Mount Herzl Tour - A Journey Through Israeli History

Mount Herzl Tour - A Journey Through Israeli History

Mount Herzl, a place where the vision of a nation meets the heroes who built and defended it. We begin our journey here, at the main gate, ready to walk through the chapters of Israel's modern history.

Stop 1: The Visionary's Final Resting Place

As the War of Independence came to an end in 1949, the Government of Israel, together with the World Zionist Organization (WZO), moved forward to fulfill the last request of the Zionist visionary, **Theodor Binyamin Herzl**: to be buried in the Jewish State after it came into being. Leaders discussed the merits of different locations, from Mount Carmel in view of the Bay of Haifa—as a symbol of entering the promised land—to Tel Aviv, the first modern Jewish city. Ultimately, the status of Jerusalem and the relationship of the new state with the ancient capital was still unclear. International objection to Israel renewing the status of the biblical capital as the political center of the newly founded Jewish state might have been the element that led to choosing Jerusalem as the site for the Israel national pantheon. Yet, this is where he rests.

Standing by Herzl's very plain, square, black tombstone, look eastward. You can see the seat of Israel's government, the Knesset (Israel's parliament), seemingly nested in the cradle of the Israel National Library, and behind it, the Old City and the Temple Mount. All in one row, it could be considered the Israeli National Mall.

Stop 2: Leaders and Legacy

Passing by the plots of Zeev Jabotinsky and heads of the Jewish Agency, we reach the plot dedicated to the Prime Ministers of Israel. We’ll discuss the stories of some who are buried here, and also those like David Ben-Gurion and Menachem Begin, who chose to forgo this special honor, asking instead to be buried at other locations they held dear.

Stop 3: The Last of Kin (HaNetzer HaAcharon)

A short walk down the hill, we stand before the **HaNetzer HaAcharon** (The Last of Kin) monument. Created by Israeli artist Micha Alman, it commemorates the memory of Holocaust survivors who were the last remnants of their families—all murdered by the Nazis. These men and women succeeded in making their way to the Jewish homeland and later died fighting for our independence.

Stop 4: The Toll of Terror

This sobering monument commemorates the memory of over 5,230 Israelis who were killed in terror attacks, including the 934 Israelis murdered during and in the aftermath of the October 7th massacre.

Stop 5: The Military Cemetery – A Lesson in Humility

Here, we enter the military cemetery. In the section for the fallen soldiers of the First Lebanon War (known as the Peace for Galilee operation), we stand by the grave of IDF second Chief of Staff, **Yigal Yadin**. He is also famous for his work as a leading archaeologist, having dug at Masada and numerous other extremely important sites. Notice that regardless of his high rank of Lieutenant General, he is buried in line with other soldiers in the order of the date of their death, not by rank. The soldier next to him is ranked only a Sergeant—a powerful message of equality in sacrifice.

Stop 6: Heroes of the Past

Climbing up and down the twisting stairs, we reach the grave of **Macabee Motzeri**. Born to one of the most influential Egyptian Jewish families, he came to Eretz Yisrael as a youth and became a leading officer in the Haganah. He fell in battle while leading the convoys that broke through the Arab siege on Jerusalem in April 1948.

Next, we visit the grave of Lieutenant Colonel **Yoni Netanyahu**, who led the incredible IDF raid on PLO terrorists holding Israeli and Jewish passengers captive at the Entebbe airport in Uganda during the summer of 1976 and was killed in action there.

Stop 7: The New Plot – Oct 7th and Swords of Iron

At one of the new plots in Area Alef, we stand under the tent, honoring the soldiers who were killed in battle in Gaza and Lebanon during the Swords of Iron war that followed the October 7th Hamas invasion and attack.

Our last segment of the tour is at the newest plot, where soldiers killed on the day of October 7th, 2023, and in the following months, are buried. We visit the graves of **Ishai and Noam Salotzky**, who fought Hamas terrorists outside of Kibbutz Alumim with their hand pistols, and died protecting Israeli citizens. And the grave of **Aner Shapira**, the hero of the shelter at the Reim junction, who saved many lives by fearlessly grabbing one live grenade after another and throwing them out of the shelter.

Mount Herzl is more than a cemetery; it is the physical embodiment of the Jewish state's story—a place of vision, sacrifice, and enduring memory.