Israeli President Isaac Herzog flew to Basel this week to attend an event marking the 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress, one of the most important milestones in the history of Zionism.
Planned by the World Zionist Organization (WZO), the event will come 125 years after the three-day 1897 conference where Theodor Herzl addressed over 200 delegates and “founded the Jewish state.” According to the organizers, more than 1,000 guests are expected to attend the two-day event. Security in the city is extremely high. Speakers will include Miriam Adelson, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who now heads SoftBank’s operations in Israel, Jewish Agency chairman Doron Almog, ADL chief Jonathan Greenblatt, Minister for Diaspora Affairs, Nachman Shai, and Baroness Ariane De Rothschild, CEOs of the Edmond de Rothschild Group.
During his trip, Herzog will meet Swiss government officials, including Swiss President Ignazio Cassis, as well as government officials from the canton of Basel and members of the Jewish community, Herzog’s spokesman said. During their meeting, Herzog and Cassis are expected to sign a “landmark agreement” between the state science foundations of Israel and Switzerland, the statement said.
The first Zionist Congress was initially supposed to take place in Munich. However, this failed due to the strict rejection of the General German Rabbinical Association and the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community in Munich. The alternative was Basel, where the congress was organized by David Farbstein and took place from August 29th to 31st, 1897. The Basel program was formulated there, which states: “Zionism aims to create a home in Palestine secured by public law for those Jews who cannot or do not want to assimilate elsewhere.”
Check out this video from the event (can be played on Facebook only): https://www.facebook.com/TheJerusalemPost/videos/939140270375094/
