Theodor Hertzel: Father of Zionism

The term "Zionism" was first introduced in 1893 by Nathan Birmbaum, but Theodor Hertzel, an Austrian Jew born to a prosperous, emancipated Budapest family, is recognized as the founder of the Zionist idealogy when he published his book in 1896, "The Jewish State", where he declared that the cure for anti-semitism was the establishment of a Jewish state. As he saw it, the best place to establish this state was in Palestine.

While Hertzel claimed that the establishment of a "Jewish" state would cure anti-Semitism, he also promoted anti-Semitism to further his cause.



Bio: http://www.nkusa.org/Historical_Documents/Herzl_quotes.cfm