If Jews have always been yearning for return to their homeland, why didn't they begin to return until the 19th century?

This challenge, probably first formulated by Marxist critics, betrays either boundless cynicism or ignorance of history. Jews did try to return to Zion throughout the 2,000 year exile, and many did settle in Jerusalem, Safed, Hebron and other towns, despite enormous hardships.. However, given the lowly political status of the Jews, any international movement would have been doomed to failure, as were the numerous false messiahs like Shabbetai Tzvi, who promised to rebuild Jerusalem. It is like asking, "If workers and peasants didn't like being downtrodden, why didn't they make a Bolshevik revolution in the Middle Ages?" 

In fact, there has been continuous settlement of Jews in the land of Israel since the Roman conquest, despite tremendous hardships and against all odds. Even when it was officially forbidden by the Crusades, Jews managed to obtain special permits because they were cloth dyers or had other vital skills, that allowed them to live in Jerusalem. Jewish communities in Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed and Tiberias were resettled more than once.

Tiberias

Safed - Tzfat

Hebron Massacre in the Riots of 1929

 Israeli personality Mehereta Baruch and American-Israeli basketball star LaVon Mercer tell us Zionism is not racism.

See Also - Zionist Quotes  Be Proud-Presenting Zionism   Explaining Zionism   The Truth about the Zionist Threat  Zionism and Its Impact The Myth of the Israeli Bantustan offer at Taba and other myths