Theodor Herzl’s grandparents to buried beside him in Jerusalem

The remains of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of Israel’s founding father Theodor Herzl, are expected to be brought to Israel from Serbia and reinterred beside him on Mount Herzl, reports Israel Hayom.

The bodies due to arrive from Belgrade within days, with a funeral scheduled to be held in Jerusalem on 5 August, the 77th anniversary of Herzl’s own reburial in the capital, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog both confirmed as attending the ceremony.

Reports suggest that the move, 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..

Shimon and Rivka Herzl played a major role in their grandson’s life, with the couple helping to inspire Theodor Herzl’s Zionist thinking.

Rabbi Shimon Herzl was close to Rabbi Judah Alkalai, the spiritual leader of the Jewish community in Zemun, Belgrade and one of the earliest forerunners of Zionism.

Israel Hayom reports that the elder Herzl 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 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.

In September 2006, the remains of two of Herzl’s children were also brought to Israel and reburied beside their father. In 2007, the remains of Herzl’s only grandson, Stephen Theodor Norman, were transferred from a cemetery in Washington for reburial in Jerusalem.