On this day in history: Theodor Herzl convenes First Zionist Congress in Basel
From morning to night, the delegates planted the seeds for building state institutions: The Jewish National Fund, the Zionist Organization.
On August 29-31, 1897, 200 Jewish delegates from 17 countries convened in Basel, Switzerland, for the First Zionist Congress led by Theodor Herzl. The delegates, representing various backgrounds such as assimilated Jews from England, religious and Yiddish-speaking Jews from Poland, and intellectual Russian Jews from Odessa, gathered to discuss and establish the foundations of the Zionist movement.
Herzl, drawing from his experiences as a journalist, aimed to address the challenges faced by Jews in the contemporary world. Over the course of three days, debates took place both inside and outside the municipal casino concert hall, decorated with blue and white flags. The debates led to the adoption of the Basel Program, which outlined the goals of the Zionist movement.
In his diary, Herzl later reflected on the Congress, stating that he had founded the Jewish State and believed it would be recognized in the future. However, on the 129th anniversary of the Congress, an anti-Israel group based in Basel attempted to organize a protest entitled "Death to Zionism." The protest was denied approval by local authorities due to concerns about calls for violence and the lack of a permit.
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