The remains of the grandparents of Theodor Herzl, Shimon and Rivka Herzl, are expected to be brought to Israel from Serbia this week and reburied beside him on Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl, an Israeli official said on Sunday.
A ceremonial funeral is scheduled to be held in Jerusalem on Aug. 5, the 77th anniversary of Herzl’s reburial in the capital, according to a report in the Israel Hayom daily. The event will be attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
Herzl’s paternal grandparents lived near Belgrade, and his grandfather served as a Jewish community leader, helping shape young Theodor’s early attachment to Judaism and Zionism during his childhood. Shimon Herzl was close to Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai, a Bosnian rabbi, who was one of the influential precursors of modern Zionism.
The remains of the Zionist visionary were brought to Israel in 1949 and buried on Mount Herzl, which was named after him.
“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 World Zionist Organization, which helps preserve Herzl’s legacy through the Herzl Museum at Mount Herzl, said in a statement sent to JNS on Sunday.
“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, due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations, we are unable to elaborate on or confirm specific details about activities on the ground. We are, however, working tirelessly and hope the prolonged negotiations will bear fruit as soon as possible.”
