Source: http://bfree.org.il/burial
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 00:50:43+00:00

Document:
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Decisions that relate to burial and funeral ceremonies are certainly some of the most complex decisions that can be made by the dying and their families. Often, a quick decision is required at the peak of a mourning period. Until the 1990s, in Israel almost no complexity arose concerning burial options. Most of the public was assisted by the burial services provided by religious burial corporations, according to the religion of the deceased. A small minority held civil burials in private cemeteries. From 1996, with the passing of the Alternative Civil Burial Right Law, there has been some revolution in the duties imposed on the state with regard to burial, and it has been determined that the state must allow every person to have a civil burial. In practice, most individuals buried in a public civil ceremony are those who are not entitled to a religious burial, many of whom are immigrants from the Former Soviet Union1. It is therefore important to separate the rights of the individual concerning burial as prescribed in the law from de facto rights. Alongside this, some disputes have also arisen on the question of whether a religious burial corporation is allowed to force religious norms on persons requesting their services, and to what extent. Finally, Questions have also arisen in Israel on other ways of laying to rest, such as cremation, organ donation and donation of the body to science.
Must the state provide civil burial services to citizens of Israel?
As of 2013, only three cemeteries have been run as regional civil ceremonies – Menucha Nechona in Be’er Sheva, Menucha Mechubedet in Givat Brenner and the cemetery in Emek Hefer – Mesila. As a result, many citizens of the State of Israel had no chance of being buried in a public civil ceremony, but only in a private civil ceremony.
May payment be charged for burial?
Is a religious burial corporation allowed to compel the family of the deceased to practice religious norms concerning the burial?
Despite religious burial in Israel being carried out by a private corporation (usually Hevra Kadisha), the corporation assumes public duties and is not allowed to force religious norms, and in particular religious norms that are not accepted by the religious public at large, upon persons who are not interested in them. For instance, the burial corporation is not allowed to prevent an inscription on a headstone (for example an inscription of the deceased’s Gregorian dates of birth and death).8 Similarly, the burial corporation is not allowed to force the holding of a religious ceremony with segregation and is not allowed to prevent women from mourning the deceased.9 It would seem that in the spirit of case law, a burial company will not be allowed to force the use of any particular religious service or prescribe any practice whose nature does not contravene the religious ceremony or offend public feelings.
However, the Courts in Israel have never prescribed the exact dos and don’ts in this context. While there is no dispute on the one hand that inscriptions in languages other than Hebrew is permitted on headstones, and on the other hand, ceremonies and customs that offend public feelings are prohibited, the Courts have never ruled on the question of the exact identity of the religious ceremony that the Hevra Kadisha is allowed to force on consumers of its services, and elements that are not in the core of the ceremony, the decision on which is delegated to the family of the deceased. In this context, it would seem that the courts are to consider the question of whether it is a local or general norm (and they tend to allow the family not to hold a local norm that is not applied nationwide); whether it is an addition to the religious ceremony or a reduction in the religious ceremony; and whether there is an alternative to public civil burial for the deceased and more.
May bodies be cremated in Israel?
When there is a dispute between relatives of the deceased concerning the manner of attending to the body, and the wishes of the deceased are unclear, the wishes of the spouse will first be respected, followed by the wishes of children and after that the wishes of the parents of the deceased.
Unlike civil burial, because the law in Israel does not deal directly with cremation, as of today, the State has no duty to fund the cremation procedure itself, although if relatives ask to bury the ashes, the State will assume a general duty of providing burial services for the deceased (whether in a religious cemetery or a civil one).11 It is noted in this context that case law has not been uniform in the arguments for cremation not being funded by the State, and the issue has yet to be adjudicated by appellate instances or by the Supreme Court.
What of organ donation, donating the body to science and other options for the deceased and his or her family?
According to the Anatomy and Pathology Law, 5713-1951 [sic], a person is allowed to donate his body to science, and is allowed to order the donation of organs after his death, which provision will take precedence over any objections of his family members. However, in practice, ADI organ donor cards are not considered today to be consent for donation, and therefore the consent of family members is required, except in extraordinary circumstances. After ending the use of the body, the academic institution assumes the duty of having it buried according to the wishes of the ceased, unless it has asked for certain organs to be preserved.
* The foregoing constitutes a general description of the law and cannot serve as an alternative to receiving a legal expert opinion.
3 Summary Civil Case (Kfar Saba) 29187-05-12 Ginsburg v. State of Israel, the Ministry of Religious Affairs (September 4, 2014).
4 Section 268 of the National Insurance Law [Consolidated Version], 5755-1985 [sic] states that: “Any entity that is authorized under Section 13 of the Jewish Religious Services Law [Consolidated Version], 5731-1971 and the regulations promulgated thereunder (hereinafter – the Religious Services Law) to deal with the burial of deceased will not charge for the burial any payment, including service fees under the Religious Services Law, in addition to the burial fee under this article, unless the payment has been permitted under the conditions and tests prescribed pursuant to Section 266”.
5 Small Claim (Safed) 40110-10-10 Duvrubin v. Avichen – Assistance Services Ltd. (July 28, 2011).
7 Administrative Petition (Haifa) 44670-04-13 Avior v. Ministry of Religious Services (December 25, 2013); Summary Civil Case (Krayot) 3453-09-08 Ginsberg v. Hevra Kadisha Haifa (May 8, 2012).
9 See circular of Director General of Ministry of Religious Services of February 27, 2013 dealing with “the funeral ceremony” - http://www.dat.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/AA25B3DA-4CF5-4C22-A11B-EE6AC7ABFED6/0/022013sp.pdf.
10 Misc. Civil Motions 4230/06 Mirela v. Rosen (December 28, 2006); Civil Case (Haifa) 26568-12-10 A.S. v. L.B. (December 19, 2010).
11 National Insurance (Tel Aviv) 7726/05 Regina v. the National Insurance Institute (January 1, 2008); National Insurance Appeal 160/05 Zander v. the National Insurance Institute (February 20, 2006); National Insurance 7354/05 Raudor v. the National Insurance Institute (January 1, 2007).
12 High Court of Justice 6167/09 Avni v. State of Israel (November 18, 2009); Civil Appeal 1835/11 Avni v. State of Israel (November 17, 2011).
13 Originating Summons (Tel Aviv) 39654-09-10 Avni v. State of Israel (January 16, 2014).
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