The well-known and revolutionary proposal of the father of Zionism, Theodor Herzl, for the creation of a Jewish state that would free the oppressed Jews of Europe from the painful effects of anti-Semitism. Herzl was convinced that the efforts of assimilation of Jews into European societies were in vain. He believed that deep-seated prejudices condemned the Jew to perpetually being an outcast, and he predicted that the future would bring more suffering for his fellow believers - a prediction that was dramatically confirmed by the Holocaust. The work was published in 1896 and provoked various reactions, greatly influencing the political thought of the time and leading to the creation of the state of Israel.