CANTERBURY, New Zealand [NZPA] — A Christchurch rabbi is battling efforts to autopsy an Israeli hiker whose body was found near the Mueller Glacier in the Southern Alps.
Rabbi Menachem Goldstein, director of the Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch sect in New Zealand, has been acting as a liaison between local officials and the Israeli Embassy in Australia.
Rabbi Opposes Post Autopsy for Body
CANTERBURY, New Zealand [NZPA] — A Christchurch rabbi is battling efforts to autopsy an Israeli hiker whose body was found near the Mueller Glacier in the Southern Alps.
Rabbi Menachem Goldstein, director of the Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch sect in New Zealand, has been acting as a liaison between local officials and the Israeli Embassy in Australia.
He said on a news website run by the New York-based sect of Hasidic Judaism that the man, aged in his 20’s had been at the Chabad House in Christchurch last week and had been expected to attend this week’s Friday night Shabbat gathering.
Rabbi Goldstein said that he was working to prevent a routine autopsy, which Jewish law views in most cases as an unnecessary desecration of the body. In New Zealand, a victim’s family must lodge a formal complaint, but the final determination was up to the coroner.
“I’ve strongly advised the authorities against a post-mortem examination,” he said.
“I told them it should be avoided if at all possible, especially since foul play is not suspected.”
But police said today a post mortem was likely to take place tomorrow morning.
The Israeli tramper was last seen at the Mueller Hut at 8.15am Monday and had been due out of the park later that day.
Department of Conservation (DOC) area manager Richard McNamara said the man appeared to have made a conscious decision to leave the track.
“For whatever reason this tramper has decided to go off the track and got himself into an area of danger and technical difficulty and fell,” he said.
“It’s one of those unfortunate, tragic accidents – it happens from time to time.”
Senior Constable Russell Halkett of Fairlie police said the man had slipped or fallen down an almost vertical rock face. He was located at the foot of a small waterfall near the edge of the glacier.
His name would not be released until he had been formally identified and his next of kin contacted.
He had been in New Zealand for several weeks and was travelling alone.
The rabbi said that he and his staff were working to have the body transported back to Israel for burial before the weekend.
“We’re devastated,” he said. “My heart goes out to his family and friends.”
Department of Conservation staff discovered the man’s car next to a popular tramping route in Aorangi Mount Cook National Park.
As many as 4500 people use the track each year. An American was reported to have died last year after straying from the same track.
way to go goldstein!
kol hakavod
CN
Baruch Dayan HaEmes. It’s tough to prevent an autopsy without the family’s cooperation. Maybe it would be a good idea to carry a “do not autopsy” card in one’s wallet, just like some people carry organ donor cards.
confused
“A Christchurch Rabbi”- sounds incredibly confusing to anyone who doesn’t know that Christchurch is a place in NZ. Should try to be a little more careful with the written word
Just wondering
What’s a “Post Autopsy”? Is that something they do after a Autopsy? Or is it just an expression from a different language?
SHLICHIM ROCK!!
WAY TO GO, chabad!! ur always there whenever and wherever
THANK U LUBAVITCHER REBBE FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE WORLD!
CONFUSED
at first i was so confused that there is such a thing as a christchurch rabbi!!!! heheh its the place christchurch
chabad 4 all jews!
chabad = chesed!
thankyou to the RABBI from Christchurch!
prefer to be in CH
I live in NZ :( Christchurch is in the south Island the rabbi there will be basically “pushing water up hill with a fork” as we – Jews are in the minority anyway and I doubt very much anyway would take much notice of our beliefs let alone in Christchurch. Please keep the rabbi in mind when davening hes doing a tremendous job
Go Chabad we love you!!
prefer to be in CH
In NZ theres no such thing as a post autopsy, we have post mortems and autopsies, both are used to determine the cause of death and both basically the same thing, interestingly if a Maori refused either they would more often than not be listened to – go google maori to find out about our native people
CHABAD ALL OVER
U CANT ESCAPE CHABAD
WHERE EVER THERE IS COKECOLA THERE IS CHABAD!