▁Jewish ▁political ▁movements ▁offering ▁alternative ▁responses ▁to ▁assim ilation ▁and ▁ant is emit ism , ▁Z ion ism ▁expanded ▁rapidly . ▁In ▁its ▁early ▁stages , ▁supp or ters ▁considered ▁setting ▁up ▁a ▁Jewish ▁state ▁in ▁the ▁historic ▁territory ▁of ▁Palest ine . ▁After ▁World ▁War ▁II ▁and ▁the ▁destruction ▁of ▁Jewish ▁life ▁in ▁Central ▁and ▁Eastern ▁Europe ▁where ▁these ▁alternative ▁movements ▁were ▁root ed , ▁it ▁became ▁dominant ▁in ▁the ▁thinking ▁about ▁a ▁Jewish ▁national ▁state . ▁ ▁Creating ▁an ▁al liance ▁with ▁Great ▁Britain ▁and ▁se cur ing ▁support ▁for ▁some ▁years ▁for ▁Jewish ▁em igration ▁to ▁Palest ine , ▁Z ion ists ▁also ▁rec ru ited ▁European ▁Jews ▁to ▁imm igr ate ▁there , ▁especially ▁Jews ▁who ▁lived ▁in ▁areas ▁of ▁the ▁Russian ▁Empire ▁where ▁anti - sem it ism ▁was ▁ra ging . ▁The ▁al liance ▁with ▁Britain ▁was ▁stra ined ▁as ▁the ▁latter ▁realized ▁the ▁imp lications ▁of ▁the ▁Jewish ▁movement ▁for ▁Arab s ▁in ▁Palest ine , ▁but ▁the ▁Z ion ists ▁pers isted . ▁The ▁movement ▁was ▁eventually ▁successful ▁in ▁establish ing ▁Israel ▁on ▁May ▁ 1 4 , ▁ 1 9 4 8 ▁( 5 ▁I yy ar ▁ 5 7 0 8 ▁in ▁the ▁Heb rew ▁calendar ), ▁as ▁the ▁hom eland ▁for ▁the ▁Jewish ▁people . ▁The ▁proportion ▁of ▁the ▁world ' s ▁Jews ▁living ▁in ▁Israel ▁has ▁stead ily ▁grown ▁since ▁the ▁movement ▁emer ged . ▁By ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 1 st ▁century , ▁more ▁than ▁ 4 0 % ▁of