Nietzschean Zionism

Nietzsche's influence on Zionist thought

German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzschean Zionism was a movement arising from the influence that the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had on Zionism and several of its influential thinkers.[1] Zionism was the movement for the attainment of freedom for the Jewish people through the establishment of a Jewish state.[2] Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy was popular among Jewish intellectuals, and therefore incorporated into Zionism relatively effortlessly.[3]

Friedrich Nietzsche's influence was expressed itself by a desire to move away from the Jewish past into an empowering future for the Hebraic New Man, the adoption of his ideas necessitating the Jews to surpass the antiquarian Jewish identity that had a rabbinical consciousness at its center.[1] The philosopher's influence on the Zionists can then be thought of as an existential revolution–that is, it focused on the renewal of the Jewish identity, the adoption of aesthetic values, and enhancing the will for life.[4] The Zionist revolution emphasized that “the new Jews," the concept of which was similar to Nietzsche's “new European man,” should choose to go to Zion or stay in Europe.[3] Theodor Herzl, “the author and the vision of the Jewish State,” viewed Zionism as the arrival of an authentic image of the Jew in a state without the idea of God or any dogmatization,[3] exhibiting a very similar format to that of Nietzsche's libertarianism or anti-dogmatism.[3]

## Figures

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### Theodor Herzl

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Zionist Leader Theodor Herzl

Theodor Herzl, founder and president of the Zionist Organization, which helped establish a Jewish state, felt ambivalent about Friedrich Nietzsche's ideology, owing to Nietzsche's history of mental health issues.[5][3]

David Ben-Gurion, under a portrait of Theodor Herzl, is proclaiming Israel's independence

Even so, Herzl's idea of the “new Jew” was profoundly similar to that of Nietzsche's “new European man” or Übermensch.[3] The character Jacob Samuel from Herzl's play Das Neue Ghetto resembles Zarathustra from Nietzsche's philosophical novel Thus Spoke Zarathustra.[3] Jacob's ideals surpass those of the herd mentality. He is proud and demonstrates no resentment, seeks to implement no values and morals, and is on a journey of overcoming his old self–Zarathustra had already displayed his ideals.[3] In Der Judenstaat, Herzl states, “If I wish to substitute a new building for an old one, I must demolish before I construct.” Nietzsche originally in On The Genealogy of Morals states, “If a temple is to be erected, a temple must be destroyed.”[3] Hence, Nietzsche's ideology on a journey toward authenticity may have heavily influenced Herzl in both his novels and personal life.[3]

Herzl refers to Plato, Arthur Schopenhauer, Immanuel Kant, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Aristotle, Ludwig Feuerbach, Franz Brentano, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling in his Jugendtagebuch.[3] Also, in his diary he quotes several Enlightenment philosophers such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Immanuel Kant.[3] Nietzsche was not mentioned in either case. Also, Nietzsche's “European man” could not be generalized to the situation of the Jews in Europe.[3] Since the Jewish population was unable to assimilate and prosper in Europe, Herzl then believed that the Jew could reach authenticity elsewhere, namely in Zion.[3] If so, his ideology does not align with Nietzsche's “European man”, as Nietzsche's purpose is to surpass values and morals, not to move elsewhere to find authenticity.[3] Even though Nietzsche may have influenced Herzl's ideals, he may have been a temporary scaffold into creating the image of genuine authenticity.[3]

### Martin Buber

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Professor Martin Buber

Martin Buber, who is claimed to be responsible for incorporating Friedrich Nietzsche into German Zionism, thought that Nietzsche portrayed the role of an individual able to create and go beyond himself.[6] This he believed to be necessary for the Jewish renaissance.[7] The two thousand years of the Jewish diaspora, Buber maintained, transformed physical energy into spiritual energy within the Jews.[4] The essential drive of the Jewish renaissance was to release the spiritual energy—something that Nietzsche wrote extensively on, believing that conserving the spirit internalizes one's instincts which are then turned against oneself.[4] Nietzsche thought the correct action to take after de-spiritualization is to advance one's aesthetic drive.[4] This, in turn, was a consequence of the Jewish renaissance.[4] In relation to Buber, he created an exhibition of contemporary Jewish art.[4] Buber's vision emphasized the notion of reconciling the Jewish people to a life of creativeness, happiness, and healthiness.[4] These values that Buber believed in may have been influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche's aesthetic work The Birth of Tragedy.[8] Buber was well aware that Nietzsche used the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer to mold his authentic self; likewise, Buber used Nietzsche for the same reason.[4] Buber, after reaching and understanding the personal authenticity that Nietzsche extensively emphasized, jettisoned the philosopher from his life, as Buber believed that for one to grow truly fond of Nietzsche one must desert him.[4]

### Chaim Weizmann

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Israel's First President Chaim Weizmann

Chaim Weizmann, leader of the Zionist movement and future first president of the State of Israel, was influenced by the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche,[9] believing that the Jews lacked power and seeing in Zionism a phenomenon that would steer the Jews toward power and freeing themselves.[10] Whether Weizmann's intention was conscious or not, his ideas relate to Nietzsche's ideal of the Übermensch. Although he believed that the Jews contained sufficient intellect to understand and incorporate the writings of Nietzsche into their lives, Weizmann believed this could not be done on a mass-scale.[10]

## References

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1. ^ a b Aschheim, Steven E. (1992). The Nietzsche Legacy in Germany 1890–1990. University of California Press. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-520-07805-5.
2. ^ Katz, Steven T. (1992). Historicism, the Holocaust, and Zionism. NYU Press. pp. 289–299.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Golomb, Jacob (2004). "'Thus Spoke Herzl': Nietzsche's Presence in Theodor Herzl's Life and Work". Nietzsche and Zion. Ithaca; London: Cornell University Press. pp. 23–45\. JSTOR 10.7591/j.ctv5qdjn7.6.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Golomb, Jacob (2004). Nietzsche and Zion. Cornell University Press. pp. 46–64, 159–188.
5. ^ "Theodor Herzl". The Herzl Institute. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
6. ^ Mendes-Flohr, Paul (2001). "Zarathustra as a Prophet of Jewish Renewal: Nietzsche and the Young Martin Buber". Revista Portugesa de Filosofia. 57: 103–111.
7. ^ Aschheim, Steven E. (1992). The Nietzsche Legacy in Germany 1890–1990. University of California Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-520-07805-5.
8. ^ Aschheim, Steven E. (1992). The Nietzsche Legacy in Germany 1890–1990. University of California Press. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-520-07805-5.
9. ^ Aschheim, Steven E. (1992). The Nietzsche Legacy in Germany 1890–1990. University of California Press. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-520-07805-5.
10. ^ a b Reinharz, Jehuda (1983). "The Shaping of a Zionist Leader Before the First World War". Journal of Contemporary History. 18: 205–231.

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Friedrich Nietzsche

Works|

* The Birth of Tragedy
* On the Pathos of Truth
* Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks
* On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense
* Untimely Meditations
* On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life
* Hymnus an das Leben
* Human, All Too Human
* The Dawn of Day
* Idylls from Messina
* The Gay Science
* Thus Spoke Zarathustra
* Beyond Good and Evil
* On the Genealogy of Morality
* The Case of Wagner
* Twilight of the Idols
* The Antichrist
* Ecce Homo
* Dionysian Dithyrambs
* Nietzsche contra Wagner
* The Will to Power (posthumous)

Concepts and
philosophy|

* Affirmation
* Amor fati
* Apollonian and Dionysian
* The Four Great Errors
* Eternal return
* Faith in the Earth
* Genealogy (philosophy)
* God is dead
* Holy Lie
* Immaculate perception
* Last man
* Master–slave morality
* Perspectivism
* Ressentiment
* Transvaluation of values
* Tschandala
* Übermensch
* Will to power
* World riddle

Influence and
reception|

* Costin Alamariu
* Giorgio de Chirico
* Works about Nietzsche
* The Journal of Nietzsche Studies
* Nietzschean Zionism

Related|

* Anarchism and Nietzsche
* Library of Friedrich Nietzsche
* Nietzsche's views on women
* Nietzsche and free will
* Nietzsche Archive
* Nietzsche-Haus, Naumburg
* Nietzsche-Haus, Sils Maria
* Relationship with Max Stirner
* My Sister and I
* Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche (sister)
* Herd instinct
* Zarathustra's roundelay
* Friedrich Nietzsche Prize

* v
* t
* e

Zionism

Concepts|

* Zion
* Land of Israel
* Aliyah
* Yerida
* Homeland (proposals)
* Jewish state
* Law of Return
* Yishuv
* Territorialism
* Promised Land
* Gathering of Israel
* Settlement
* Negation of the Diaspora
* Revival of the Hebrew language
* Hebraization of surnames
* Judaization
* Racial conceptions of Jewish identity in Zionism

Ideologies|

* General
* Labor
* Revisionist
* Reform
* Religious
* Cultural
* Federal
* Post-Zionism
* Proto-Zionism
* Neo-Zionism
* Non-Zionism
* Green
* Christian
* Islamic
* Canaanism
* Yiddishist
* Golus

Organizations|

* Histadrut
* Hovevei Zion
* Bilu
* World Zionist Organization
* Zionist General Council
* Zionist Federation of Germany
* Zionist Organization of America
* Zionist Organization of Canada
* Religious Zionists of America
* Jewish National Fund
* Poale Zion
* Jewish Agency for Israel
* Jewish National Council
* Mizrachi
* Bnei Akiva
* Habonim Dror
* Hashomer Hatzair
* Haganah
* HaNoar HaTzioni
* World Agudath Israel
* Irgun
* Betar
* Betar US
* Lehi
* Jewish Party (Czechoslovakia)
* Jewish Party (Romania)
* Jewish Resistance Movement
* Palmach
* Women's International Zionist Organization
* Hadassah Women's Zionist Organization of America
* Aytzim
* American Zionist Movement
* Am Yisrael Foundation
* Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland
* Institute for Zionist Strategies
* International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
* Nefesh B'Nefesh
* Birthright Israel

History and
timelines

* History of Israel
* Chronology of Aliyah
* History of Zionism
* Balfour Declaration
* UN General Assembly Resolution 3379
* UN General Assembly Resolution 46/86
* Timeline of Zionism
* Israeli–Palestinian peace process
* Timeline of the Arab–Israeli conflict

Holidays|

* Yom HaZikaron
* Independence Day
* Jerusalem Day
* Yom HaAliyah
* Herzl Day
* Jabotinsky Day
* Ben-Gurion Day
* Rabin Day

Related topics|

* List of Zionists
* American Zionism
* Anti-Zionism
* The Holocaust
* Antisemitism
* New antisemitism
* Not one inch
* Jewish Autonomism
* Jewish emancipation
* Jewish political movements
* Greater Israel
* Muscular Judaism
* Muslim supporters of Israel
* Progressive except Palestine
* Zionism as settler colonialism
* Zionist antisemitism
* Zionist political violence
* Zionist as a pejorative
* Ulpan
* Conservatism in Israel
* Liberalism in Israel

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