An eternal home in Israel

July 3, 2011 - 8:11 AM by David

I’ve been spending a lot of time recently in the Holon civilian cemetery, a huge monstrosity on the Bat Yam-Holon border, not to be confused with the Holon military cemetery a few miles away.

It’s not due to any affinity for cemeteries, but due to the deaths – three months apart of my aunt and uncle, both well into their 90s. Though they resided in the US, their hearts were always in Israel, and over two decades ago, while in their 70s, they bought twin plots in the Holon cemetery, close to relatives of my uncle, who was born in Lithuania and spent many years in pre-state Palestine before leaving for the US where he met my aunt.

Since they never had children, it was up to their closest family members – myself and my uncle’s cousins – to oversee the flights of the bodies to Israel, liaise with the Hevrat Kadisha (the burial authority in Israel) and take care of the funerals. Thankfully, a close family friend living in their hometown of Brookline, Mass. took care of everything on the US side, making everything run much more smoothly than expected.

You need a road map to get around the cemetery, which is more massive than any I have previously been exposed to, including the monolithic Givat Shaul cemetery in Jerusalem.
But, in a country where bureaucracy manages to delay the most mundane tasks, the ordeal of flying deceased family members to Israel for burial was one of the most snag-free endeavors I’ve ever undertaken here. From El Al to the hevrat kadisha, everyone was accommodating and gracious.

While they never realized their dream of returning to Israel to live, my aunt and uncle are here now, lying side by side under the ground they cherished so much. They were inseparable in life, and now they’re inseparable for eternity.

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