29 August 1897
First Zionist Congress Opens
Historical context
The First Zionist Congress opened in Basel on August 29, 1897, and sat through August 31. Delegates adopted the Basel Program.
Archive record
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- Date
- 29 August 1897
- Verified sources
- 1
- Archive threads
- 1
On this day, Theodor Herzl opened the First Zionist Congress in Basel. The meeting had been moved from Munich after local opposition. It sat through 31 August 1897. About 200 people attended, including delegates of Zionist societies from 17 countries.
The Congress established the Zionist Organization and adopted the Basel Program: to create for the Jewish people a home in Eretz Israel secured by public law.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- The First Zionist Congress and the Basel Program · Jewish Virtual Library · Jewish Virtual Library View source
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