This introductory video (03:02) tells the story of Theodor Herzl’s transformation from an assimilated Jew in Austria to the father of modern Political Zionism. After experiencing antisemitism as a child in Austria and a journalist in Paris, most notably the Dreyfus Affair in France in 1894, Herzl concluded that the only “cure” for antisemitism was the creation of a Jewish state. Although he was not the first to envision this idea, his bold and practical acts paved the way for the ultimate establishment of the State of Israel. As his first active steps into the world of Zionism, he published “The Jewish State” in 1896 and organized the First Zionist Congress in 1897.Â