Zionist Jews began calling ing themselves 'Zionists' in the 19th century. It signaled a 'return to Zion,' to a land they believed 'theirs.'

'The modern political Zionist movement is generally considered to have begun in the late 19th century, with key figures like Theodor Herzl and Leon Pinsker playing a crucial role. Herzl's 1896 pamphlet, "The Jewish State" (Der Judenstaat), and the subsequent convening of the First Zionist Congress in 1897, are often cited as the official birth of the movement.'

-AI overview

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