World Zionist Organization
- ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית
- WZO
Dates of Existence
Founded in 1897
History
The World Zionist Organization was founded by the architect of modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, in 1897 as an international federation of diverse Zionist groups. Under Chaim Weizmann’s leadership, the organization was pro-British and played a pivotal role influencing the Jewish Agency in distributing Palestine Certificates. These permits meant life and death in late 1930s and early 1940s. The WZO was roundly criticized for favoring young and healthy pioneers, leftist Zionists, and non-Orthodox Jews.
Sources
Dictionary of the Holocaust : Biography, geography, and terminology / E.J. Epstein, P. Rosen. – Westport, 1997. – p. 343