Zionist-Socialist Workers Party (), often referred to simply as Zionist-Socialists or S.S. by their Russian initials, was a Jewish territorialist and

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

political party in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, that emerged from the ''Vozrozhdenie'' (Renaissance) group in 1904. The party held its founding conference in

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

in 1905. In the same year the party sent delegates, among them Nachman Syrkin, to the Basel Seventh Zionist Congress. However, while the mainstream Zionist movement rejected the idea of a Jewish state anywhere but in Eretz Yisrael, the Russian party favoured the idea of a Jewish territorial autonomy, outside of

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

.Ėstraĭkh, G. ''In Harness: Yiddish Writers' Romance with Communism. Judaic traditions in literature, music, and art.''

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

: Syracuse University Press, 2005. p. 30 Moreover, while territorial autonomy was the goal of the party, it dedicated most of its energy into revolutionary activities in Russia. Like other Russian revolutionary groups such as the

Narodniks The Narodniks were members of a movement of the Russian Empire intelligentsia in the 1860s and 1870s, some of whom became involved in revolutionary agitation against tsarism. Their ideology, known as Narodism, Narodnism or ,; , similar to the ...

, the party was positive towards using

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

as a means of struggle against the establishment. Nachman Syrkin, Jacob Lestschinsky, Volf Latsky-Bartoldi and Shmuel Niger were among the leading figures of the party.Frankel, Jonathan (ed.). ''The Jews and the European crisis, 1914–1921''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. p. 339 The party played an active role in the 1905 revolution. At the 7th congress of the World Zionist Organization in 1905, the WZO formally rejected the ' Uganda Plan' (a proposal to resettle Jews in

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

) after sharp debates. The party fell on the side of supporting

Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who was the father of Types of Zionism, modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organizat ...

and the Plan itself. In response, the party and other territorialists withdrew from the WZO. The party grew rapidly, and became the second largest Jewish labour party after the Bund. The party organized 'neutral'

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

s, in opposition to the Bundist unions. In the end of 1906, the party claimed a membership of 27,000. However, after 1906 the influence of the party began to decline sharply. Many leaders went into exile in Western Europe. The central organ of the party was the weekly

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

newspaper '' Der nayer veg'', published from Vilna 1906–1907. The newspaper was closed down by the authorities in 1907. During the 1907

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

congress of the

Second International The Second International, also called the Socialist International, was a political international of Labour movement, socialist and labour parties and Trade union, trade unions which existed from 1889 to 1916. It included representatives from mo ...

, the International Socialist Bureau decided to give a consultative vote to the party at the congress. The decision was, however, overturned a year later.Jacobs, Jack Lester. ''Jewish Politics in Eastern Europe: The Bund at 100''. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2001. p. 185 In 1911 the Zionist Socialist Workers Party, the Jewish Socialist Workers Party and Poalei Zion signed a joint appeal to the International Socialist Bureau, asking the International to recognize the national character of the Jewish people. In 1917 the party merged with the Jewish Socialist Workers Party, forming the United Jewish Socialist Workers Party.Jaff Schatz. Jews and the communist movement in interwar Poland. In: Jonathan Frankel
''Dark Times, Dire Decisions: Jews and Communism. Studies in Contemporary Jewry.''
Oxford University Press US, 2005, p. 79.

References

{{Authority control 1904 establishments in the Russian Empire 1917 disestablishments in Russia Defunct socialist parties in Poland Defunct socialist parties in Russia Jewish political parties Jewish socialism Jewish Ukrainian history Labor Zionism Political parties disestablished in 1917 Political parties established in 1904 Political parties of minorities in Imperial Russia Political parties of the Russian Revolution Territorialism Zionism in Poland Zionism in Russia Zionist political parties in Europe Jewish groups in Poland Zionism in Ukraine Secular Jewish culture in Europe Political parties of minorities in Russia

See also

References