According to the National Insurance Law of 1995 and later enactments, Israel's Bituach Leumi (National Insurance) covers the cost of most burials in Israel. Unless the family requests a special arrangement (see below), the state pays burial expenses for anyone (even a foreign tourist) who dies in Israel and is buried near his place of death, or for an Israeli buried near his home here. This is true for burials that take place in all cemeteries that operate by law, including alternative (non-Orthodox) cemeteries and those in small towns and kibbutzim. In such burials, no payment may be demanded from the deceased’s family for the burial plot or its maintenance.
There are cases, however, in which the family of the deceased does pay part or all of the cost of burial. (Those payments are then used by the chevra kadisha [burial society] for general expenses not covered by Bituach Leumi payments, such as preparing ground for burial plots, paving paths/roads to and in the burial areas, water drainage, gardening, caretaking, and insurance.) Examples of cases when payment is required include:
• If a deceased is not insured by Bituach Leumi. As in all insurance, one who does not pay premiums is not entitled to benefits. Therefore, the cost for burial in Israel of someone who dies outside of Israel (including Israeli citizens who do not keep up their Bituach Leumi payments) is not covered by Bituach Leumi, and must be paid by the family/estate of the deceased. The amount to be paid is not fixed by law, and is set by whatever chevra kadisha or organization that arranges the burial.
• Burial in special plots. With the sanction of the Minister of Religion, the National Insurance Institute has designated some sections of cemeteries (constituting no more than 10% of available land) as “exclusive” sections (chelkot m’yuchadot), and some (usually older) cemeteries as “closed” (s’gurim). If a reasonable plot is suggested to the family in a cemetary in use by the general public, but they request an “exclusive” plot or a “closed” cemetery, they will have to pay burial expenses. The price of burial in these cases is not fixed by law, and varies with the chevra kadisha, the time, and the place.
To the list of closed cemeteries, click here
• Pre-purchasing a burial plot: The maximum prices for pre-purchasing a plot are fixed by law, but vary according to one’s place of residence. Prices range from 3,211 sheqels (in Pardes Chana) to 12,783 sheqels (in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Herzliya). A 20% surcharge (30% in Jerusalem) is assessed for a burial outside the region in which one resides.
A 20% discount is given for purchase of a plot after the death of a spouse. An additional discount of 20%-25% is given when purchasing a double grave (dug laterally into the side of a hill, or vertically deeper into the ground).
The prices above do not apply to burial of people who die outside of Israel (unless they are covered by Bituach Leumi), nor to burials in cemeteries designated as “closed” or in “exclusive” plots. The costs of such plots vary greatly and should be clarified with whatever chevra kadisha the family will want to officiate at the burial.
To see the prices of pre-purchased plots according to the 2008 amendment, click here
• Distant burial. When burial takes place outside of the chevra kadisha’s geographic jurisdiction, the family of the deceased must pay for transporting the body. If the chevra kadisha transports the body, the rate set by National Insurance (as of January 2009) is 331 sheqels for the first ten kilometers beyond the area of jurisdiction and 10.07 sheqels for each additional kilometer. The rates for a private ambulance vary from company to company, and it is advisable to compare prices.
Unusual circumstances. In certain unusual cases, such as when a person dies at home or on the street, after the chevra kadisha’s working hours, or when the burial will take place later than the following day, the family will also be asked to pay for transport even within the chevra kadisha’s jurisdiction, and/or for the keeping the body in appropriate conditions and temperatures. In cases of possible unnatural death, the police will send the body by private ambulance to the Center for Forensic Medicine, and it will be returned for burial without charge.
• Special burial arrangements: National Insurance covers only standard burial arrangements: burial in a nearby cemetery, regular shrouds, and a direct route from the funeral home to the grave. Special burial arrangements (e.g. flaxen shrouds, a long funeral procession stopping in different locations, additional escorts to complete a minyan) cost more. The amounts are set by the National Insurance Institute.
• Expenses unrelated to the burial: Expenses which are not directly connected to the burial itself, such as printing death notices, a gravestone, transportation to the cemetery, and the like are paid by the deceased’s family. There are companies that provide these services at market rates.
