Spiritual Zionism (or Culural Zionism) — a trend in Jewish nationalist
thinking and Zionist ideology, was
most prominently championed by Ahad
Ha'am (Asher Zvi Ginsberg), one of the leaders of Hibbat
Zion, a predecessor of Zionism.
In contrast to the views of Theodor
Herzl and Political
Zionism, in which Jewish statehood was advocated as a solution to
the question of the Jews, Ahad
Ha'am saw the crux of the problem in the question of Judaism,
which, he believed, had lost its spiritual assets — its sources
of creative and national might.
Because Ahad Ha'am did not believe that Palestine could accommodate all of Jewry, a Jewish
state there, in his estimation, would not solve the problem of the Jews'
social and economic status. Efforts should concentrate on establishing
a national spiritual center, a hub of highquality life in Palestine,
that would radiate to all Diaspora communities.
The correct course of action, Ahad Ha'am argued, is extensive
and continuing educational activity among Jews and moderate settlement
activity in Palestine.