The International Quest for a Jewish Homeland: The Historical Proposals for Jewish Sovereignty

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as the Zionist movement sought a homeland for the Jewish people, several locations outside the traditional borders of the Middle East were considered. These proposals emerged from the complex interplay of geopolitics, colonial interests, and the urgent need for a safe haven for Jews facing persecution in various parts of the world. Here are five notable locations that were once suggested as potential Jewish homelands:

1. Ararat city (U. S.)

In 1820, in a precursor to modern Zionism, Mordecai Manuel Noah tried to found a Jewish homeland at Grand Island in the Niagara River, to be called "Ararat" after Mount Ararat, the Biblical resting place of Noah's Ark. He erected a monument on the island that read, "Ararat, a City of Refuge for the Jews, founded by Mordecai M. Noah in the Month of Tishri, 5586 (September, 1825), and in the Fiftieth Year of American Independence." In his discourse on the restoration of the Jews, Noah proclaimed his faith that the Jews would return and rebuild their ancient homeland. Noah called on America to take the lead in this endeavor. Some have speculated whether Noah's utopian ideas may have influenced Joseph Smith, who founded the Latter Day Saint movement in Upstate New York a few years later.

2. British Uganda Program (The Uganda Scheme)—East Africa

In 1903, the British government offered an area of the British East Africa Protectorate, today part of Kenya, as a potential Jewish homeland. This was following the Kishinev pogroms in the Russian Empire, which underscored the dire situation for many Jews in Eastern Europe. The British proposal, known as the Uganda Scheme, was seriously considered by the Sixth Zionist Congress. While it was viewed by some as a temporary refuge, fierce debate ensued, and the idea was ultimately rejected by the Zionist movement, which was committed to establishing a homeland in Palestine.

3. Madagascar Plan, Madagascar

The island of Madagascar, off the southeast coast of Africa, was proposed as a site for Jewish resettlement several times. The most infamous of these was the Nazi plan in the late 1930s to forcibly relocate European Jews to Madagascar. This plan was never realized due to the outbreak of World War II and the subsequent shift in Nazi policy towards the Final Solution. However, earlier proposals for Jewish settlement on Madagascar had been floated since the 19th century, including by the French government, as a means of both assisting Jews and promoting colonization.

4. Kimberley Plan, Australia

During the 1930s, as persecution of Jews intensified in Europe, the Freeland League for Jewish Territorial Colonization, led by Isaac Nachman Steinberg, explored the possibility of establishing a Jewish homeland in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The plan received some support within Australia and from American philanthropists, but it was eventually vetoed by the Australian government in 1944, largely due to the opposition of the Minister for the Interior, who did not support mass migration.

5. Birobidzhan, Soviet Union

In the 1920s, the Soviet government established the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, with its capital in Birobidzhan, located in the Russian Far East near the border with China. The idea was to create a homeland for Jews within the Soviet Union, encouraging them to contribute to the region's development. It was also a strategic move to bolster the population in a remote area near the vulnerable Soviet-Chinese border. Despite efforts to promote Jewish culture, Birobidzhan never attracted a significant Jewish population, and the region remains sparsely populated today.

6. Suriname, South America

In the mid-1600s, the idea of Jewish autonomy in the New World was realized on a small scale in Suriname. Jewish settlers were granted a measure of self-rule and established a community known as Jodensavanne. Although it never became a Jewish state, it represented an early example of Jewish self-governance. In the 20th century, as European Jews faced increasing threats, Suriname was again considered as a possible location for a larger-scale Jewish settlement, although this idea did not progress far.

Each of these locations represents a different facet of the Jewish struggle for a safe and sovereign homeland. The debates and decisions surrounding these proposals reflect the enduring hope for self-determination as well as the complex realities of global politics and colonial ambitions. The eventual establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 marked the culmination of these aspirations within the historic homeland of the Jewish people, although the journey to that point was marked by numerous alternate visions and proposals.