The remains of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of Theodor Herzl, the visionary of the Jewish state, are expected to be brought to Israel from Belgrade in the coming days and reinterred beside him on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, according to information obtained by Israel Hayom.
The remains of Herzl's grandparents, who influenced his Zionist aspirations, are expected to arrive in Israel from Europe within days. A ceremonial funeral is scheduled to be held in Jerusalem on Aug. 5, the 77th anniversary of Herzl's reburial in the capital. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog have confirmed that they will attend.
Sources familiar with the matter said the initiative, led by World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel in coordination with the Serbian authorities and the local Jewish community, had been postponed several times because of the security situation in Israel. It now appears, however, to be moving forward.
The initiative carries particular significance because of the role Shimon and Rivka Herzl played in their grandson's life. Over the years, the couple helped inspire Theodor Herzl's Zionist thinking and, in a sense, guided him toward the vision he would later champion.
Rabbi Shimon Herzl was close to Rabbi Judah Alkalai, the spiritual leader of the Jewish community in Zemun and one of the earliest forerunners of Zionism. He served as a gabbai, or synagogue warden, at the Sephardi synagogue in the local Jewish community and maintained frequent contact with Alkalai. The only one of his siblings who did not convert to Christianity, Herzl's grandfather remained committed to his Jewish identity and became increasingly observant. He embraced the Zionist idea, worked within his community to promote the establishment of a Jewish state in the land of Israel and, in doing so, directly influenced the young Theodor Herzl.
During visits to Budapest, Shimon Herzl would speak enthusiastically about the Zionist aspirations of Zemun's prominent rabbi, including Alkalai's call for the settlement of the land of Israel and his proposals, many of which later inspired the writings of his grandson.
Shimon Leib Herzl was among the members of Alkalai's community and one of his most devoted students, and the rabbi had a significant influence on his thinking. He died in 1879 and was buried in the Jewish section of the cemetery in Zemun, on the outskirts of Belgrade. Rivka Herzl, who was born in 1809 and died in 1888, is also buried in the cemetery's Jewish section.
After the establishment of the State of Israel, Theodor Herzl's remains were brought from his grave in Vienna and reinterred on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem in August 1949, alongside his parents and sister. Many years later, in September 2006, the remains of two of his children were also brought to Israel and buried beside their father. In 2007, the remains of Herzl's only grandson, Stephen Theodor Norman, were transferred from a cemetery in Washington for burial in Jerusalem.
Throughout that period, Herzl's paternal grandparents, whose ideas helped inspire his Zionist outlook, remained buried in the small cemetery in Zemun. During a visit to Mount Herzl in 2021, Željka Cvijanović, then president of Republika Srpska, the Serb entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, pledged to assist in bringing the remains of Herzl's grandparents to Israel. The matter subsequently remained out of the public eye, but has now resurfaced, and the transfer appears likely to take place within days.
"The World Zionist Organization acts out of a deep commitment to fulfilling the wishes of the visionary of the Jewish state, Theodor Herzl, and preserving his legacy," the organization said in a statement. "As part of this effort, we have for some time been conducting continuous and sensitive negotiations with all the relevant authorities, with particular intensity over the past four years and through a variety of channels. At this stage, because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations, we are unable to elaborate on or confirm specific details regarding activities on the ground. We are, however, working tirelessly and hope the prolonged negotiations will bear fruit as soon as possible."
