Global travel fades, but bodies still flown to Israel for burial
TEL AVIV, Israel — Air travel to Israel has come to a near standstill because of coronavirus restrictions, but one type of voyage still endures: the final journey of Jews wishing to be buried in Israel.
For centuries, Jews have sought to be interred in the Holy Land, going to great lengths to secure their final resting place in the land of their biblical forefathers. Not even a once-in-a-century pandemic is halting this ancient last wish.
“The Land of Israel is a very special place for Jewish people to be buried,” said Rabbi Michoel Fletcher, who facilitates purchases of burial plots in Israel for Jews from abroad. “The flights have been reduced heavily, but there are cargo flights. So it may take a bit longer.”
Despite challenges presented by the coronavirus, families, the aviation industry and health workers are finding ways to keep the deceased flying in — chartering private planes, adding cargo flights and striking deals with handling companies. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said 300 bodies, including many COVID-19 victims, have been flown in for burial since February.
During that time, Israel’s typically bustling BenGurion International airport has become a ghost town, with only a few hundred passengers arriving on a handful of flights each week.
Israel has managed to keep the coronavirus crisis largely in check, and though it has reported more than 225 deaths out of more than 16,100 cases, it has not seen hospitals or morgues overwhelmed. More than half of the reported cases in Israel have recovered.
Bringing in bodies is complex and costly, even under ordinary circumstances. Purchasing a plot can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on location. Many choose to spend hefty sums for a prime spot in Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives cemetery, which overlooks the storied Old City and its important Jewish sites. Additional costs include flights and transport from the airport to the cemetery.
Those who choose to be buried in Israel must also navigate a web of bureaucracy, starting with handling companies at their departure point to their local Israeli consulate or embassy as well as the Israeli Health Ministry.
The coronavirus crisis has complicated an already onerous process. While families typically fly in from abroad to escort the body and attend the funeral, that’s not possible under current travel restrictions, which require a two-week quarantine for anyone entering from abroad.
Wealthier families have hired private planes, which have been shipping in bodies about every other day. In a photo released by ZAKA, an Israeli medical service, the interior of a private jet that had recently touched down had four wooden caskets.
Yossi Landau, a ZAKA official who has been assisting families during the outbreak, said dignity was a main driver behind getting the bodies to Israel.
“Behind every person who dies there is also a family, people who are living,” said Landau.