Hi-tech Jerusalem burials could herald new tradition
ISRAEL is building a massive underground graveyard with Wi-fi, air conditioning and mobile phone-operated gates as the Jewish state grapples with a severe shortage of burial space.
The Perpetual Tunnels, a sprawling complex in West Jerusalem, has the potential to house tens of thousands of graves and may be expanded deeper below the ground in the decades to come. Work is under way on a 164-foot deep chamber with up to 16 floors connected by elevators, which is due to be completed around 2023.
Jerusalem’s undertakers hope that the new project will ease pressure on the Mount of Olives, the holiest burial site in Judaism, which has nearly run out of plots. But they are also taking pains to ensure the new site conforms to strict Jewish burial rules, such as ensuring the deceased’s body is in contact with the earth.
“We’ve invested a lot of money to do the best we can in circumstances where there is such a lack of ground and a lack of space,” Chananya Shachor, the former manager of the Burial Society of Jerusalem, said. “But we’re not just finding a solution, we want to honour the people who are buried here and their families.”
According to Jewish scripture, the Messiah will appear at the Mount of Olives for the Resurrection, making it a highly sought after resting place. Or, as Mr Shachor puts it: “The view is the best view a Jewish man can ask for.”
Israel sought to ease the pressure on Mount of Olives by expanding graveyards in nearby Givat Shaul and near the Negev desert.
But demand is showing no signs of slowing, especially among Jews based overseas who pay up to $20,000 (£14,500) for a burial plot.
One plot with around 180 grave spaces in Givat Shaul was snapped up almost immediately after it was announced, by an orthodox community in the United States.
The Perpetual Tunnels, which was partially opened in 2019, could hold the answer to the shortage in burial plots – though Mr Shachor said the idea has been met with some scepticism.
Here, many of the plots are in niches dug into the walls bearing a memorial plaque. The complex has been fitted with soundproofed walls and temperature controls. Sand and rocks are also scattered on the bottom of each niche to honour the Jewish custom of being in contact with the earth.
Tasteful lighting, which is just bright enough to read religious texts in, should also dispel the impression of being in a mausoleum, rather than a bunker.
Israel’s population could grow from 9m to more than 15m by 2050 according to some estimates. In a few decades, Mr Shachor said, this could lead to the chamber being extended further so that it stretches 240 feet below the earth.
Mr Shachor is hopeful that, in time, sites such as the Perpetual Tunnels will become the norm. “People will accept the measures, if not now then in 50 years,” he said.
“As with everything that is new, you have to get used to it.”