Civil Burial in Israel? Not Here, Not Now and Not Secular

A quarter of a century has passed since a law was passed allowing Israelis to be buried in accordance with their beliefs, yet, absurdly, the biggest beneficiary of the legislation is the religious burial society. One woman’s attempts to find a suitable burial place expose the government’s helplessness. Unless one is willing to be buried far from the center of the country, to pay 60,000 shekels or to be given a civil funeral by a religious body, there is no such thing as a secular burial in Israel. A special report: How the state safeguards the monopoly of religious burial.

April 28, 2022