Herzl's grandparents’ remains expected to arrive in Jerusalem for reburial in coming days

The remains of Theodor Herzl's grandparents, Shimon and Rivka Herzl, are being brought from Belgrade, Serbia, for reburial on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. A state funeral is scheduled for August 5, 2026, the 77th anniversary of Herzl's own reburial. Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Herzog will attend.

The remains of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of Theodor Herzl, founder of modern political Zionism, are being brought from Belgrade, Serbia, to Jerusalem for reburial on Mount Herzl. A high-level state funeral and burial ceremony is scheduled for August 5, 2026, coinciding with the 77th anniversary of Theodor Herzl's own reburial in 1949. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog have confirmed their attendance. The initiative is led by World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel, who secured the repatriation through an agreement with Željka Cvijanović, president of Republika Srpska, during her 2021 visit to Mount Herzl. The transfer faced multiple delays due to regional security challenges and logistical hurdles. Shimon Loeb Herzl was an Orthodox Jew and early Zionist influenced by Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai. The reburial will reunite Herzl with all his immediate family members except his daughter Trude, who perished in the Holocaust.