Theodor Herzl (1860–1904) was an Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist, lawyer, playwright, and political activist widely regarded as the father of modern political Zionism. Born in Budapest to a secular Jewish family, he initially studied law and earned a doctorate from the University of Vienna in 1884 before shifting to journalism and literature. Herzl worked as a correspondent and literary editor for the Viennese newspaper Neue Freie Presse, including a period as Paris correspondent, where his coverage of the Dreyfus Affair profoundly influenced his views on Jewish assimilation and the necessity of a Jewish homeland. This experience catalyzed his transformation into a Zionist leader. In 1896, he authored "Der Judenstaat" (The Jewish State), outlining his vision for a sovereign Jewish state in Palestine. In 1897, he founded the World Zionist Organization (originally called the Zionist Organization) and convened the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, establishing the institutional framework for the Zionist movement and promoting Jewish immigration to Palestine. Herzl traveled extensively, lobbying European leaders and the Ottoman Sultan for support, though his diplomatic efforts encountered significant obstacles. Despite his untimely death from heart issues at age 44, his legacy continued, influencing the establishment of the State of Israel and earning him the Hebrew title "Chozeh HaMedinah" (Visionary of the State). He is honored in Israel's Declaration of Independence as the spiritual father of the Jewish state, and his diaries, now digitized, provide invaluable insights into his political activities.