The Sykes-Weizmann Agreement

In 1913, Horace Kallen, a young professor at the University of Wisconsin, organized the Parushim, a secret society devoted to the establishment of a new Jewish commonwealth in Palestine. Frustrated that his fellow Zionists would only speculate about a new Israel, Kallen recruited distinguished and talented Americans who would commit themselves to secret action. One of those recruited was the progressive Boston lawyer Louis Brandeis. Spurned initially from service in the Woodrow Wilson...
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In 1913, Horace Kallen, a young professor at the University of Wisconsin, organized the Parushim, a secret society devoted to the establishment of a new Jewish commonwealth in Palestine. Frustrated that his fellow Zionists would only speculate about a new Israel, Kallen recruited distinguished and talented Americans who would commit themselves to secret action. One of those recruited was the progressive Boston lawyer Louis Brandeis. Spurned initially from service in the Woodrow Wilson Administration, Brandeis devoted himself to the public and private advancement of Zionism. Europe erupted into war in August 1914 but the outcome was a murderous quagmire of trench warfare with little gain for either side. While England and Germany attempted to blockade one another's access to outside trade, President Wilson proclaimed the insanity of the conflict and America's isolation from it. Where others saw death and destruction, Kallen saw opportunity for Zionism. He proposed to the British war cabinet a simple deal: if the British would recognize Zionist aspirations in Palestine, Zionists in the United States would encourage American entry into the war. The plan was only possible if it remained a secret.The Sykes-Weizmann Agreement is a play of historical fiction which recounts the efforts of Horace Kallen to achieve his Zionist goals. The play shows Louis Brandeis resigning from his public leadership of the Zionist movement after he was appointed to the United States Supreme Court but shows that Brandeis continued to secretly serve the cause of Zionism while on the court. After British war minister Sir Mark Sykes agreed with Russian born British Zionist Chaim Weizmann on Kallen's plan, President Wilson "discovered" that the Germans intended to blockade the British as effectively as they themselves were being blockaded. The United States declared war and the Zionists looked for Britain to announce its support for the Zionist enterprise. But Wilson was not enthused about committing American men to a European conflict and he approved a secret mission whereby his former ambassador, Robert Morgenthau, would attempt to make peace with Turkey and purchase the land in Palestine where Jews might settle. Morgenthau sailed for Turkey with 18 trunks filled with gold. Brandeis learned about the peace initiative and coordinated an effort to thwart it: he arranged for his Zionist associates, including Felix Frankfurter, to intercept the peace initiative at Gibraltar. There, Chaim Weizmann confronted Morgenthau and two Jewish leaders argued about the methods of Zionism and the possible outcomes. Based carefully on the historical record, The Sykes-Weizmann Agreement exposes a hundred year old secret operation to create a Jewish home in Palestine. But in the celebration of the achievement of the Balfour Declaration, we are left to wonder if the method was proper and whether the price paid for the new Zion was too high. Do we still struggle with the legacy of this historic agreement?