Remains of Herzl's Relatives to be Brought to Israel for Symbolic Burial

The management of the World Zionist Organization approved today (Monday) the transfer of the remains of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl, from Serbia to Israel. They are expected to be buried alongside their grandson on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. On August 5 — the 77th anniversary of Herzl's burial in the capital — a solemn funeral ceremony will be held there, attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. The plan to transport the remains in the coming days was first reported over the weekend by the "Israel Hayom" website.

The initiative was planned by the Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Yaakov Hagoel, in coordination with authorities in Serbia and the local Jewish community. It is expected to be carried out in the coming days, following several postponements due to the security situation in Israel.

The couple played a central role in shaping their grandson's Zionist outlook: Shimon Herzl was a gabbai at the Sephardic synagogue in Zemun and was close to Rabbi Yehuda Shlomo Alkalai, one of the early precursors of Zionism. Among his brothers, he was the only one who did not convert to Christianity.

During his visits to Budapest, he told his grandson with enthusiasm about Rabbi Alkalai's Zionist aspirations for the establishment of a Jewish state, meetings that influenced Herzl's later writings. Herzl's grandfather passed away in 1879, and his wife Rivka in 1888. Both are buried in the Jewish cemetery in Zemun, a suburb of Belgrade.

The remains of Herzl himself were transferred to Jerusalem in 1949, his children in 2006, and his only grandson in 2007. His paternal grandparents remained until now the only ones who had not yet been brought to Israel.