ABSTRACT
AhadHa'amhasbeendescribedbyOavidVitalnotonlyasthe 'sageofZionism',1butasperhapstheonlygenuinethinkerofthis nationalmovement.AsVitalnotes,theinterestinAhadHa'amhas beencontinuousthroughoutthetwentiethcentury,andhiswritings remainpertinenttocurrentdebates.Infact,thesewritingspossess particularsignificanceforJewsandIsraelisastheyenterthe twenty-firstcenturyandaddresspressingconcernsaboutthe meaningofJewishidentity,thebestwaysofpreservingandcultivatingthisidentit予 and theoverallplaceofliteraryculturein contemporarylife.ButwhileAhadHa'am'sthinkingishighlyrelevanttothesedebates,histhoughtisoftenmisconstrued,sinceitis examinedthroughlensesfocusedtootightlyontheearlyideologicalpolemicsoftheearlyZionistmovementandexclusivelywithin itscompass.
