The original chief editor of the Encyclopedia Talmudis was Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin, a goan olam and a gadol in his own right. He was also a zionist (to some extent). Maybe that story happened with Rav Zevin’s replacement.
Reb Reuven Margolios, the Margolios HaYam, was another gadol that was a zionist.