Constructing Identity: The Zionist Press

How was the Zionist identity created and what role did journalism play in the creation of a Zionist public sphere? The course examines the Zionist press from its inception until the Holocaust. Discussed themes include: the rise of Hebrew press in east Europe and the Land of Israel and its impact on the Jewish national revival; the early Hibat Zion days and the creation of the Zionist Organization by Herzl in 1897; radicals revolutionaries vs. moderate reformers; competing Jewish and non-Jewish languages; the rise of mass media; journalism and politics in the Yishuv between right and left, bourgeois and working class, natives and immigrants, Ashkenazi and Sephardi.

During the course students will exercise the use of Historical Jewish Press, and how to research use sources from the press in the website and libraries.

Requirements: Short final paper based on contemporary periodicals