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Burial Arrangement Following a Pregnancy Loss

24 July 2024

The loss of a pregnancy or a newborn is one of the most tragic events that parents can experience, but alongside the emotional turmoil and grief, you must make several decisions pertaining to the burial arrangements.

At the right time, the hospital staff will contact you to inform you of the funeral and burial options and of a licensed burial company – Jewish burial, civil burial or burials in other communities. You can choose the level of your involvement in the burial process.

Every loss of pregnancy is handled individually by a hospital coordinator (registered nurse / social worker) who is responsible for the contact between the parents and the medical as well as psychosocial authorities in the medical center, and who represent an address where they can receive an emotional response and maintain continuity of care.

Upon discharge, the parents will be accompanied by a coordinator from the community, who will be responsible, inter alia, for providing information about various services proposed by the HMO: support groups, mental health clinics, emotional support ahead of the next pregnancy, etc. Whenever you feel emotional or mental distress due to the loss and feel a need for counseling and support, they can be contacted for help. At the same time, it is also important that you give yourself time to process the pain, difficulty and loss, together as a couple and each one individually.

A stranger will not understand. It is difficult to express in words the sense of grief and confusion that you may experience following a pregnancy loss due to a miscarriage stillbirth, baby or newborn. It is only natural to mourn and experience difficulties in digesting the situation and understanding its repercussions.

Having said that, despite the tremendous difficulty, at this stage you will need to make several decisions pertaining to the separation, funeral and burial. To help you during these difficult moments, we are introducing national guidelines pertaining to burial arrangements. These guidelines were planned in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, the National Insurance Institute and the Ministry of Religious Services.
With the hope that this information will help you make a decision on this painful subject.

Assistance following loss and separation

The medical staff at the hospital will accompany you throughout the process, and, at an appropriate time, will inform you of the separation options and of the licensed burial companies.

The decision on whether to see the child after the childbirth depends on the parents’ desire only and it will be documented on a special form to be kept in the mother’s medical records. It is also important to add that there is no right or wrong choice but a personal decision, the best one for you at the moment.

At the same time, emotional and professional support may be provided by the medical and social staff at the medical center, including referral to a relevant support group.

Burial arrangements and family participation

Another complicated topic that you will need to confront following the loss is the burial arrangements. Before you make a decision, it is important that you become familiar with the various definitions of loss that are determined by age and degree of proximity. These definitions directly impact how the burial is handled as well as the level of parental participation in the process:

Stillborn

Fetuses who died in utero by the age of 20 weeks of pregnancy (22 weeks after the last menstrual cycle) or who weighed less than 500 grams. If the hospital decides to perform an autopsy, the consent of one of the parents is required, pursuant to the other parent not objecting. Burial arrangements for a stillborn may be broken down into two groups:

Early miscarriage under 12 weeks

  • Fetuses will be buried without the presence of the parents in a common mass grave, in a special section, with the location of the grave not identified.
  • The hospital in conjunction with the burial societies will be responsible for handling this.

Miscarriage after 12 weeks

  • The fetus will be buried separately without the presence of parents in a special section and the grave will be identifiable.
  • The hospital in conjunction with the burial societies will be responsible for handling this.
  • In the unusual circumstances of an intact miscarriage after 12 weeks, you can request a self-burial in private burial at your expense.

Stillbirths

Fetuses that dies in utero after the end of 20 weeks of pregnancy, or who died in utero before 20 weeks of pregnancy but that weighted 500 grams or more. The burial will be conducted separately, in a special section, and parents can know the location of the grave.

Neonatal deaths

Babies who died within the first 30 days of life or infants who died after 30 days of birth, but who were sick and never left the hospital. Burial will be separate in a special section and the exact location of the grave will be identified.

Burial options

Licensed burial societies engage in burying stillborn, fetuses and neonatal deaths. A list (in Hebrew) of these societies is published at the Ministry of Religious Services website.

Burial options performed by these societies are:

Jewish burial

With Hevra Kadisha, to coordinate a funeral and burial in accordance with Jewish law.

Civil burial

Handling and coordination of a secular funeral and burial in the civil-alternate cemetery will be carried out by you. The hospital will assist in the necessary processes and will direct you, if necessary.

Burials for other ethnic groups

For information, contact the Religious Communities Division in the Ministry of the Interior on 11 Beit Hadfus Street, Jerusalem or call 02-6553606.

Important

Important

  • Not every burial company handles burials of deceased fetuses or neonates, so the burial may take place at some distance from your home. You can contact at any time the reception offices in the hospital to obtain details of the relevant burial society for you (pertaining to a loss that occurred from the beginning of 2015 and afterwards).
  • If you encounter difficulties or if you have any questions about the process, you can contact the Medical Division in the Ministry of Health at Telephone: 02-5080739 or 02-5080740 on Sunday-Thursday, between the hours of 08:00-15:00 (not including holiday eves and interim days).

Degree of family involvement in the burial

The decision regarding the level of your involvement in the burial is personal and subject to your desire. If parents are not competent to make a decision, an adult family member will be contacted: partner, parent, sibling of one of the parents.

  • If you choose to waiver any involvement, the hospital will handle the burial with the Burial Society.
  • If you want to part with your neonate at the hospital only and not participate in the burial, the medical staff will coordinate the burial at the cemetery with the Burial Society.
  • If you want to participate in the funeral and burial process- the medical staff at the hospital will refer you to one of the burial societies.

Emotional support following a loss

Any loss of pregnancy is handled individually by the hospital coordinator (registered nurse or social worker) who is responsible for being the contact between the parents and the medical as well as psychosocial officials at the medical center, and who serve as an address to receive an emotional response while maintaining continuity of care.

Upon discharge, the parents will be accompanied by a coordinator from the community, who will be responsible, inter alia, for providing information about various services proposed by the HMO: support groups, mental health clinics, emotional support ahead of the next pregnancy, etc.

Whenever you feel emotional or mental distress due to the loss and feel a need for counseling and support, they can be contacted for help. At the same time, it is also important that you give yourself time to process the pain, difficulty and loss, together as a couple and each one individually.