inFor the Sultan—he gave me a deep look—was downright criminal with fright He spoke a t some length and with assurance, although he evi-

dently is not yet acquainted with the project. Then I took the floor and said all the things I have already nid so often, i n T h e Jewish State, T h e Basel Congress, etc. They

were new t o him and visibly fascinated him. He asked what | actually wanted the Kaiser t o do a t Constantinople; did | want him t o tell the Sultan t o give us the land and autonomy?

No, | maid, the Kaiser should only put i n a word recommending that the Sultan enter into negotiations with us. After all, the matter

was very complicated. We were not really interested in

geiing permission t o immigrate. \WWe would take the country

only on the basis of autonomy. The blue eyes repeatedly deepened as 1 spoke. He beame perceptibly warmer. He had promised me a t the outset that he would try t o persuade the Kaiser t o receive me i n Fast Prussia, where he was going on 2 hunting panty, for he was t o accompany the Kaiser there.

It was unlikely that the Kaiser would receive me tomorrow in

Vienna, for

h e would arrive at one o'clock a n d leave again at

nine in the evening. D u r i n g those few hours he would have a

664 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL great deal of excitement, and h e also had t o confer with Biilow,

with the Imperial Chancellor, and with others. | thereupon mad, the suggestion that perhaps I could go along on the Kaiser's |p. ial train and make my presentation t o h i m en route. Eulenburg thought i t over and said h e intended to bring i t up tomorrow,

i f the opportunit y arose.

B u t I think I made the strongest impression o n h i m when| said: ‘Our movement exists; 1 expect that one o r another of the

Powers will espouse it. Originally I had thought that it would be England. I t lay i n the nature of things. But i t would be even more welcome t o me i f i t were Germany. T h e Jews of oday are

predominantly German i n culture. 1 am n o t saying this because I am a t the German Embassy nght now, b u t because it is true. Proof: the official language of the t w o Basel Congresses.”

The mention of England, i n which I have been mistaken thus far (but which might still come through after all), was the coup final [clincher]. All of a sudden he declared that he would welcome my speak

ing with Biilow

tomorrow.

The latter was coming down from

the Semmering; he would n o t be attending the funeral services and might be able t o see me.

I put myself a t his disposal, saying that 1 would be waiting a the Welt tomorrow morning from ten o'clock on. When I was a t the door, the blue eyes again closed down lke iron, with the lids still open. I held the outer, h e the inner, door-handle as 1 went out. When

I pulled i t shut somewhat slowly, I felt a stronger counterpres

sure from inside the room. I n the afternoon the Actions Committee m e t a t my home. | gave them a report. The t w o Marmorecks greeted my success enthusiastically, Dr. Kahn was curious, Schnirer and Kokesch took i t almost as a matte r of course.

Once a poor stock-exchange galopin [errand boy] suddenly

made 50,000 guilders. During the first hour he nearly went craly

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR HERZL 665 with joY- B y the seco nd h e said:

“50,000 guild ers! Hasst 4

Tusc h

As a reward for his past management,® Hechler gets his travcling expenses

(0

Palestine—1000 guilders, t o start with.

He is such a good old soul, modest and humble. He did not even ask for it. I t does my heart good t o make the old man’s seaet

wish come true. September 18, Ischl

Yesterday was a noteworthy day, one that might have become a day of destiny for the movement. Would the Kaiser receive me?

1 slept late, wasn't a bit nervous, and didn’t arrive a t the office of the Welt until the stroke of ten, having come from my home in the “Cottage” section. They had already phoned from the German Embassy that 1 was t o come there a t eleven. At eleven o'clock 1 drove up. The doorman told me Count E u l e n b uwas r g not in. | replied that | wished to see Herr von Bilow, which surprised the lackey. O n the staircase a foouman met me: “His Excellency is expecting you.”

Bilow received me in his living quarters, with trunks open— be had just arrived. H e greeted me with captivating kindness, a y n ghe had read many of my writings, was happy t o make my aquaintance, etc.

At this 1 grew weak. 1 had confronted Eulenburg, who bad received me coolly, with resoluteness, and my words had been

ron-like and clear. In Bilow's presence | unfortunately became 2 vain writer and strove harder t o make polished mots [phrases] than to talk seriously to the point. This was simply a fit of weakBem caused by

his ingratiating behavior. After the conversation

I'had the delayed reaction d’avoir été bercé e t beenproperly taken in).

roulé

(that I had

doesn’t give the impression of being a Prussian, but of

*In English in the original.

666 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR HERj| something l i k e a North German Austrian: smooth, obliging, at times almost s w e e t , more vieux jeu [the o l d style] of diplo than the new iron k i n d of Bismarck’s era. H e is a l l and slim, by n o t stiff; a friendly face w i t h rather gentle eyes and a smy)

blond-grey moustache, otherwise clean-shaven: the bearing of an o l d lieutenant w h o resigned h i s commission carly because his gaiters bored h i m . Evidently has artistic leanings, too. (Eulen.

burg had mentioned the day before yesterday t h a t he had, From this i t may be concluded what a brilliant wind blow from the summit. The Prussian c o u r t appears t o be more con

cerned with art than people suppose. Our conversation unfortunately was more of a chat than a tightly organized political conversation. I t also jumped from one thing t o another; the anti-Socialist aspect of Zionism was gone into in the greatest detail—"flirted with” would be more correct; on the other hand, little was said about the Orientalcolonial and political aspects.

Billow was already informed about the Second Congress, and he asked why the N . Fr. Pr. had kept silent and the Frankfurter

Zeitung had written in such an unfriendly

tone. |

explained that

i t was due t o the fear on the part of the Jewish:-liberal papen

that the anti-Semites would question their patriotism. I t was regrettable, 1 added, that o u r movement was actually becoming known only through jokes and caricatures; but if one

had strong enough nerves, this too was a good way, after all, to popularize the idea. H e nodded with a smile. I then expounded my theory about draining off the surplus

Jewish masses. He agreed with me that through this immigration the lot and the situation o f the remaining Jews would improve. There were also plenty o f Jews whose departure would certainly not be welcomed. But they would remain i n any case. In fact, he did not believe that 1 would get many adherents from Central and Western Germany t o come along: o n l y from the Fast, and perhaps also those who felt the tightest economic squecic and who would then be led by a few idealist s.

THE COM PLE TE He, too,

DIA RIE S OF THE ODO R HER ZL 667 confirmed what Eulenburg had already told me: that

the Kaiser was b y n o means a n anti-Se mite, which he was decried

as being. H e was merely against the destructive Jews.

This brought us t o Socialism. I made my position clear—that it was folly on the part of Jews t o join the Socialist movement, which would soon rid iuelf of them. Then, 100, Jews were not

Socialists a t heart. I mentioned something that I had recently read: Pre-Mosaic Egypt was a Socialist state. Through the DecaMoses created an individualistic form of society. And the Jews, | said, are and w i l l remain individualist.

He liked that,

too.

He quoted Heine, who had walked about

“egalitarian louts.” ® The Jews, said Biilow, would never put up with that equality stuff. He had once discussed the Socialist state of the future with a Socialist leader.

It

would be like a field of

poppies in which every taller flower would be beheaded. Such a state would be boring and devoid of talent, too. Was a l l this courtesy t o a visitor, o r honestly meant? Both

Eulenburg and Billow expressed themselves about the Jews in such a way that i f their words were made public they would get the reputation of being the most extreme philo-Semites.

Quite a few details of this conversation, which flitted about resticwly, have already escaped me. When | quoted Biilow the Grand Duke's words about his being considered the most qualified person t o make an unobjectionable presentation of such a dificult and delicate subject as Zionism, he bowed and was quite touched: and a t that moment he was the weaker of us two.

But presently he regained the upper hand when he said: “ I f only we were that far along, the key-word of the situation would

be found. Whether you or | or another, wiser man says it makes no difference. As | see it, the main difficulty lies in managing t o give the Sultan that advice 1 0 enter into negutiations with you. I t

would surely make a big impression on him if the Kaiser were 0 give him such advice. B u t we would have to see to i t that others do not find out about i t , otherwise the entire combination

may be upset.” * Tramslstor's Note: Heine called America the land of the Glrichheitsfirgel

668 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL I gathered that he was not i n favor o f m y being received by the Kaiser either i n Vienna o r o n the train. H e didn’t come

right

out

with it, but I sensed it, despite his geniality. Had |

been too talkative and given h i m the impression that I couldn't keep m y mouth shut? O r are their intentions toward us already

so serious that they have t o carry shall not find o u t until later.

out

this plan with caution? |

With regard to the Socialist aspect of the question, a t any rate, we saw eye t o eye. H e was impressed when I mentioned the fact that a t the University of Vienna we have taken students away from Socialism. Some might believe they will set u p the Socialist state of the future “over there’; but that was n o t m y view. We

might be able

to

arrange some matters better than i n our old

society, b u t o n the whole, things would probably have t o remain

much the same. I f I thought otherwise, 1 would really be a Utopian.

Again he had his charming smile: “Yes, i t would then be the polis [city-state] of Plato!” We had chatted for about three-quarters of an hour. A servant entered and put something in order. At this Biilow suddenly asked me t o excuse him: he had 1 0 go t o the station t o meet the Kaiser. And before 1 had had a chance t o unfold the entire matter, our conversation came t o an abrupt end. H e dismissed me with

the utmost amiability. I managed t o give him Erter’s article from issue No. 37 of the Welt and told him that according t o this article there was even less of a legal case for the French claims to the Orient than for claims which might be made by others.

H e quite shared this view and promised t o read the article

Finally, I begged him

t o introduce me t o the Kaiser, if possible, even though i t were only in the train o n the return journey. | should be pleased t o hold myself a t his disposal i n somc baggage:

car. Again he nodded. He never says no—nor yes cither. Then 1 left, and knew even on the stairs that nothing was go ing t o come of it—either because I had committed some blunder, or because he does not consider it expedient.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

669

immediately summoned m y good Hechler, 3 0 as to salvage whatever could be salvaged from the situation. Hechler then waited in the doorkeeper’s quarters a t the Embassy during the entire dinner (which followed the funeral of |

the Empress). He sent his card 1 0 Count Eulenburg, saying he was below stairs and a t his command. But no call was sent t o him. | myself waited a t the Welt for a call, from five o'clock on. I put a crape band around m y hat and bought black gloves, so as

w appear a t the station in the proper court attire. I t got t o be eight o'clock—half past eight—a quarter t o nine. Then Hechler alled me on the phone. The Kaiser had just left with Eulenburg for the station—without remembering me. I was rather disconcerted and drove t o the Westbahn terminal in order t o take the train t o Ischl. Hechler accompanied me. We agreed on what he should say t o Fulenburg today. 1 planned wo write Eulenburg from Unterach. At Ischl | received a wire from Colonel Eis, saying that the German Embassy had telephoned to ask whether 1 was still i n Vienna. He had replied: No. Should he all me back from Ischl? Unnecessary, they said; the message would be put in writing. Does that mean that all is n o t lost yet? At any rate, | have the promises of Eulenburg and Biilow that the German government intends t o assist us in Constantinople. Vederemo [ W e shall see)! September When |

21,

on the train

left Unterach last

Eulenburg. Therefore 1 must

at

the Lake of Zurich

night, no word had come from

assume that I evaluated the situa-

ton correctly after my conversation with Balow. | shall not be able to see the Kaiser. To make one last attempt, I plan t o write the following letter

o Eulenburg from Paris: Your Excellency: My devoted thanks for listening t o me in Vienna, promising

670 T H E COMPLETE D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HERZL m e your help, and giving m e the opportunity o f speaking with

Herr von Biilow. Unfortunately the conversation with the latter remained incomplete, since His Excellency had t o leave for the

station t o meet H i s Imperial Majesty. O u r discussion had not progressed beyond those points w h i c h w o u l d indicate that our movement

can fight and weaken the revolutionary parties.

Originally I had believed that this alone w o u l d gain us the

exalted protection of His Majesty. But according t o the remarks of His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Baden | may assume that the further course of our

movement

in the Orient, if we

should succeed i n initiating an organized exodus of the prole. tarians t o be settled, would engage the interest of German pol icy. Actually i t is an element of German culture that would come t o the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean with the Jews. I beg Your Excellency not t o interpret i t as immodesty on my part i f 1 once more present my request for an audience with H . M . I t is of the greatest timeliness. 1 d o not wish t o reproach myself later with n o t having appreciated this important moment. One word from the Kaiser can have the greatest consequences

for the shaping of things in the Orient. I should particularly like t o direct the attention of His Majesty t o some things which | have already briefly indicated t o Your Excellency: 1.

The relief for the internal situation of the different coun tries i f those parts of the Jewish population that are considered superfluous are diverted. A t present they are supply-

ing the revolutionary parties with leaders and lieutenants. 2. I n the natural course o f things cach country would relinquish only as many Jews as i t can spare. I n each country,

the drainage would come t o a standstill along with anuSemitism itself. For the stimulus t o emigrate, which, as i t 1s, 18 lacking or only slight i n the upper economic strata, would then be elimin ated.

3. For Turkey, the influx of an intelligent, economically energetic national clement w o u l d mean a n unmistakable

strengthening. Therefore, the advice which the Kaiser would

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL 671

give t o the Sultan would be the advice of a friend. The latter should enter into negotiations with the Zionists, which

would for the time being involve no obligation and be kept completely secret.

Turkey would have direct benefits (a large payment of money on our part, and possibly a further improvement of her finances) as well as indirect benefits, through the

general increase in commerce.

4. The return of even the semi-Asiatic Jews under the leadership of thoroughly modern persons m u s t undoubtedly mean the restoration t o health of this neglected comer of the Orient. Civilization and order would be brought there. Thus the migration of the Jews would eventually be an effective protection of the Christians in the Orient. 5. The needs of all of non-Russian Europe call for the creation of a direct Southern route t o Asia: that is, a railroad from the Mediterranean t o the Persian Gulf. The Jews could and must build this great road of the nations, which, if undertaken differently, might call forth the most serious rivalri For all these reasons |

venture t o

ask for a hearing from His

Majesty, even before his departure for Constantinople. In the internal situation of France 1 now find a peculiar, completely unexpected corroboration of my arguments. | lived there for four y e a rand s am somewhat acquainted with the country. Nevertheless, this time | am quite taken aback by the increase of disorganization i n a short time. Thus France must acquiesce 10 every fait accompli which does not irritate it almost t o the point of insensibility.

What | am saying here quite plainly and seriously will, I s the Kaiser through the kindhope, find its way t o the g e n i uof hes of Your Excellency.

The journey t o the Holy Land is now grandly conceived as a Pgrimage on the part of His Majesty. But i t can turn out t o ‘more; i t can attain t o the signficance of a

historic turing:

Pont in the Orient, i f the return of the Jews is initiated.

672 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

And precisely this greater end would remain concealed for a while. I t is the same as i n the mountains, where a water-shed is not immediately noticed cither. B u t then the waters flow differ.

ently .

Commending the cause which I represent in all humility

to

Your Excellency’s benevolence, I remain, with deepest respect, Yours faithfully, Dr. Theodor Herzl. With i t , a second sheet:

Since a letter addressed t o Your Excellency might attract the attention of the local post office, | am arranging for i t t o be

mailed in Cologne. My address, until September 29, inclusive, will be: Hotel Castille, rue Cambon, Paris; then, until October 1:

Doelen Hotel, Amsterdam; from October

2

u n t i l (October sg,

inclusive: Burlington Hotel, Cork Street, Piccadilly, London, W. Then, Vienna again. A message will probably reach me most inconspicuously through the German Legation i n the cities concerned. 1 would be very happy i f 1 received orders t o travel from London t o His Majesty. However, i t goes without saying that | a m available earlier, o r later, at any place whatever.

September 24, Pans

I am writing the letter to Eulenburg

at

the Hotel Castille, in

the same room and a t the same table where I wrote T h e Jewish

State. Day before yesterday I was a t Nordau's, yesterday Kahn's. Just alk.

at

Zadoc

September 29, o n the train t o H o l l a n d

Obviously there is n o helping the French Jews. They make a

fire with their beds. They seek protection from the Socialists and the destroyers of the present civil order.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODOR HERZL 678 7adoc was of good cheer, because i t n o longer involves Dreyfus, but Zola, a n d Picquart .

The Hague, September so The French Jews are absolutely unavailable to us. Truly, they are pot Jews any more. T o b e sure, they are n o Frenchmen cither. They will probably become the leaders of European anarchism.

I also had a farewell conversation with Nordau. H e said he was

unable t o put himself a t the disposal of the movement t o the extent he would like to. H e would jeopardize his position with the Vossische Zeitung and his livelihood. Unfortunately It is

2a crying

true.

shame that we cannot support a propagandistic

talent like his. Nordau views my achievements with the Grand Duke and Blow with skepticism. He thinks nothing a t all of Bilow's obligingattitude. He feels that Biilow only wanted t o have a chat with an interesting man who has recently been in the news.

Nordau showed me a letter from Gaster imploring him t o come

along to London, since I simply would not be dissuaded. and Gaster, who ~ Strange behavior on the p a r to f Bentwich

Wvited me in Basel to come to London a t the beginning of October and now are against it. have only one explanation for Gaster’s letter: he wants t o cushion my appearance with that of Nordau. The rally shall not be held for one man. T w o men are lem than one, thinks Gaster, Who seems 10 be concerned about supremacy.® |

However, Nordau doesn't feel like playing a supporting role, 20d he isn't going t o London.

Ia Lagliehin the original

674 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL T h e Hague, September 3 0

Traveled again through the fragrant Dutch countryside. But not

as I once did. I n 1885 1 was a callow dreamer who saw only

the surface of things. Today the country has a different message for me. I see a city suddenly rising from the plain, without mountain, river, or sca—without motive, so t o speak. This is T h e Hague.

A proof that will-power makes cities rise. I f I point my finger a t a spot, and say: here shall be a city—a city will come into being there.

All Holland is a proof of what men can extract from the most

unfavorable soil. A young man in love sees his beloved under every woman's hat. In the same way, t o me everything is now an allusion t o , and a memory of, my idea. T h e Hague, October

1

Yesterday Kann, whom | came here to see about the Bank,

took me t o the painter Israels. A short, agile, smart old little Jew. He is just painting David playing the harp before Saul. | explained Zionism t o him and recruited him. He thought the idea beautiful.

October

2,

6 o'clock in the moming

What happened yesterday 1 shall record en route.

I am now writing t o Eulenburg: Your Excellency:

Please accept my humblest thanks for your very kind letter and all that i t contained. I shall leave London o n Wednesday cvening and go directly to

Berlin; I shall report

to

Your Excellency immediately upon

my arrival, since I can stay i n Berlin only till Friday evening.

My Berlin address is Palast Hotel, Potsdamer Plau. With deepest gratitude and respect, 1 remain Your Excellency’s h u m b l e servant,

Dr. Th. H .

THE COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODOR HERZL 675 October 2 , on the steamer between Flushing and Queensborough Yesterday the following took place. I n the moming I went with Kann from T h e Hague t o Amsterdam where 1 had directed my mail. I did not expect, o r only vaguement [vaguely], that

Eulenburg would answer me. At the Doelen Hotel 1 was told that a gentleman had come there, looking for me, t w o days ago. Since 1 had written to n o

one but Eulenburg and my family that I would be staying a t the Doclen Hotel in Amsterdam, | immediately guessed some-

thing. The surmise became a certainty when | received Eulenburg’s note, the coda t o his long letter. 1 immediately drove t o the German Consulate, where 1 was received without the morgue officielle [official arrogance]. T h e secrctary told me that 1 had

been expected since yesterday. However, could | prove my identty? “Because that could cost us our necks.” I established my identity in more of a psychological than a documentary fashion, since | had no papers of any kind on me. My p a s s p owas r t at

The Hague. I persuaded them of my identity. The Vice-Consul was even more amiable when he handed me Eulenburg's letter.

I read the letter in the carriage, and a t first was almost dazed by it. The colossal achievement which i t represented a t first had an unpleasant effect on me. | saw a t once the grave consequences which this can have for me a t the N . Fr. Pr. If, after the expiration of my leave, I go t o Palestine instead of reporting for duty u the office, this could quite simply cost me my job. On the

other hand, I

cannot

disregard the Kaiser's wish, which really is

command. Eulenburg

writes that the Kaiser would be disappointed if he did not see me i n Jerusalem. So there is no hesitatIng. C'est Pengrennage [I'm caught in the toils). I cannot do otherwise, | must put even my position a t stake. Wolffsohn was waiting for m e at T h e Hague. I did not im2

mediately tell him and Kann what was i n the letter. Jétais litralement bouleversé 1 was literally bowled over]. 1 rode my

676 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL bicycle, alone, t o Scheveningen, relaxed through the physical exercise and the view o f the beautiful evening sea. A sunset i n reddened clouds, some cloud-drama o f u n k n o w n melody and plot which was taking place between the lustreless sky and the

shimmering sea, in bloody catastrophes, unintelligible but grip ing.

’ During the day I had seen many other beautiful things. The brownish-green, softly fragrant landscape between The Hague and Amsterdam. T h e deep green o f the shrubs, the brown, oily,

sluggish canals, the wandering wings of the wind-mills—a whole enchanting world of muted color. I n Amsterdam, the exhibition of the collected Rembrandts, including “ T h e Night Watch,” which was well hung this time and glowed with color. Also paintings by Maris, who is strangely reminiscent of Corot and Lher-

mitte. The prettiest picture, however, i n the Jewish Quarter. Three Jewish children, a tiny boy between t w o little boys, went staggering arm in arm along the side-walk, pretending they were tipsy, and humming the Dutch national anthem. I t was Saturday, the shops were closed, the Jews i n their shabbes dress; and | said to Kann: T e n years from now, the children i n the Jodenbreetstraat and in all the Jewish quarters of the world m u s t be singing the Zionist anthem. Not until later i n the evening, after dinner, d i d I let Wolffsohn

and Kann know the contents of the Eulenburg letter. Fint | asked Kann how devoted he was t o the cause; and when he avowed his complete devotion, 1 made both of them give me their word o f honor and their hands, and read them the letter.

Since it mentioned a deputation, 1 was justified in informing the t w o men I intend t o take along. They were both astounded. We had been speaking of bank matters. 1 said t o them: I must now establish the Bank under any circumstances. Kann said he could participate only i f i t was something solid. I replied that of course I preferred a good, solid bank, honorably conducted by reliable people. B u t I should have t o deal with the other sort too. I t is like a bridge. I come roaring along w i t h

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F THEODOR HERZL 677 3 locomotive and cars. There is a stream | have t o cross. I f there is a good bridge—so much the better. But 1 would get across even if the bridge was bad. They should help me t o build a good, solid bridge. Kann, who was wavering a bit, scemed t o have been stiffened this. en I went t o bed and slept on the matter; and when I awoke at five in the morning, | knew as usual what I h a dto do. | sent Eulenburg the above letter not i n the form o f a letter, but as a telegram t o Wolfisohn’s partner Bernstein in Cologne,

and he is t o re-telegraph it. dissuade Eulenburg from having the Kaiser receive m e i n Jerusalem. Instead, h e should receive m e privately in Berlin. This is my view today, though i t may be susceptible of clarification and i n need of i t . By Wednesday, however, | shall perhaps have considered the matter, surveyed i t from other angles, and may recognize the trip t o Palestine as a neces sity. In Berlin 1 shall try

to

As of today the matter still seems premature. Sall, i t will serve 0

hasten the completion of the Bank. How swiftly we shall go ahead from now on is really incal-

culable. Too bad that | am a wage slave of the N . Fr. Pr. Everything w o ube l ddifferent if the tramps with whom | h a v seo often struggled for my existence were different. What obscure, indescribable battles 1 have had t o fight over every little step | took will never be suspected or appreciated by the ungrateful Jews, who will show enmity toward me soon after Success has come.

One effect of the letter from Rominten is that tomorrow

eve-

ning in the East End I shall speak more moderately, because un-

fortunately the panicipation of

cmry after all. |

the moneyed Jews will be nec-

wa planning to lash out at them.

678

T H E C O M P L E T E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL Octob er 3 , Londo n

While crossing the magnificent sea, I discussed many things with Wolffsohn on deck. H e feels that 1 may be of even greater value t o the N . Fr. Pr. after Palestine. After sleeping on i t once more, 1 myself now incline t o the

view that maybe the trip won't break my neck after all. Last night here I received a telegram from Hechler, t o whom the Grand Duke had given a detailed telegraphic account of the Imperial matters already known t o me. This moming I received a telegram directly from the Grand Duke, saying that he had sent me important news® t o Vienna. I am answering h i m : I most humbly thank Your Royal High. ness for the great favor. 1 shall be there in good time.

Very respectfully yours, Herzl. Tonight is the mass-meeting® in the East End. I slept badly, have heart palpitations of a disagreeable kind; and since I have

prepared no speech, 1 am worried that 1 may be a u dessous de tout [at the bottom o f the pile].

October 8, 6:45 i n the evening I n the afternoon, va et vient [coming and going] a t the Bur-

lington Hotel. Candidates for the directorship of the Bank presented themselves.—The majority of the “Bank Committee” is

opposed t o its immediate establishment. Bentwich retires,® as Col. Goldsmid retired when there was supposed t o be some

acuon.

I a m insisting o n i t : the Bank must b e created now. T h e expenses of registering and establishing i t w i l l b e borne b y Wolff-

sohn, Kann, and myse lf. — ®

I n English in the original.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODOR HERZL 679 Between times I had Sidney Whitman introduce me

to

the

Bishop of London at t h e Athenaeum C l u b . N o w I a m supposed 10 leave for the East End and make a speech before 8000 people, and in the excitement of the last few weeks | have had no time

am not a t

all well today. Palpitations, shortness of breath. And so I go on riding across Lake Constance.® [

October 4 , moming Yesterday's mass meeting®® in the East End was attended by ten

thousand people. My speech (in German) got much applause, but was oratorical only de chic [for style], and

not

good. Today

know some things 1 should have said. Mots [words] that would have had wings, etc. The usual thing. Very picturesque among my supporters®® was the Catholic Father Ignatius. I n his black pleated monastic habit, with his |

medieval evangelist’'s pulpit gestures, his beautiful, clear profile,

his spirited speech, he was a joy

to

listen

to

and

to

look

at. |

admired him like a show-piece, while he praised me as i f he were

alking about someone else. The enthusiasm that

|

inspire leaves

me quite cold.

Finally, a certain Herman Landau, an ugly Mauschel, came forward t o avenge his friend Montagu, w h o m | had attacked. He brought a jarring note into the meeting, and after the floor had been taken away from him, he screamed that we were trying t o ake money from poor people i n order t o start our Bank.

Then the banker Seligmann, who had recently stabbed us in the back, asked 1 0 be introduced t o me, and made a sweet-andsour face. I leh on foot with Sidney Whitman. But we had t o take a

mage after all, when the crowd of our followers o n the main flrect

grew too big.

Dey pr edator's Note: An allusion to the ballad, besed on an old Swabianlegend,

Cory Schualy r e amen Layo

cdmsee, aloo haown as Dev Reiter Gbev den Bodomiee, by

1798-1840).

A

Peril be has rua, he drops dead

** la

(raveier

om horweback unwittingly rides acom

Constance. When he reaches the other shore miely and is told of the

Laglish i a the orieinal

680 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES OF THEODOR HERZL October 5 , in the morning, London A t the Burlington Hotel i t is l i k e a t a bank. B i g conversations i n our drawing room. Cohen o f H a m b u r g 1s o n the side of the Englishmen who don’t want to establish the bank r i g h t now, b u

first a transitional corporation. Wolftsohn and Kann-The Hague, m y confidants, w a n t t o go ahead immediately. Still, yesterday morning I inclined toward the view taken by t i m i d Cohen, an amiable, cautious adviser. B u t Cohen made the mistake of taking me to the banker Rafaels. Rafaels, who seems t o be a blockhead,

knew nothing whatever of our movement. And Cohen asked him for advice. This turned me against Cohen and brought me back to the immediate establishment of the Bank. W e went t o see the Solicitor of the Bank of England, i n order t o ask his legal advice. H e said we could found the Bank with seven shares. We have 200,000.

Book Six Begun in

London

October

5. 1898

October g, Lond on

Last night the Bank project took a remarkable t u m . We had called a meeting of the Colonization Committee

at

the Burlington Hotel for yesterday evening. Gaster, Bentwich, de Haas, Greenberg, and Seligmann the banker were to attend.

Others who were there were Kellner, Wolffsohn, Cohn, Kann,

and Heymann. | treated Seligmann very coolly, hardly spoke t o him—and the reason for this was the perfidious letter opposing the Bank which he had published in the Jewish Chronicle. Gaster opened the discussion with petty details of the Coloniation Committee. 1 let them walk. When they were discussing the question of how t o pay the secretary of the committee and talking about the shilling difficulties, Seligmann took the floor. He said he wished 0 tell us from where we could get the funds. Instead of the Bank we ought t o found a Jewish Colonisation Society.® I t would be possible t o win the good will of the “big” bankers for such a society. H e was speaking unofficially, to be sure, but he thought that such a society would easily raise not two,

but five, million pounds. He intended t o discuss this with

Montagu and others. Our Bank would lead t o catastrophes, é la Union Générale , etc.

immediately sensed the victory that lay i n this proposal, and answered him, holding up t o him the entire list of sins against our movement committed by the bankers, argued d o w n his misgivings about the Bank, and threatened him with war and boycott if the big bankers came out i n opposition t o our Bank. |

He laughed o u t loud. But his laughter was too loud t o be only

mockery. There was also fright in it. Then | told him that | was ready t o drop the Bank project if the land society® he had suggested came into being. I gave him 3

Berlin address for a reply within t w o days. I said, however, that * Ia Raglish in the original. “ns

684 T H E C O M P L E T E D I A R I E S O F T H E O D O R HERZL we would go ahead working for the Bank, because I had no cop. fidence i n the good will o f the b i g bankers. A n d the matter could

no longer be carried on i n dilat ory fashion. October 6 , o n t h e t r a i n t o B e r l i n

for T o me this incident is only one more proof of the necessity the Bank. I f i t instils fear in the big bankers even before its establishment, i t w i l l accomplish a l l the more tremendous thingy

once i t exists.

conversed with a fellow passenger, the London Zionist and tobacco-dealer Mayer, about the soil outlook i n Palestine. H e has been there, has set up t o bacco plantations, and finds the land first-rate. Between Dortmund and Hanover

|

What under the sun am I not going through i n this movement! A noteworthy thing was the English promoter® scenes in the Burlington Hotel. The would-be directors that applied, all the comings and goings of the visitors. The worried dissuader Cohen from Hamburg, the sly little South African Heyman, who doesn’t know yet whether there will be a profit for him in it, and if 30, how much. Because of this attitude of his Heymann will have t o be jettisoned a t the n e x t opportunity. I n contrast, Wolffsohn, and next t o h i m young Kann from

been excellent, steadfast, loyal, a d r o i t . For this both of them shall be made great. Also, the scenes with the English Solicitor Freskville, in ap pearance like the fine picture of an old man i n a castle,® and many other things were very curious. the Hague, have

The impressions pass by ° ®

In E n g l i sinhthe original.

too

fast. °

°

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

685

O n the crossing from Dover t o Ostend 1 spoke with Wolffsohn

about how obvious and easy the founding of this Bank, which is

costing us so many sacrifices, will be considered later. We three, Wolfisohn, Kann, and I , are advancing the founding costs.

pow

have subscribed t o the largest number of shares (2000), also the number i n proportion t o m y means, although the project certainly will not and must not yield me any profit. And we are being abused by scoundrels é¢ la Herman Landau |

on orders from other scoundrels like Montagu and Rabbi Adler.

Tomorrow | plan

to

write the following

to

the Grand Duke:

Your Royal Highness: Even before 1 am acquainted with the full scope of things in the offing, | feel impelled t o repeat t o Your Royal Highness, even though only in brief summary, my most respectful thanks which |

have already taken the liberty of telegraphing from London.

I

cannot

begin t o express what comfort and reassurance | de-

rive in the sometimes very bitter hours of the work | have started

from the thought that the kindly hand of Your Royal Highness helpfully hovers over our work. T h e name of the Grand Duke

Friedrich of Baden, which is venerated and loved by the German people, will be blessed by other millions as well when the time

comes when one is allowed t o say who was the iri prince who took an interest in the deliverance of the poor Jews.

Today | shall call on Ambassador Count Eulenburg in this aty, and | hope t o learn from h i m the arrangements with which Your Royal Highness is already acquainted i n any case. I t goes without saying that I shall be i n Palestine in time.

Berlin, October 7 This draft was not

sent

off, because 1 learned from Eulenburg

today that theGrand Duke was coming here. |

am wiring him as follows:

686 T H E CO M PL ET E DI AR IE S OF THEO DOR Hepp; T o His Roy al Highness, Gra nd Du ke Frie dric h of Baden, N e w Palais, Potsdam.

I hav e learned from Cou nt Fule nbu rg, on w Lie ben ber g, tha t Yo ur Ro yal Hig hness co mi ng ney o c t

reason 1 am staying here one day longer. Thi s very day I was going t o send off 3 lette r with mY mog respectful thanks for all the favor I have experienc ed from Yogr Roy al Highness. As a precaution 1 preferre d not to write frog

abroad. —Now | would be very happy if 1 were accordedi privi lege o f bein g received by Your Royal Highn ess morrow, in order t o request your exalted, kindly counsel ar this pry turn in affairs. Your Royal Highness’ respectful servant,

Dr. Theodor Hen Palast Hotel. Berlin, October ;

O n arriving here last night

|

was disappointed at not finda

hn the expected message from Eulenburg. | considered asking by telegram whether or

not |

cided simply t o wire him that |

| de should come 10 Licbenberg.

a ythebr was coming out t o d by

i l e frm a letter And it was good that | did. For m e a n w h express. him was on the way, telling me to expect him here at the sao® or in my hotel. The latter obviously a mere gesture of policacs However, 1 preferred t o talk with him out there, if only beams that way I learned i n good time of the Grand Duke's amval y I almost missed the train this morning. The hotel PX = forgotten to call me. So, after waking up, | lay 10 i g s

" o h Eig time and, as usual, planned cverything on was not yet seven o'clock. Finally I looked at my The train was due t o leave the Stettiner terminal a C 0 I jumped up, and in fifteen minutes 1 was ready he driver 4 wa%

fasted and was rushing to the station. | promised

T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL 687

ble fare. Luckily I still made the train. A lovely a u t u m n morning

enveloped the Mark which is by no means such a sandy desert as people say i t is. So we t o o shall convert the sandy deserts of our country into a beautifu l Mark. At Lowenberg the Count’s dog-cart was waiting for me. The coachman surveyed me haughtily when | asked whether he was

waiting for a Dr. Herzl. H e had been told only: a tall gentleman

with a black beard. | am probably the first Jew he has ever driven.

Nevertheless |

managed t o draw the suff youth i n t an almost

friendly conversauon. A refrain from one of Spielhagen’s novels kept running through my head: “Hinnch Scheel drove the

horses.” For here I was right in the midst of Spiclhagen’s world, the landed gentry, who had been spoken of i n the circle in which I used t o live, among scoffing Jewish liberals, with nothing but hatred, fear, and derision. T h e noteworthy thing about the epis o dise that | am by no means coming to them as a submissively

fawning asimilationist, but as an upstanding Jew. This Hinrich Scheel had probably never driven a jew before. When

|

asked

him about distances, from Potsdam, cic., he explained them me by the time i t takes the Dragoons and the Yellow Uhlans

to

to

cover the ground. Hinrich Scheel—who, incidenually, is going to Vienna as the Count’s coachman—thinks i n terms

of Dragoons and Yellow Uhlans. Huntsmen, 100. He said that hunting had been going on for three days now. A few of the gentlemen were sll in the castle. The Count himself would probably go t o Ber-

lin this evening. This morning a few gentlemen had gone o u t after pheasants. In the sunny fields, an occasional bird flew up; I lacked a shotgun and the skill for them. These birds have evidently been reproducing themselves from time immemorial, for the benefit of

noblemen who on fine a u t u m n days go o u t

kill them. On the fields, which are now being turned over, here and there small groups of peasants. Potato harvest. A living poem of to

the Mark. In a brief half-hour we were a t Lichenberg. A beautiful manor house, t o which a new wing is being added. 1 had no chance

688 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

really

to

look around. T w o footmen were waiting outside the

gate. One of them announced m e t o the Count. I n the hall, hunt.

ing weapons and trophies. T h e whole, grand style.®* The Coun came out at once. H e was i n h u n t i n g costume, and i t seemed 1 0

me the first thing he d i d was t o take stock of my clothes. I had carefully considered what 1 should wear, and had taken my grey frock-coat and trousers, although under different circumstances the light-colored lounge-suit w o u l d have been more appropriate. T h e light-colored suit would have been informal. However, |

certainly did not want t o give the impression that 1 considered myself a guest. | was coming o n business, a shade less habillé

[dressed up] than i f i t had been in the city—that is, grey rather than black. I believe he found me suitably dressed. H e led me into the great hall where the whole family hap pened t o be gathered: his mother, wife, daughters, sons and their tutors. I only had time t o glance quickly a t the very elegant tableau and was unable t o take i n any details. A billiard table did strike my attention, as well as a breakfast table, a few beautiful old pictures—and the autumnal park shimmered through the tall French windows of this ground-floor hall. Eulenburg briefly introduced me t o the whole party and invited me t o take a stroll with him—a bit of le tour d u propriétaire [the proprictor’s tour). But even though he permitted me a glimpse of the magnificence of his estate he nevertheless d i d so i n a grand manner, for he is i n every way a grandiose gentleman.® Naturally, as a member of a race which he considers a higher one, he feels superior t o me. B u t how can I resent i t when | consider the wretched way in

which precisely the “higher” Jews—that is, the kind he has contact with, i f any—behave toward o u r idealistic cause? Inciden-

tally, he does seem 10 acknowledge the fact with the Jew Herzl.

that one

a n associate

Since I am not forcing myself upon h i m socially, ®

I n English in the original.

and indeed

R H E R Z L 689 THE COM PLE TE DIA RIE S O F T H E O D O t o go back had made i t quite clear a t the outset that | inten ded 1st 2s soon as we had compl eted o u r busine ss, h i s

air

o f superi or-

business. ity could not shock me. W e got dow n t o To begin with, he repor ted: “ I have already w r i t t e n you every r 1s very thing of impo rtanc e, a t the Kaise r's orde r. T h e Kaise

warmly inclined toward the projec t. | succeeded i n makin g h i m

ake this attitude, or clse there would simply be no point t o i t . He has t o be greatly interested i n a matter, otherwise he soon loses sight of i t , which is unders tandab le, because such a great variety of things happen. T o be sure, I had already mentioned i t at Vienna, but there we d i d not have the proper leisure for i t . Afterwards, a t Romint en, i t was differen t. There 1 was able t o return t o the subject repeatedly, and 1 did.”

I interjected: “ I t is one of the many different remarka ble dis

pensations that we should have found an absolutely ideal advoate in Your Excellency.” He gave a gratified nod. “That is

true.

M y standing with the

Kaiser is such that | am able t o speak t o him differently from, and more than, many others. Very few people can go as far as |. There is always one point or another beyond which a man does not dare t o go; then he withdraws. | have been able t o bring the matter up again and again, and | have succeeded. Fortunately for your cause | have also been able 1 0 win over Billow, my best friend and a most outstanding statesman. By the way, the world will yet see quite extraordinary things from Blow." | remarked: “Bilow does not seem 1 0 have exerted himself vag nea. 1 bad the impresion that he was none too

The Count: “He restrained himself—which is understandable a 2 firs meeting. One is cautious, does not let oneself go immediately. However, the main thing is not what he said t o you, ot hat he said to me when I tried to persuade him. | convinced |

s p o kaefew warm words of thanks. At this Eulenburg r e-

marked, while looking a t me steadily with his steely eyes: “Per-

690 T H E COMPLE TE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL haps the moment w i l l come when | shall c l a i m favors from you.” I declared: “Hencefort h you w i l l find i n m e a devoted and

grateful man. ” H e said: “ 1 am glad that you feel that way about 1t.” I : “Your Excellency may count on me. Perhaps you w i l l permit me t o give you proof of i t a t once.” H e made a motion of refusal with his hand. “ N o , n o t right now. The occasion may arise some day, but this 1s n o t the time.” I begged h i m t o be assured of my devotion a t a l l times. I am skipping about a bit i n retelling this conversation, just as i t comes back t o me. After all, during all these talks 1 m u s t concentrate my presence of mind on bringing u p the nght things. That is why I am always weak i n reproducing them later. M y own impressions are less strong, because 1 use all my psychic energy t o make strong impressions. He said t h a t 1 should go t o Constantinople i n any case. Perhaps the conversation there would be sufficient, and 1 would not have t o go on to Palestine. I called his attention t o the fact that i t was n o t just a question

of myself, but of a deputation as well. I would n o t be able t o use residents of Palestine for the deputation, because they might get into trouble with the authorities i f they associated with a foreign sovereign over the Sultan’s head. H e said that i t was nevertheless the Kaiser's wish t o receive a

deputation of Zionists in Jerusalem. I remarked that i n any case 1 was the only one who could present the people. 1 intended t o take along a man from Cologne, one from the Hague, and one Viennese i n addition t o myself. |

did not

want t o

include any Englishmen now, for political rea-

sons. Russians might be harassed upon their return because of it. Altogether, Russia was the great problem. I t is true, 1 said, that u p to n o w o u r movement has been tolerated and o u r numerous

associations have been left in peace. But this has been so only because there has been no talk of any intercession on the part of Germany. There is no way of telling what the situation will be once the German sponsorship becomes known.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R H E R Z L

691

Eulenburg’ s comment o n this was that, i n his opinion, n o t h i n g need be feared from Russia. “The Czar’s intentions are obviously

idealistic, as evidenced by his peace proposal.” (At this, a hint of irony in his steel-like eyes.) “ I f worst comes t o worst, our Kaiser

could write him a letter and win him over t o Zionism. Since Russia has no objections t o the departure of the Jews, no obstacles will be placed i n the way of the cause.” I mentioned the extraterritorialization o f the H o l y Places, in

the well-known way.

Eulenburg seems t o anticipate difficulties only from England and France. W i t h regard t o the latter country, | was able t o give him information gratifying t o us. France was now undergoing a severe crisis. Law and order were being championed by liars. The country was too weak to take any action in the political arena.

Eulenburg further told me that the Kaiser had already got

r not quite used to the idea of a protectorate. The K a i s edid doubt that the Sultan would receive his advice favorably, since be was convinced of the Kaiser's friendship. And the Kaiser had also said that he could justify his espousal of the Jewish cause t o his own people! Wonderful, wonderful! So the intervention, the protectorate, of Germany is a fait acquis [actuality]. Nor does i t detract from the colossal import of this accomplishment that Eulenburg told me a t a further t u m in the conversation: “We can only desire it. How i t works o u t

later is in God's hands. W e cannot know today whether we shall be able t o pursue the matter t o its conclusion. “Germany will not go t o war for the sake of the Zionists.” When we had set out from the manor-house, a footman came after us with a telegram. Eulenburg read it. then called t o the servant, who was standing by a t a distance, t o take the telegram 0 the castle, and put the paper on the ground for the servant t o

g hgarden into the on, t h r o uthe e wei lwalked Pick up; m e a n w h woods, and then back. After we had talked for a half-hour, | mentioned the t w o tele-

692 T H E COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL grams from the Grand Duke, especia lly the one sent t o me di-

rectly a t Lond on and ment ioning impor tant news.® “ H e wired i t en clair [openly]? asked the Count, shaking his head. “Yes, en clair. ” “ H e is coming here tomorro w, probab ly t o b i d the Kaiser fare. well. I t was i n the telegram I received just now. I am invited to luncheon. This will give me a chance t o speak t o both gentlemen about your business. After the meal; when one sits back comfort.

ably and chats.” Then I said that I would stay over for a day in order

to

thank

the Grand Duke. And we left it with the understanding that I would keep my. self a t their disposal a t the hotel tomorrow i n case 1 was summoned. A game-keeper with t w o dogs straining a t the leash came into

view. The Count had been showing signs of impatience for some time now. I declined his invitation to eat a second breakfast, which had been set o u t especially for me, on the pretext

that |

was anxious t o get back t o Berlin.

The Countess was charming on closer contact, when | said good-bye, and shook hands with me very amiably, although we had not spoken together. The Count finally instructed the coach man t o take me t o the station by a lovely roundabout r o u t e . A

waving of hats, and then Liebenberg lay behind me. Hinrich Scheel drove the horses. But this time, I think, with greater respect, for he had seen the Count stand i n the gateway u n t i l m y departure.

Hinrich Scheel was silent.

Following Eulenburg’s advice, I only left my card a t Biilow’s. Something else occurs t o me: I pointed o u t various considera: tions. Actually, I said, there were t w o forms of effectivencss. If a widely-publiciz ed demonstration is the object, then o f course ®

In English in the original.

THE COMPLETE DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL

698

a reception of the deputation would be the best thing. But if i t

is desired t o lay the actual ground -work i n secret—thus, “long-

range effectiveness,” as i t were—then i t would be better merely receive me here or i n Constantin ople. 1 was, of course, a t their disposal 1n eith er case. Eulenburg said that since a protectorate was involved , the matter could not remain concealed for very long. Therefore he thought i t best t o come right o u t with it, im-

io

mediately and demonstratively. The world would then have t o come t o terms wit h it.

Here 1 recognized the Prussian. This is the forthright grand old style. Open and above-board! This way they have accomplished everything. Berlin, October 8

The protectorate! Many will shake their heads over it. But | believe the only right course is t o accept i t gratefully, now that it has been offered. For surely no one among us has dreams of a monarchy, since | have none. T o live under the protection of this strong, great, moral, splen-

didly governed, tightly organized Germany can only have the most salutary effect on the Jewish national character. Also, a t one stroke we would obtain a completely ordered internal and external legal status. The suzerainty of the Porte and the protectorate of Germany would certainly be sufficient legal pillars. The only question is whether i t should be “and” or “or,” suzerainty and/or protectorate? We shall sce how this develops. In any case, the big-money scoundrels will no longer be able 10 b e h a as v ethey have u p 1 0 now.

l Am racking my brains over what Eulenburg could have meant by favors.” Whatever they may be, he will get them—no matter when, no matter where. no matter how. E v e r y o nwho e comes

694 T H E COMPLET E DIARIES O F T H E O D O R HERZL into contact w i t h m e shall get the opposite o f the proverbial

opini on of the Jews.

Today I am sitting i n the hotel and waiting. I t is now high noon, and I have had no sign of life whatever from either the Grand D u k e o r Eulenburg. They are now at

table i n Potsdam and m u s t be talking about me. I f my calcula. tions are correct, | am bound t o be summoned t o Potsdam this afternoon. I have laid o u t everything; black frock