Portal:Philosophy/Featured philosopher/2006-14

Asher Ginsberg (1856, Skvyra - 1927), also known by the pen name Ahad Ha'am (also: Achad Ha'am, Echad Ha'am etc.) (Hebrew: one of the people, compare with L.L. Zamenhof's Unuel), was one of the great pre-state Zionist thinkers.

Ginzberg was a friend and supporter of Leon Pinsker, and a leader of the Hovevei Tsyion (lovers of Zion) movement. Hovevei Tsiyon began as independent study circles in the late 19th century, and formed a confederation called Hibbath Tziyon. Their practical aim was settlement of Jews in Palestine, and they produced the settlements of the first Aliya (immigration wave). The Zionist settlement program of those days was, however, beset by nearly insurmountable practical difficulties, so that many of these settlements failed or were failing.