Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Jerusalem Aryeh Stern has ruled that a Muslim man killed in a car crash last week can be buried in a Jewish cemetery in the city.
East Jerusalem resident Alah Kirsh was one of five people killed in the crash, on Route 90.
But Muslim authorities in east Jerusalem rejected the Kirsh family's request to bury him in a Muslim cemetery there. Citing claims that Kirsh had sold land in Jerusalem to Jews, Mufti Ekrima Sa'id Sabri said Kirsh was "not a member of the Muslim nation" and not eligible for a Muslim burial.
Sabri based his ruling on a 1935 decree by Jerusalem Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini stating that Muslims who sell homes or land to Jews are not eligible for a Muslim burial.
Following Sabri's ruling, the Muslim cemetery where Kirsh's family members are buried refused to bury him or hold a funeral for him there. His body was temporarily placed outside a Muslim cemetery in Nabi Sali near Ramallah.
Baruch Yedid, a former coordinator of government affairs in the territories who now heads right-wing organization Im Tirtzu's Palestinian desk, heard what had happened and contacted Stern to see what could be done.
The rabbi ruled that Kirsh could be buried in a Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem, in a section reserved for people with no religious affiliation.
"Because the Muslims themselves are unwilling to bury him, we must act to rectify this miscarriage of justice that humiliates a man merely for his willingness to sell land to Jews," the rabbi said.
"We must do right by this righteous gentile, who was willing to take a risk for Jewish settlement."
Kirsh will be buried next week in accordance with Stern's ruling.
Yedid welcomed the decision.
"I was excited to see the chief rabbi of Jerusalem's ruling. We will do everything to obtain a proper grave for Alah Kirsh, and we will not allow the dignity of any Arab or Jew to be harmed," he said.
