While support for Zionism in Australian Jewry today is a sine qua non, this was not always the case. There was enormous resistance to the Zionist movement in its early years, and anti-Zionism remained a key platform until after World War II. Changing attitudes towards Zionism have contributed to the transformation of Australian Jewry. Events in Nazi-dominated Europe, combined with the arrival of refugees and survivors, resulted in a clearer understanding of the need for a Jewish homeland. Following the creation of Israel in 1948, anti-Zionist sentiment dissipated. Zionism shifted from being a fringe movement to a central focus of Jewish identification. By 1960, the Zionist movement of Australia had established itself ‘in the vanguard of all communal efforts’.

The beginnings of Zionism

Australian Jews became involved in assisting their less fortunate brethren in Palestine after 1850. Early support for Palestine was in the form of haluka, funds collected to support needy and pious Jews in the Holy Land. The first Australian campaign to raise funds for Palestine was in 1854, when Sir Moses Montefiore's appeal, supported by the British chief rabbi, raised £8000, compared with £20 000 in Britain. Subsequently, a number of emissaries from Palestine travelled to Australia, the two best known being Rabbis Jacob Levi Saphir and Chaim Zvi Schneersohn, both of whom were in Australia between 1861 and 1863.