Before considering exhuming the remains of a deceased family member and reinternment to a different cemetery, be sure to consult your rabbi for specific guidance how to proceed.

Many individuals have asked to be buried in the land of Israel. There have also been instances where family members have requested that the remains of a family member be exhumed, and that reinternment take place in Israel.

To better appreciate some of the reasons for doing so and why both the patriarch Jacob and his son Joseph, the viceroy of Egypt, each requested that their children bury them in Israel, read this enlightening analysis entitled “The Debate: Burial in the Land of Israel” from Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald’s Torah message for Vayechi 5782-2021. Out of respect for Shabbat, please consider printing it on Friday afternoon if you plan to read it on Shabbat.