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”We Are Trying to Give You the Land of Israel...” – A Rare Interview Conducted by Writer Reuven Brainin with Theodor Herzl at His Home in Basel - A fascinating interview with Theodor Herzl, conducted by writer and biographer Reuven Brainin at Herzl's home in Vienna following the Second Zionist Congress (just months before the Third Congress). The interview was published in six consecutive issues of ”HaMelitz” between January and February 1899. In the interview, Herzl offers rare insights on various topics, including: His opponents: ”They are dishonest people.” His Zionist vision: ”We are trying to give you the Land of Israel.” His personal devotion to the Zionist cause: ”How much money have I spent from my own pocket since I began my Zionist work...”, His book Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State): ”I wrote my book, The Jewish State, and with that, I felt I had fulfilled my duty to my people.” His self-perception as a leader: ”Everything I do, I do by my own conviction and inner recognition. If my actions are good and acceptable to you—so be it. If not, find yourselves another leader.” The future of the Zionist movement after his death: ”I created the Congress, and this creation is stronger than I am. If I die, let the next Congress president dedicate a brief eulogy to me and immediately move on to the pressing issues at hand...”, and more. This collection contains the full interview as published in ”HaMelitz” in issues 24, 25, 26, 28, 34, and 39. (It is important to note that the missing intermediate issues of ”HaMelitz” did not contain additional parts of the interview—the text presented here is complete). The writer, biographer, and Zionist activist Reuven Brainin traveled specially to Vienna to conduct an interview with Theodor Herzl regarding the most pressing questions that occupied the Jewish people about the Zionist movement and its path—particularly regarding ”Political Zionism”. Was it the beginning of a new era, or perhaps the end of one? Brainin also sought to hear Herzl’s response to the criticism voiced by many circles that he had ”appointed himself” as a leader without the people accepting him as such. This interview took place after the Second Zionist Congress and just a few months before the Third Zionist Congress in August of that year.  ”I came to Vienna to see and observe firsthand the unfolding of this new era for Israel, in its very creation and formation, ” Brainin describes. In this historic interview, we gain a rare glimpse into Theodor Herzl’s mindset, his emotions, his self-perception in relation to the movement he founded, and his vision during this pivotal period in the early days of Political Zionism under his leadership. Brainin met Herzl at his home on the morning of January 23, 1899, as a gesture of distinction from Herzl: ”My friend Herzl’s acquaintances told me that he usually receives those who approach him on Zionist matters at the editorial office of 'Die Welt.' Yet, for me, he made an exception.” Brainin describes how, after Herzl introduced him to his father, his wife, and his three children, the two sat down for the interview—but not before Herzl explicitly granted Brainin permission to publish the conversation in the newspaper ”HaMelitz.” At the beginning of the interview, Herzl was asked his opinion on the opponents of ”Political Zionism” (the approach in which Herzl prioritized a political solution for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, postponing questions of Jewish identity and ideology). Herzl responded: ”Our opponents are dishonest people.” When the interviewer remarked that he knew many of them personally and that many were, in fact, honest people, Herzl replied: ”Then they are ignorant fools.” Brainin continued, asking Herzl about a major global event that had taken place two months earlier—his meeting with Kaiser Wilhelm II in Jerusalem. He inquired whether Herzl’s decision to go to Jerusalem and meet the Kaiser was intended to demonstrate political sovereignty—that is, to present Herzl as the representative of the ”state-in-the-making.” At the time, many critics dismissed or even opposed the meeting, arguing that Herzl did not represent the Jewish people before the German Kaiser. Herzl responded:  ”The German Kaiser is one of the great political architects of our time... Indeed, I do not concern myself with the education of the next generation. I act according to the forces that are presently available and at hand... For there are countless streams and tendencies within Judaism, and it is impossible to judge fairly which one is correct or to decide between them... We are trying to give you the Land of Israel, and once the people take hold of it, their natural inclination will determine which ideology is right and appropriate for their character, their spirit, and their development.” Brainin pressed further, questioning Herzl in a critical tone,