On average, 33,243 Jews die each year in Israel. Most are buried in a traditional ceremony by a Jewish burial society. Approximately 100 Jews are buried each year  in alternative cemetery plots in Be’er Sheva , and an additional few hundred Jews are buried each year in a civil burial on a kibbutz or moshav.

The traditional burial ceremony and mourning practices are the most accepted religious practices across the spectrum of Israeli society. 89% of the Jewish public in Israel considers it ‘important’ (68%) or ‘very important’ (21%) to sit shiva following the loss of a relative. 88% of Jewish Israelis responded that it is ‘important’ (19%) or ‘very important’ (69%) to them to say kaddish after the death of a parent. 83% of Jewish Israelis consider it ‘important’ (19%) or ‘very important’ to have a traditional burial (A study of the Gutman Institute and the Israel Democratic Institute on behalf of the Avi Chai foundation, February 2002).