Born to a religious family with the name "Simcha Sudfeld," Max Nordau left Judaism as a teenager and lived the life of a secular intellectual. Joining forces with Herzl in his middle age reconnected him to the Jewish people, and though he rose to prominence in the Zionism movement, his outspoken views also earned him enemies. Whether or not he deserved them is a matter for debate, but there can be no doubt that this complex man was a force to be reckoned with.