Israeli Funeral Societies Seek 80% Cemetery Plot Price Hike

Funeral societies in Haifa and four other Israeli cities have petitioned the High Court of Justice (Bagatz) to allow an almost 80% increase in the price of pre-purchased cemetery plots. The current base rate in Haifa is approximately 19,000 shekels, with the proposed increase aiming to raise it to 34,000 shekels. Similar adjustments are planned for other major cities, with Tel Aviv potentially seeing prices rise from 19,000 to 35,000 shekels, and Jerusalem up to 31,000 shekels.

According to the funeral societies, the price hike is necessary to cover the industry's financial needs, including the expansion of existing cemeteries and the construction of modern multi-level burial sites. They argue that without revised pricing, infrastructure development could halt, and the reserve of plots for emergency situations would be jeopardized. The right to free burial funded by the National Insurance Institute (Bituah Leumi) remains unaffected, as the proposed increase applies only to individuals choosing to purchase plots in advance.

However, opponents of the initiative have raised doubts about its justification. The organization Itim has previously stated that some funeral societies have reported significant multi-million shekel surpluses in their financial reports. The petition was filed on November 8, and the court's decision is pending, meaning the new tariffs are not yet approved. The 34,000 shekel figure for Haifa is the proposed maximum tariff, not the current service cost.