Four Jewish Graves Urgently Relocated Near Bangkok Following Evacuation Order
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS French by baba
Four Jewish graves were urgently relocated near Bangkok, Thailand, after local authorities ordered the cemetery evacuated within days. ZAKA volunteers from Israel, Chabad rabbis, and local community members worked together to move the remains to a new site in compliance with Jewish law.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Four Jewish graves were moved from a Bangkok cemetery after an evacuation order.
- Thai authorities demanded the cemetery be vacated within days.
- ZAKA volunteers from Israel assisted in the relocation.
- A new burial site was secured by the Thai Jewish community.
- The transfer was completed according to Jewish burial customs.
Four graves from a Jewish cemetery near Bangkok were relocated on Tuesday after Thai authorities ordered the site's evacuation within days. The operation was carried out by ZAKA volunteers from Israel, alongside Chabad rabbis and members of Thailand's Jewish community.
The land for the cemetery was purchased about five years ago by the Bangkok Jewish community and the Chabad movement. However, difficulties arose in recent months when local authorities refused to renew the burial permit for the site. Shortly before Rosh Hashanah, Chabad representatives received a letter from the regional governor demanding the cemetery be evacuated by the following Tuesday. Four individuals were buried there at the time.
Facing the urgency, Rabbi Nechemia Wilhelm, Chabad's emissary in Bangkok, requested assistance from ZAKA's Deputy Operations Director, Chaim Weingarten, to organize the transfer. A new burial site had been acquired by Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, the chief rabbi of Thailand's Jewish community. Immediately after Rosh Hashanah concluded, Weingarten and ZAKA volunteer Beraleh Yaakovovitz flew to Bangkok. They were joined by several local community members, including Rabbis Yosef Chaim Kantor, Nechemia Wilhelm, and Eliezer Ashkenazi, along with Yossi Goldberg and Davidi Haddad.
After several hours of complex work, the four tombs were transferred intact to the new burial ground and the deceased were reburied according to Jewish law. "When I received the request on the eve of Rosh Hashanah and understood the urgency of the situation, it was clear that ZAKA would do everything necessary to preserve the dignity of the dead," said Chaim Weingarten. Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor described the situation as "extremely complex and sensitive" and noted that everyone's cooperation and dedication enabled the transfer of the graves with dignity, sensitivity, and in accordance with Jewish law.
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