LOS ANGELES (JTA) — A street in Beverly Hills will be renamed to honor Theodor Herzl.
On May 2, the 150th anniversary of Herzl’s birth date, one block of Clark Drive officially will be renamed Theodor Herzl Way and dedicated in honor of the founder of modern Zionism. Temple Emanuel, a leading Reform synagogue, dominates the block in the tony California city.
The dedication also will honor Herzliya, Beverly Hills’ sister city in Israel.
Mayor Jimmy Delshad, apparently the first and only Iranian Jewish immigrant at the helm of an American city, proposed the street name to the City Council.
Two council members objected to the name change, fearing a possible breach in the separation of church and state, but they were outvoted.
Israeli Consul General Yaakov Dayan warmly supported the Delshad initiative.
"It gives me tremendous pride to see a piece of Israel’s heritage and culture amidst this beautiful city," Dayan said.
