For Authorities & Planning Bodies
A growing demographic need, land running out, and a model that leaves open space in public hands.
Local authorities across the country face the same equation: life expectancy rises, population grows, and land designated for burial is running out. Yaar Ad offers a different direction for that conversation - a civil-ecological burial site where land stays open woodland rather than becoming a field of concrete. The initiative is at an early stage, which is exactly when dialogue with authorities shapes its design.
The problem we are trying to solve together
- ●Rising demand for burial plots against shrinking land supply, especially in central Israel.
- ●Familiar public resistance to allocating open space for a conventional cemetery.
- ●Public demand for alternative civil burial that is only partly met.
- ●Development and maintenance costs of dense cemeteries over decades.
What is different about this model for an authority
In a conventional cemetery the land leaves other public use and becomes built area. In a burial forest the land remains woodland: green space you can walk through, that produces a green lung and preserves the character of the landscape. Density per dunam is lower, so this model does not replace a municipal cemetery - it complements it for a population seeking an alternative.
Maintenance differs too: no monuments to maintain, no paving and no concrete infrastructure. The work is mainly woodland management - pruning, tree-health monitoring and paths.
What we are asking for at this stage
Not a land allocation and not a commitment. We are asking for a conversation: to understand the planning barriers from your perspective, what land types might fit, and what the model must satisfy. Early feedback from an authority is worth more than detailed planning done without one.
The letter of the law
From the Right to Alternative Civil Burial Law, 1996.
A person is entitled to be buried according to their worldview in an alternative civil cemetery, if they so choose
The right the initiative rests on: every person may be buried according to their worldview, at an alternative civil cemetery.
The minister shall designate a location, subject to all law, to serve as an alternative civil cemetery
The section obligating the state to designate a site for an alternative civil cemetery. That allocation and licensing process is exactly the stage Yaar Ad is at.
Provided for general explanation; not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you already have land or a license?
No. The initiative is in early development; no site has been selected and licensing is not complete. Approaching authorities is part of this stage, not after it.
Who is expected to fund it?
The model under review is based on philanthropic and investment funding, not municipal budget. The authority is a planning and regulatory partner.
What is the legal framework?
The Right to Alternative Civil Burial Law (1996), which regulates alternative civil cemeteries and obligates the minister to designate a location. The exact sections appear further down this page.
Work at an authority or planning body?
We would welcome a professional conversation, with no commitment. Leave your details and we will get back to you.
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