Herzl organized a number of conferences for all who accepted the ideal of a Jewish State. The first meeting was held in 1897. It was a sort of congress of different factions within the Zionist movement, and eventually became The World Zionist Organization. It became clear quickly, that certain factions wanted a formal declaration denying Torah, and religion in general. This was in line with Socialist ideology, which considered religion to be "the opiate of the masses", and saw a need of "destroying the old order to its foundations". Herzl, though himself completely secular, did not see this as a good thing, and felt that rabbinic support would be essential for getting a broader Jewish following. The rabbi who was chosen was Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov Reines (1839-1915). Rabbi Reines had been a member of the pre-Zionist Hovevei Tziyon, who sought the founding of religious agricultural settlements in the Land of Israel. He had founded a movement called "Merkaz Ruchani" (Spiritual Center), later abbreviated to "MIzrachi", a name which would henceforth be associated with religious Zionists, and for most of the twentieth century, with a party founded on those principles. He had long thought to synthesize religious and secular learning in the Lithuanian Yeshivot, an ideas strongly opposed by most of his colleagues. He joined the Zionist movement, and argued that religious Jews needed to take part in this dream. He made clear that he did not see in the return to Zion any fulfillment of prophecy. It was merely pragmatic. Europe was becoming less and less safe, and its culture was rapidly decaying from within. He did not ask of the secular to accept Torah, but only to be tolerant of those who do. When the British proposed setting up a Jewish State in Uganda, he was all in favor. He would have preferred the Holy Land, but Uganda seemed to be a much more pragmatic solution. (This proposal was eventually turned down by the WZO). Some factions of the WZO welcomed a detente with religion, as a means of getting Orthodox Jews involved in their project. Others saw this a capitalization to the old order, and a "selling of their souls". Secular Zionists were henceforth divided between those with a "live and let live" attitude towards the religious, and those who felt that religion must be suppressed until it is destroyed, by whatever means possible. Reines urged religious Jews to forego their feelings of indignation, in favor of a project of national emancipation, that would be to the benefit of all concerned. A Mesianic interpretation of Zionism was to await another rabbi, with enormous influence. I often wonder what would have happened had the two met. That rabbi was Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. Much of what is written about him online is far from truthful, with many ideas put into his mouth that he never said, or, probably, even thought. What he DID say and do is of utmost importance. He founded the Chief Rabbinate. How? Why? That will be my next post.