Tomorrow (Sunday) a global event will open in Basel to mark the 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress - at the time and place it was held.
On August 29, 1897, Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl convened the first Zionist Congress.
It was held at the Stadtcasino in Basel, where the state contract was addressed to 208 delegates, and they discussed the establishment of a Jewish state and the foundation of the World Zionist Organization - an institution that paved the way for the establishment of the State of Israel.
The event will open today in the same hall in the presence of the President of the State, Yitzhak Herzog, and at the initiative of the World Zionist Organization.
Herzl speaks before the Congress, photo: none
The World Zionist Organization will mark the founding event in a series of events, the first of which is in Basel.
About 1,400 Jewish leaders, entrepreneurs and philanthropists from around the world will participate in the event, including the publisher of Israel Hayom Dr. Miriam Adelson, with the aim of discussing the implementation of Herzl's socio-economic vision and the vision of the Zionist movement, and to propose a vision and milestones for the next 25 years in each related to the challenges of the Jewish people.
One of the main events of the event will be the restoration of the historical image of the state contract, Benjamin Zeev Herzl, next to the railing on the balcony of the "Three Kings" hotel in Basel during the Zionist Congress.
Speaker at the conference: Yitzhak Herzog, photo: Avi Kaner
In the synagogue where Herzl prayed on the Sabbath before the first Zionist Congress for his success, they hung the parochet they received 25 years ago from the Knesset of Israel led by the Acting President of the State and Speaker of the Knesset at the time, Dan Tikhon.
Following warnings about huge pro-Palestinian demonstrations, the Swiss government passed a decision to budget the security at the place with 5.7 million euros.
For this purpose, the Rhine River will be closed to ship traffic, the airspace will be closed for the days of the Congress and the area of the Congress Hall will be secured by thousands of police and soldiers.
The conference itself will be divided into two: the first is the Herzl Leadership Conference that will focus on modern Zionism in light of Herzl's vision - the Impact Conference for Social-Economic Entrepreneurship, which will host 125 leading entrepreneurs from the high-tech industry who were carefully selected from among the thousands of nominations and applications received by the committee.
And the second, a special gala evening where the President of the State will speak alongside the Prime Minister of the Canton of Basel, Beit Jans, the former President of Switzerland and the current Minister of Economy, and the Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, Yaakov Hagoel.
Herzl in Basel, photo: Pikiwiki
The president will fly with his wife Michal on Sunday evening for the event.
During the visit, which will be held on Monday and Tuesday, President Herzog will meet with the President of Switzerland, Inazio Cassis, and senior government officials, as well as with representatives of the Canton Basel government and members of the Jewish community in Switzerland.
During the meetings, a ground-breaking agreement between the national science foundations of Switzerland and Israel will be signed by the presidents.
President Yitzhak Herzog: "The 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress in Basel is a historic landmark, which was a defining event for the Jewish people and humanity as a whole. Zionism is the ideal combination of deep Jewish roots and groundbreaking innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. As the president of the nation state of the Jewish people, I am thrilled And proud to see every day anew Herzl's vision come to life before our eyes, and feel a heavy commitment and responsibility for the future of the State of Israel and the Jewish people."
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