Rome and Jerusalem: The Last National Question

Moses Hess

Sep 2022 · DigiCat

About this ebook

"Rome and Jerusalem" is a famous work by Moses Hess that gave rise to the Labor Zionism movement. Hess argued for the Jews to return to Palestine and suggested a socialist country where the Jews would become agrarianized through "redemption of the soil." This book was the first Zionist work to put the question of Jewish nationalism in the context of European nationalism.

About the author

Moses Hess (1812–1875) was a prominent 19th century Jewish philosopher and early Zionist thinker whose work laid significant groundwork for the development of modern socialism and Zionism. Born Moritz Hess in Bonn, he began his intellectual journey influenced by the ideals of the European revolutions of 1848, which shaped his early writings on social reform and communism. He was notably associated with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels but eventually diverged from their views, placing greater emphasis on the importance of national identity and culture. Hess's most influential work, 'Rome and Jerusalem: The Last National Question' (1862), is a seminal text in Jewish nationalism, in which he argued for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, predating Theodor Herzl's Zionist activism by several decades. In 'Rome and Jerusalem,' Hess combines his socialist beliefs with a profound interrogation of Jewish history, calling for a synthesis of universal human rights and particular national identity, specifically that of the Jewish people. His ideas represent a unique amalgamation of socialist thought and proto-Zionist advocacy, making him a significant yet sometimes overlooked figure in both political and Jewish intellectual history. His literary style is characterized by a passionate and erudite examination of the sociopolitical issues of his time, blending personal insight with broader political theory.