Remains of Herzl's Grandparents Brought to Israel for Burial on Mount Herzl

A memorial ceremony was held on Thursday at Belgrade Airport to mark the transfer of the remains of Shimon Leib and Rivka Herzl, grandparents of Israel's founding father Theodor Herzl, to Israel. The event was attended by key figures including World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel, Acting Chairman Dr. Yizhar Hess, Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Avivit Bar Ilan, Consul Limor Nissim Siton, Professor Ariel Feldstein, Jewish community leader Nenad Vogel, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić, and representatives from the Serbian Foreign Ministry, ZAKA, the Israeli Defense Ministry, military rabbinate, and El Al airline. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, reportedly involved in facilitating the transfer, did not attend.

During the ceremony, Serbian Foreign Minister Đurić expressed Serbia's solidarity with the Jewish people and highlighted the significance of the event for bilateral relations. Following the ceremony, the coffins were flown to Israel, where they will be escorted to their final resting place in the Herzl family plot on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The burial is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5, coinciding with the 77th anniversary of Theodor Herzl's remains being brought to Jerusalem. The repatriation of Shimon Leib and Rivka Herzl's remains follows approximately four years of diplomatic, political, and religious negotiations.