Why were Zionists convinced that a Jewish state would solve anti-Semitism in Europe?

Answer 1

Realistically, Zionists didn't believe a Jewish state would "solve" European anti-Semitism, which had a history going back to the Dark Ages and the ascendancy of Roman Catholicism. After the Holocaust, what they did think -- correctly -- was that Jews could never again count on a Christian (or, for that matter, Muslim) state to afford them protection from pogroms and other radical forms of discrimination. Only their own nation-state could guarantee that, whatever the dangers from outside, there would be no internally generated anti-Jewish sentiment. Almost 60 years later, the experiment has proved its worth...

Answer 2

I think a large part of the hope was that it would solve Anti-Semitism by making it irrelevant. That is, the expectation was that most Jews would emigrate to the new state. Europeans would likely be just as bigoted as ever, but since Jews would be outside their reach, their bigotry would no longer be threatening. At a minimum, the existence of a Jewish state would mean that Jews threatened by anti-Semitism would always have a safe refuge.

Answer 3

By creating a Jewish homeland. Why tolerate anti-semitism in Europe when you can go to Israel?

Answer 4

Why wouldn't it? If their premise was that all the jews would eventually move to Israel.. that would leabe nobody in europe to suffer anti-semitism... makes sense, sorta.

Answer 5

Crash Course in Jewish History #63
http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/Crash_Course_in_Jewish_History_Part_63_-_Modern_Zionism.asp