1897: "At Basle I Founded the Jewish State"

by Nili Kadary

The first Zionist Congress achieved the objectives that Herzl had set for it. Immediately after the congress, Herzl wrote in his diary:

"At Basle, I founded the Jewish state.... The state, in its essence, has already been founded in the will of the people for a state."

Even though Herzl himself did not have the good fortune to witness the actual establishment of the Jewish state, there is no doubt that at Basle he laid the foundation for the State of Israel.

The first Zionist Congress opened ceremoniously in Basle, Switzerland on Sunday, 29 August 1897. One hundred ninety seven delegates, representatives of Zionist organizations from all over the world took part. Herzl was the central figure in the events of the congress, which opened with addresses by Herzl and Max Nordau, who described the goals of the Zionist movement. Afterwards, the delegates participated in discussions and took fundamental decisions which were to lay the foundation for all future activities of the Zionist Organization:

1. They formulated the Zionist platform:

"Zionism aspires to establish a homeland for the Jewish people, guaranteed by international law, in the land of Israel."

It was decided to adopt a blue and white flag bearing the Magen David (six pointed star) as the national flag of the Jewish people.

Four means were resolved as necessary to secure a "national homeland":

• Settling the land of Israel by farmers, artisans, and merchants.
• Organizing and uniting all Jewry by means of local and general activity in accordance with the laws of each country.
• Intensifying Jewish national feeling and Jewish national consciousness.
• Preparing to receive the consent of governments to the realization of the Zionist goal.

This platform was actually a compromise between the supporters of Herzl's approach -- Political Zionism -- and the Hovevei Tzion, who supported Practical Zionism.

2. The World Zionist Organization was established, with its sovereign institution - the Zionist Congress.

The elected institutions of the Zionist Organization were established: The Zionist General Council and the office of its chief executive, the Zionist Executive, and the president of the World Zionist Organization.

3. Guidelines for the choice of delegates to the Zionist Congress were established.

The foundation for these guidelines was the principle that the Zionist Congress held the status of a national assembly representing the entire Jewish people. Participants in the Congress would be elected representatives of the Jewish communities.

4. Plans were set forth and decisions taken concerning the establishment of additional bodies that would further goals of the Zionist movement.

Among these decisions:

• the establishment of a national bank and a national fund for financing the activities of the Zionist movement, and
• the establishment of the Jewish National Fund for acquisition of land in the land of Israel.

The first Zionist Congress established the executive arm of the Zionist movement in the form of the World Zionist Organization.

Zionism became a popular, national democratic movement of the Jewish people with a mandate for the broadest scope of activity.

With the help of the Congress, the supreme institution of the movement, Herzl planned:

• To organize Zionist propaganda among the Jewish communities
• To organize the financing necessary for Zionist activity
• To plan the immigration of Jews and their settlement in the land of Israel in preparation for being granted a "charter" by the Ottoman Turkish government.

Since Herzl considered the Jewish problem an international political problem, he fashioned the congress as a Jewish parliament, and his own position as president of the Zionist Congress as head of state.

The Significance of the Zionist Congress at Basle

• The Zionist Congress constituted a major break-through in international public opinion; the congress was covered by hundreds of national and regional newspapers.
• The congress strengthened the ideological basis of Zionism.
• It was an important meeting of Political Zionism and Practical Zionism.
• The Congress served as a national assembly, expressing the will of the people, who, like other peoples, aspired to the right of self-determination.
• Until this time, Herzl had acted as an individual. From now on, he stood at the head of a large organization that operated in the open.
• Political Zionism became the mainstream of the Zionist movement.
• The Congress contributed to strengthening the democratic process in the Zionist movement, because it provided an open forum for a full range of opinions and because it functioned on the basis of free elections.