Kaddish and Tehilim said at Funeral of Righteous Gentile

An unusual funeral took place in the last few a when a 93 year old righteous gentile died in Yaffo. Idbiga Izbitzka, who lived alone in Yaffo was adopted by the police station. Police men would drop by to visit her from time to time.



She passed away last Thursday in Ichilov hospital, and so the police turned to Zaka Tel Aviv to arrange her burial. Since Idbiga was a Christian Zaka turned to Harav Yakov Roza for instructions on how to proceed with the funeral. Harav Roza followed the rulings of Harav Ovadia Yosef zt”l on how to arrange the funeral in such a way that is should not conflict with the halachah.



צילום: מוטי קרליץ דוברות זק"א ת"א


Before her interment in a Christian cemetery in Yaffo her body was brought to the Zaka morgue where a ceremony was held in the presence of her friends and neighbors. Her legal guardian, who cared for her in final years eulogized her. He spoke about how she rescued Jews during the Holocaust and sufferd greatly because of her heroic act. He also said that although she was not Jewish she felt very close to the Jewish people, even celebrating many of the Jewish holidays. At the end of the ceremony Zaka volunteers recited Tehilim for her and even said Kaddish.

In an interview with Behadrey Haredim Harav Yakov Roza explained that he relied upon the Sefer Shailos and Teshuvos of Harav Moshe Shternbuch Shlita who ruled that is permissible to recite Kaddish for a righteous gentile.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!