As Gush Dan Cemeteries Fill Up, Burial Societies Start Charging for Underground Plots

Some months ago the Tel Aviv area burial society began charging a premium for in-ground burials, a practice that some experts consider illegal, and did so without announcing the changes. The National Insurance Institute burial grant is insufficient to cover the new costs, leaving families without the means to pay extra with no choice but to choose above ground, multistory interment for their loved ones.

By law, burial societies are permitted to charge for a burial plot purchased during the life of its intended occupant. The average cost of such a grave is NIS 5,000; the prices are set by each community. Now burial societies in the center of the country are charging tens of thousands of shekels for non-reserved plots as well, due to the shortage of burial space.

Orna, who lives in the Sharon region, described what happened to her when her mother died. "At the last minute, when you're exhausted after the long hospitalization and the death, they spring it on you. They put a lot of pressure on you. Since my mother lived in Holon, they made us bury her in Yarkonim, so we were given a choice between multistory burial and paying quite a bit of money. They even do this bluff where they offer to sell you a multistory plot for a married couple for 'only' NIS 8,000 instead of NIS 12,000 for one [in-ground plot]," Orna said.

Orna said the burial society refused to show her any documents verifying the change in procedures.

After receiving complaints about the matter, the nonprofit Yedid association turned to the burial society, first by phone and then in writing, for clarification. Officials from Yedid, which calls itself the Association for Community Empowerment, said that in a phone call the deputy managing director of the burial society, Simcha Rand, confirmed the new policy in the Greater Tel Aviv area. A few weeks ago a Yedid attorney, Shani Rabinowitz, sent a letter to Rand asking for further clarifications. The society has not yet responded.

In a statement to Haaretz, the burial society said it is following government and planning agency directives to "move to high-density burial due to a shortage of land reserves," as a result of which payment is not waived for other types of burial.

No response was received from the Religious Services Ministry by press time last night.