THE STRUGGLE FOR LEADERSHIP IN THE JEWISH MOVEMENT IN BUKOVYNA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Abstract

The article analyzes the struggle between individual groups of Jewish politicians for influence on social processes, the formation of political societies and parties, and the definition of the ideological guidelines of the Jewish national movement. Considerable attention is paid to the characteristics of the two most prominent Jewish leaders of that time, lawyer Benjamin (Beno) Straucher and Chernivtsi University professor Leon Kellner. It is noted that at the beginning of the 20th century, Benno Straucher became the most influential Jewish politician in Bukovina. He was simultaneously a member of the Austrian Parliament, the Bukovina Sejm, and the Chernivtsi City Council. He headed the Bukovina Jewish community and a number of cultural and political societies. In 1901, he created the first political organization of Bukovina Jews, the Jewish People's Society, and in 1907, he replaced it with the Jewish National Society, which in 1909 was transformed into the National Party of Bukovina Jews. Such a concentration of power provoked opposition among a number of Jewish politicians, including M. Ebner, F. Menchel, and others. Between 1905 and 1910, they created a number of political societies that sought to combat B. Straucher's dominance in Jewish political life. However, all attempts ended in failure. A new stage in the struggle began in 1910, when Leon Kelner became the leader of the anti- Straucher opposition. In October of that year, he proposed the idea of creating a political organization called the Bukovina People's Council. This project was implemented in 1911. That same year, the election campaign for the Bukovina Sejm and then the Austrian Parliament began. Although B. Straucher's National Party won six seats in the Bukovynian Sejm and L. Kellner's supporters only two, this was already a significant success for the opposition. The article emphasizes that despite the fierce struggle, both political forces professed roughly the same ideological guidelines, advocating the recognition of Jews as a separate people, seeking to expand their national and cultural rights, and promoting the ideas of Zionism. The differences mainly concerned tactics and relations with other political forces in the region.It is emphasized that B. Straucher's supporters consistently maintained allied relations with Ukrainian political forces. In general, this political struggle was positive in nature, as it contributed to the democratization of the Jewish movement, the crystallization of national slogans, and the consolidation of disparate political forces.