Third All-Russian Zionist Conference

The Third All-Russian Zionist Conference took place in Helsingfors (now Helsinki, Finland) on December 4–10, 1906. The focus of the conference was on the further development of Zionist activity following Theodor Herzl’s death and in the face of the still-unfolding 1905 Russian Revolution. Both the large-scale political mobilization of Russian Jews by the Revolution, largely as liberals and socialists, and the unprecedently massive anti-Jewish violence that in 1906 accompanied the tsarist regime’s reaction convinced many Zionists that they had to take a more active role in fighting for Jewish interests in Russia (and not only in Palestine) if they wished to remain relevant to Russia’s millions of Jews. Hence, alongside a new vision of how to synthesize diplomatic political activity and practical work in the Palestine/the Land of Israel (“synthetic Zionism”) there was a new focus on how to improve the situation of Jews in the Russian Empire, including much more serious engagement in cultural activism (such as a new system of elementary Hebrew schools) and a growing embrace of the idea that Zionism should actively support Jewish national autonomy in the diaspora alongside nation-building in Palestine. Among the many speakers were Vladimir Jabotinsky, Yitsḥak Grünbaum, and Leo Motzkin.