On this day in history: Theodor Herzl convenes First Zionist Congress in Basel

The First Zionist Congress, led by Theodor Herzl, convened 129 years ago today in Basel, Switzerland, bringing together approximately 200 Jewish delegates from 17 countries. Held from August 29-31, 1897, the congress laid the groundwork for future state institutions and adopted the Basel Program, outlining the Zionist movement's goals. Herzl famously wrote in his diary, "At Basel I founded the Jewish State." Recently, an anti-Israel protest titled "Death to Zionism," planned by 'basel4palestine' to coincide with the anniversary, was denied approval by local authorities due to a lack of permit and concerns about calls for violence, deeming it "not consistent with fundamental rights."