Zionist Movement
The Foundation of the Zionist Movement
Introduction to Zionist Movement
In 1896 Theodor Herzl, a Hungarian born Jewish journalist, published a short book aptly called The Jewish State, in which he analyzed the causes of anti-Semitism and proposed its cure, the creation of a Jewish state. Although Herzl secured audiences with the German emperor William II and Sultan Abd al-Hamid II of Turkey, he was unable to secure their support. Nor would the wealthy among the Jews put up the money to back his project.
In 1897 Herzl organized the first Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland. Attended by nearly 200 delegates, the congress formulated the Basel Program, which remained the basic platform of the Zionist movement. The program defined Zionism’s goal as the creation “for the Jewish people of a home in Palestine secured by public law.” The congress also founded a permanent World Zionist Organization (WZO) and authorized it to establish branches in every country with a substantial Jewish population.
When Herzl failed to obtain a charter from the Turkish sultan, he directed his diplomacy toward Britain, but the British offer to investigate the possibility of Jewish colonization in East Africa-the so-called Uganda scheme-nearly split the Zionist movement. The Russian Zionists accused Herzl of betraying the Zionist program. Although Herzl was reconciled with his detractors, he died soon after, a broken man. When the 7th Zionist Congress (1905) rejected the East Africa scheme, Israel Zangwill formed the Jewish Territorial Organization, the goal of which was to seek territory anywhere suitable for Jewish colonization. Zangwill’s organization, however, never attracted a large following and faded after his death.” (1)
Resources
Notes and References
- Information about Zionist Movement in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia
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