Zionist lore says Herzl became a Zionist after witnessing the Dreyfus Affair and hearing the crowd chant "Kill the Jews." But historical evidence shows that's not what made Herzl into a Zionist, (and also the crowd did not chant "Death to the Jews"). Links to Sources Cited The Jews' state, Theodor Herzl; translated, and with an introduction by Henk OverbergThe Diaries of Theodor Herzl, Edited by Marvin LowenthalHerzl's Vision: Theodor Herzl and the Foundation of the Jewish State by Shlomo AvineriCohn, Henry J. “Theodor Herzl’s Conversion to Zionism.” Jewish Social Studies 32, no. 2 (1970): 101–10. Photo of Alfred Dreyfus by Aron Gerschel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons