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RARE PRINTED LETTER SIGNED BY THEODORE HERZL IN the wake of the collapse of Zionist fundraising efforts in Russia
HERZL, THEODOR.
Theodor Herzl Printed Letter Signed.
: December 19, 1903.
Printed letter signed by the father of modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, in the wake of the collapse of Zionist fundraising efforts in Russia. One page, printed, sent from Vienna on December 19, 1903, the letter is in German and translates into English as, “As of around the 23rd of Oct. we have requested that you, in consideration of the current situation in Russia, which for a longer time has made the collection and delivery of the Shekel impossible to us, to compress in the fund-raising of the Shekel in your country as quickly as possible, and to send us the funds raised as soon as possible. As of now our Circulars have not achieved any results; you must have noticed that our funds are nearly exhausted and that the duty of Western comrades becomes – in the breach, which, because of the paralyzed organization of Russia, has come to break – to jump in and act so as not to let our entire apparatus collapse. We request that you therefore, once again, do what is possible to shore up our financial reserves.” Signed at the conclusion by Theodor Herzl, “Herzl” and countersigned by Oser Kokesch, an early Austrian-Jewish supporter of Herzl. As the Paris correspondent for Vienna’s Neue Freie Presse, Herzl was strongly affected by the infamous Dreyfus Affair, the 1894 conviction and exile of an innocent French-Jewish army officer, which Herzl covered for his newspaper. As a firsthand witness to the rise of French anti-Semitism, Herzl wrote The Ghetto, a drama focused on Jewish-Christian relations, and it was during this period that he became committed to the formation of a Jewish state. In 1896, he published his most influential work, Der Judenstaat, a practical outline for the realization of a Jewish homeland, in which Argentina and Palestine were considered as potential locations. In August of 1903, Herzl traveled to Russia to discuss the Interior Minster’s call for the suppression of the Zionist organization and the country’s ongoing and disturbing anti-Semitic pogroms. Herzl managed to win over the minister’s support for Zionism by suggesting that doing so would encourage Jewish emigration from Russia. While in Russia, Herzl was notified of Britain’s consent to the establishment of a Jewish settlement in East Africa. Many of the leading Zionists remained skeptical, however, seeing only the abandonment of the goal of a homeland in Palestine. After long discussions, Herzl was able to claim, on August 26th, a clear victory when Congress voted both to empower an investigating commission to explore the British option and to reaffirm its support for the long-cherished dream of a homeland in Palestine. This fundraising letter was written amidst the challenged facing Russian Jews and the possibilities open to the Zionist movement. In near fine condition.
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 143208
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"You've nothing to lose. You could make the experimental land for humanity. Over yonder, where we were, you could create a new commonwealth. On that ancient soil, Old-New Land!": Theodor Herzl's Altneuland
HERZL, THEODOR.
Old-New Land [Altneuland].
Haifa: Haifa Publishing Company 1961.
Second edition in English of Herzl’s classic work, by the founder of political Zionism. Quarto, original cloth, illustrated. Translated by Paula Arnold. Near fine in a very good dust jacket with some rubbing and wear.
Price: $300.00 Item Number: 68046
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"If you will it, it is no tale": Rare Second Edition of Theodor Herzl's Altneuland
HERZL, THEODOR.
Altneuland.
Leipzig: Hermann Seemann Nachfolger 1902.
Second edition of Herzl‘s Utopian novel in which he envisioned the social and cultural climate of a new Hebrew Nation. Octavo, original cloth. In good condition. Rare.
Price: $2,500.00 Item Number: 101406
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First edition, association copy of Das Neue Ghetto; inscribed by Theodor Herzl to fellow Zionist Heinrich Elchanan York-Steiner
HERZL, THEODOR.
Das Neue Ghetto: Schauspiel in 4 Acten. [The New Ghetto: A Play in 4 Acts].
Wein: Verlag Der "Welt" 1897.
First edition of Herzl’s popular politically-charged drama, written several years before Der Judenstaat and praised by Max Nordau and Sigmund Freud. Octavo, original printed wrappers. Association copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication opposite the title page, “Herrn Heinrich Steiner zur freundlichen Erinnerung Th. Herzl.” The recipient, Hungarian author and publisher Heinrich Elchanan York-Steiner was a prominent Zionist. He participated in all phases of early Zionist activity and was instrumental in convening the First Zionist Congress as well as conceptualizing and organizing the publication of Die Welt, the newspaper that became the official organ of the World Zionist Organization. At the First Zionist Congress (1897) he submitted, on behalf of the organization commission, the proposals for adapting the constitution of the World Zionist Movement to the legislative requirements of various countries. These proposals became the basis of the Statute of the Zionist Organization. After Herzl’s death York-Steiner fought for strict adherence to Herzl’s political Zionism and strongly opposed the gradual expansion of Zionist activities to other spheres in the Diaspora according to the Helsingfors Program (1906), as well as premature, unorganized settlement in Ereẓ Israel. When the practical Zionists attained the leadership of the movement in 1911, he left and later settled in Palestine. In very good condition with some professional restoration. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 143510
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Rare first edition of Theodor Herzl's Philosophische Erzählungen
HERZL, THEODOR.
Philosophische Erzählungen. [Philosophical Narratives].
Berlin: Verlag con Gebruder Paetel 1900.
First edition of this collection of seventeen narratives written by Herzl during his years as a correspondent for the Viennese Neue Freie Presse. Octavo, bound in three quarters calf over embossed boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, patterned endpapers, all edges red. In very good condition. First editions are rare.
Price: $3,000.00 Item Number: 143199