Sternberg was a prominent local Zionist from a young age. In 1914 put his nationalist aspirations on hold to serve as an officer of Austria-Hungary during the First World War. Prior to and following the war, Sternberg was a leading member of the Hebronia movement, a leading local Zionist movement. In 1920 he addressed 600 visiting Romanian dignitaries (Czernowitz became a part of newly enlarged Romania following the dissolution of Austria-Hungary) in Hebrew, marking the first significant attempt to bring the rebirth of the language to the attention of a non-Jewish audience.
