How a 19th-century movement built the foundations of a modern state

Countries & Cities · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1897, Theodor Herzl gathered delegates in Switzerland to launch a political movement. Through organized congresses and strategic diplomacy, the World Zionist Organization transformed a global ideology into a structured political force, establishing administrative institutions that would eventually underpin the State of Israel.

The World Zionist Organization (WZO) was founded in 1897 by Theodor Herzl during the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland. Originally known as the Zionist Organization (ZO), the body was established to pursue the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine—a region then under the Ottoman Empire and later the British Mandate. To fund these ambitions, the movement relied on various entities, including the Jewish Colonial Trust, founded in 1899, and the Jewish National Fund, established in 1901.

The organization functioned as a political umbrella, coordinating diverse delegations grouped by ideology rather than geography. Membership was open to all Jews, with voting rights for congress delegates secured through the purchase of a 'Zionist Shekel,' a membership fee named after the ancient Hebrew coin. This structure allowed the movement to develop political strategies and organize world congresses to advocate for Jewish interests globally.

As the movement evolved, it created specialized bodies like the Jewish Agency in 1929 to assist in the development and settlement of Israel. While Herzl died more than 40 years before the State of Israel was established in 1948, the administrative institutions developed by the WZO during the preceding decades provided a framework for the new state. In January 1960, the ZO officially adopted a new constitution and changed its name to the World Zionist Organization, transitioning to a model where membership is reserved for organizations rather than individuals.

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