Tammuz 20

This date marks the passing of Theodor Herzl in 1904. Upon witnessing the Alfred Dreyfus trial in France, Herzl was so affected by the anti-Semitism and injustice, that he committed his life to vigorously pursuing the cause of Zionism. Herzl promoted his vision in two books, The Jewish State, and Old New Land, a novel which pictured the future Jewish state as a socialist utopia. Herzl coined the phrase, "If you will it, it is no dream," which became the motto of the Zionist movement. During his career as president of the World Zionist Organization, he never took a salary and paid for all expenses out of his own pocket. Herzl died, penniless, of heart disease at the age of 44. In 1949, Herzl's remains were brought to Israel and reinterred on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.