A body was exhumed in a Jewish/Christian cemetery in Kibbutz Revadim, prompting the question as to why Zaka personnel were digging up a corpse.

The story behind the event is as follows. A number of months ago, a Kiryat Yam resident of northern Israel committed suicide. The body was sent to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute for a post mortem, after which the body was placed in refrigeration. Months passed and the body was not claimed. Police ordered the remains buried. The body was interred in the Jewish/Christian cemetery, where Jews and non-Jews are interred side-by-side. This is the general practice in such a case officials explain.

What is unclear is why the family of the deceased never turned to police for assistance in tracking down their missing loved one even though months passed.

The forensic institute recently received handsome funding earmarked for identifying nameless bodies, and it was through that effort that a DNA sample led to the identity of the body interred in Revadim. The family was contacted immediately. The family was pained to learn of the chain of the events, and that ultimately, the kvura was in a mixed beis hachaim. The family turned to Zaka’s legal expert, Michael Guttwin, who worked for two weeks to secure the necessary documentation to permit moving the body.

The question seeking to ascertain if it was permitted to exhume the body for reburial in a Jewish beis hachaim was posed to Rishon L’Tzion HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shlomo Amar Shlita, who gave the go ahead.

The actual exhuming of the body and reburial took place on Sunday, 3 Adar 5772. The family expressed shock over the realization their loved one was buried without their knowledge and in a mixed cemetery no less.

Zaka’s rav, Rabbi Yaakov Rosa took charge and he made certain the procedure was handled in accordance to Halacha. A tahara was performed and the volunteers involved asked mechila from the niftar.

Chadrei Chareidim reports that the Zaka volunteers worked for hours exhume the body, digging by hand, adding it was a “bizarre sight” for them to see a Jew buried alongside non-Jews.

At 1:00pm, family and close friends gathered for the levaya and Rav Rosa explained that in such a case, the family holds aveilus for one day.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)