Israeli engineering firm Rolzur and Jerusalem’s largest burial society, Kehillat Yerushalayim, have devised a plan to radically change how Jerusalemites dispose of their dead by building a modern system of burial caves, a throwback to a practice discontinued some two millennia ago,
as shown in footage from Wednesday. Planners of Jerusalem’s newest necropolis, a massive underground complex, say it will eventually hold more than 20,000 bodies.
“We had a big problem of places to be buried in Jerusalem,” said Kehillat Yerushalayim Funeral Director Uri Miller. “You can imagine that if we have around 2000 burials a year and each grave takes around 70 centimeters (27 inches) multiplied by 2 meters (6.6 feet), then after [a] few years there is no place in Jerusalem to be buried.”
“It’s an environmental solution and it also saves a lot of place, you know, instead of having new cemeteries it’s a good solution,” said Rolzur CEO Ari Glazer. “And we hope also [that] it will be around the world because it suits many cities around the world.”
Maybe it’s just me being overly sensitive, but the phrase “dispose of their dead” really sticks in my craw as being terribly disrespectful.
agree
Agree. Not a Jewish term.
Is this Halachicly sanctioned?
The other haimishe site is reporting that some of the design and fixtures were created by a German company “to create a relaxing atmosphere”
Yeah! The Germans are the experts of that domain and certainly the Deitch cares that it be a relaxing environment!
Ewwwww!
I understand they have shortage, but this doesn’t look right to me. Looks like those safe deposit boxes at bank. I’m don’t understand the issue . Jerusalem have a ton of land and hills that’s empty..