The City of Jerusalem's Local Construction and Planning
Committee has postponed a decision on the expansion of the
Har Hamenuchos Cemetery in Givat Shaul.
Due to the severe shortage of plots that has come about in
recent years City Engineer Uri Shitreet submitted a plan to
extend the cemetery into the adjacent Jerusalem Forest. The
plan calls for layered burial on 90 percent of the proposed
area of expansion.
However the committee received dozens of objections submitted
by Chevra Kadishas, environmental organizations and
landowners. During the ensuing discussions the committee
members were presented with a letter publicized 17 years ago
by Maran HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, in which he clearly
ruled the age-old burial custom should not be altered, even
if it means distancing the cemetery from the city.
Replying to a question posed by Chevra Kadisha of Kehillas
Yerushalayim, he wrote in part: "The above proposal to build
cemeteries through the construction of several layers is a
change from the burial custom practiced until now . . . And
although outside of Eretz Yisroel it was customary to bury
[the dead] one above the other, certainly ein donin ee
efshar le'efshar. In that case the authorities only
granted Jews a limited area for burial [purposes], therefore
they were compelled to bury the dead on top of the dead. But
in a case where there is a possibility [not to bury in
layers], certainly one should not alter the burial custom
practiced for generation upon generation, even if it means
distancing the cemetery from the city."
Following a prolonged discussion Committee Chairman Rabbi
Yehoshua Pollak announced he was postponing the final
decision for two weeks. City Council Member and Committee
Member Rabbi Yosef Levy said due to the complexity of the
matter it would not be possible to hear all of the objections
and the reactions of committee members at the last two
meetings held and therefore the next meeting would be
exclusively devoted to this issue and during the course of
the meeting alternatives to the proposal submitted by the
City Engineer would be presented.
