Virus victims' bodies arrive in Israel despite restrix

Although air travel to Israel has come to a near standstill due to the coronavirus restrictions, one type of voyage still endures: the final journey of Jews wishing to be buried in Israel.

For centuries, Jews have sought to be interred in the "Holy Land," going to great lengths and greater costs to secure their final resting place in the land of their biblical forefathers.

Today, not even a once-in-a-century pandemic is halting this ancient last wish.

Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, families, the aviation industry and health workers are finding ways to keep the deceased flying in — chartering private planes, adding cargo flights and striking deals with handling companies.

Israel's foreign ministry said 300 bodies, including many COVID-19 victims, have been flown in for burial since February.

During that time, Israel's typically bustling Ben Gurion International Airport has become a ghost town, with only a few hundred passengers arriving on a handful of flights each week.

Jews have long been drawn by the pull of being buried in the "Holy Land."

The biblical forefather Jacob and his son Joseph both requested to be buried in the "Promised Land" after having died in Egypt.

Some Jews believe that being buried in the "Holy Land" grants atonement for sins or will make resurrection easier when the Messiah comes.

Israel has managed to keep the COVID-19 crisis largely in check, and though it has reported 219 deaths and about 16,000 confirmed cases, it has managed to escape the scenes of overwhelmed morgues and cemeteries from other countries.

Bringing in bodies is complex and costly, even under ordinary circumstances.

Purchasing a private plane can cost anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the location.

Many choose to spend hefty sums for a prime spot in Jerusalem's Mount of Olives Cemetery, which overlooks the storied Old City and its important Jewish sites.

Additional costs include flights and transport from the airport to the cemetery.

Those who choose to be buried in Israel must also navigate a web of bureaucracy, starting with handling companies at their departure point to their local Israeli consulate or embassy as well as the Israeli Health Ministry.

The coronavirus crisis has complicated an already onerous process.

While Jewish families typically fly in from abroad to escort the body and attend the funeral, that's not possible under current travel restrictions, which require a two-week quarantine for anyone entering from abroad.

Extra measures on the bodies are required to prevent infections, including additional wrapping material and a separate ritual purification process.

In hard-hit New York, which has a large Jewish community, some handling companies have refused to deal with the bodies of those who have died of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

An Israeli aviation official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to discuss the sensitive process of transporting bodies with the media, said a cargo flight that comes from Belgium five times a week brings in about 20 bodies a flight — "an exceptional amount."

Most come from France, which has a large Jewish community and a severe outbreak, the official said.

He said a weekly cargo flight from New York also brings in bodies but often can't meet families' needs, as Jewish custom requires burying the dead promptly.

Wealthier families have hired private planes, which have been shipping in bodies about every other day from Europe and the US.

In photos released by ZAKA, an Israeli medical service, the sleek, slim interior of a private jet that had recently touched down was packed with four wooden caskets.

Israeli airline El Al struck a deal last week with a handling company in New York prepared to process the bodies of people who have died of the coronavirus.