Story perspectives

Israel Reburies Herzl Grandparents on Mount Herzl, exhumed from Belgrade

8/5/2026

Summary

Israel reburies Herzl

Israel reburied Shimon Leib and Rivka Herzl, Theodor Herzl’s grandparents, on Mount Herzl after exhumation in Belgrade.
The ceremony occurred on August 5, 2026, exactly 77 years after Herzl’s 1949 reburial.
President Isaac Herzog said they “passed dream at Sabbath table” and that Rabbi Shimon Leib learned from Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai.
The World Zionist Organization called it the closing of a historic circle, with the graves now lying beside Herzl’s on family plot.

Summary

Hagoel Secures Exhumation

World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel secured the exhumation deal with Republika Srpska President Željka Cvijanovic during her 2021 Israel visit.
Serbian authorities and the local Jewish community issued the permits needed for the Zemun cemetery exhumation.
Israeli security agencies escorted the remains from Belgrade to Ben Gurion Airport amid regional security concerns.
The foreign ministry held a state reception at Ben Gurion Airport before the remains were taken to Mount Herzl.

History

Historical Context

After Theodor Herzl died in 1904, his body lay in Vienna until Israel transferred his remains to the newly created Mount Herzl in 1949, establishing the hill as the Zionist movement’s national shrine. This early act of symbolic repatriation set a precedent for later ceremonies that use burial sites to reinforce Israeli state identity and diaspora ties.

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Israel reburies Herzl

Israel reburied Shimon Leib and Rivka Herzl, Theodor Herzl’s grandparents, on Mount Herzl after exhumation in Belgrade.
The ceremony occurred on August 5, 2026, exactly 77 years after Herzl’s 1949 reburial.
President Isaac Herzog said they “passed dream at Sabbath table” and that Rabbi Shimon Leib learned from Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai.
The World Zionist Organization called it the closing of a historic circle, with the graves now lying beside Herzl’s on family plot.

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