The first Religious Zionist Congress met in Vilna in 1902, initiated by a number of Rabbis and communal leaders – among them Rav Jacob Reines, Rav Isaac Nissenbaum and Rav Ze'ev Javitz. It was at this event that the name Mizrachi - a conglomeration of the words Mercaz Ruchani (SpiritualCenter) - was chosen. The Mizrachi movement envisioned itself as the spiritual center of the Zionist organization and called for making Eretz Israel the spiritual center of Judaism more... See more text