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IN-DEPTH FEATURES
Part III
For two thousand years, it has been the dream and hope of
many individuals to be buried in Jerusalem. This is a report
of the situation today.
If Bituach Leumi pays only the burial costs, who is funding
the cemetery development?
As you may have guessed, it's the good Jews abroad who want
to be buried in Israel whose payments cover this expense. The
Chevra Kadishas market grave plots to Jews abroad, and they
charge a not inconsiderable price for them. The standard cost
for one's "makom bechayim" is $5,000 for the
karka, and another $2,000-2,500 for burial costs. Add
to this another $3,500-5,000 for transportation, and being
buried in Jerusalem is $11,000. The total cost is not
unreasonable in comparison to burial in many places abroad,
and the gemora says that anyone buried in Israel has a
special kaporoh. $10,000 is also not that much in
comparison to the savings and pensions that many people have
today. Not surprisingly, thousands every year choose the
option of burial in Israel.
"Some people are afraid to buy plots while they're still
alive," Rav Gelbstein says, "while others say it is a special
segulah for arichas yomim."
Kehillas Yerushalayim charges $7,500 for a package deal.
Perushim takes a $5,000 payment for the plot and advises the
purchaser not to pay the burial costs in case he happens to
be visiting in Israel or has moved to Israel when he passes
away, in which case Bituach Leumi will pay the cost of
burial. There is strong competition in New York between
various funeral chapels to handle and transport
niftorim.
The actual cost for a burial from abroad depends on a whole
range of criteria. Grave plots closer to rabbonim are more
expensive. The cost rises depending on the grave's location --
how close it is to the cemetery's entrance, the road and the
stairs.
Many Americans buy plots and are buried in Beit Shemesh, in
the Artzos Hachaim cemetery which is private.
Rabbi Gafni says that the subject of burial from chutz
la'aretz is entirely a free-for-all. He says he would
like to pass a law to cover this too, but he doesn't see it
in the foreseeable future.
It is clear that the burials from abroad constitute a sizable
portion of the Chevra Kadishas' profits, particularly since
such burials constitute between a fifth to a third of all the
burials they handle.
Three hundred of Perushim's 750-800 yearly burials come from
abroad. Jews come to be buried from all over the world, but
primarily from the U.S. and Europe. Considering the
sensitivity of religious Jews to the importance of a burial
site in Israel, it is not surprising that Perushim leads in
the number of burials from abroad.
"We get requests from all over -- Mexico, Tashkent, Riga,
Ukraine, Holland," says Rav Gelbstein. "We even sent a team
to South Africa to bring 25 deceased over, because the
government was going to desecrate the graves to develop the
area."
The Israeli public's attention was riveted on a secret
operation to transfer to Israel the bones of Rav Yosef
Ochayoun, a Sephardic rav buried decades ago in the
Casablanca Jewish cemetery. The operation, which took place
about 3 months ago, was concluded successfully with his
reburial in Tzfas near the grave of Rav Pinchos ben Yo'ir.
Many people buy their own plots while yet alive. For
instance, HaRav Eliashiv's family bought 16 plots next to
where his wife was buried. HaRav Kreiswirth's family insisted
that talmidim couldn't buy plots near Rav Kreiswirth
until the family had taken their choice. In the end, there
was no room for talmidim to buy near his grave.
"It can get chaotic when both family and talmidim want
to be buried near a rav or rosh yeshiva," Rav
Gelbstein avers.
The General Sephardic Chevra Kadisha handles 400 burials a
year, with 100-120 coming from abroad. Most of those from
abroad come from France, the U.S., Argentina, Venezuela,
Mexico, London and Canada. Many come to be buried near family
or famous rabbonim. The Sephardic communities most inclined
to this are the Syrian Sephardim from South America and the
U.S., and Moroccans who are currently living in France and
the U.S.
Yitzchok Armosa, the head of the General Sephardic Chevra
Kadisha, mentions that many Sephardim seek a burial place
near the rabbis of their communities, the most popular being
HaRav Yaakov Ades and HaRav Levi Nachmani.
Another interesting phenomenon which has occurred with
increasing frequency is reburials from France. Since French
law stipulates that after 30 years a cemetery may be dug up
and all the bones removed to another place if the land is
needed for development, Jews often transport the bones of
relatives to Israel for reburial.
Chaim Barda, a Sephardic Chevra Kadisha worker, did this 30
years after his mother's death. His brother and he received
her bones in a 90 cm. aron. The Chevra Kadisha
arranged the bones in their proper contour and reburied them
on Har Hamenuchos.
Kehillas Yerushalayim handles about 140 burials from abroad,
mostly of religious Jews -- Ashkenazim from the U.S. and
Sephardim from France. Shachor says that in his experience,
couples usually buy their plots together. On occasion, people
purchase a family plot.
"Sometimes we are asked to bury a niftar in a certain
area or plot," says Shachor. "If the plot is empty, we'll try
to arrange it without charging extra."
He recalls the case of a woman whose father served as a
British army guard and was killed by Bedouins in 1936. His
orphan daughter grew up, married an American and found her
future abroad. When she became ill with a terminal illness,
she asked her family to bury her near her parents. When she
died, the family phoned the Chevra Kadisha, and they
discovered that the grave next to her parents was empty. The
woman was buried there.
Esthetic Considerations
To increase the marketability of their cemetery plots,
Kehillas Yerushalayim's cemetery is symmetrical and carefully
designed. Roads are strategically placed so it is easy to
reach most gravesites. Bushes and trees line the different
sections, to afford shade from the sun beating down in the
long Jerusalem summer. Color- coded signs help visitors
locate the graves they want to visit. This "modern" layout is
part of what the original organizers of Kehillas Yerushalayim
set out to achieve when they founded their chevra
kadisha almost seventy years ago.
In contrast, Perushim strictly maintains all the customs
instituted in Jewish cemeteries for centuries, regardless of
how it will affect the cemetery's appearance. They strictly
forbid any vegetative growth even along the edges of the
cemetery -- Rav Gelbstein says he chemically eliminates any
growth that does appear -- in keeping with Jewish tradition.
He explains that trees and plants can penetrate graves,
destroy bones, and even lift up graves. It also causes
problems for kohanim if a tree covers both a grave and
the walkway.
"I was in many Jewish cemeteries all over the world," says
Rav Gelbstein, "and in the older cemeteries there are no
trees or plants. That's how it should be."
The Perushim cemetery, especially the older sections, have
barely a few inches between graves and are crowded. However,
people go to them because they are the oldest and most
identified with traditional Yerushalayim and its customs, and
in death, many people are more worried about spiritual
concerns and the identity of their neighbors than
esthetics.
Shachor explains the high expenses of burial in Har
Hamenuchos as being a result of the quality services provided
by the Chevra Kadishas there. "We give much better service
than do the Chevra Kadishas in other parts of the country,"
he explains. "We provide a minyan of Chevra Kadisha
workers for each levaya. In other places, they only
give a chazan and the family pushes the hearse. We
insure that the cemetery is beautiful, symmetrical and well-
kept. Since it's attractive, it's easy to sell."
Kehillas Yerushalayim has several distinct advantages because
of the sheer volume of burials which it handles. It possesses
two funeral parlors, one in Sanhedria and the other on the
grounds of Har Hamenuchos, which allows it flexibility in
when to schedule a funeral.
The other Chevra Kadishas have to share the Shamgar street
funeral parlor, which entails a fee to the municipality and
requires adjusting funeral times when there are a few
funerals occurring together. However, the Sephardic Chevra
Kadisha is completing its own funeral parlor on Har Tamir,
the newest section of Har Hamenuchos. The new Beit Hespedim
shel Hasfardim contains loudspeakers, air conditioning and
all the conveniences.
Kehillas Yerushalayim distributes a CD called "Burial in
Jerusalem" which shows pictures of its cemetery, the various
kinds of plots, maps, halachos, how to get in touch with the
Chevra Kadisha, and more. It's done in color and even has a
soundtrack.
Kehillas Yerushalayim also has published a book relating its
history: the founding of the Chevra Kadisha, how it developed
the cemeteries, minhagei Yerushalayim concerning
burial, who were its founders and members, its different
services, even the squabbles it had with Bituach Leumi and
other Chevra Kadishas that tried to usurp its land.
Kehillas Yerushalayim has undertaken to help organize Jewish
burial for kehillos in Eastern Europe. Every so often
they send shlichim to meetings organized by the Joint
Distribution Committee and Lev Levayov. One of the latest
communities to benefit from this assistance is Riga.
In Jerusalem, Shachor does most of the sorrowful work of
burying terror victims. Although he has unfortunately had
quite a bit of experience in this in the past 2 years, there
have always been terror victims over the years.
He explains that in terrorist attacks, most bodies are not
intact. The Chevra Kadisha gets the body from the Forensic
Institute at Abu Kabir, and arranges the contour of the body
so the family doesn't feel anything is unusual under the
tachrichin. "We're unfortunately prepared for
terrorist attacks. The family doesn't necessarily realize
that anything is strange.
"The only difference in such a burial is that we don't
perform the tahara or dress the body in regular
tachrichin," says Shachor, "to make an `outrage in
heaven' that Jews are being so brutalized."
Kivrei Tzadikim on Har Hamenuchos
One remarkable thing is people who go to visit kivrei
tzadikim in the Ukraine and Russia, while they do not
visit the kivrei tzadikim which are right here in
Yerushalayim. While Har Hazeisim unquestionably has the
largest number of kivrei tzadikim, going back to the
time of the Bayis Rishon, there are plenty of
tzadikim and gedolim to visit on Har
Hamenuchos.
Visiting kivrei tzadikim of the past two generations
has special meaning since it involves gedolim whom
many people alive today knew and revere. While the graves are
not of Tanaim and Rishonim, the sense of closeness which one
feels with a teacher one revered is also of importance.
For those who want to know how to reach Har Hamenuchos, it's
very easy. One leaves Jerusalem on the Jerusalem- Tel Aviv
highway, and makes a left at the first traffic light after
passing the gas stations at the entrance of the city. (This
is the exit to Har Nof.) Some 100 meters down the road, one
makes a right. After passing a small industrial zone, one
reaches Har Hamenuchos's large parking lot. To the left are
sinks where one can wash his hands when he leaves. The
mountain to the direct right is Har Tamir, the adjoining
mountain which was opened after Har Hamenuchos began to fill
up. The turnoff to it is before the main parking lot of Har
Hamenuchos.
Be forewarned that Har Hamenuchos is very large and since
it's a mountain, there will be some uphill climbing. However,
there are roads that crisscross the mountain, allowing cars
to come within easy reach of most graves.
Straight ahead, a little high up on the mountain but right
after the parking lot, is the Perushim "Chelkas HaRabbonim"
section , which can be discerned by the iron parapet
constructed nearby, which allows kohanim to pray at the
kivrei tzadikim without coming too near.
The Perushim Chelkas Rabbonim cemetery section has the
greatest number of gedolim and rabbonim buried in it.
Each grave contains a great tzaddik, rov or rosh
yeshiva and one can spend literally hours stopping and
praying at the graves within the section.
Before I continue, I must seek forgiveness for the many names
of important rabbonim not listed out of oversight or
ignorance or lack of room. In general, most of the rabbonim
are buried in the old Chelkas Rabbonim in Gush Alef, or the
newer Chelkas Rabbonim in Gush Yud Alef or Lamed-Lamed
Alef.
The largest grave in the old Chelkas Rabbonim is the shrine
of HaRav Aaron Rokach, the Belzer Rebbe. It has a special
receptacle to light candles and it stands apart from the
other graves. In proximity to it, also standing out, is the
grave of HaRav Moshe Feinstein. Then, in clustered rows, here
are the graves of the last generation's great roshei
yeshivos and rabbonim, in Chelkas Rabbonim Gush Alef (See
the enclosed map which indicates where each Gush is
located.):
HaRav Isser Zalman Meltzer (rosh yeshivas Slutsk and
Eitz Chaim of Jerusalem)
HaRav Reuven Bengis (rosh av beis din of Jerusalem)
HaRav Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik (the Brisker Rov)
HaRav Akiva Sofer (av beis din of Pressburg, described
in this week's "Sparks of Glory" section; many of his family
members are buried there too).
HaRav Aaron Kotler (rosh yeshivas Lakewood)
HaRav Aaron Aryeh Leifer (Nadvorna rebbe; plus many other
Nadvorna family members)
HaRav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel (rosh yeshivas Mir --
Europe-Jerusalem)
HaRav Chaim Leib Shmuelevitz (rosh yeshivas Mir-
Jerusalem)
HaRav Avrohom Yaffen, (rosh yeshivas Beis Yosef
Novardok. His father-in-law, HaRav Yosef Yoizel Horwitz, the
Alter of Novardok, was also reburied here).
HaRav Shmuel Gerstenfeld (ram in Yeshivas HaRav
Yitzchok Elchonon)
HaRav Chaim Mordechai Katz (rosh yeshivas Telz-
Cleveland)
HaRav Naftali Shakovitzky (rov of Gateshead)
HaRav Zalman Sorotzkin (av beis din of Lutsk, and head
of Vaad Hayeshivos in Eretz Yisroel)
HaRav Dov Berish Weidenfeld (av beis din of
Tchebin)
HaRav Yechezkel Abramsky (av beis din of London)
HaRav Shmuel Ehrenfeld (av beis din of Mattersdorf)
HaRav Noach Garfinkel (rosh yeshivas Rabbi Chaim Ozer
in New York)
HaRav Boruch Sorotzkin (rosh yeshivas Telz
Cleveland)
HaRav Yosef Dov Ber Soloveitchik (rosh yeshivas
Brisk)
HaRav Aryeh Leib Mallin (rosh yeshivas Beis Hatalmud-
Brooklyn)
Graves in the newer Chelkas Rabbonim and other sections:
HaRav Yehuda Leib Ashlag (author of Peirush Hasulam on
Zohar: Ohel in Gush Vov)
HaRav Tzvi Pesach Frank (rov of Jerusalem) (Gush Alef)
HaRav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Jerusalem posek)
(located in Gush Alef)
HaRav Moshe Soloveitchik (rov and posek in Zurich)
(Gush Yud Alef)
HaRav Binyomin Paler, (rosh yeshiva of Toras Chaim in New
York) (Gush Yud Alef)
HaRav Levi Krupenia (rosh yeshivas Kamenitz-U.S.)
(Gush Yud Alef)
HaRav Nosson Wachtfogel (mashgiach of Yeshivas
Lakewood) (Gush Yud Alef)
HaRav Boruch Shimon Schneerson (rosh yeshivas Kochav
MiYaakov-Tchebin) (Gush Yud Alef)
HaRav Shlomo Avrohom Eliyahu Green, the "tailor," mekubal
of Tel Aviv (Gush Yud Alef))
HaRav Chaim Moshe Mandel, (the poel yeshuos of Bnei
Brak) (Gush Yud Alef)
(many visit the above two graves seeking yeshuos)
HaRav Chanoch Henich Padwa (av beis din of London)
(Gush Zayin)
HaRav Meir Shapira of Lublin (Ohel in Gush Zayin). HaRav
Shapira was brought to Eretz Yisroel by relatives on 26 Elul
1958, 24 years after his petiroh.
HaRav Nachman Bulman (rov in U.S. and Israel) (Gush Yud
Chet)
HaRav Eliyahu Boruch Goldshmidt (mashgiach of Lakewood
and South Fallsburg yeshivos) (Gush Yud Chet)
HaRav Eliezer Kahanoff (rosh yeshiva of Torah Vodaas)
(Gush Yud Chet)
HaRav Chaim Kreiswirth (av beis din of Antwerp) (New
Chelkas Rabbonim -- located in Gush Yud Tet)
In Har Tamir:
HaRav Shimshon Pincus (rov of Ofakim) (Gush Lamed Beit)
Chedva Zilberfarb (who lectured worldwide about shemiras
haloshon and died young) (Gush Lamed Alef)
HaRav Yisroel Eliezer Kanerek (rosh yeshiva in the
U.S.) (Gush Lamed)
HaRav Aaron Yehoshua Stein (av beis din in Boro Park)
(Gush Lamed)
The Chassidim cemetery adjoins the Perushim cemetery. It also
contains a number of illustrious rabbonim and
Admorim.
The remains of HaRav Menachem Ziemba, the rov of Warsaw, were
brought here for burial (Gush Beit).
Other famous personalities:
The Ra'ananer Rov and mekubal HaRav Yitzchok Huberman
(Gush Yud)
Amshenover Rebbe (Gush Alef)
HaRav Zerachya Segal, the Tel Aviv mekubal (Gush
Alef)
Pinsk-Karlin Rebbe (who passed away a year ago) (Gush
Alef)
HaRav Shlomo Zevin, rov in Jerusalem (Gush Alef)
HaRav Yichye Shneur, a Yemenite rav.
The Sephardic Chevra Kadisha contains a number of
distinguished Sephardic rabbonim:
In their Chelkas Rabbanim:
HaRav Yaakov Ades, member of Jerusalem beis din
godol
HaRav Menachem Menashe, Iraqi tzaddik, author of
sefer Ahavas Chaim
HaRav Yaakov Katzin, rav of Syrian kehilla in New
York
HaRav Ezra Attiah, rav of Yeshivas Porat Yosef, from
Aleppo
In Section Alef in Har Tamir:
HaRav Yosef Toledano, rabbi of a large kehilla in
France
HaRav Benzion Maslaton, rav of Achiezer in Flatbush
HaRav Nissim Yagen, leading machzir bitshuva in
Jerusalem, and rosh yeshivas Kehillas Yaakov (with
chuppah built over it)
HaRav Sholom Lopez, Acco chief rabbi
HaRav Chaim Abuchatzera
HaRav Levi Nachmani, Moroccan mekubal
There are five graves of HaRav Ilu Shetreet and his family
from Morocco, which the Sephardic Chevra Kadisha transferred
to Israel and reburied with hundreds of people present.
Miriam, the Laundress of the Rebbe of Zevihl. Although she
was childless, it is reputed that the Zevihler Rebbe promised
her that her blessing would help other woman. Many women who
want to be blessed with children go to pray at her gravesite,
and dozens have related that they were blessed with children
afterwards.
Kehillas Yerushalayim's famous personalities are mostly
buried in its Sanhedria cemetery. Nevertheless, there are a
few lights in its Har Hamenuchos cemetery too.
First and foremost is the Chida, which is the large shrine to
the left when walking from the parking lot towards the
Chelkas Rabbonim of the Perushim. In an operation that took
place in 1964, his grave was transferred to Har Hamenuchos
and an impressive shrine built over it. The Chida, who was
born in Jerusalem in 1727 and died in Livorno in 1806 is the
most ancient person buried in Har Hamenuchos today.
To the left of the Chida's grave are the graves of HaRav
Simcha Wasserman and his wife, HaRav Mordechai Miller of
Gateshead, and HaRav Avraham Aba Freedman of Detroit.
* Even the best of maps can be confusing and one may often go
in circles trying to find a certain grave.
The best advice when seeking out a famous grave is to look
for a pile of stones on top. This is the best sign that this
is a grave of a tzaddik, rosh yeshiva or rov.
* In the summer, come prepared with a head covering (to
protect from the heat -- there is no shade from trees). The
easiest hours to come visit are early in the morning or the
late afternoon.
* Bring candles and matches along if you wish to light them
at the gravesite.
* Call the Chevra Kadisha ahead of time to find out the exact
location of particular graves you are seeking. From Jerusalem
call: 538-4144 for the Perushim Chevra Kadisha, 5380101 for
the Chassidim Chevra Kadisha, 6254371 for the Sephardic
Chevra Kadisha, and 6252281 for Kehillas Yerushalayim.
A cemetery worker who is from France spoke about the
difficulties he experienced in transporting the body of his
father from France -- and the many authorities who wanted to
profit along the way.
It used to take five days to arrange for the burial of a body
from France in Israel. First, the authorities insisted on a
wait of at least 12 hours after death before the body could
be sent. Only certain flights were permitted to carry
aronos. Hospital directors were in no rush to move a
body out of their morgue because they charge for storage once
three days have passed after death. Chevra Kadisha owners
were also in no rush since they charge 2,5000 Francs ($300)
per day to watch the body.
Despite everyone else cashing in, the long wait was traumatic
for family members. The delays also raised their fears that
if the aron wouldn't be sent out soon, it would be
impossible to send it out at all, since French law stipulates
that once 10 days have passed since death, one cannot
transport a body out until a year has passed.
The family was finally relieved when after five days, they
were able to arrange for the aron to be sent to
Israel.
Since then, the Chevra Kadishas have streamlined their
operation and it now takes only two days to arrange for an
aron to be sent from France to Israel.
The laws of aninus are different for each family
member, when an aron is sent to Israel.
In one particular case we were told about, the niftar
left three sons behind. The son who was going to sit
shiva in France became an onen as soon as his
father died, and commenced shiva when the plane
bearing the aron took off since he had finished his
responsibility for burial.
The son who accompanied the aron to Israel remained an
onen from the moment his father died until he was
buried.
The son who was living in Jerusalem was only an onen
after his father died until he had taken care of all the
burial arrangements for him. Then he lost his onen
status until the aron arrived in Israel, after
which he became an onen again until after the father
was buried here.
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