1894
Dreyfus trial in Paris with clear anti-Semitic
tendencies. Theodor Herzl, a Jewish journalist
from Vienna, is present at the trial and reports
on it as a correspondent of the newspaper Neue Freie
Presse
1896
Theodor Herzl publishes his book Der Judenstaat
(“The Jewish State”), presenting his vision of a Jewish state in Palestine as the solution to the “Jewish prob-lem.” At the time of writing he does not know about
the existing pre-Zionist movement in Eastern
Europe, which has arisen as a reaction to the increase
in pogroms. Only after publication and the founding
of the Zionist Organization as well as his untiring
diplomatic efforts does the Zionist idea of an inde-
pendent Jewish state receive international recogni-
tion. Jewish Colonization Association (JCA) begins
operations in Palestine
1897
26-29 August: First World Zionist Congress with 208
delegates from sixteen countries held in Basel. Session adopts the “Basel Program” which demands “for the Jewish people a publicly recognized, legally secure
homeland in Palestine.” Theodor Herzl elected first
president of the World Zionist Organization
1901
Jewish National Fund (JNF) established to acquire
land for the Jews in Palestine.
1902
Hertzl’s novel Altneuland (literally “Old-New Land”) sketches out a socio-political structure for an inde-
pendent Jewish state in Palestine