The remains of Theodor Herzl's ancestors ceremonially sent from Belgrade; Djuric: Serbia stands with the Jewish people

The remains of the ancestors of Theodor Herzl, widely regarded as one of the founders of Zionism, were ceremonially sent today from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport to Israel, where they will be reinterred in Jerusalem. The farewell ceremony was attended by Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, who said that, in these difficult times, Serbia proudly stands with the Jewish people.

Also attending the ceremony were Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Avivit Bar-Ilan, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Yaakov Hagoel, and Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Community in Serbia Isaac Asiel.

Accompanied by prayers and an honor guard, the ceremony paid tribute to the Herzl family.

"It is a great honor to address you today on behalf of the Government of Serbia on the occasion of this significant event, at which we have gathered to transfer the remains of Simon and Rivka Herzl to the State of Israel, to Mount Herzl in the holy city of Jerusalem. There this remarkable family will rest, together with the father of Zionism, who succeeded in turning a dream into reality within a single generation," Minister Djuric said.

According to him, today's ceremony honors their memory while opening another chapter in the history of cooperation between Serbia and Israel in a manner befitting the warm and brotherly relations that have existed between the Serbian and Jewish peoples for centuries.

The Serbian foreign minister recalled that Serbia was the first country in 1917 to support the Balfour Declaration and the right of the State of Israel to exist. He also noted that, throughout the difficult chapters of their shared history, the Serbian people were among those who took the lead in rescuing and protecting persecuted Jews in occupied Europe.

He further stated that, during the term of the current Serbian Government and at the initiative of President Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia became the first country in Europe to adopt legislation providing for the restitution of heirless Jewish property, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The minister emphasized that, at a time when the Jewish people are facing unprecedented pressure in many parts of the world, Serbia proudly stands with them and extended the warmest greetings and best wishes of the Government of Serbia and the Serbian people to the Jewish nation.

Djuric stressed that Serbia will continue to preserve the memory of Theodor Herzl and his family, who laid the foundations of Zionism and lived during an era that also inspired the Serbian national movement and the creation of the modern Serbian state.

"That era of great heroes was certainly marked by Theodor Herzl for the Jewish people, but also for us, the Serbian people. We are proud to live in the city that was once home to the father of Zionism," Djuric concluded, expressing his hope that the friendship between the two peoples and the two countries will endure for many years to come.

Israeli Ambassador Avivit Bar-Ilan said that the occasion was both deeply personal and historic, as the farewell to Simon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of Theodor Herzl, represents the final stage of a sacred journey that began generations ago.

For more than a century, she recalled, they had rested with dignity in the Jewish cemetery in Zemun, where the Jewish community in Serbia faithfully preserved their memory. Today, through cooperation, goodwill, and mutual respect between the two countries, they have begun their final journey to Jerusalem.

Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Yaakov Hagoel expressed his gratitude to Minister Djuric and President Vucic for their sincere friendship toward the State of Israel, as well as for their support in fulfilling Theodor Herzl's final wish—that, once the State of Israel had been established, the members of his family would one day rest there.