In a moving ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, Shimon Leib and Rivka Herzl—the grandfather and grandmother of the visionary of the state, Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl—along with members of their family, were laid to rest.
The ceremony was held in the presence of the President of the State, Mr. Isaac Herzog; Prime Minister MK Benjamin Netanyahu; Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana; Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Yaakov Hagoel; Deputy and Acting Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Dr. Yizhar Hess; and many other senior public figures.
Exactly 77 years after the reinterment of his remains in Jerusalem, the Herzl family was reunited in the place chosen by the State of Israel to commemorate the man who envisioned its establishment. With this, Herzl’s testament—in which he requested that his family members be brought for burial in the Land of Israel following the establishment of the state—was fulfilled.
Beyond its familial significance, this is a moment of profound national meaning. The late Shimon Leib and Rivka Herzl served as an inspiration to the visionary of the state, and bringing them for burial in Israel connects the roots of the Zionist vision to the state that arose in its wake.
This initiative was made possible following years of political, diplomatic, and Halachic efforts, and through the cooperation of numerous partners in Israel and Serbia who worked together to turn a historic vision into reality, thereby completing another chapter in the story of Herzl and the story of Zionism.
May their memory be a blessing.
Photo: Assi Efrati
