Andinia Plan
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The Andinia Plan was a project for the creation of a Jewish State in Argentina conceived by Leon Pinsker in his book Autoemancipation (1882) and Theodore Herzl in his book The Jewish State(Der Judenstaat). The plan is said to be started in 1897 during the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland. The creation of Andinia was supposed to happen at the same time and with the same methods used for as the creation of Israel in Palestine. Herzl propossed that the Argentina project be given priority.[1]
For the execution and completions of this plan the Jewish Congress envisioned the following actions:
- Mass migration to Argentina
- Purchase of large extensions of land by the Jewish Colonization Association based in London.
- Establishment of large joint stock companies such as “Bemberg”, “Dreyfus”, “Bunge y Born S.A.”, etc., who even today own large extensions of land such as “La Forestal” (Chaco Region), ”Estanar S.A.”, “Comega S. A.” etc.
Herzl had obtained information about Argentina and Chile from a Jewish explorer Carl Popper, who suggested the creation of the state in that region and following the South African model, used by Britain by the establishing of a company.
Maurice de Hirsch in France organized an emigration campaign (1891) of two thirds of the Russian Jews. For this purpose he purchases lands in Argentina where by 1889 more than 7.000 Jews had migrated. In autumn 1891 he funds the “Jewish Colonization Association” in London which would be in charge of the migration of Jews to Argentina [2]
In year 1889 in Tulchin, Russia there were articles in newspaper about the Jewish migration to Argentina according to Alberto Gerchunoff, a Russian Jew who migrated to Argentina.[3]
Until 1917 some Zionist leaders took seriously proposals for Jewish homelands in places other than Palestine. Herzl's Der Judenstaat argued for a Jewish state in either Palestine, "our ever-memorable historic home", or Argentina, “Argentina, due to its nature is one of the wealthiest countries on earth, the immense area, small population and temperate climate. The Argentinean Republic would have great interest in transferring to us a piece of land..” [4]
Herzl initially rejected the idea, preferring Palestine, but after the April 1903 Kishinev pogrom Herzl introduced a controversial proposal to the Sixth Zionist Congress to investigate the offer as a temporary measure for Russian Jews in danger. Notwithstanding its emergency and temporary nature, the proposal still proved very divisive, and widespread opposition to the plan was fueled by a walkout led by the Russian Jewish delegation to the Congress. Nevertheless, a majority voted to establish a committee for the investigation of the possibility, and it was not dismissed until the 7th Zionist Congress in 1905.
In response to this, the Jewish Territorialist Organization (ITO) led by Israel Zangwill split off from the main Zionist movement. The territorialists attempted to establish a Jewish homeland wherever possible, but went into decline after 1917 and the ITO was dissolved in 1925. From that time Palestine was the sole focus of Zionist aspirations, although the territorialist movement was revived when the Soviet Union established a Jewish Autonomous Republic in the Russian Far East.
[edit] References
- ^ Sigifredo Krebs, Issac Arcavi; Páginas escogidas; Ed. Israel; Sarmiento 2198, Buenos Aires, 1949, p50/51
- ^ Josef Kastein, “Historia y Destino de los Judíos”, Ed. Claridad, Buenos Aires, 1945
- ^ Alberto Gerchunoff, “Entre Ríos Mi País”, Buenos Aires, 1950
- ^ Theodore Herzl, The Jewish State, 1986, p102.
