On July 3rd, 1904, Theodor Herzl passed away. Herzl is known for his dream of the creation of an independent state of Israel. When Herzl first encountered antisemitism in 1898, he responded by writing the play “The Ghetto,” which rejected religious assimilation and conversion as solutions to antisemitism. His goal was to provide a starting point for debate between Christians and Jews on possible solutions to the so-called “Jewish Question.” Herzl’s view changed when he witnessed the Dreyfus Affair, the case of a French Jewish general who was accused of being a German spy. This made him realize that a political solution was needed; social change would not be sufficient. Herzl then wrote Der Judenstaat (“The Jewish State”) (1896), in which he laid out detailed plans for the future establishment of Israel. He explained how the Jewish community would raise the money necessary for the creation of the state, the policies on immigration, religion and state, foreign policy, and social laws. Herzl initially tried to gain support from wealthy Jews but was unsuccessful, so he turned to the general Jewish public. The Jewish people responded in support and ultimately convened the First Zionist Congress. 200 participants met in Basel, Switzerland, where they formulated the Zionist platform and created the World Zionist Organization. With this establishment came the announcement that “Zionism seeks for the Jewish people a publicly recognized, legally secured homeland in Palestine.” Herzl was voted president of the Zionist Congress, which met annually for its first five years before switching to an alternate-year schedule, which continued until World War I. The Zionist Congress was the face of the Jews in diplomatic relations regarding the creation of the State of Israel. Acting as president was the fruition of Herzl’s lifelong goal, and he spent the rest of his life traveling around the world to gain support for a Jewish homeland.