Historic Mission: Herzl's Grandparents to be Reinterred on Mount Herzl
IDF Rabbinate teams have completed the mission of repatriating the remains of Shimon Leib and Rivka Herzl to Israel. On Wednesday, they will be laid to rest on Mount Herzl alongside their grandson, the visionary of the state.
Two weeks ago, IDF Rabbinate teams were recruited for what was described as a "historic mission." The mission reaches its peak this Wednesday, when the remains of Shimon Leib Herzl and Rivka Herzl will be laid to rest on Mount Herzl, alongside their grandson, the visionary of the state, Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl.
"It was a privilege for us to participate in this matter," says the IDF's Chief Undertaker, Chief Warrant Officer Itzik Hartman. "Since the deceased are to be buried in the Great Leaders of the Nation plot on Mount Herzl, the Rabbinate is honored to accompany the process, as we do for all funerals in this section."
Despite his extensive experience in handling the remains of fallen IDF soldiers, Hartman was deeply moved by the task. "There is profound value in bringing Jews from abroad for burial in Israel, illustrating the biblical expression 'gathered to his fathers.' We knew we would do everything required to assist."
Senior officials from the IDF Rabbinate coordinated the operation with the World Zionist Organization. "Our requirement was to accompany the event from beginning to end: from the removal of the remains in Serbia to their preparation for burial at the Shura camp," explains Major Rabbi Avishai Peretz, commander of the Tzvi Center.
Because the deceased were civilians, the team included professionals from ZAKA. Hartman, the sole IDF representative on the mission, traveled to the outskirts of Belgrade unsure of what they would find after 130 years. However, the reality at the cemetery proved different from their initial concerns.
"There was uncertainty because the tombstones had shifted over the years," Hartman describes. "After digging to a depth of two meters, we discovered a coffin. Inside, we found a skeleton that remained largely intact. We later located the remains of Shimon Herzl nearby. To ensure the identities, we sent photographs of the rib bones to anthropologists. Finding more than expected and arranging them for their return to Israel was a sublime feeling."
The coffins arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on Friday morning, draped in Israeli flags, and were transferred to the Shura camp.
"This is a historic action," Rabbi Peretz concluded with emotion. "We have fulfilled the wish of the visionary of the state to have his family members buried alongside him. We are proud to have completed a mission that began 77 years ago with the repatriation of Herzl's own remains to Israel."
