Judah ben Solomon Chai Alkalai (1798–1878) was born in Sarajevo, then part of the Turkish Empire. He studied in Jerusalem under various rabbis and became interested in the study of Kabbalah. In 1825, he joined the Sephardic community of Semlin, today part of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, as a teacher. A few years later, he took over as rabbi of that community. During this time, nationalist movements took shape in the region, which greatly influenced the Jews of the Balkans.

Alkalai maintained that the Jews must return to the land of Israel. Based on various religious and Kabbalistic sources, he argued that the coming of the Messiah and the redemption of Israel required the Jews to return to their land for this to happen. He had even calculated that it could happen between 1840 and 1939, provided the necessary actions were taken, since if not, redemption would be achieved in the following century, but with enormous suffering.

Simon Loeb Herzl, Theodor Herzl’s paternal grandfather, regularly attended Alkalai’s synagogue and came into possession of one of the first copies of the book Alkalai wrote in 1857, in which he spoke of «the return of the Jews to the Holy Land and the renewal of the glory of Jerusalem.»

Theodor Herzl learned of Alkalai’s ideas through his paternal grandparents, traditionalist Jews. Many scholars maintain that this was the true origin of Theodor’s Zionist ideas, rather than the famous «Dreyfus Affair,» the trial of Captain Dreyfuss, falsely accused of treason in France, which Herzl covered as a journalist. Theodor Herzl wrote two important works: in 1895, «The Jewish State» and in 1902, «Altneuland,» «Old New Land.» In the former, he wrote: «I consider the Jewish question not to be a social or religious problem, although it sometimes takes that form. It is a national question…. We have tried sincerely to unite with the national communities among which we live, seeking only to preserve the faith of our fathers. But they have not allowed us to do so. In vain have we been loyal patriots… In our native lands where we have lived for centuries, we are still considered foreigners… Wherever we begin to be politically secure, we begin to assimilate. And this is not something commendable…. Israel is our unforgettable historical homeland. We will finally live as free men in our land and die peacefully in our homes.»

Herzl envisioned a Jewish State that would combine modern Jewish culture with the best of European heritage. The Temple in Jerusalem would be rebuilt according to modern principles. He did not view its inhabitants as religious, but there was respect for religion in the public sphere. Herzl relied on his grandfather, Simon Loeb, to be the channel through whom Alkalai’s ideas influenced his thinking.

By Marcos Gojman.

Bibliography: Encyclopaedia Judaica and other sources.