Nachman’s love of Israel, his trip to Palestine, influenced his chassidim, and many chassidim in general, and most likley had an influence on Ukrainian Jewry well into the turn of the century.

And of all the men you mentioned, not one made a country.

Kook’s seed is kooky? hahah! Herzl’s kids were totally messed up, and his wife killed herself. Not to diminish the man and what he did, only to argue, that once you begin judging Zionist thinkers by their offspring, the secular Zionists don’t fare to well.

It’s not about agreement — I just offer that as a friend, an admirer of you and your work, and as the “senior zionist activist” that I am. You can take it or leave it. I would encourage you and PICZ to be more open minded and diverse, and study all kinds of Zionism. Even Mizrachi and Evangelical Zionism!

Nahman might have inspired a movement, but, with all due respect, for all of his follower’s fervor he did not a country make.

As for Rav Kook–I’d love the man much more if his seed weren’t so Kookie.

And that’s the best thing about PICZ–that there are people there that agree with you, adn some there that will agree with me.

Great programs, keep ‘em coming.

Having been raised on a diet of such “luminaries” at zionist summer camp for years, all I can say is that I would take the Chofetz Chaim over any of those dudes in a second.

Rebbi Nachman blows away Ahad Ha’am, even though they both are from Ukraine.

l would suggest Rav Kook so you can have cutting edge Zionism that is vibrantly relative and studied by tens of thousands of Jews in Israel on a daily basis.

I think that its great to bring young people together to be on the cutting edges of Jewish creativity, and I wish you all a successful summer!