Bielski: The vandals did not just harm Herzl's grave, but the whole Zionist ideology.
The Jerusalem grave of the modern Zionist leader and visionary Theodor (Benyamin Ze'ev) Herzl was desecrated two nights in a row over the past weekend. The police department has initiated an investigation into the vandalism. The destruction included ripping apart the national flag and that of the World Zionist Organization, both of which adorn Herzl's grave site. The vandals also uprooted the flowers and plants that surround the famous grave and memorial. The World Zionist Organization (WZO), as the official owner and caretaker of the site, filed a police report.
The WOZ also initiated repairs and replanting at the plot, which is located in Jerusalem's Mt. Herzl National Cemetery, named for the Zionist visionary.
Yaakov Gilspan, who is responsible for Mt. Herzl on behalf of the World Zionist Organization, said that the weekend desecration was not the first time vandals struck at the grave of Theodor Herzl. However, many times in the past, police complaints were not filed over random acts of vandalism at the cemetery.
Ze'ev Bielski, chairman of the Jewish Agency, said in reaction to the desecration, "It's not enough that we have to fight anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel all over the world, now we are experiencing it in Israel as well. The vandals did not just harm Herzl's grave, but the whole Zionist ideology."
The Mt. Herzl Cemetery contains the graves of well-known leaders of the pre-state Zionist movement, as well as those of the leaders of the State of Israel. Among those buried there are Zionist leader Ze'ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky, Israel's presidents, and several prime ministers. In addition, many IDF soldiers are also buried in the national cemetery. Herzl's remains were brought to Israel from Austria and re-interred in 1949; those of two of his children were brought to Mt. Herzl in 2006.
In 2004, Israel passed legislation marking the 10th day of the month of Iyar, Herzl's birthday in 1860, a national day of commemoration of the man who forged and worked for the idea of the modern State of Israel. Herzl Day was marked for the first time in May of 2005.