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Auto-Emancipation
A literature on the psychosis of Jew-hatred.
- GenresIsrael
72 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1882
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 11, 2025
I became aware of this small pamphlet (17 pages in the version I read) via the important book Israel: A History by Anita Shapira. She mentions the important early Zionist works Yehuda Leib Pinsker's Auto-Emancipation, Theodor Herzl's The State of the Jews, and essays by Ahad Ha'am (all of which are available online). The version of Auto-Emancipation I read online seems to be an abbreviated version, as the other editions on Goodreads all are longer, and some reviews mention things that were not mentioned in the edition I read (such as Argentina as a suggestion for the new Jewish state).
It is interesting to compare Auto-Emancipation, written in 1882, to Theodor Herzl's better known work, A Jewish State, written in 1896. Both essays follow the same general structure, first outlining the problem, followed by the solution (the establishment of a Jewish state). so Pinsker writes that the Jewish problem is "Not merely a problem of theoretical interest, but practical interest." However, he tends to focus in more on the theoretical problem, in contradistinction to Herzl, who speaks much more about the practical problems of establishing a Jewish state.
Pinsker's essay is much more emotional than Herzl’s. After saying that "the misfortunes of the Jews are due, above all, to their lack of desire for national independence," he says poignantly, "We prayed only for a little place anywhere to lay our weary head to rest; and so, by lessening our claims, we gradually lessened as well our dignity, which was efface in our own and others' eyes until it became unrecognizable," and, "The people without a fatherland forgot their fatherland. Is it not high time to realize what a disgrace this state of things is to us?"
Pinsker was writing at the time when some European countries were congratulating themselves for emancipating the Jews, that is, granting them equal legal rights with other citizens. But Pinsker points out that legal emancipation is not the same as social emancipation. Full equality of the Jews "cannot be brought about by the civil emancipation of the Jews in this or that state, but only by the auto-emancipation of the Jewish people as a nation, the foundation of a colonial community belonging to the Jews, which is some day to become our inalienable home, our fatherland."
Interestingly for Pinsker this state would not necessarily be in Palestine, although he wouldn’t be opposed to it. More practical for him would be somewhere in North America, or Asiatic Turkey. Somewhat later, Theodor Herzl, "the Father of Modern Zionism" would also suggest that a Zionist state could be established somewhere other than Palestine
It is interesting to compare Auto-Emancipation, written in 1882, to Theodor Herzl's better known work, A Jewish State, written in 1896. Both essays follow the same general structure, first outlining the problem, followed by the solution (the establishment of a Jewish state). so Pinsker writes that the Jewish problem is "Not merely a problem of theoretical interest, but practical interest." However, he tends to focus in more on the theoretical problem, in contradistinction to Herzl, who speaks much more about the practical problems of establishing a Jewish state.
Pinsker's essay is much more emotional than Herzl’s. After saying that "the misfortunes of the Jews are due, above all, to their lack of desire for national independence," he says poignantly, "We prayed only for a little place anywhere to lay our weary head to rest; and so, by lessening our claims, we gradually lessened as well our dignity, which was efface in our own and others' eyes until it became unrecognizable," and, "The people without a fatherland forgot their fatherland. Is it not high time to realize what a disgrace this state of things is to us?"
Pinsker was writing at the time when some European countries were congratulating themselves for emancipating the Jews, that is, granting them equal legal rights with other citizens. But Pinsker points out that legal emancipation is not the same as social emancipation. Full equality of the Jews "cannot be brought about by the civil emancipation of the Jews in this or that state, but only by the auto-emancipation of the Jewish people as a nation, the foundation of a colonial community belonging to the Jews, which is some day to become our inalienable home, our fatherland."
Interestingly for Pinsker this state would not necessarily be in Palestine, although he wouldn’t be opposed to it. More practical for him would be somewhere in North America, or Asiatic Turkey. Somewhat later, Theodor Herzl, "the Father of Modern Zionism" would also suggest that a Zionist state could be established somewhere other than Palestine
November 9, 2023
Along with Moses Hess’s ‘Rome and Jerusalem’ this short essay is one of the key texts of pre-Herzlian Zionism (Herzl himself was unaware of Pinsker’s work when he wrote his famous ‘Judenstaat’ in 1896).
Pinsker’s basic premise is essentially the same as Herzl’s - that Jews, no matter how assimilated into their host societies, will always be seen as different, and that persecution will thus remain an ever-present threat. Therefore the Jews require their own state where they can live unmolested, doubling as a sanctuary for downtrodden Jews the world over. Though writing at a time when Jews had been granted civil rights in much of Western Europe, he presciently foresaw that rights freely given could just as freely be taken away. Pinsker sees humanitarianism and internationalism as nice ideas but utopian and naive, and easily submerged by man’s baser instincts of envy, violence and hatred of ‘the other’.
Pinsker does not seem too fussed about where this state should be located - Palestine, Syria, Argentina and the USA are all suggested (indeed at one point he pours scorn on the idea of an exodus to Palestine, but later seems to backtrack - “perhaps the Holy Land will again become ours - if so, so much the better”).
Pinsker’s pessimistic analysis proved to be depressingly accurate, culminating in the Holocaust in the 1940s and the near annihilation of European Jewry. Hitler having made antisemitism distinctly unfashionable in polite society, this ancient hatred then spread to new lands in the Islamic world, and has now seen a rebirth in the west as people from those lands have moved there in large number, aided and encouraged by the useful idiots of modern leftism.
Sadly recent events have proven once again the necessity of a safe haven for Jews and the accuracy of Pinsker’s bleak assessment.
Pinsker’s basic premise is essentially the same as Herzl’s - that Jews, no matter how assimilated into their host societies, will always be seen as different, and that persecution will thus remain an ever-present threat. Therefore the Jews require their own state where they can live unmolested, doubling as a sanctuary for downtrodden Jews the world over. Though writing at a time when Jews had been granted civil rights in much of Western Europe, he presciently foresaw that rights freely given could just as freely be taken away. Pinsker sees humanitarianism and internationalism as nice ideas but utopian and naive, and easily submerged by man’s baser instincts of envy, violence and hatred of ‘the other’.
Pinsker does not seem too fussed about where this state should be located - Palestine, Syria, Argentina and the USA are all suggested (indeed at one point he pours scorn on the idea of an exodus to Palestine, but later seems to backtrack - “perhaps the Holy Land will again become ours - if so, so much the better”).
Pinsker’s pessimistic analysis proved to be depressingly accurate, culminating in the Holocaust in the 1940s and the near annihilation of European Jewry. Hitler having made antisemitism distinctly unfashionable in polite society, this ancient hatred then spread to new lands in the Islamic world, and has now seen a rebirth in the west as people from those lands have moved there in large number, aided and encouraged by the useful idiots of modern leftism.
Sadly recent events have proven once again the necessity of a safe haven for Jews and the accuracy of Pinsker’s bleak assessment.
November 29, 2024
It's more emotional than Herzls essay. Pinsker talks about the pogroms and suffering of Jewish people throughout eastern Europe. It's a very interesting read
June 12, 2025
"it is everywhere a guest and nowhere at home."
July 28, 2019
Leon Pinsker's Auto-Emanzipation ist eines der wichtigsten Dokument der prä-zionistischen Ära. Die Erkentniss, dass die Juden weder als Fremde noch als vollwertige Mitbürger der Länder in denen sie leben werden, und daher lediglich geduldet werden, bewegte ihn dazu diese Schrift zu verfassen. Bei der Lektüre fiel mir auf wie sehr seine Bermerkungen und Vorschläge denen in Theodor Herzls Der Judenstaat ähneln. Die einprägsamsten und wichtigsten Zitate sind die folgenden:
[Die Juden] müssen, wie die [Schwarzen], wie die Frauen, ungleich allen freien Völkern, emanzipiert werden.
Keinem andern kann es obliegen, dafür zu sorgen [dass die Juden sich emanzipieren] als uns selbst.
Anstatt der vielen Asyle, die wir von jeher zu suchen gewohnt sind, wollen wir ein einziges Asyl haben, dessen Existenz aber auch politisch gesichert sein müßte. >> Jetzt oder nie!<< sei unsere Lösung. Wehe unseren Nachkommen, wehe dem Andenken unserer jüdischen Zeitgenossen, wenn wir diesen Moment verpassen!
Diese Lektüre ist wirklich jedem zu empfehlen. Auch wenn Pinsker nicht mehr die Enstehung des ersten Zionistischen Kongresses erleben durfte, so hat er sich doch in die Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes eingeschrieben.
[Die Juden] müssen, wie die [Schwarzen], wie die Frauen, ungleich allen freien Völkern, emanzipiert werden.
Keinem andern kann es obliegen, dafür zu sorgen [dass die Juden sich emanzipieren] als uns selbst.
Anstatt der vielen Asyle, die wir von jeher zu suchen gewohnt sind, wollen wir ein einziges Asyl haben, dessen Existenz aber auch politisch gesichert sein müßte. >> Jetzt oder nie!<< sei unsere Lösung. Wehe unseren Nachkommen, wehe dem Andenken unserer jüdischen Zeitgenossen, wenn wir diesen Moment verpassen!
Diese Lektüre ist wirklich jedem zu empfehlen. Auch wenn Pinsker nicht mehr die Enstehung des ersten Zionistischen Kongresses erleben durfte, so hat er sich doch in die Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes eingeschrieben.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews