The Supreme Court in the middle of the night ruled against the state and granted a ZAKA request to permit the burial of Rebbitzin Tziona Samin z”l, who was murdered during a robbery on Wednesday.

Following the virtual autopsy performed on Rebbitzin Tziona Samin A”H on Thursday evening, it was determined that the cause of death was suffocation. Nevertheless, the state’s medical examiner, Prof. Yehuda Hiss, requested an autopsy be performed. ZAKA legal officials have announced they will petition the Supreme Court against the move. Chareidim indicated they will continue protests until the rebbitzin is laid to rest.

The rebbitzin suffocated to death when she was bound and gagged during a robbery in her home earlier in the week. Burglars entered her Ashkelon home during the afternoon hours. Her body was discovered later in the day by her husband, Rav Yosef Shlita.

According to a Chadrei Chadarim report, Rav Ovadia Yosef Shlita spoke with Rav Yosef on the day of his wife’s murder, seeking to console him, the leader of Ashkelon’s Yemenite community. Aides to Rav Yosef stated he is taking the news very hard, and is angered and pained at ongoing efforts to further desecrate the rebbitzin’s body with an autopsy.

It is noteworthy to mention that Prof. Hiss has a long and illustrious history of fighting for autopsies and is known for his disregard for the wishes of next of kin as well as halacha.

An investigation of Hiss and his practices a number of years ago revealed that he has a ‘collection’ of specimens, limbs and body parts taken from dead people, many soldiers, leading to the discovery in many cases when the army and authorities asked parents of soldiers for permission to perform autopsies, and the request as turned down, Hiss secretly did indeed perform one. Hundreds of specimens of body parts and tissue samples were found in his facility.

Making matters worse, in many cases, in authorized and non-authorized autopsies, body parts were kept for the professor’s collection and not buried in accordance to halacha. Internal organs were not placed back in a body, but kept for his collection and experiments. Efforts by many to have Hiss dismissed from his position were unsuccessful.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)