Cremation in Nepal Successfully Prevented
Rabbi Chezki Lifshitz, Shliach to Nepal, averted the cremation of a 32-year-old former student of Beis Rivkah College in Melbourne who died in a road accident.
Rabbi Lifshitz told JTA by phone from Kathmandu Wednesday that he had just recovered the body. He said he was flown by helicopter from Kathmandu to the scene of the bus accident near Chitwan and had managed to retrieve her body.
“In Nepal, they usually cremate the bodies,” he said. “Two months ago a Jewish guy was killed in a river and the Nepalese cremated him.”
Cremation is against Jewish law, which mandates burial immediately after death.
The Nepali authorities were performing an autopsy, Lifshitz said. He said the body would be sent back to Australia the following day. The rabbi said he spoke with the girl’s parents.
She was believed to be traveling in a small bus on Monday when the accident occurred. It is unclear how many other people died in the crash. Lifshitz, who is originally from Bnei Brak in Israel, said the mini-bus went over the edge of the road and plunged into a river below.
He said she had wanted to fly to Luka to trek to the base camp of Mount Everest but a cyclone had hit the area earlier this week and made it impossible to travel there.
Lifshitz said the family of the Jewish man who was cremated had donated a Torah scroll to the Chabad house he runs in Kathmandu.
Lifshitz’s Chabad house is famous for hosting the largest Passover Seder in the world, attracting over 1,500 people, mainly Israeli backpackers.
Rebbe
Rabbi Ligshitz and all the Rebbe’s shluchim are giants. Tomorrow this story will be old news but the Rebbe’s shluchim will continue on their “trek” and do anything and everything for another Jew.
Shluchim will simply call this event; “just another day at the office” but the world should know that a shliach puts himself front and center to help, save or even in this case, bury a fellow Jew.
Ashreinu Matov chelkeinu! We are blessed to be a part of the Rebbe’s army!
A great big yasher koach to Rabbi Lifshitz, his Rebetzin, his children, the staff in Katmandu and the entire Shlichus family world wide.
Another job well done.
barbara
couldnt have said it better myself!
down under
Thank you
Mahesh Sharma
Your title “Cremation in Nepal Successfully Prevented” is rather misleading and as if intended to denounce the cremation practice prevailing in this part of the world.
In any accident like this one, authority first tries to identify the body with name and nationality, and inform the respective embassy for further action after carrying our autopsy.
Cremation is performed only if the body is unidentified and no one claims it. Cremation is never forced or imposed in normal situation. In Nepal, there any many community who do not cremate the dead body. Therefore authority is quite sensitive.
Your another information ““Two months ago a Jewish guy was killed in a river and the Nepalese cremated him.”is also misleading and far from the reality.
Please be sensitive while saying something about another culture and religion.
Thank you
To #4 mahesh
Thanx for giving ud a better understanding of how the process works, it did seem a bit odd that they would be that quick to cremate
Bh!!!
Bh. Bh. Bh.
YMSP
BH!