""I saw it on WhatsApp": Who is responsible for notifying families of the death of their loved one?

December 13, 2021   

The Knesset's Interior Committee convened today (Monday) to discuss the question: "Who is responsible for informing the families of those who have died in disasters and accompanying them in the difficult hours following the tragedy?" The discussion was attended by representatives of the police, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Local Authorities Forum, the Ministry of Religious Services, National Insurance, ZAKA - and representatives of families who encountered a lack of accompaniment and unnecessary bureaucracy in the difficult hours of their lives. At the beginning of the discussion, Katriel Kay, Eliyahu's brother, recounts the sequence of events from the moment he realized that his brother was involved in the attack until receiving an official notification from the police, while conducting himself outrageously towards them, to the point of receiving a phone call requesting approval for an autopsy, just two minutes after receiving official confirmation of the murder. Even after all this, the family members found themselves facing a broken trough in finding a grave, when in the end they were forced to compromise - and also paid thousands of shekels for an additional plot. Revital Har Kesef, the widow of the late Ish HaChesed Haim, who was killed in a car accident, also described how she did not receive notification from an official source about the death, but learned of the tragedy following messages on social media. Even after that, the family was forced to seek help from friends and acquaintances in order to find a suitable burial place, in the absence of an official source to accompany the family. Deputy Chairman of the committee, MK Yitzhak Pindros wondered: "Who is supposed to notify the families of the disaster and accompany them? The police say the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Welfare Ministry claims the Ministry of the Interior, where they shift responsibility to the Ministry of Religious Services and back again. There is a ping-pong between all the official bodies here, with families who lost their loved ones standing in the middle without any support or assistance." MK Michael Malchieli joined in, asking who is responsible for the burial issue: "We members of the Knesset are constantly receiving calls from families regarding burial and funeral arrangements. People are not aware of what they deserve, how to get to the funeral homes, what the prices are and what they have to do. The issue must be regulated." MK Sharon Ofir also protested the lack of accountability between the bodies: "Who is ultimately responsible for the information? Each one passes the baton to the other." During the discussion, it became clear from the Interior Ministry representative that there is a Havatzelet procedure - terrorist attacks, but the procedure is not currently updated. In response to MK Pindaros' question about why the procedure is not being updated, the Interior Ministry representative claimed that this requires dedicated training, standards and a budget. The committee members protested against this and claimed: "Social welfare workers already exist, appropriate training may be needed to deliver bad news to families, but in terms of budget and standards, there is no need for changes." Haim Balch, deputy head of the operations department at ZAKA, also claimed: "The claims are far from reality. Today, there are already 1,600 ZAKA volunteers who have been specifically trained to deliver bad news to families. In some local authorities, such as Betar, we work together with the authority." Haim Nugenblatt, chairman of the Association of Emergency Medical Technicians at the Local Government Center, also joined in: "More than once it happens to us that we come to the family and it turns out that the family learned about the event from unprofessional sources. We need to determine who the responsible body is in charge of conveying the news to the family and update it in the following stages. There is no doubt that in the end, the one who should be responsible for this is the local authority, and in my opinion, it does not need high budgets. The bodies are there and we just need to validate it in the procedure." MK Yitzhak Pindors read the conclusions of the discussion: "It was agreed that the Israel Police, the Ministry of the Interior and the Local Government Center will meet and update the Havatzelet procedure for notifying families of deceased persons in accordance with the current situation and reality. "Likewise, if the above-mentioned bodies are informed that a change in legislation is necessary, the Interior Committee will initiate changes accordingly and in coordination with the chairman of the committee. On the subject of burial, it was agreed that the Ministry of Religious Services will examine the possibility of initiating a notification to the families of the deceased about burial options and burial fees. In addition, in the case of Eliyahu Kay, the Ministry will examine who was responsible for informing the family of their entitlement to a free grave, in accordance with the law, and who demanded payments contrary to what is stipulated in the law.".