Herzl, Theodor

Herzl, Theodor

(1860-1904)

Austrian founder of the Zionist movement. The Dreyfus case convinced him that the only solution to the problem of anti-Semitism was the resettlement of the Jews in a state of their own. His book Jewish State 1896 launched political Zionism, and he became the first president of the World Zionist Organization 1897.

He was born in Budapest and became a successful playwright and journalist, mainly in Vienna.