The vacillating attitude of the former Kaiser Wilhelm toward Zionism a generation ago is now revealed for the first time in the memoirs of the late German chancellor, Prince von Bulow, which are now being published in the Vossische Zeitung. Through the intervention of Prince von Eulenberg, German ambassador to Austria, Theodor Herzl obtained an interview with von Bulow. Herzl asked the Chancellor to arrange for an audience with Kaiser Wilhelm.
Kaiser Wilhelm’s visit to Jerusalem in 1898 followed an interview Herzl had with him in Constantinople. This visit is described in the chapter of Bulow’s memoirs published today. On November 2, 1892, Herzl and his colleagues were received by the Kaiser outside the Jaffa Gate and Herzl made a brief speech of greeting.
In pointing out the Kaiser’s weakness of character, von Bulow says that at first Wilhelm was very enthusiastic over Zionism, since he hoped by supporting the movement to get rid of the German Jews whom he did not like. Later, on learning that the German ambassador to Turkey had said that the Sultan was opposed to a Jewish State, Wilhelm abandoned his entire interest in Zionism, according to von Bulow.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
