First Zionist Congress

"Basel Congress" redirects here. For the 1869 4th General Congress of the International Workingmen's Association, see Basel Congress (1869).
The delegates at the First Zionist Congress, held in Basel, Switzerland (1897).
Mountain Jewish delegates with Herzl at the First Zionist Congress

The First Zionist Congress (Hebrew: הקונגרס הציוני הראשון) was the inaugural congress of the Zionist Organization (ZO) held in the Stadtcasino Basel in the city of Basel on August 29–31, 1897. Two hundred and eight delegates and 26 press correspondents attended the event.[1] It was convened[2] and chaired[3] by Theodor Herzl, the founder of the modern Zionism movement. The Congress formulated a Zionist platform, known as the Basel program, and founded the Zionist Organization.

The conference was covered by the international press, making a significant impression.[4]

  1. ^ Epstein, Lawrence Jeffrey (1989), A Treasury of Jewish Anecdotes, Jason Aronson, pp. 98–, ISBN 978-0-87668-890-8
  2. ^ "First Zionist Congress & Basel Program (1897)". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference JAFI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cohen1989 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).