Jacob De Haas, who was born in London, worked as a secretary of the First Zionist Congress and as a member of Hovevei Zion to promote the Zionist program of Theodor Herzl.
Jacob de Haas (13 August 1872  21 March 1937) was a British-born Jewish journalist and an early leader of the Zionist movement in the United States. He was the secretary of the First Zionist Congress and he introduced Theodor Herzl to the UK in the Jewish World newspaper. In 1896, he was the first member of Hovevei Zion to encourage the movement to adopt the political Zionist program of Theodor Herzl. 
