Samuel Mohilewer – prekursor syjonizmu i rzecznik tolerancji

Abstract

The author presents to the readers the portrait of Samuel Mohilever and his Zionist activity, which is considered to be one of the proposals for solutions to the social and national problems of Jews in the late nineteenth century. Samuel Mohilever came from a rabbinical family, received traditional Jewish education, enriched with secular sciences and foreign languages, and had been active in religious and intellectual life since he was a child. The turning point for his actions turned out to be the year 1881 – the time of the first pogroms of Jews in Russia, to which he responded with heated agitation for the development of the Zionist movement and emigration to Palestine. For this purpose he travelled to Western Europe, visited local Jewish communities, and conducted conversations with leaders to convince them to the idea of Hovevei Zion ([Those who are] Lovers of Zion). His activity in Bialystok fit into the specifics of a multicultural city, a melting pot of different nationalities, and brought about a solution to the tensions there. Samuel Mohilever was a well-known and highly respected man and played an important role in propagating the idea of Zionism and tolerance, so he was one of the most prominent Zionists of the nineteenth century.