Today in 1949, Herzl’s coffin was brought to Jerusalem for burial.
Benjamin Ze’ev (Theodor) Herzl, the Austrian playwright and author who in the end of the 19th century became the creator of the political Zionist movement, the founder of the Zionist Organization and the undisputed leader of the movement, died at a relatively young age – 44, in 1904. Herzl died near Vienna, the city in which he lived and worked for most of his life; but in his will he specifically requested: “The Jewish people will raise my body to the Land of Israel,” a request that clearly echoed Joseph’s request at the end of the Book of Genesis. The State of Israel declared its independence in May 1948, and Ben-Gurion stood under Herzl’s portrait when he read the Declaration of Independence (Herzl missed in his forecast, given after the first Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897: “In Basel I have founded the Jewish state… If I had said this publicly today, i would hear laughter from all sides. Maybe in five years, at most in fifty years, they will recognize everything” – by only one year). The State of Israel decided to fulfill Herzl’s will, and allocated for his burial a mountain west of the Beait-VaGan neighborhood in Jerusalem – which is named Mount Herzl after him. In August 1949, Herzl’s coffin was brought to Israel, and he made his way to the mountain in a special convoy full of mannerisms. There was a funeral ceremony, attended by thousands of people. A decade later, a large and impressive tombstone was placed on top of the tomb; in the meantime, the mountain became the official military cemetery.
Photo Source: Wikipedia
