The First Zionist Congress
Herzl’s baby
Attempts to convene the Congress with representation from all the groups that had been working for settling the Land of Israel were conducted even before Herzl’s initiative. The conference of the “Hovevi Zion” organizations, which was held in Katowice, then in Germany, in 1884 was meant to be a congress. Zionist representatives from Russia, Romania, Germany, England and France took part in the conference. Dr. Nathan Birnbaum tried to convene a conference in Vienna of all the Jewish student organizations in Europe. Another attempt to unite all the Zionist activists took place in Paris in 1894 when there was a gathering of representatives of organizations from different countries. However, this attempt did not succeed as the Baron Rothschild opposed all public action.
The first Zionist Congress, which was held in Basel Switzerland was attended by 197 representatives from 17 countries. This conference was entirely planned and organized by Herzl. He stated the purpose of the Congress was to lay the cornerstone for the future homeland, which would be a refuge for the Jewish people.
Because of Herzl’s personality, he was able to create a festive and impressive event. Even the most cynical representatives left Basel as enthusiastic followers. Max Nordau’s speech also made a great impression when he ably described the social, economic and political situation of the Jews of the Diaspora.
In Basel, I established…
The Basel Plan, which was adopted at the end of the congress, defined the role of Zionism as the hope “to establish a home for the Jewish people in Palestine secured under public law.” The plan also allowed for setting up administrative institutions that would precede the settlement of Jews in the Land of Israel and would strengthen the national sentiments among Jews all over the world.
At the end of the Congress, Herzl wrote in his diary his historic vision:
Herzl saw the Congress as the Parliament of the nascent Jewish state. He managed to organize it in such a way that he was able to unite the representatives from all over the world to share the desire for a national rebirth.
The Jewish National Fund and other initiatives
The founding of the Jewish National Fund at the fifth Congress (1901) provided the World Zionist Organization with an important tool for the redeeming areas of land in the Land of Israel and preparing them for settlement. The ideas was first suggested by Professor Zvi Herman Shapira in the first Congress, however, it took Herzl’s pressuring for the idea to be accepted. The Jewish National Fund purchased a lot of land, making the land the property of the Jewish people. (More than 90% of the land in Israel belongs to the State.) -“You shall grant a redemption for the land.” The World Zionist Organization could channel settlement to the areas that it wanted to.
Another tool, which was wholly Herzl’s idea was to publish a Zionist weekly, Die Welt, which contributed greatly to the spreading of the Zionist idea all the years that it was published (1897-1914). In order to administer the World Zionist Organization in the periods between the Congresses the Zionist General Council was established. “The Nuclear General Council” (known today as the Zionist Executive) was responsible for directing the practical work.
News from the Past
Watch this movie from Israel Educational Program about Herzl, the Zionist Congress, the Uganda Proposal
The Anglo-Palestine Company
It was established by the World Zionist Organization in 1902 as a subsidiary of the “Jewish Colonial Trust” (JCT). The JCT was founded three years before in 1899 at Herzl’s initiative at the second Zionist Congress. It w as a share-holding company (registered in England) whose purpose was to raise money to buy the “charter”, the right to the Land of Israel, from the Turks that ruled the land.
Although Herzl’s “charter” plan failed, it was decided that “The Jewish Colonial Trust” would fund the settlers in the Land of Israel and that the Anglo-Palestine Company, its subsidiary, would provided the credit for the Zionist enterprise in the Land of Israel. The first branch of the Anglo-Palestine Company was opened in Jaffa in 1903. Its first director was Zalman David Levontin, one of the leaders of “Hovevi Zion” and one of the first of the First Aliyah. IN 1908, a branch of the Anglo-Palestine Company was opened in Haifa, and in the following years, several other branches were opened, including one in Alexandria, Egypt. This bank was opened during World War I when many Jews from the Land of Israel were deported to Alexandria. Levontin was among them.
As time passed, the Anglo-Palestine Company became a large and important financial institution. In 1931, its name was changed to the Anglo-Palestine Bank, Ltd., which was a bank in every sense of the word. With the establishment of the State of Israel at the end of the British Mandate, it became the national bank of Israel. It served in that capacity until 1954, when the Bank of Israel was founded.
