Why would the Oriental Fisheries Co. of Chicago name a brand of the finest Norwegian brisling sardines after Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement and the visionary of the State of Israel? The truth is, I don’t know.
Although some might say that branding tiny fish with Herzl’s name and likeness discredits his memory, I take the opposite view. This sardine label from the 1920s was one way that Zionists kept Herzl’s dream alive after his untimely death in 1904 until that dream was realized in 1948.
Believe it or not, there was even a second brand of Herzl sardines: these were from Portugal and sold in Palestine. They were so delicious that they won a gold medal at Tel Aviv’s Levant Fair in 1934. This advertisement declares that each can contains four fresh and tasty large fish.
Herzl’s likeness has also appeared on other commercial products including pencils, pocket knives, shoe polish, cutlery and timepieces. These and over 100 other items from my collection will be on exhibit at the Bernard Museum at Temple Emanu-El in New York from Sept. 17 until Jan. 23, 2025.
Together with Suzanne Berns, the curator of the Herzl Archives at the Central Zionist Archives in Jerusalem, I will be speaking about collecting Herzl memorabilia on Sept. 19, a program that is available online for free.
At this time, it is important for people to learn (or be reminded) of what Zionism’s purpose was and is, as envisioned by its founder. Simply put, Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, to enable the Jewish people to live freely and safely in our ancestral homeland.
I hope that the exhibit will play a small part in enhancing people’s understanding of Zionism, at a time when the term is being maliciously and incorrectly defined by Israel’s detractors.
If you are travelling to New York in the next four months, please come and see the exhibit. If you have friends or family in New York, please encourage them to come and see it, too. The Herzl exhibit will literally be the Treasure Trove coming off the screen, to be experienced in real life.
