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Mourning and Funerals in the Beta Israel Tradition — A Practical Guide

What to do when someone passes away: the funeral, the mourning days, the tezkar memorial, burial arrangements with the chevra kadisha, and your Bituach Leumi rights — step by step.

What to do when someone passes away — step by step

  1. Obtain a death notification

    In a hospital the staff issues it. At home, call a doctor or MDA (101) — a certified paramedic will issue the notification. Without it a burial permit cannot be issued.

    Ministry of Health — death notification and burial permit ↗

  2. Contact the chevra kadisha and schedule the funeral

    The chevra kadisha in the city of residence handles the burial permit, tahara, and plot. Burial is funded by Bituach Leumi — free of charge in the city of residence. Want a kes to lead or take part in the ceremony? Say so in the scheduling call — it is your right.

    Bituach Leumi — burial fees (what's included free) ↗State-employed kessim — the full right

  3. Put up the das and sit the seven days

    Per the community's tradition a mourning booth (das) is put up at the home's entrance — a yard or covered car-port — where the community gathers for the seven mourning days. Neighbors and relatives carry the meal preparations; visitors customarily contribute to the family's costs.

  4. Obtain the death certificate

    After the death is registered in the population registry, first-degree relatives receive a death certificate from the Population Authority (Ministry of Interior). The certificate is needed for Bituach Leumi, the bank, pensions, and inheritance — obtain it early.

    Population Authority — death registration ↗

  5. Claim your Bituach Leumi rights

    The death grant (₪10,514 as of 01.01.2026) is usually paid automatically to the spouse if the deceased received a benefit — verify it arrived. The survivors' pension for the widow/er and orphans is not automatic — file a claim at a branch, by phone *6050, or online.

    Bituach Leumi — survivors' pension ↗

  6. Organize the azkara and tezkar

    First tezkar — about a week after the death; many also mark the shloshim; the year tezkar — at the one-year mark. Set a venue, invite a kes (and a rabbi if desired), and prepare the memorial meal. Full details in the guide above.

    Kessim and Ethiopian community rabbis — by city

  7. Handle the inheritance — and don't pay for a lawyer if you don't have to

    A request for an inheritance order (no will) or probate order is filed with the Inheritance Registrar at the Ministry of Justice. Those who cannot afford it are entitled to free representation from the Legal Aid Bureau — check eligibility before hiring a private lawyer.

    Free legal aid — the full right

The tradition, the tezkar, and the rights — the full guide

Losing a loved one is hard — and at that very moment the family must handle both Israeli bureaucracy and the community's traditions. This guide exists so you don't have to search alone: what tradition asks, what the law requires, and what you are entitled to. The Beta Israel mourning tradition In Ethiopia, mourning customs were strictly kept: the deceased was washed and dressed in white shrouds (shama), and burial took place as soon as possible. Those who handled the body were considered ritually impure for seven days — per the Torah's purity laws (Numbers 19) — and immersed in the river on the third and seventh days. In Israel most of that practice is no longer observed, but its foundations — honoring the dead, swift burial, and close communal accompaniment — remain. At the entrance to the mourners' home a mourning booth — the das — was erected, and the community gathered there around the family: sitting together, weeping and lament (leqso, ለቅሶ in Amharic), mourners' meals of injera and wat stews, and monetary contributions to help the family carry the costs. The kessim lead the prayers for the soul of the departed and the comforting of the mourners. In Israel many families still put up a das — usually a covered yard or car-port by the house — and sit the shiva there. The mourning days: seven days of mourning are the community's custom of many generations, and they merge naturally with the shiva practiced in Israel. Many families add the thirtieth-day observance (shloshim) per the rabbinic custom. Tezkar — the Beta Israel memorial The central memorial rite is called tezkar (ተዝካር — from the root "to remember"). In Beta Israel tradition the tezkar is obligatory: the first is held about a week after the death, and another at the one-year mark. At its heart is a meal for the elevation and repair of the departed soul, with the community attending and an honored separate table set for the kessim. In Israel many families have merged the tezkar with the rabbinic azkara — visiting the grave, kaddish, and a meal. Good to know: among Ethiopia's Christians the tezkar falls on the fortieth day — don't confuse the dates; in Beta Israel the milestones are one week and one year, and practice varies family to family. Organizing an azkara/tezkar — in practice: • Set a date and place — at home, in a synagogue, or in a hall. For large memorials the whole community is invited. • Invite a kes — and, if the family wishes, a rabbi as well. For state-employed kessim see the link further down this page. • The meal — in the community's tradition the meal is the heart of the rite: injera, wat, dabo, and coffee (buna). Relatives and neighbors customarily help with the preparations. • Visiting the grave — in Ethiopia the grave was traditionally not visited after the tezkar; in Israel many families have adopted the custom of visiting the grave at memorials. Both are legitimate — follow your family's custom. Burial in Israel — what matters Burial in Israel is organized by chevra kadisha societies and religious councils, and is funded by Bituach Leumi (burial fees): a plot in the city of residence, transport of the deceased, tahara (purification), shrouds, the funeral, and a temporary marker — all free of charge. Payment is collected only for extras, such as a specific plot you chose or burial in another city. If it matters to you that a kes takes part in the ceremony alongside the chevra kadisha — ask for it in advance when scheduling the funeral. Holding the ceremony per the community's tradition is fully your right. Financial rights after a death — don't give them up • Death grant (ma'anak petira) — a one-time payment of ₪10,514 (as of 01.01.2026) to the spouse or children of the deceased, if the deceased received an old-age, survivors', disability, income-support, or certain other Bituach Leumi benefits. In most cases it is paid automatically — if it wasn't, file a claim (form 416). • Survivors' pension (kitzvat she'erim) — a monthly pension for the widow/widower and for orphans under 18 (and in certain conditions beyond). It is not paid automatically — you must file a claim with Bituach Leumi. • Inheritance order or probate order — filed with the Inheritance Registrar (Ministry of Justice). Without an order, a bank account, an apartment, or a car cannot be transferred to the heirs. Those who cannot afford a lawyer are entitled to free legal aid — see the link below. All official links appear in the checklist and resources on this page.

For guests — coming to comfort a family from the community?

What to know before attending a levaya, shiva, or azkara of an Ethiopian-Israeli family.

  • Showing up is the comfort

    In the Ethiopian tradition mourning is communal — a broad presence honors the deceased and the family. You don't need to know what to say; coming, shaking hands, and sitting with the family is enough. The customary Hebrew condolence greeting is entirely appropriate.

  • Expect the das — the mourning booth

    The shiva usually takes place in a mourning booth (das) put up by the house — not necessarily in the living room. Join and sit quietly, even if you don't know most of those present. There may be loud weeping and lament (leqso) — that is part of the custom, not a loss of control.

  • Modest dress, quiet conduct

    Come modestly and soberly dressed. At the funeral itself the eulogies and the kes's prayers (sometimes in Ge'ez) may differ from what you know — simply stand respectfully. Flowers are not customary at the grave, as in Jewish burial generally.

  • A monetary contribution — an honored custom, not an obligation

    In the community's tradition, comforters customarily share the family's costs with a modest, discreet monetary contribution (an envelope). A guest from outside the community is not obliged — but such a contribution is received with appreciation. Bringing groceries for the mourners' meals is also welcome.

  • Food and coffee — accepting is a way of honoring

    At the mourners' home and at the azkara you will usually be offered injera, wat stews, and coffee. A polite decline does not offend, but tasting what is offered — especially the coffee — is a simple way to honor the hosts and the memory of the deceased.

  • Invited to an azkara or tezkar? It is a great honor

    The tezkar is a meal for the elevation of the departed soul — being invited expresses closeness. Join the prayer even if the liturgy is unfamiliar, wait for the kes's or rabbi's blessing before eating, and remember: it is an evening of remembrance, not a social event.

Organisations and resources

  • ביטוח לאומי — קצבת שאירים ומענק פטירה

    *6050

    Filing claims for the survivors' pension and death grant, and checking the rights of the deceased's family members.

    Website ↗

  • ביטוח לאומי — דמי קבורה

    What free burial includes: plot, transport, tahara, shrouds, the funeral, and a temporary marker.

    Website ↗

  • משרד הבריאות — הודעת פטירה ורישיון קבורה

    The documents required before burial: a death notification from a doctor or paramedic and a burial permit from the health bureau.

    Website ↗

  • רשות האוכלוסין — רישום פטירה ותעודת פטירה

    Registering the death in the population registry and issuing a death certificate — required for Bituach Leumi, banks, and inheritance.

    Website ↗

  • עמותת עתים — ליווי מול חברה קדישא

    *8083

    Free guidance in dealing with chevra kadisha societies and religious authorities — including cases of difficulty or refusal.

    Website ↗

Sources

Customs vary by family and community — the description here is general. Benefit amounts are correct as of 01.01.2026; always verify the current amount on the Bituach Leumi site.

Family & Support