Legacy Matters

Crematorium in Israel

In the past 20 years, the practice of cremation has increased dramatically in the US.

In Israel, cremation is prohibited by Jewish law, so it was news when the first crematorium, called "Leaves of Fall" was installed in Israel

Crematorium in Israel

This serious breach is liable to undermine the belief in the eternity of the soul and the concept of kovod hameis, which have been firmly entrenched in the Jewish people since time immemorial and manifested in instances of great mesirus nefesh to recover and transport Jewish corpses under extreme conditions in order to provide a proper burial. One reporter wrote, "Despite the explanations I could not avoid the unpleasant associations [from the Holocaust period] at the sight of the flame blazing inside the furnace. It was not easy to watch the process."