| This dissertation examines the constellation of forces that precipitated the Zionist movement and Jewish colonization of Palestine. The primary goals are to identify and contrast the aspirations and final objectives of the Biluim and halutzim, the pioneers of the first and second aliyot (migrations), from those espoused by the World Zionist Organization. The study encompasses the years 1881--1914, a critical thirty-three year period.;Throughout, a distinction is made between modern social factors which functioned as catalysts, e.g., pogroms, renaissance of modern Hebrew literature and failure of traditional "strategic collective responses" utilized by Diaspora Jewry to avoid physical destruction from the five thousand year biblical covenant between God, Jew and designated land. The transformation from messianic (passive) yearnings to a dynamic national movement was spearheaded by secular Jews who used Scripture to legitimate their quest for individual and collective redemption.;Specific terms extracted from Scripture (e.g., names selected for new settlements, aliya, BILU, halutz) further legitimated the Zionist enterprise and obfuscated Zionism's inherent colonial-nationalist character. This enabled the participants to rationalize land acquisition policies and displacement of the indigenous population.;In the final analysis, the success of Jewish colonization of Palestine is attributed to the singular importance attached to national restoration and participants' willingness to compromise and discard all other "final" objectives in the struggle to create a recognized Jewish homeland. |
