Đurić: We Will Continue to Honor the Memory of Theodor Herzl and His Family

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

"It is a great honor to address you today on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia on the occasion of this significant event, at which we have gathered to transfer the mortal 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 alongside the founder of Zionism, who succeeded in transforming a dream into reality within the span of a single generation," Minister Đurić stated.

According to him, today we honor their memory with the intention of ensuring that yet another chapter in the history of our cooperation is written with dignity, in a manner befitting the warm and fraternal ties that have united the Jewish and Serbian 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 underscored that, throughout the most difficult chapters of their shared history, the Serbian people were among those who distinguished themselves in rescuing and protecting persecuted Jews in occupied Europe.

"Allow me also to recall that, during the mandate of this Government and at the initiative of President Vučić, Serbia became the first country in Europe to adopt legislation providing for the restitution of heirless Jewish property," Đurić emphasized.

He stressed that, at a time when the Jewish people are facing unprecedented pressures in many parts of the world, Serbia proudly stands alongside the Jewish people. On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Serbian people, he conveyed Serbia's warmest and most sincere greetings to the Jewish people.

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

"That era of great heroes was undoubtedly defined 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," Minister Đurić concluded, expressing his hope that the friendship between the two peoples and the two states would endure for generations to come.

Israeli Ambassador Avivit Bar-Ilan noted that this moment is both deeply personal and profoundly historic, as the transfer of the remains of Simon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of Theodor Herzl, marks the final stage of a sacred journey that began generations ago.

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

Chairman of the World Zionist OrganizationYaakov Hagoel expressed his gratitude to Minister Đurić and President Aleksandar Vučić for the sincere friendship they have demonstrated 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, his family would be laid to rest there.