Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl in Basel, 1897 A plaque marking the birthplace of Theodor Herzl, Dohány Street Synagogue, Budapest. Theodor Herzl (Hebrew: תאודור ה ר צ ל, Theodor Hertzel; Hungarian: Herzl Tivadar; May 2, 1860 – July 3, 1904), born Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl (Hebrew: ב נ י מ ין ז א ב ה ר צ ל, also known in Hebrew as חו ז ה ה מ ד ינ ה, Khozeh HaMedinah, lit. "Visionary of the State") was an Austro-Hungarian journalist, playwright, political activist, georgist, and writer. He is considered to have been the father of modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organization and promoted Jewish migration to Palestine in an effort to form a Jewish state (Israel).