The paternal grandparents of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, were reburied at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl on Wednesday during a formal ceremony. Shimon and Rivka Herzl, who originally were buried in Belgrade, Serbia, had their remains exhumed about a week prior to be laid to rest near Theodor Herzl, his immediate family members, and his descendants.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog marked the occasion by referencing Herzl’s will, which specified that his remains and those of his family should be brought to the Jewish state once established. “Today we are completing the full realization of this will,” Herzog said, adding that the establishment of a Jewish state remains an ongoing mission.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Herzl as “our modern Moses,” emphasizing Herzl’s role in inspiring Jewish self-determination and laying the groundwork for the establishment of Israel. “Herzl created the conditions that brought us to the Promised Land,” Netanyahu stated, highlighting Herzl’s dedication to confronting antisemitism and advancing the Zionist cause.

The reburial was supported by several institutions, including the World Zionist Organization, the Israeli government, and the military, all issuing statements affirming that the return of Herzl’s grandparents fulfilled the leader’s long-standing wishes.

Herzl’s will had also called for the remains of his parents and children to be buried in Israel, but these requests were neglected for decades. Historian Ariel Feldstein has argued that the family’s personal hardships and tragedies contributed to their relative exclusion from the national narrative for many years. Herzl’s close relationship with his paternal grandparents—who lived in Zelmlin near Serbia and maintained traditional Jewish observance—stood in contrast to his own upbringing in a more assimilated, urban Jewish family in Europe.

Herzl’s grandparents died in the late 19th century—Shimon in 1879 and Rivka in 1888—and both were interred in Belgrade until their recent transfer. Theodor Herzl himself died in 1904 and was initially buried in Vienna; his remains were relocated to Mount Herzl in Jerusalem in 1949. Shortly thereafter, his parents Jacob and Jeanette Herzl and his sister Pauline were also reinterred there.

Other family members were brought to Mount Herzl over the years. Herzl’s children, Pauline and Hans, both suffered mental illness, and Hans converted to Christianity before returning to Judaism and died by suicide. Their remains were moved from France to Israel in 2006. A memorial plaque was installed commemorating Trude, Herzl’s second daughter, who was killed in the Holocaust. Additionally, Herzl’s only grandson, Stephen Theodore Norman, was reburied at Mount Herzl in 2007. Norman died by suicide in 1946 after learning of his parents’ deaths during the Holocaust.

Herzl’s wife Julie, who died in 1907 after suffering from heart disease and mental illness, was cremated at her own request, and the whereabouts of her ashes remain unknown. The reburial of his grandparents completes a long-delayed process to bring Herzl’s family together in Israel, honoring his enduring legacy.