I think you'll find that all of the "original Zionists" were Christian @GarrulousBrevity
What we now call "Zionism" grew after the Protestant Reformation, and is rooted in 17th-century English Puritanism.

It had two significant streams:

1. the return of Jews to Palestine (basically, a way to rid Europe of its Jews - a form of antisemitism, a couple of centuries before that term was coined);
2. the second coming of Jesus (Jews who want to survive don't remain Jewish).

At the time, Jewish communities weren't impressed. In the 19th century, Herzl and his friends exploited the movement to their own ends.
@Cowbee

#Israel
#Palestine
#Zionism