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New documents by Herzl now revealed

The documents include a surprising diary entry and a letter from Freud

A diary entry by Theodor Herzl, dated October 11th, 1903 - just a year before his death - describing him giving up on the possibility of executing the Zionist dream in Palestine ; A letter of appreciation given to Herzl by Sigmund Freud; financial estimates of the cost of populating Palestine with hundreds of Jewish families - these are just a few of the cultural treasures that the Central Zionist Archives are now releasing to the general public, in celebrations of the visionary's 153rd birthday.

For years the Central Zionist Archives were considered an important, yet inaccessible, archive. Over the past few months its staff has been working on its renewal and, more importantly, on making it more accessible to a younger crowd. As part of these efforts, several historically-significant documents have been revealed, including one in which Herzl seemed to contradict his famous saying "If you will it, it is no dream".

It happened in 1903, while the Zionist Congress was considering the Uganda Plan - the British suggestion to settle the Jews in East British Africa. In a forgotten letter, which now appears as part of his diary, Writes Herzl: "When I started, I thought only about the Jewish state. Nowadays, I must say that in coming years, nothing can be done in Palestine". The letter, dated October 11th, 1903, ends with the sentence "Since you did not will it, it remains a dream in our days".

Another rare letter that has been revealed was sent to Herzl by the famous Austrian-Jewish psychologist, Sigmund Freud, on September 28th, 1902. In the letter Freud expresses his appreciation and support of Herzl's activity as champion of the Jewish people's civil rights. A third document now being released is a draft, written by Herzl himself, calculating the sum of money needed to send 400 Jewish families to live in Palestine, including homes, livestock and work tools. In addition to these documents, the Archives is using its website to publish photos of Herzl throughout the years, including his childhood and visits to Palestine and Egypt.

"I'm proud to say that we hold all of Herzl's manuscripts, including notebooks and books", says head of the department of Israel activity and fight against anti-Semitism in the World Zionist Organization, Yaakov Haguel. "The letter from 1903 was written after the pogroms in Kishinev, during a personal crisis Herzl were going through", he explains, "thankfully, the Uganda Plan did not follow through, and in retrospect we know that Herzl's dream was worthwhile - the fact is we're here".

According to Haguel, the archive includes all of the important Zionist documents. "We have recently digitalized a large part of the archive, so that now one can order and receive files or copies of personal documents such as birth certificates, Aliyah documents and more (for a fee)", he adds, "the renewal project will make these rare materials, documenting the development of the Zionist movement, accessible to the public".

The project was made possible thanks to a collaboration with Harvard University, and cost 5 million NIS. The archives mention that their collection includes over 80 million original documents relating to the achievements of the Zionist movement. Herzl's birthday will be celebrated today in an intimate event for teenagers taking part in a Service Year - a pre-army voluntary civil-service - to take place in Mount Herzl, where the Herzl Museum is located. The event is collaborated with the Prime minister's office and the National Herzl Memorial Board, the JNF and the Herzl Center.

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