Joseph Marco Baruch: Proto-Zionist and Mad Poet

The following excerpts from the journal article 1890s Zionism reconsidered: Joseph Marco Baruch attest to the sublimity of this Hebraic D'Annunzio, who sadly killed himself in 1899:

Baruch was a Turkish-born Frenchman, whose Zionist conception was independent from, yet nourished by, Central and East European Zionist trends. Geographically, his activism was not limited in scope and was well received in a variety of European and Mediterranean contexts. Conceptually, his social vision juxtaposed political action and an affirmative Jewish identity that called for a distinctly Jewish/Hebraic society positioned among a panoply of other nations. This contrasted with a Herzlian "liberal utopia" largely devoid of Jewish content. . . .

Of passionate character, Baruch was given to singing songs about "Carmel" (presumably the mountain) and composing poetry in French. But he was also prone to more belligerent behavior, frequently engaging in both verbal and physical confrontations with individuals who made derogatory remarks about Jews, and his body language was known to provoke apprehension, even fear. . . .

An anecdotal account of a first impression lent by Baruch is provided by Nissim Ben Yehudah, a clerk in Plovdiv, who recalled having first seen Baruch sitting at a cafe, disheveled and chain-smoking before launching into a fervent speech in French about Eretz Israel and on the spread of anti-Semitism throughout many countries. At the conclusion of the speech "Few failed to appreciate his words and most just laughed off his Utopian ideas," Ben Yehudah recalled. He felt compelled to give the speaker some money and offered him a place to stay at his apartment. Apparently, the landlords were taken aback by Baruch's filthy appearance, and, initially, they hesitated to let him in. Ben Yehudah reassured them and explained his acquaintance was Jewish and an intellectual who needed assistance. That night, when Ben Yehudah asked him what was troubling him, Baruch responded that he "could not sleep knowing that the Jewish people were being persecuted and enduring moral and material sufferings because they lacked a homeland." . . .

Baruch's attacks against the Catholic Church, and the Jesuits in particular, were especially brazen. In loose, handwritten papers, one finds the passing remark that if indeed the Jews crucified Christ, then such action should be considered a favor rendered to Christianity, since they had helped propagate the faith by making Jesus a celebrity. . . .

In the course of the war [the Turko-Greek War of 1897 in which Baruch fought for the Greek side], Baruch befriended a non-Jewish student of philosophy, Pietro Robertzano, who was also an Italian nationalist soldier in his unit. The friendship grew and Robertzano, enthralled by Baruch's ardor, enlisted in the Zionist cause, subscribing to Baruch's lamentations about the current fate of the Jewish people and his dreams of a Jewish return to a heroic past. Robertzano held long talks with Baruch, who recounted the deeds of Joshua in Jericho, David fighting Goliath, Judith, and Judah Maccabee. In Robertzano, Baruch saw a potential for propagating Zionism among Italian Jews; he believed Robertzano's "Latin blood" created an affinity with Italian Jewry's "assimilated majority." Besides, Baruch greatly admired Italian nationalism, perhaps seeing a beneficial partnership in its contempt for clericalism. Apparently, he had attempted to convince Ricciotto Garibaldi to organize a regiment called "Titus' Prisoners" as a means to liberate Palestine. Garibaldi declined the proposal, but Baruch continued to foster the idea of a military offensive. Robertzano was as susceptible as Baruch to excited states of national imagination, but he frequently expressed skepticism, with a sardonic twist at times, when he deemed Baruch's plans unfeasible, most notably, his vision of a Jewish/international army of 50,000 men. . . .

Baruch expressed admiration of Theodore Herzl, but he also criticized him, since he thought Herzl's fiscal policies were elitist and did not represent the Jewish people. "Herzl might be an excellent minister among the non-Jews, but his actions will never be of durable trust in the opinion of the Jews." Baruch's criticism of Herzl's detachment from the masses formed part of his larger belief that to undertake historical change it was necessary to tap into people's emotions over the secluded pursuit of intellectual activity: "I believe that great historical movements are not prepared by pen and the frock coat. . . it is necessary to offer a bit of your life, it is necessary to inspire the Zionist souls living in the hearts." . . .

Baruch wrote dejectedly that should his "passion [the fight for the Jewish people] elude him," he would rather go to Cuba and die fighting for a noble cause and with a healthy spirit, which was better than perishing through sickness, insanity, or suicide. . . .

In reaction to a proposal to telegraph the Sultan, Baruch jumped, wholly unauthorized, onto the speakers' podium, and in front of a startled audience, he roared: "The only solution would be to confiscate the Jewish bourgeoisie's money to create a Jewish army, to break through to freedom and independence with arms, instead of sending telegrams of reconciliation." Baruch forthwith was removed from the building, to continue his tirade outside. . . .

Zionism once had grand adventurers like Joseph Marco Baruch on its side; now we get Alan Dershowitz. Ah, the sad decline!