Founder of modern Zionism Theodor Herzl's grandparents reinterred in Jerusalem

The grandparents of the founder of modern political Zionism, Theodor Herzl, were laid to rest on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, fulfilling a decades-long diplomatic effort and completing what Israeli leaders described as the final chapter in Herzl's wish for his family to be buried in the Jewish state.

Shimon Leif and Rivka Herzl, whose remains were transferred from the Serbian town of Zemun, were buried beside their grandson on Wednesday, 77 years after Theodor Herzl himself was reinterred on Mount Herzl following the establishment of the State of Israel.

The official ceremony was attended by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, senior government officials, members of the Herzl family, representatives of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), and Serbian officials.

Herzog noted that Herzl's embrace of Zionism was likely influenced by his grandfather, who assisted in the synagogue of Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai, an early advocate for the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.

“Dreams are not passed down through written inheritance,” Herzog stated. “They are passed around the Shabbat table... in the stories a grandfather tells his grandson."

“Not every person merits becoming the founder of a state,” Herzog argued. “But every person can be the one who carries the vision home and places it on the family table.”

Herzog concluded by stressing that the ceremony fulfilled Herzl's wish to have his family buried in the Jewish state.

“In his will, Theodor Herzl wrote that he wished for his remains and those of his immediate family to be brought for burial in the Jewish state once it was established. Today, we complete the fulfillment of that wish. But his true, greater will – building the Jewish state continues still, and a great and weighty task remains ours to complete,” the president stated.

Netanyahu emphasized what he described as the deep connection between modern Zionism and Jewish tradition.

“Our attention turns today to the deepest foundations,” Netanyahu told the audience.

“Judaism as the basis of Zionism, the Torah and the Bible as the foundation of identity, and the chain of generations as the anchor of values and heritage,” he continued.

Echoing Herzog's remarks, Netanyahu argued that Herzl's political Zionism was shaped by the values instilled by his traditional grandparents.

“The home of Herzl’s grandparents provided the roots from which the trunk, branches and fruit later grew,” Netanyahu assessed, adding that Herzl “created the conditions that brought us back to the Promised Land” through “brilliance, determination and practical action.”

“You have to understand that today marks exactly 77 years since the beginning of the fulfillment of Herzl’s will,” WZO Chairman Yaakov Hagoel told The Jerusalem Post.

“In 1949, the Government of Israel and the World Zionist Organization brought Herzl and his parents here. Over the years we brought his grandson, and later his children. Today, after a tremendous effort, we have succeeded in bringing his grandfather and grandmother as well,” he added.

Hagoel said the ceremony carried added significance at a time when Zionism has become increasingly controversial internationally.

“Unfortunately, Zionism has become one of the most vilified concepts in the world today,” he explained.

“Antisemites understand that openly being anti-Jewish doesn’t go over very well, so they play a game with words and instead call themselves anti-Zionists,” he continued.

Hagoel concluded by stressing the need for Jews to proudly embrace their identity and history:

“We are Jews. We are Zionists. We are proud, and we hold our heads high. This is the time to strengthen our Jewish identity and deepen our connection to the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Only in this way will we overcome these very difficult challenges.”

Born in Budapest in 1860 to an assimilated German-speaking Jewish family, Theodor Herzl spent much of his career as a journalist in Vienna, then the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The antisemitic trial of French Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus helped convince Herzl that the Jewish people required a state of their own.

In 1896, Herzl published The Jewish State, laying out his vision for the reestablishment of a Jewish homeland. Just over 50 years later, that vision became reality with Israel's declaration of independence in May 1948.