The families were furious: 'Why aren't they allowed to bury before Shabbat? What's taking so long?'

April 30, 2021   

The Meron Disaster 5771: Many family members of the deceased gathered today (Friday) outside the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, in an attempt to quickly complete the identification process and have time to bury their loved ones before Shabbat begins. However, many are complaining that the process is being delayed. Yossi, whose cousin Shraga was killed in the disaster, told the GLA in an interview: "He is now in Abu Kabir. His wife asks: 'Why don't they let us bury him before Shabbat?' They say it takes time, what takes time? He is dead. His brother is here and they are not letting him identify him. Where are the leaders?" Following the severe complaints, the Ministry of Health clarified: "From 12:00 to 1:15 p.m., 45 bodies of those killed in the disaster in Meron were transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine. The identification process is being conducted in several stages, including the collection of personal and identifying information by police representatives. The details are collected from the family members - who are naturally in distress, and since the bodies were not identified in the field, fingerprints, dental examinations, CT scans, and DNA tests are also required as necessary, and the data is cross-referenced with those collected." According to the ministry, "This is a time-consuming process and cannot be accelerated. The entire institute staff will be reinforced with expert teams and social workers who accompany each family with the sensitivity required in such a tragic event. "The institute has rabbis, the institute's rabbi and the rabbi of ZAKA who go out to the grieving families and talk to them." Dr. Chen Kugel, director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine: "The institute's employees and the teams that arrived are working with dedication and sensitivity to complete the identification process. We are working with full vigor, but it must be understood that this is a complex and sensitive process and we must act responsibly and, God forbid, avoid fatal mistakes. Our hearts are with the families on this difficult day." United Torah Judaism Chairman, MK Moshe Gafni, spoke this afternoon with Public Security Minister Amir Ohana, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, and the staff of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, and demanded that they complete the identification process and release the deceased immediately, so that they can bury them before Shabbat begins. Minister Ohana and the Police Commissioner told MK Gafni that they would give the order to expedite the legal and procedural procedures as much as possible in order to bring them to burial immediately.