Association for Eternal Rest

Menuha Nekhona

GOALS
Promotes alternatives to Orthodox burials in Israel.

BACKGROUND
The Association for Eternal Rest (AER) is a national organization that promotes alternatives to Orthodox burial in Israel. It serves as an umbrella organization for a network of 19 registered local chapters throughout the country. At present there are only two alternative cemeteries in Israel, one in Be'er Sheva (some 3,200 people have been buried there) and the other in Kiryat Tivon (both are run by the local AER groups). 10 more local groups have received burial licenses that will enable them to establish alternative cemeteries that will be managed by local groups. The organization was supported for 12 years by the CORE program of the NIF and after a final grant was passed on to the Pluralism Program.

STRATEGIES
Advocacy; litigation; assisting local groups with legal advice, financial and organizational help; providing information and public education for the general public.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Participation in a forum of organizations set up by IRAC (an NIF grantee) to promote issues relating to the relationship between religion and state. The forum was active during the campaign for the last general elections.
• Following a petition to the Supreme Court regarding the issue of 12 million NIS that were included in the 2005 state budget for alternative burial but not allocated, the funds were reallocated to the 2006 budget.
• Promoting the opening of new cemeteries and assisting local chapters in Tivon, Haifa and Kfar Sava. A lease was signed by the Israel Land Authority for land in the Gan Raveh cemetery, and the Petah Tikvah municipality allocated 10 dunams for alternative burial in the Yarkon cemetery.