Basel Program
The Basel Program was the first manifesto of the Zionist movement, drafted between 27-30 August 1897 and adopted unanimously at the First Zionist Congress in Basel (Basle), Switzerland on 30 August 1897.
It was drafted by a seven-man committee appointed on Friday 27 August 1897.[1] The committee was headed by Max Nordau.[1]
The other committee members were
Nathan Birnbaum, Max Bodenheimer, Alexander Mintz, Siegmund Rosenberg, Saul Rafael Landau and Hermann Schapira.[2]
The Program
The program set out the goals of the Zionist movement as follows:
Zionism aims at establishing for the Jewish people a publicly and legally assured home in Palestine. For the attainment of this purpose, the Congress considers the following means serviceable:
1. The promotion of the settlement of Jewish agriculturists, artisans, and tradesmen in Palestine.
2. The federation of all Jews into local or general groups, according to the laws of the various countries.
3. The strengthening of the Jewish feeling and consciousness.
4. Preparatory steps for the attainment of those governmental grants which are necessary to the achievement of the Zionist purpose.
References
- ^ a b Epstein, Lawrence J. (14 January 2016), The Dream of Zion: The Story of the First Zionist Congress, Rowman & Littlefield, ISBN 978-1-4422-5467-1
- ^ Skolnik, Fred; Berenbaum, Michael (2007), Encyclopaedia Judaica, Macmillan Reference USA, p. 202, ISBN 978-0-02-865931-2