In our far-ranging introductory session, we define terms: What is “Zionism”? And, we discuss the antecedents of the emergence of this movement in the late 19th century: The history of the Jewish People’s relationship to the Land of Israel; the origin of the names Israel, Judea, and Palestine; the transition during the Enlightenment from medieval societal structures to modern concepts of nation sate and citizen; the ancient origins of antisemitism; and the unanticipated dilemmas that Jews faced when they were emancipated from their ghettos and permitted to enter European societies.
