List of Zionists
People who played important roles in the definition, historical development and growth of the modern Zionist movement:
A–B
- Sarah Aaronsohn, born and died in Ottoman Syria/Ottoman Empire, member of the Nili Jewish spy ring
- Gershon Agron, born in the Russian Empire, immigrated to Palestine during the First World War when fighting in the Jewish Legion, founder of The Jerusalem Post
- Abba Ahimeir, born in the Russian Empire, immigrated to Mandatory Palestine, c.1924, active in Revisionist Zionism
- Sholem Aleichem born in the Russian Empire, left for New York after witnessing the 1905 pogroms; advocated Zionism in his writings
- Shulamit Aloni, born in Poland, active in Zionist youth movement, later Israeli politician
- Chaim Arlosoroff, born in Romny, Russian Empire, leader of the Yishuv during the British Mandate in Palestine
- David Baazov, born in Tskhinvali, Russian Empire, public and religious figure involved in the Zionist movement in Georgia/Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
- Meir Bar-Ilan, born in Volozhin,Russian Empire, rabbi and leader of Religious Zionists
- Shulamit Bat-Dori, born in the Russian Empire, migrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1923, dramatist founded kibbutz theatre
- Menachem Begin, born in the Russian Empire, leader of the militant Irgun group, later prime minister of Israel
- David Ben-Gurion, born in Congress Poland, founder and first prime minister of Israel
- Mordechai Bentov, born in the Russian Empire, immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1920, one of the founders of the Kibbutz Movement, later an Israeli politician
- Eliezer Ben-Yehuda born in the Vilna Governorate, Hebrew lexicographer and language revivalist
- Hugo Bergmann born in Austria-Hungary, immigrated to Palestine in 1920
- Max Bodenheimer, German-born lawyer and associate of Theodor Herzl, settled in Palestine in 1935
- Dov Ber Borochov, born in Zolotonosha, involved in founding Poale Zion party, Yiddish philologist
- Max Brod, born in Prague, Zionist from 1912, settled in Mandatory Palestine in 1939
C–H
- Rachel Cohen-Kagan, born in Odessa, activist and Israeli politician
- Abba Eban, born in South Africa, active in the Youth movement and the World Zionist Organization, later Israeli politician
- Albert Einstein, born in the German Empire, scientist who supported the Zionist movement. Albert Einstein's political views#Zionism
- Israel Eldad, Galician-born Revisionist Zionist, follower of Ze'ev Jabotinsky
- Mary Fels, German-born/American philanthropist, Georgist, suffragist, Zionist
- Paul Friedmann, German philanthropist, founded the short-lived Midian colony as a safe haven for Russian Jews
- Nahum Goldmann, born in Vishnevo, Russian Empire, founder and president of the World Zionist Congress
- Shulamit Goldstein, born in Ukraine, underground militant and member of the Irgun.
- Romana Goodman, Polish-born, co-founder of the Federation of Women Zionists in 1918
- A. D. Gordon, born in the Russian Empire, Labor/Practical Zionist, founded Hapoel Hatzair
- Uri Zvi Greenberg, Galician-born in present-day Ukraine poet writing in Yiddish and Hebrew; Labor, later Revisionist Zionist
- Dov Gruner, Hungarian-born, active in Mandatory Palestine, member of the Irgun paramilitary group
- Ahad Ha'am, Russian Empire-born, Cultural Zionist
- Theodor Herzl, born in the Austrian Empire, founding father of modern political Zionist movement
- Arthur Hertzberg, Polish-born Rabbi, lived in the United States, scholar of Zionism
- Moses Hess, French-born philosopher, Labor Zionist
J–R
- Ze'ev Jabotinsky, born in the Russian Empire publicist, leader of Revisionist Zionism
- Senta Josephtal, born in Germany, joined the HaBonim movement in 1933, immigrated to Palestine in 1938, later Israeli politician
- Zvi Hirsch Kalischer, German Orthodox Rabbi, one of Zionism's earliest pioneers in the country
- Berl Katznelson, born in present-day Belarus, founder of the Histadrut in Palestine during the British mandate
- Abraham Isaac Kook, born in the Russian Empire, religious Zionist, Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, later Palestine, during the British Mandate period
- Saul Raphael Landau, Polish lawyer, journalist and Zionist activist
- Moshe Leib Lilienblum, born in the Russian Empire scholar, early advocate of reestablishment of the Jews in Palestine
- Emma Levine-Talmi, born in the Russian Empire ; moved to Mandatory Palestine in 1924, later an Israeli politician
- Golda Meir, born in the Russian Empire, moved to Mandatory Palestine in 1921, former prime minister of Israel
- Samuel Mohilever, born in the Russian Empire Religious Zionist, a founder of the Hovevei Zion
- Max Nordau, born in the Austrian Empire, involved in the foundation of the Zionist Organisation
- Erna Patak, Austrian social worker and women's activist
- Leon Pinsker, born in the Russian Empire, founder/leader of Hovevei Zion
- Ruth Popkin, led Hadassah and the Jewish National Fund
- Haviva Reik, parachutist born in the Kingdom of Hungary ; member of underground Palmach in Mandatory Palestine
- Isaac Rülf, Rabbi born in Hesse-Kassel, advocated a Jewish home in Palestine, became aware of the dangers from German antisemitism
- Arthur Ruppin, born in the German Empire, moved to Palestine in 1907 and organized Jewish immigration
- Pinhas Rutenberg, born in the Russian Empire, engineer and activist, settled in Mandatory Palestine in 1919
S–Z
- Solomon Schechter, born in the Principality of Moldavia, rabbi, spokesman for Zionism within Conservative Judaism
- Moshe Sharett, born in the Russian Empire settled in Ottoman Palestine in 1906, journalist and activist, later an Israeli politician
- Abraham Stern, born in the Russian Empire, immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1925, one of the leaders of the Irgun and Lehi militant group
- Sun Yat-sen, Chinese revolutionary and politician, founder of the Republic of China, supporter of Zionism
- Nachman Syrkin, born in the Russian Empire, founder of Labor Zionism
- Hannah Szenes, born in Hungary, migrated to Mandatory Palestine, active in the Haganah, parachutist with the British SOE
- Henrietta Szold, Zionist leader and founder of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America
- Bernice Tannenbaum, activist with Hadassah
- Joseph Trumpeldor, born in the Russian Empire, involved in the organisation of the Zion Mule Corps which assisted in Jewish immigration to Mandatory Palestine
- Menachem Ussishkin, born in the Russian Empire, leader of the Jewish National Fund
- Chaim Weizmann, born in the Russian Empire, biochemist, founder of Synthetic Zionism and first president of Israel
- Felix Weltsch, born in Bohemia, librarian, philosopher, author, editor, publisher and journalist involved with the Zionist newspaper Selbstwehr
- Robert Weltsch, born in Prague, journalist and editor active in Brit Shalom
- Orde Wingate, non-Jewish British army officer who trained the Haganah
- L. L. Zamenhof, born in Białystok, ophthalmologist and creator of Esperanto, briefly active in Hovevei Zion
- Israel Zangwill, British author, cultural Zionist involved in the Jewish Territorial Organization
- A. L. Zissu, Romanian writer and industrialist, Religious Zionist
- Baruch Zuckerman, American-Israeli Zionist, Yad Vashem proponent