Israel’s policies regarding the burial of the dead are among the most generous in the world, with every citizen guaranteed a permanent state-funded grave near their place of residence.

This policy may, however, soon be unsustainable due to an expected surge in the elderly population in the coming decades, according to a new study by Prof. Alex Weinreb, chair of the Demography Area and Research Director at the Taub Center.

The report calls for the state to amend existing legislation covering burial rights and to rethink current burial practices. While acknowledging that cremation — the most widespread practice in much of the world — is not a viable option in Israel for cultural and religious reasons, a shift toward ancient Jewish “bone collecting” practices and modern “high-rise burial” techniques will help alleviate the problem, Weinreb suggested.

A spokesperson for the Religious Services Ministry did not reply to a request for comment.

Israel records approximately 45,000 to 50,000 deaths per year. But the country’s rapid population growth and the aging of the baby-boom generation suggest that the figure could rise by approximately 3.85% per year in the coming decades.

That would bring the annual total to more than 100,000 by the mid-2040s and 200,000 by the late 2070s, the report said.

At that rate, more people will die in the 26 years between 2024 and 2050 than died in the 75 years between the founding of the state and the end of 2023, Weinreb stated.

Major cemeteries in the densely populated Tel Aviv and Central districts, including those in Yarkon and Barkat (Ganey Ad) that were intended to serve as long-term solutions, are already expected to reach capacity as early as 2035. That’s decades earlier than originally planned, the report said.

“The paradox… is that because of a cultural-religious outlook, we devote to the dead one of the country’s most valuable and scarce resources,” the report said. “If strategic planning is not advanced toward a comprehensive, system-wide solution, Israel will........

© The Times of Israel