Zionism is the most important Jewish political movement in two millennia. It gathered the Jewish nation into and around the State of Israel, and it has provided incredible meaning to Jews around the globe. This incredible achievement could not have taken place without leaders making critical decisions at pivotal crossroads over the centuries. In this course, we’ll examine the great dilemmas and challenges that defined the Zionist movement and helped shape the State of Israel. This semester, we’ll focus on five great debates that took place between 1900-1948: the meaning of the “new Jew”; the Uganda plan; the Balfour Declaration; “purity of arms” and fighting terror with terror; and the content of the Declaration of Independence.