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Herzl's priest recognised after 80 years

February 3, 2011 14:18
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By

Simon Rocker,

Simon Rocker

1 min read

For 80 years the body of the Reverend William Henry Hechler lay in an unmarked grave at the edge of New Southgate Cemetery in north London.

But on Monday the Anglican priest, a supporter of Theodor Herzl's quest to found a Jewish state, finally received due recognition.

Israeli and Christian representatives witnessed the unveiling of a tombstone to mark a "lover of God… and His Ancient People" and "a tireless adversary against antisemitism".

Hechler, who died aged 85 in 1931, was chaplain to the British Embassy in Vienna at the time Herzl published The Jewish State but, even before then, he had called for the restoration of the Jews to Palestine as a necessary prelude to the second coming of Christ.

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