The Ministerial Committee for Burial Matters plans to appoint
a secular management to run chevra kadishas around the
country said representatives of the Chevra Kadisha Management
Forum at a meeting of the Knesset Religious Lobby, warning
that such a move could lead to secular burials.
Rabbi Yerachmiel Bauer, chairman of the Tel Aviv Chevra
Kadisha Board, voiced concerns over the general trend of
intervention by secular authorities in cemeteries and in
matters of Jewish burial. He cited the example of the Barkat
Cemeteries Council, which includes most Central Region cities
and has a majority of secular Jews among its 31 members.
Clearly this could lead to breaches in halochoh, he said.
HaRav Binyomin Scharansky proposed contacting the Prime
Minister to request allocating burial lands for the
traditional sector that would be independently operated by
the chevra kadishas. He told the Forum that the
government must at least allow Jews "to die according to
halochoh."
HaRav Refael Pinchasi cited the example of the Chevra
Kadisha in Tel Aviv where the Justice Ministry forced the
management to hire employees at tens of thousands of shekels
per month and are constantly required to approve these
appointments for additional periods without justification. An
attempt is also being made to force the management to appoint
52 members, when clearly the names of the new board would be
dictated from above.
MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni suggested Religious Lobby
representatives and chevra kadisha heads meet with
Minister Gidon Ezra, chairman of the Ministerial Committee
for Burial Matters, the Government Secretary and the Director-
General of the Prime Minister's Office to explain the threat
to halachic burial posed by these moves.
At the end of the meeting it was decided the Forum would
draft a professional document explaining in detail the
dangers to burial matters and cemeteries and then arrange a
meeting with Minister Ezra, the Government Secretary and the
Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office.
