Israel Repatriates Herzl's Grandparents' Remains for State Burial After 77 Years

Seventy-seven years after the remains of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, were brought to Israel and buried on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, a historic operation has been completed to repatriate the bones of his grandparents, Rabbi Shimon Leib and Rivka Herzl, from Serbia. The complex process was conducted in recent days under the supervision of the Military Rabbinate, ZAKA rescue organization, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the World Zionist Organization, and the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, with cooperation from local Serbian authorities. The repatriation ceremony in Serbia included the participation of Serbia's Foreign Minister, a Hebrew-speaking Jew, who expressed his country's deep friendship toward the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

Yaakov Haguel, chairman of the World Zionist Organization, described the operation as the fulfillment of Herzl's explicit will that after the establishment of the State of Israel, the remains of his ancestors be brought to Israel. He noted that while other family members had been brought to Israel over the years, the grandparents' remains were the missing link, and the process took over four years due to challenges with local authorities and the Jewish community in Serbia. The operation was timed to coincide with the Hebrew date of Tisha B'Av, marking the anniversary of Herzl's remains being brought to Israel.

The Military Rabbinate and ZAKA oversaw the exhumation and transfer with meticulous adherence to Jewish law and respect for the deceased. The remains were flown to Israel and will be buried in a state ceremony in the Herzl family plot on Mount Herzl, near Herzl's own grave. The event is expected to be attended by the President, Prime Minister, and senior government officials.

Rabbi Shimon Leib, Herzl's grandfather, was notable for preserving Jewish faith in his family, serving as a gabbai in the Sephardic synagogue in the Jewish community of Zemlin, and maintaining close ties with Rabbi Yehuda Shlomo Alkalai, an early proponent of Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel. His influence shaped Herzl's worldview and Zionist ideology.

Haguel emphasized the inseparable link between Judaism and Zionism, quoting Herzl's statement from the First Zionist Congress that Zionism is the return of Jews to Judaism before returning to the Land of Israel. He also noted that many Jewish families worldwide are increasingly seeking to fulfill their relatives' wishes to be buried in Israel, viewing it as a sacred duty to honor such requests.