What Theodore Herzl wrote about Jerusalem

(Source: http://www.trincoll.edu/~kclark2/the_city_of_jerusalem.htm)

Herzl himself found Jerusalem to be a city lacking in all sorts of modern conventions and was not entirely pleased by what he found there. "Jerusalem, with it’s musty deposits of two thousand years of inhumanity, intolerance and uncleanness lying in the foul-smelling little streets, made a terrible impression on Herzl" (Prior 7).

In Herzl's own diary he declared that while Jerusalem was a majestic city it was also in dire need of modernization.

"The musty deposits of two thousands years of inhumanity, intolerance, and foulness lie in reeking alleys. The one man who has been present here all this while, the lovable dreamer of Nazareth, has done nothing but help increase the hate. If Jerusalem is ever ours, and if I were still able to do anything about it, I would begin by cleaning it up. I would clear out everything that is not sacred, set up workers’ houses beyond the city, empty and tear down the filthy rat-holes, burn all the non-sacred ruins, and put the bazaars elsewhere. Then, retaining as much of the old architectural style as possible, I would build an airy, comfortable, properly sewered, brand new city around the Holy Places" (Hammer 211).