A letter handwritten and signed by Jacob Herzl, Theodor Herzl's father; addressed to a Mr. Steiner [presumably, Heinrich Elchanan York-Steiner]. Written when Theodor Herzl was staying in Constantinople, before his meeting with the Turkish Sultan. Vienna, May 12, 1901. German.
A short letter by Jacob Herzl, in response to a letter sent to his son while he was staying in Constantinople in order to meet with the Turkish Sultan: "My son is on a trip and is supposed to return in 14 days. The matters you raised in your letter from yesterday will, therefore, have to be sorted out only after his return". The letter is signed: "Jac. Herzl".
Theodor Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, believed that realizing Zionism depended on obtaining a charter for the settlement of Jews in Palestine. Therefore, he was involved in extensive political activity, negotiating at length with the Ottoman authorities in an attempt to meet the Turkish Sultan. On May 17, 1901 (five days after his father wrote this letter), Herzl succeeded in meeting Sultan Abdul Hamid II in Constantinople. In the course of the meeting, which lasted about two hours, Herzl suggested that in exchange for receiving assistance in covering the Empire's debts, the Sultan will promote Jewish settlement in Palestine. The meeting was the beginning of a long negotiation which ended without results.
Jacob Herzl (1832-1902), a Jewish-German merchant and banker, Theodor Herzl's father, was born to a Jewish orthodox family in Semlin [Zemun], Serbia (his father, Theodor's grandfather, was the attendant of the Sephardic synagogue of the town). At the age of 15, he left home and started working as an apprentice for a supply company. Several decades later, his fortune was worth several million marks, with business extending to various fields of commerce and banking.
In 1857, Jacob married Jeanette Diamant, and three years later their first and only son, Theodor (Binyamin Ze'ev), was born. Jacob approved of his son's revolutionary ideas and unique way and when he realized for the first time what his true plan was – the establishment of an independent Jewish state in Palestine – he told him he should write a book in order to appeal directly to the people (about a year later, Theodor Herzl wrote the book "Der Judenstaat").
Throughout his life, Jacob Herzl helped his son fund a considerable part of his Zionist activity (the Zionist weekly Theodor Herzl published, "Die Welt", was established with his father's help). When Theodor was travelling, his father's address served as his temporary mailing address. Theodor's close relationship with his father is reflected in many of his letters. After publishing "Der Judenstaat", he wrote in his diary: "At this time, my loyal father is my only solace. All those I consulted with on the matter so far conduct themselves with careful restraint, lurking, waiting. Beside me I feel only my dear old man…" (Inyan Hayehudim: Sifre Yoman, Translation of Theodor Herzl's Diaries, 1895–1904, Jerusalem: Mossad Bialik, 1997. p. 275 [Hebrew]).
The letter was presumably sent to the writer, publicist and Zionist activist Heinrich Elchanan York-Steiner (1859-1934), one of Theodor Herzl's first supporters and co-founder of the weekly "Die Welt".
[1] folded leaf (written on one side), 23 cm. Good condition. Fold lines. A few stains and creases. Small tears to edges and long tears along fold lines (with no loss of text).