Theodor Herzl's Conversion to Zionism Author(s): Henry J. Cohn Source: Jewish Social Studies, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Apr., 1970), pp. 101-110 Published by: Indiana University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4466575 Accessed: 27-11-2015 11:51 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. Indiana University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Jewish Social Studies. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 130.237.165.40 on Fri, 27 Nov 2015 11:51:42 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Theodor Herzl'sConversion to Zionism by Henry J. Cohn On January 5, 1895 Theodor Herzl witnessed the military degradationof Alfred Dreyfus. On May 14, 1895 the city council of Vienna chose as its mayor Karl Lueger, leader of the antisemiticparty of United Christians;Austria was plungedinto political crisis for over a year, while confirmationof this appointment by the Emperorremained in the balance.About the beginningof May 1895, Herzl was seized by the idea which led him early in June to begin composinghis book, The JewishState, in which he proposedthe organizedexodus of Jews to an auton- omous territoryof their own, not necessarilyPalestine.