Today, the Jewish people and the State of Israel mark 100 years to the death of Theodor Herzl; the leader the Jewish people were waiting for. Several months before the First Zionist Congress, Haim Nahman Bialik, in his poem;Achen Chatzir Ha, wondered where the man was who would succeed in raising the downtrodden and weak Jewish people, the man who would fire up his distressed people and would call on them to ;rise up and work, rise up and do, for G-d is with us!;
And here, several months later, Herzl was revealed in Basel as a prophet of the resurrection and building up of the Jewish people, who finally appeared after nearly 2000 years of exile.
Herzl is a clear example of a leader. He is a guide to national leadership in his ability not only to outline a vision, but also to create the organizational tools to transform this vision into a feasible reality. His determination in his mission astonished many. He did not give up, even for one moment.
He envisioned one goal: establishing a Jewish State in the Land of Israel. From the moment he determined that goal, not one negative response deterred him from his struggle. Many critics opposed the Zionist idea which seemed fictional and futureless. Herzl ignored all the cynics and accusers and responded to the criticism, saying: I believe that a generation of wonderful Jews will rise from the earth. The Maccabees will rise again! Those Jews who want it will have a country of their own.
Thus, as a result of the will of the Jews, only 53 years after the publication of the book;The Jewish State;, the State of Israel was established. Herzl was perceived as delusional and turned out to be a visionary.
Many similarities can be found between Herzl and Moses. Both became prominent while the Jews were in exile, dependent on the kindness of others. In both cases, the Jews became a nation by force of the appearance and actions of the leader. They both led the people of Israel towards sovereignty in their land, and both paved the path for future generations, but did not see the realization of their dream.
Herzl changed the history of the Jewish people, but first he changed their perception of themselves as a nation. Before Herzl, world Jewry saw itself as a people whose fate depended on the arbitrariness of the international community. Herzl understood that we must be the master of our destiny. Following his meeting with the Turkish Sultan in 1901, he wrote:Do not trust the help of strangers, do not trust their generosity either, and do not hope that stones will soften; because philanthropists give at most humiliating charity, and stones do not soften; a nation that wishes to stand up straight must put all its trust only in itself.
Today, 100 years following his death, we promise to act in his spirit. We will continue to place all our trust in ourselves; we will advance the Zionist enterprise; we will gather all exiles of the Jewish people and we will ensure the future of our State of Israel, the realization of his vision, for generations.