120 years on, a plaque indicates Herzl’s house
As part of events marking 120 years since the passing of Theodor Herzl, a plaque has been unveiled on the house in Vienna where he lived at the time of the First Zionist Congress in 1897.
Reuben Shalom, World Zionist Organization Secretary General, Dror Morag, WZO Executive member, Karoline Edtstadler, Austrian Minister for Europe, Michael Ludwig, Mayor of Vienna, Uri Zaki, Chairman Herzl Centre.
Herzl was the visionary of the Jewish State.
The event, held by the World Zionist Organization, was attended by Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, World Zionist Organization executive member Dror Morag, World Zionist Organization Secretary General Reuben Shalom, Herzl Centre Chairman Uri Zaki, Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig, Austria’s Federal Minister for Europe and the Constitution, Karoline Edtstadler and Israel’s Ambassador in Vienna, Mordechai Rodgold, in addition to representatives of the Jewish community and other dignitaries.
Theodore Herzl
Theodor Herzl played a central role in fostering the establishment of the State of Israel. The first Zionist Congress, held in Basel in 1897, served as a groundbreaking platform for the discussion and consolidation of Herzl’s Zionist vision. During this congress, the foundations for the establishment of the State of Israel were laid. The house in Vienna where Theodor Herzl lived at the time of the First Zionist Congress is of enormous historical significance. Between these walls, Herzl worked tirelessly to realize his dream of a Jewish homeland.
President Isaac Herzog: “Now, 120 years after Herzl’s death, and only eight decades since European Jewry was almost wiped off the face of the earth in a genocide of indescribable proportions, on this very land, I return – to the house where Herzl lived and dreamed – as President of the Jewish State, the Jewish and democratic State of Israel. It remains our duty to realize the vision of Zionism in the State of Israel, to stand firm in the face of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel actions, to strengthen our unity, to expand our mutual responsibility and commitment to Tikkun Olam: healing and improving the world, by cooperating while respecting our diversity and differences.”
