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unknown and a suspect figure to me
Jewish Revisionist Zionist leader, author,
poet, orator and soldier, Ze’ev Jabotinsky
(PHOTO: PUBLIC DOMAIN) to develop an alliance with them and
draw them into his new Zionist orga-
because he was anathema to Labor nization. This was a purely pragmatic
Zionism – and for good reason! But decision.
then, in the 1990s, I was asked by the But at the same time, there’s something
New Republic to write a review of one beyond pragmatism involved here.
of Jabotinsky’s novels that was recently When you read some of Jabotinsky’s
translated from the original Russian. I writings and letters from the 1930s, you
read the book and I was bowled over – see a growing appreciation of religion
it was an excellent, wonderful novel! I and the discipline of religious life that
suddenly realized I was reading a great wasn’t there before. The 1930s was a
writer. This was a man who was also period when the world was in total
a leading Zionist politician, a pivotal turmoil. There were two great and
figure in twentieth century history, and monstrously evil powers, Nazi Ger-
I realized I knew so little about him. many and Soviet Russia, threatening
When the editor of Yale University read to take over everywhere. Both were
my review of Jabotinsky’s novel and militant, godless, and anti-religious
asked me to write a biography of him, ideologies. Jabotinsky, of course, was
I agreed – and completely fell in love horrified by both of them. He began
with him. to realize that, ultimately, religion is
the only bulwark against this kind of
Jabotinsky is a fascinating personality. madness; it is the only thing that can
He was a secular Jew but also held many give a human being the spine to stand
opinions similar to those of Religious up to extremist ideologies. He began to
Zionism. see that a religious grounding is neces-
sary to stand up for ultimate principles
Jabotinsky himself makes a journey and transcendent truths. Only religion
towards religion, which he never can give man the strength to act as he
entirely completed. He began his should in crucial moments. He began
adult life as a staunch secularist and writing about man’s need for religion,
remained so for the rest of his life in even if he did not possess that religious
certain ways. He was far too much of faith. Intellectually, emotionally and
a free spirit to accept any discipline politically, he began to understand the
imposed on him by others, except when importance of religion.
he chose to impose that discipline him-
self, by himself. I don’t think he would Occasionally, Jabotinsky would say
ever have accepted the discipline of things that sounded astonishing
Orthodox Judaism. coming from the mouth and pen of a
liberal and freethinking Jew. In 1938, he
But towards the end of his life, and wrote an essay in a Yiddish language
this is something that is relatively Warsaw Jewish newspaper in which he
little known, he began to draw closer suggested that when an independent
to religion and the religious parties. Jewish state was eventually founded,
This happened for two reasons. In the smoking should be forbidden on Shab-
1930s, Jabotinsky was involved in a life bat in public spaces. He believed that
and death battle with the Zionist left. religious truths are so much a part of
Jabotinsky, of course, was the leader of Jewish history and who we are as a
the Zionist right, and on the whole, he people that we simply cannot abandon
was losing this battle. In the beginning, them; he couldn’t conceive of a Jewish
this battle was fought within the Zion- state without them! Jabotinsky was
ist Organization, and Jabotinsky’s party a great believer in pageantry, ritual
was constantly losing all the Zionist and public ceremony; Betar, the youth
Organization elections. Eventually, movement he founded, had a great deal
he pulled his party out of the Zionist of it. The Zionist left created all sorts of
Organization and started his own orga- ersatz rituals, but Jabotinsky believed
nization. At that point, he realized that that only Judaism could provide the
his natural allies against the Zionist ritual that would bind the nation
left were the religious parties – the together in a Jewish state. He wanted
Mizrachi and the Agudah – so he tried the Jewish state to be Jewish, even if he
struggled with those beliefs. n
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