[4][5] The Jewish Advocate was founded in 1902 by Theodor Herzl, a journalist who is considered to be the founder of modern political Zionism.

[6][7] Shortly after founding newspapers in Vienna and Basel, Herzl sent his executive secretary, Jacob de Haas, to Boston to create The Jewish Advocate for the purposes of "inculcat[ing] Judaism into the community and progress[ing] the cause of the re-establishment of the Jewish faith and a Jewish state.

"[6] Before May 28, 1909, the newspaper was briefly known as The Jewish Home Journal and then as The Boston Advocate.

[4][5] In 1917, when Herzl took the position of executive director of the Zionist Organization of America, he transferred leadership of the newspaper to Alexander Brin.

[6] In the September 25, 2020 issue, The Jewish Advocate announced it would be "going on hiatus" (but keep the organization and website active), citing decreasing advertising revenue which had "virtually disappeared" due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lagging support from communal organizations and the federation.