"Total loss of governance": Followers of murdered rabbi took over 900 burial plots
An investigation revealed that a giant "palace" is being built at the Netanya cemetery on burial plots stolen from the Chevra Kadisha. A tractor brought for demolition was burned, and officials warn: "It is better not to mess with them."
A stormy exposé by the program "Ha-Tzinor" and host Guy Lerner reveals an exceptional and extreme case of loss of governance in Netanya: followers of the Kabbalist Rabbi Amos Gueta, who was murdered about a month ago in his yeshiva, have illegally taken over about 900 designated burial plots at the municipal cemetery. A giant and magnificent memorial, resembling a palace in appearance, is currently being built on the site, and this in the heart of a country suffering from an acute shortage of burial space.
According to the exposé, the vigorous protests of the Chevra Kadisha, from which hundreds of plots were stolen, were of no avail in the face of the collapse of the systems. A municipal enforcement attempt failed after a tractor brought to the site to demolish the illegal construction was completely burned. Guy Lerner noted that officials in the official systems even admitted in background conversations that it is better not to mess with the followers, and defined the event as "madness of system collapse - not approaching, not near, the thing itself."
The event also arouses great resentment due to the sharp contrast with the lifestyle of the late Rabbi Gueta. The rabbi, a well-known and beloved figure in Netanya who worked as a postman in his youth and studied medicine before turning to the world of Torah, was known for his modesty and his assistance to those who had lost their way. Lerner emphasized that the current construction constitutes "a betrayal of the honor of the late rabbi who in his life was known for his modesty," alongside the highlighted injustice towards the public forced to be buried in multi-level burials and niches.
The difficult affair at the cemetery in Netanya puts in a sharp light the helplessness of the enforcement authorities and the municipality in the face of violence and the takeover of public resources. Now it remains to be seen whether the public exposure will force the law enforcement agencies to act to restore governance and order at the cemetery.
