ABSTRACT
As a consequence, parallel to the renaissance of Jewish nationalism and the rejection of the Diaspora in modern times, there emerged a countermovement dedicated to the affirmation of the significance of the Diaspora in its own right. From a national perspective, perhaps the most significant aspect of the Diaspora was that throughout this long period of adversity the Jews consistently considered themselves as exiles. Having rejected the idea of the Diaspora as exile and consequently the notion of a forthcoming political restoration of the Jewish nation in its ancient homeland as advocated by the proponents of the emerging Zionist movement, Simon Dubnow sought to infuse a new and metapolitical content into the concept of Jewish nationalism. The Diaspora nationalists insisted that the Jews were and would always remain a distinct nationality. They therefore categorically rejected—as a conscious self-delusion—the idea that the Jews could assimilate in the nations among whom they lived.
