Mount Herzl
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Mount Herzl, in Hebrew Har Hertzel (הר הרצל), is a high hilltop in Jerusalem, Israel named for Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism. Herzl's tomb lies at the top of the hill.
It is also the burial place of three of Israel's prime ministers:
- Levi Eshkol who led Israel during its Six Day War victory in 1967
- Israel's only woman prime minister, Golda Meir
- Israel's only assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin (and his wife Leah Rabin, a peace activist in her own right).
Israeli presidents are also buried on Mt. Herzl, as are other prominent Jewish and Zionist leaders.
Deciding who merits burial on Mt. Herzl has been controversial at times. For example, the decision to bury Zeev Jabotinsky, who died in 1966, on Mt. Herzl, was fiercely opposed by many Israeli Labour Party stalwarts, who claimed that Jabotinsky was an ultra-right nationalist undeserving of such an honour. Then prime minister Levi Eshkol decided in favor of burying him there nonetheless, in the interest of promoting national reconciliation and setting aside political grievances.
Israel's main military cemetery is located on the northern slope of Mt.Herzl. Soldiers who have fallen in the line of duty are buried there (roughly analoguous to Arlington National Cemetery in the US). If the parents request burial in a cemetery closer to home, their wishes are respected.
Mt. Herzl is the venue for many commemorative events and national celebrations.
In 1903, Theodor Herzl wrote in his will: "I wish to be buried in a metal coffin next to my father, and to remain there until the Jewish people will transfer my remains to Eretz Israel. The coffins of my father, my sister Pauline, and of my close relatives who will have died until then will also be transferred there."
When Herzl died a year later, he was interred in Vienna. It was only in 1949, 45 years later, that Herzl's remains were brought to Israel and reinterred in Jerusalem. The location of the burial site was selected by a special state commission. Sixty-three entries were submitted in the competition for the design of the national pantheon. Joseph Klarwein's design was chosen. Since 1951, Mt. Herzl has served as Israel'snational cemetery.
Despite Herzl's explicit wishes, his children were not buried beside him. For various reasons, the remains of his son and daughter were only brought to Israel in 2006 (see [1]). A third daughter was murdered in the Holocaust and her place of burial remains unknown.
Yad Vashem, which commemorates the Holocaust, lies to the west of Mt. Herzl.
In view of all the memorials and monuments concentrated in this area, Mt. Herzl is also known as Har Hazikaron ("Mount of Memory").
A new interactive museum on Mt. Herzl offers a glimpse into the life of Theodor Herzl, the man behind the Zionist dream.
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