Purchasing Burial Plots
Every Jerusalem or overseas resident who dies in Jeursalem is entitled to be buried without charge in the Sephardi Chevra Kadisha’s burial plots on Har HaMenuchot, either in Sanhedrin-style plots (underground niches) or a family plot where a partner or family member purchases the upper plot.
An Israeli who purchased a plot but no longer lives in Israel must pay for the burial costs, including the funeral. The transfer can be carried out as detailed in the company price list.
Plots can only be sold to overseas residents in areas defined by National Insurance as exempt or closed.
For more information about types of burial see here.
For the price list of services (according to National Insurance) see here.
Sanhedrin Plots
- Jerusalem resident – no fee.
- To purchase for a partner – NIS 9,202.
- To purchase for a family member – NIS 10,777.
- To purchase for a partner or family member by a non-Jerusalem resident – NIS 14,493.
Double Family Plot
For a Jerusalem resident or a foreign resident who died in Jerusalem, the burial is free.
The cost for the upper plot in the same grave for a partner or family member is as follows:
- For a partner who is a Jerusalem resident – NIS 9,416.
- For a partner who isn’t a Jerusalem resident – NIS 15,302.
- Additional digging – NIS 400 for each purchase.
Upper Burial
Upper burial is permitted in special cases. The burial plot must fulfil the following conditions:
- Following checks, the Chevra Kadisha staff find that upper burial is permitted.
- There is sufficient time to carry out an upper burial.
- There is approval from all of the deceased’s family for carrying out an upper burial.
Upper Burial Prices
- Jerusalem resident – NIS 1,800.
- Non-Jerusalem resident – NIS 15,302.
- Overseas resident – NIS 45,000, including transfer and fees.
Purchasing an Upper Burial Plot while alive
In the case of purchasing a burial plot for upper burial:
- Jerusalem resident – NIS 11,771.
- Non-Jerusalem resident – NIS 15,302.
- Overseas resident – NIS 45,000 (not including transfers)
Purchasing a grave while alive – National Insurance plots
Isolated plots
- Jerusalem resident – NIS 14,714.
- Non-Jerusalem resident – NIS 19,128.
Double family plots
- Jerusalem resident – NIS 11,771/23,542.
- Non-Jerusalem resident – NIS 15,302/30,604.
Sanhedrin grave
- Jerusalem resident – NIS 11,035.
- Non-Jerusalem resident – NIS 14,345.
Purchase of exceptional graves
The Sephardi Chevra Kadisha has been assigned, in the framework of the agreement with National Insurance, a number of exceptional plots for which graves can only be sold on the day of death.
Price List for Exceptional and Closed Plots
Givat Shaul
- Close to the center – NIS 180,000.
- Elsewhere in Givat Shaul – NIS 100,000.
- South 7Aleph + 35 – NIS 140,000.
- South 30/31 – NIS 60,000.
- South 30Dalet – NIS 90,000.
- South 43/45 – NIS 25,000.
- Elsewhere in the south – NIS 100,000.
- Har Tamir Gimmel Terrace 2 – NIS 150,000.
- Har Tamir Gimmel Terrace 5 – NIS 130,000.
- Har Tamir 15 Plot 31 – NIS 120,000.
- Har Tamir 20 – NIS 160,000.
- Har Tamir 25 – NIS 150,000.
- Elsewhere on Har Tamir – NIS 100,000.
Mount of Olives
- Hasidim cemetery (Or HaHayim, Abuhatzeira, the Rashash) – NIS 160,000.
- Tzur plot: NIS 60,000.
- Ras el-Amud plot: NIS 75,000.
- Nevi’im plot: NIS 120,000.
- Other Hasidim (the new plot 10): NIS 130,000.
Price List for Overseas Residents
Givat Shaul:
Center, Tamir Aleph-Bet, Tamir 1Gimmel – addition, South 7Aleph, 35Bet.
Mount of Olives:
Hasidim cemetery (Or HaHayim, Abuhatzeira, opposite the Rashash): sales in these plots are only for family burial.
- Burial price – NIS 117,710 + NIS 70,000 transfer fees, tahara, digging the grave, chazanim, accompaniers, shrouds.
The remaining plots at Givat Shaul or Mount of Olives:
- Price for single field burial – NIS 73,570 + NIS 35,000, including transfer, fees, funeral hall, chazanim, undertakers, tahara, shrouds.
- Price for a double grave for a couple – NIS 117,710 +NIS 70,000 including transfer, fees, funeral hall, chazanim, undertakers, tahara, shrouds.
- Watered family grave for a couple – NIS 90,000 + NIS 70,000 for transfers, fees, tahara, shrouds, burial, opening the grave, chazanim, accompaniers etc.
- Single watered place: NIS 50,000 + NIS 35,000 – transfers, fees, tahara, shrouds, burial, opening the grave, chazanim, accompaniers etc.
- Sanhedrin graves: NIS 18,000 + NIS 12,000 – transfers, fees, tahara, shrouds, burial, opening the grave, chazanim, accompaniers etc.
Burial Services Price List
- Use of the burial hall without tahara services – maximum 60 minutes – NIS 3,000.
- Use of the burial hall including tahara, shrouds and city transfer, maximum 90 minutes – NIS 6,000.
- Burial of someone who died in Jerusalem, including transfer, opening and digging the grave, dipon covers, plates, shrouds, tahara, funeral ceremony, chazan, team, and burial – NIS 25,000.
- Transfer of deceased from Ben-Gurion + fees + license – NIS 10,000.
- Simple shrouds – NIS 275.
- Morgue – NIS 356 per day.
- Deviation from the route (maximum one hour) NIS 941, every additional half hour NIS 471.
- Payment must be made beforehand: without this no services can be provided.
- Israeli citizens that have a grave deed, and who moved abroad, have to present a residency approval (at National Insurance for the day of the burial).
- Those holding a burial deed while alive who don’t have a residency certificate have to pay the transfer and treatment for the Jerusalem burial.
- Families who are interested can carry out the transfer via an external party but this needs to be coordinated with the office.
The procedure for providing discounts in sales of burial protection deeds while alive in closed plots, and sales of burial deeds in exceptional plots:
This procedure only relates to discounts in sales of burial deeds to the living in closed plots, and the sale of graves in exceptional plots.
Discount by a person responsible for selling burial deeds while alive in closed plots
- The person responsible for selling burial deeds while alive is permitted to give a discount of up to 10% of the price of the deed with the approval of the vice-president.
- The vice-president is permitted to increase the discount to up to 20%.
Any discount greater than 20% of the burial deed price while alive requires the approval of the Discounts Committee, as detailed below.
Discounts Committee
- The Discounts Committee will be made up of the chair of the chevra kadisha board, who will serve as chair of the committee, and of two additional members chosen by the amuta board.
- The committee will make decisions according to a majority of its members.
- The committee will record its deliberations in protocols that will be signed by the committee chair and one other committee member.
- The chair of the committee will arrange the committee meetings.
Discount Requests
- • A person requesting a discount in purchasing a burial deed while alive must present a request at the amuta offices with the form used by the chevra Kadisha for these purposes. The request must include all of the reasons that justify a discount in the burial deed price. The letter must include all of the documents supporting the claim, such as medical permits, salary slips etc.
- Together with the letter, the request will be passed to the committee chair, who will be responsible for arranging a committee meeting to discuss the issue.
Awarding a Discount
- The committee’s discretion in awarding a discount is unlimited.
- Discounts will only be given in exceptional circumstances, and not as a routine occurrence.
- In deciding whether to offer a discount, the committee’s main consideration should be the applicant’s socioeconomic position, but it is entitled to take other issues into consideration, such as the location of the requested plot, the location of the grave within the plot, the number of vacant graves in the plot, and the rate of demand to be buried there.
- Discounts in sales of burial deeds while alive won’t be given to the family members of the chevra kadisha committee, board or audit committee members.
- A discount for family of a chevra kadisha member, or staff, requires the approval of the board (in addition to committee approval)
Implementation
- Upon awarding the discount as detailed in clause 4 above, the request and the approvals will be transferred in writing from the authorised bodies as laid out above in clause 4, to be addressed by the person responsible for selling burial deeds to the living.
- Discounts for sale of graves in exceptional plots
- A discussion of the request for offering a discount in the sale of an exceptional grave, which is more than 20% of the cost of the grave, will only be held after the price of the grave has been paid in fall.
- A discussion on this request will be carried out in accordance with clauses 3 and 4 of this procedure.
- If the committee accepts the request, the difference between what was paid and the cost of the grave after the discount will be returned.
- For the avoidance of doubt, this procedure doesn’t relate to the sale of burial deeds to the living according to the Jewish Services Law or exempted plots.