. >> zionism was a movement started by theodore hertzle to return the jews to a homeland in palestine. >> where was hertzle at the time? >> hertzle was a nonpracticing jew but he was a reporting at the dreyfus trial in paris and that awakened his jewish sensibility and in 1897 he writes "the jewish state." at first he was willing to have the jewish state anyplace until more religious jews convinced him that the only place jews would be really going to would be back to israel, to the land of the bible. and brandeis' uncle was a zionist, so brandeis did not know it at the time. and he first becomes aware of zionism in 1910 when a reporter, jacob dehas, interviews him. brandeis then studies and eventually comes to the conclusion that zionism is a type of idealistic form that he could support. now, he never was religious. he says that his mother did not believe that anyone should be bound to any one religion, rather, they should be aware of and sensitive to all religions and treat them all with respect. he never denied his judaism, but considering he was one of the most successful lawyers