A historic and emotional ceremony took place this week in Taipei, Taiwan, with the official inauguration of the country’s first Jewish cemetery. At this milestone event, the first Jewish funeral in the country was also held, with the deceased being a 73-year-old Israeli citizen who had lived in Taiwan. Family members of the deceased arrived from around the world, including from Israel, to accompany him on his final journey.
According to ZAKA, volunteers from the organization’s international division worked on site to ensure dignity for the deceased. Baruch Neidam, head of ZAKA’s international division, noted that members of the division arrived from Hong Kong, led by Chabad emissary Rabbi Mendy Rabinovitz, at the request of local Chabad emissary Rabbi Shlomi Tabib, and assisted with all aspects of the funeral and burial according to Jewish law.
Rabbi Mendy Rabinovitz, Chabad emissary in Hong Kong and ZAKA commander for East Asia, added that they are experienced in handling the dignity of the deceased, as Hong Kong has a Jewish cemetery. Until now, it was customary to transfer Jewish deceased from Taiwan for burial in Jewish cemeteries in other countries. The burial held this week marks a significant milestone for the local Jewish community, and enables dignified burial according to Jewish tradition in Taiwan itself.