Theodor Herzl
The tenth anniversary of the death of Theodor Herzl re-opens the wounds suffered by the Jewish People through his untimely death.
That which moves our hearts to-day must not be the cause of dissention between factions, but should bring us conciliation and a clearer vision. Herzl was not the leader of any single group. . No leader of a whole people lan be such without causing serious harm. . The leader of a nation must guage all parties with equal justice. . Only the deluded imagine that there are parties in Zionism which could claim Herzl as their partisan.
He was not merely a great son of his people. He was a child of the new era. He knew that ideals in the life of a people are not mere froth, but actually are the basis of the national rebirth of a people.
His belief in the power of good, large-mindedness, tenderness and warmth, and admirable unselfishness brought about an irresistible love for this great and noble leader of his people, on the part of all who knew him. No one can claim for any great Jew a warmer love than is given to Herzl. It was not only his comrades who loved him. . Every lover of all that is good, noble and beautiful felt a reverent admiration for his energy, his spirit of self-sacrifice and wisdom, and all were overwhelmed with grief when he was torn from us.
His mild gaze and gentle spirit penetrated deeply into the recesses of every Jewish heart, most of all into the heart of the youth, who do not regard their heroes with cold admiration but open their hearts to them with an offering of unbounded love.